Hagari attacked the 'Feldstein Law', the Defense Minister threatened and the Chief of Staff reprimanded

December 4, 2024   

IDF Spokesperson, Brigadier General Daniel Hegry, was asked this evening (Wednesday), at a press conference he held, about the 'Feldstein Law' being promoted in the Knesset - and his answer caused a political storm. Hagari replied: "This law is very dangerous for the IDF. It is dangerous because it will create a situation in which any junior figure in the IDF can, at will, steal and take out documents from the IDF or intelligence information, and this is a simple thing, it will lead to a danger to human life and the lives of fighters, and therefore it is very dangerous for the IDF and it is also dangerous for the security of the state." The coalition sharply criticized Hagari for his remarks. Following the storm, the IDF spokesman issued a special statement, stating that the Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi He reprimanded Hageri. "The Chief of Staff reprimanded the IDF spokesman for his response to a question regarding the law on the provision of confidential information to the Prime Minister and ministers during a press briefing, and in doing so exceeded his authority. The IDF does not criticize the legislator, but rather presents its position to the political echelon through the customary mechanisms for this purpose." After the reprimand was published, he published Daniel Hegry A statement on his Twitter account: "In my statement this evening in response to a question, I expressed myself in a way that exceeded my authority as an IDF spokesman, and for that the Chief of Staff reprimanded me. "The State of Israel is a democratic state and the IDF is subordinate to the political echelon. In the hundreds of statements and questions I have answered since October 7, I maintain statehood. The IDF conveys its position to the relevant parties in legislative matters through the mechanisms accepted for this purpose, and not in any other way." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: ""It's good that the IDF spokesman was put in his place to ensure that such a statement is not heard again. In a democratic country, the army is not supposed to interfere in political matters and certainly not criticize legislation." Defense Minister Israel Katz He said he would take disciplinary action against the spokesman. "The IDF spokesman's criticism of the political echelon and the legislative process in the Knesset is a serious phenomenon and a complete deviation from his authority and from what is permitted and expected of a uniformed person in a democratic regime. I intend to take action to hold disciplinary proceedings against him as soon as possible in order to draw the necessary conclusions." Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana He responded: "In a democratic country, the army does not criticize legislative processes in parliament at a press conference, but rather implements them as an arm of the executive branch, if and when they enter the law book. The IDF can express its position in the Knesset in the committee that prepares the law, as it has done countless times in the past, and as all state bodies that are supervised by the Knesset or are affected by legislation do. "These are fundamental principles in democracy. The statement of the report tonight is a serious, unusual and highly unacceptable crossing of a red line, which must not be repeated." Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich': "Israel is a country that has an army, not an army that has a country. It's hard to escape the feeling that lately there are those in the IDF's senior command who don't understand these basic democratic principles. And those who don't understand this cannot remain in their position." Minister of the Interior Moshe Arbel"The IDF Spokesperson's statement and his position regarding the legislative proceedings taking place in the Knesset is a very serious crossing of a red line. A person in uniform has no right to express a political position publicly regarding political issues, whatever his position may be, especially if it is contrary to the position of the designated minister." Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir"The spirit of the Ombudsman permeates the IDF spokesman. When Hagari sees that the Ombudsman doesn't care about the government, he doesn't care about the Defense Minister either. Deep State in full swing - only this time it's from the springboard." The Minister Isaac Wasserlauf He added: "If the IDF spokesman wants to intervene in political decisions, he is welcome to take off his uniform, run for the Knesset and express his position." The commentator Fellow He responded: "The IDF spokesman was wrong. He made hundreds of statements, in the darkest days of the war. One was out of place. He was reprimanded and took responsibility. 'We can stop the onslaught here. This is not a South Korean-style military coup.'".