The Chief of Staff today (Friday) sent a letter to IDF commanders and soldiers in which he hinted, among other things, at his future in the ranks of the army, in the wake of the investigations into the October 7th failures - and criticized Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, who announced the freezing of the appointments of two officers.
""The investigation is an integral part of the process," he wrote in the letter. "It is done with great seriousness and pain. At the end of the investigation, we will also make personal decisions and exercise responsibility for the commanders - from me and down.".
He added: "Due to the difficult results, we are obliged to make personal decisions, and we will do so. We must not lose anyone who was on duty on October 7. It is of great importance to develop commanders who have experienced combat. We chose to conduct difficult investigations into October 7, and unlike in the past - in the midst of war. I have no intention of neglecting personal decisions when the picture becomes clearer and clearer to us.".
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In the letter, Halevi also criticized Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, who froze officer appointments. "These days, there is a lively public discourse and criticism is being heard about the appointment process itself, in light of the defense failure on October 7. This is an understandable and important change. Appointing officers to positions is not a privilege, but a command duty.".
""As Chief of Staff, I am the one who sends you to the battlefield, and my responsibility is to ensure that the IDF continues to win, provide security, and meet its missions. By virtue of this, I also appoint and develop you for the following positions," the Chief of Staff clarified to the soldiers and commanders, warning: "The IDF cannot afford to stagnate. It is our duty to continue to allow it to build and develop, because many challenges still lie ahead.".
On Sunday, the Defense Minister announced that he is not approving at this stage the appointments of two officers designated for promotion "until their connection to the events of October 7 and their performance during the war is examined in depth." The officers are: AGM Officer Ephraim Avni and Engineering Officer Almog Dadon, both from the Southern Command.
