Tense call between Kochavi, Netanyahu over changes: Israeli media

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Outgoing Israeli occupation Chief of Staff, Aviv Kochavi, expressed serious concerns to Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu about the new government's planned policy changes to the occupation forces, Israeli media reported on Monday, citing a source familiar with the matter.

The media said that a short phone call between Kochavi and Netanyahu took place on Thursday night, pointing out that outgoing Israeli occupation Security Minister Benny Gantz approved the call beforehand.

During the phone call, Kochavi criticized the transfer of power of military apparatuses to politicians such as extremist Knesset Members (MKs) Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, as per Israeli media.

Israeli Channel 13 military affairs commentator Or Heller said the call between Kochavi and Netanyahu was tense, adding that the IOF chief of staff was heard shouting.

According to Heller, Kochavi was nervous and told to Netanyahu, "I ask that no decision and legislation regarding the Israeli army and its powers be taken before listening to the professional position of the army."

The Jerusalem Post cited a source familiar with the matter as saying that Netanyahu assured Kochavi "of the difference between a coalition agreement and codification into law, and that there is still more time for debate."

On its part, The Times of "Israel" considered that the phone call "represented an extremely rare instance of a military chief wading directly into political machinations, underlining the tenor of alarm in a number of Israeli institutions regarding planned reforms by Netanyahu and his coalition partners when they take power."

Netanyahu's Likud party announced in November that it signed its first coalition agreement with the Jewish Power party, headed by Ben-Gvir. This agreement grants Ben-Gvir the so-called Ministry of National Security and a seat in the occupation's security cabinet.

The agreement guarantees that the Jewish Power party will also obtain the so-called Ministry of Development of Al-Naqab and Al-Khalil.

Touching on the decision to appoint Ben-Gvir as occupation Police Minister, former Israeli occupation Chief of Staff and MK Gadi Eisenkot said on his Facebook page, "We were informed this morning that MK Ben-Gvir will be appointed Minister of National Security. It is a sad joke at the expense of the citizens of Israel."

Eisenkot further stressed that the position of the so-called "National Security Ministry" position is a "field much broader than internal security. It is a strategic position that guarantees the national ability to deal effectively with threats to the existence or national interests of the state, and is not a term to be used randomly in order to please politicians."

The victory of the right by a clear majority in the Israeli elections that took place on November 1 raised the ceiling of expectations within the Likud party to quickly conclude alliances with religious-nationalist parties.

However, divisions have emerged between the Likud and the Religious Zionism party, as the latter's MKs are calling for party leader Bezalel Smotrich to assume the position of the Israeli occupation's Security Minister so that the party can influence policy related to the occupied West Bank, more than half of which is completely under Israeli military control. At the same time, the Likud Party is trying to keep this high office for themselves.

Last week, Israeli media warned that "Benjamin Netanyahu is weakening the Israeli army by extracting part of its power in favor of settlers," as it referenced Knesset Member Ben-Gvir's plan to "remove the border guard companies from the Central Command and direct them to Al-Naqab."