Finance Minister and Cabinet member Bezalel Smotrich addressed today (Thursday) the growing tensions between Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and Eyal Zamir, and issued a sharp criticism of the Chief of Staff's conduct.
In an interview on the "Halfway Through the Day" program on Channel 2, Minister Smotrich claimed that Zamir exceeded his authority - and that in a democratic country, a person in uniform is prohibited from publicly attacking the political echelon.
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""The reality in which the Chief of Staff issues statements to the media and publicly attacks the minister in charge of him is unacceptable," said Smotrich.
According to him, even if the Chief of Staff feels that he has been wronged, he must resolve it behind closed doors. Smotrich even compared the situation to what happened in the United States and hinted that in the American administration the Chief of Staff would pay with his seat for similar conduct: "In the United States the Chief of Staff would receive a phone call from Trump and in a phone call he would be fired.".
""There are basic rules and codes in democracy. There are things that are permitted for a minister and prohibited for the Chief of Staff, because the minister is the political echelon, the representative of the sovereign and the commander of the army," said Smotrich.
In an interview, the minister rejected claims that Defense Minister Katz is acting out of primaries considerations, noting that he trusts in his integrity and his civilian background, which is an advantage over the military system.
Besides the security issue, the interview also dealt extensively with the heated debate that took place today in the High Court of Justice regarding the appointment of a person in charge of the investigation into the Yemeni field affair.
Smotrich supported the outbursts in the courtroom and attacked Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit with harsh words: "Yitzhak Amit has put himself in the political mess. If you want to be a court, you don't take the liberty of determining values.".
According to Smotrich, the legal system and legal advice operate like a "mafia" and prevent the appointment of an external investigator for fear of revealing the truth: "Minister Levin tried to find a civil servant, but there is a mafia that won't allow it, everyone is afraid. Judge Amit changed the composition because he is afraid of what might be revealed about the attorney general.".
On the economic front, the Minister of Finance confirmed that the state budget for 2025 will not be approved on time, and the state will operate on a rolling budget at the beginning of the year. "We entered the process late because of the war and the uncertainty surrounding the conscription law," he explained.
Regarding housing prices, the minister advised the public: "We are in a buyer's market. If it's expensive - just don't buy.".
