Netanyahu trying to conceal lack of preparedness of IOF: Israeli media
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to hide the lack of preparedness among the ranks of the Israeli occupation forces amid the backlash he is facing in "Israel".
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the prime minister's office in occupied Al-Quds, occupied Palestine, July 30, 2023 (AP)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to hide the full picture of the military's efficiency from the public and his own administration's officials, Israeli media reported on Monday, citing government insiders.
The government "[is] not only concealing the complete data from the subcommittee and the public, but also from ministers in the cabinet," the sources said, as reported by Israeli Channel 13.
They further revealed that during a recent cabinet discussion, two ministers disclosed that there had been requests from various sources, including the premier himself, to provide an assessment of the military's proficiency. Netanyahu, however, restrained them from delving into this matter.
"Yesterday, we unveiled a heated conversation in which Prime Minister Netanyahu reprimanded the Chief of Staff and Air Force Commander for not denying reports about the degradation in the military's performance. Today, we reveal another layer in Netanyahu's concealment strategy, one that prevents the public from truly understanding the state of the army that is supposed to defend them," the channel's anchor said.
"The Prime Minister's attempts to hide the complete picture of the military's efficiency continue, and I believe this should concern all of us," Channel 13 political affairs commentator Moriah Wolberg.
She highlighted that during a recent discussion with high-ranking military officials where Netanyahu warned them ahead of a foreign affairs and security committee meeting that will be held in two days that the meeting was contentious and everything they would say in it would be leaked to the public.
"Some individuals in the security and military establishment see, in the prime minister's words, an attempt to warn the army against transmitting the full data, which reflects the full picture after two days," she added.
Israeli media reported Friday that while the Israeli occupation army is not admitting it publicly, it is just under a month away from crossing a critical point impacting its readiness for war amid the growing number of reservists boycotting their service, especially in the Air Force division, in protest of the judicial reforms.
The situation is getting more severe, Air Force Commandor Tomer Bar said, according to the media.
For the first time on Thursday, the Israeli military publicly admitted that its war readiness has been severely impacted due to reservists in the Air Force refusing to serve, but it did not specify a deadline before things turn south.
August is usually a slow month for the air force, where drills become limited as reservists go on vacation. But the military fears what would the force's status be when exercises recommence in September.
"We have large security-related responsibilities on our shoulders, I expect all of you to attend [the drills] and put aside any difficulties you may have," Bar told around 60 reservists serving in the Air Force.
However, protest organizers rejected Bar's comments, saying the judicial overhaul is the reason behind the army's deteriorating situation.
Biggest failure of a chief of staff
In a separate development, Israel's Channel 12 pointed out a recent campaign against the Chief of Staff of the Israeli occupation forces, Herzi Halevi.
The channel reported that there seems to be a concerted effort to launch personal attacks against Halevi
The statement mentioned that someone had written a highly critical message against the Chief of Staff, labeling him the "biggest failure of a Chief of Staff in the Israeli army."
"This message is now going around on social media, and it is being shared by Knesset Member Tali Gottlieb and Yair Netanyahu, among others. This is but a drop in the sea, but the sea is made up of many drops," she added.
Israeli media underscored the swift response of Security Minister Yoav Galant, who defended Halevi, describing him as a "distinguished officer" and a "courageous, sincere, realistic, calm, profound, and balanced leader... Many Israeli citizens owe him their lives."
The media also questioned whether those behind the recent propaganda campaign had considered the potential repercussions. They highlighted that hundreds of thousands of soldiers look up to Halevi as their commander, emphasizing that such baseless attacks risk distracting him from his core mission.
The Israeli media wondered whether those who instigated this recent propaganda campaign "ever considered, even for a moment, the consequences," explaining that "hundreds of thousands of soldiers look up to the Chief of Staff, who will lead them on the day of issuing a military order. In a reckless manner, and with a careless keystroke, they are causing harm to this good person, who refrained from responding so as not to deviate from his main goal."
