Likud leaders stunned by Israel Katz - hours later the new blame arrives

Likud leaders are furious with Israel Katz after he created the impression of dismissing a major general live on air. The Defense Minister is escalating the confrontation with the IDF and claims that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir tried to block the appointment of Dado Bar Kalifa. The leaders sharply criticized the way things were presented and said this is not the way to conduct oneself during an election period, especially on security matters. Some admitted that the picture became clearer after the clarification statement, but the damage was already done.

Likud leaders are furious with Defense Minister Israel Katz, who created the impression of dismissing a major general live on air. They sharply criticized the way things were presented and said this is not the way to conduct oneself during an election period, especially on security matters. According to them, Katz should have clarified already last night, immediately after the publication, that he does not intend to dismiss Major General Avi Bluth and that this is an appointment process that began earlier. After Katz published his clarification statement yesterday, some of the leaders admitted that the picture became clearer and that his words suggested he did not intend to announce an immediate dismissal. However, they added that the damage was already done and that the media handling of the event was poor. Meanwhile, the Defense Minister is escalating the confrontation with the IDF and claims that Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir tried to block the appointment of Dado Bar Kalifa. According to Katz, he understood that the desire to appoint Bar Kalifa also stemmed from the intention to prevent him from entering the position of Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, for which he was intended. Katz agreed to Zamir's request, and in mid-May even interviewed Bar Kalifa in his office for the possibility of his appointment. Katz harshly criticized the Chief of Staff after the IDF Spokesperson stated that the Minister's words in the program were not coordinated with him and that no final decision had been made on the matter. According to the statement, there are additional candidates and the process has not yet been completed. In contrast, the Defense Minister claimed that Bar Kalifa was the only candidate recommended by the Chief of Staff for the position, and that Zamir was the one who asked him to conduct an early interview with him for the purpose of approving the appointment.