Winter vs. Eisenkot: "Lied to the political echelon to avoid an attack in Gaza"

Chairman of the "Amcha Yisrael" party, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, attacked former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot at an activists' conference, accusing him of lying to the political echelon during his tenure to avoid a military operation in Gaza. Winter called for an end to the policy of containment and rounds of fighting, urging a shift to military decision.

Chairman of the "Amcha Yisrael" party, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, attacked former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot this evening (Tuesday) at a conference of activists and supporters at Cinema City Glilot. Winter accused Eisenkot of lying to the political echelon during his tenure as Chief of Staff in October 2018, in order to avoid a military attack in Gaza. According to Winter, while the cabinet had decided that if the situation escalated, the Prime Minister and Defense Minister would be authorized to decide on an attack, the IDF Spokesperson issued a false statement claiming that a particular Friday was the quietest in three months, whereas Winter claims the data showed the exact opposite. Winter called for an end to the policy of containment and rounds of fighting, which he termed "false quiet," and to move to a military decision against Hamas. He emphasized that Israel must take the initiative rather than be dragged along, and that the enemy must pay a heavy price to be truly deterred. The conference also featured speeches by Yosef Haddad and Neta'eli Shem Tov.