Israel Defence Minister clashes with IDF Chief over senior military appointments
A media leak prior to the announcement of the appointments led to Katz' row with Zamir, with the Defence Minister slamming the military chief in a public statement.
Katz said the meeting held by Zamir was conducted 'contrary to the defence minister's directive and without prior coordination and agreement, in violation of established procedure.'
Katz added he had 'no intention of discussing or approving any of the appointments or names' that were leaked.
'The Chief of Staff will be required to coordinate in advance with the defence minister in order to discuss these or other appointments in the future,' he said.
Noting that the Defence Ministry was superior to the military in authority, and that the IDF was subordinate to its policies, Zamir hit back at the office after announcing the appointments.
Releasing a statement from the IDF, Zamir said that 'staffing discussion was scheduled in advance, in accordance with regulations.'
'The chief of staff is the sole authority under regulations for appointing commanders at the rank of colonel and above in the IDF. The chief of staff holds an orderly staffing discussion with the participation of the General Staff forum,' the military said in the statement.
'The chief of staff decides on the appointments, after which the appointment goes to the (defence) minister for approval, who may approve or not approve the appointment,' the IDF added.
The spat between the two carried over on Tuesday, with Katz releasing another statement, insisting that he would follow the accepted procedures.
'Since these are joint appointments by the Defence Minister and the IDF chief of staff, there is an accepted procedure for appointments of ranks colonel and up in the IDF,' Katz said. 'No discussion of IDF shakeups is held before the accepted procedure is carried out.'
Katz said he has 'clarified to the chief of staff that he needs more time and the discussion must not be held at this time,' adding that he will 'weigh whether to promote senior officers on the Gaza front who haven't served the accepted timeframe for their roles to other roles before the task of defeating Hamas in Gaza has been completed.'
Katz also said he will examine whether to promote officers who served as commanders on the Gaza front during the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, or whose names were linked to 'irregular incidents in the past.'
'The military echelon is subordinate to the defence minister and will act in accordance with his orders and the policy he will set,' he stressed. UNI ANV SSP
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