When Arnon Bar-David, head of the Histadrut union, announced an unprecedented general strike that paralyzed Israel’s productive sector yesterday, he exclaimed: “We are all concerned about the future of the nation, and our enemies are watching us closely.” Defense Minister and Likud heavyweight Yoav Galant was sacked on Sunday night, after warning that the controversial “judicial reform” launched by the executive is unleashing an internal crisis in the army, which poses a threat to the security of the country.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu neutralized a previous attempt by Galant in the same week, when he threatened to publicly air the disagreements unleashed within the coalition. “The division in our society is penetrating the military. There is a clear and immediate risk to the security of the state, and I am not going to be a part of this,” the struck-down minister pronounced.
The statement by the former Defense Minister was prompted by the cascade of announcements of disobedience from army reservists, who encourage desertion to put pressure on the Government. The warnings of the insurgent military, belonging to key units such as aviation or intelligence, could soon affect the operational capacity of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). From Tehran, Lebanon, the West Bank or Gaza, the enemies of the Jewish state take note of the internal confusion. Although the differences between the “tribes of Israel” are not new, the army has always managed to preserve its neutrality.
Bibi’s critics, who set the country on fire after Galant’s dismissal, allege that the premier is weakening the nation’s military strength by his obsessive desire to shield himself in power. “We must all stand together against the rebels,” Netanyahu proclaimed on Twitter after firing the minister. Yuli Edelstein, another veteran Likud MP, also came out. “It is clear that this is not the right time to change the defense minister,” he said after hearing the conclusions of a confidential discussion on “the consequences that social tensions have on the security apparatus.”
Netanyahu backfired. Although he intended to demonstrate a strong hand and silence critical voices in the coalition against “judicial reform”, Galant’s dismissal led to the most massive mobilizations after twelve weeks of protests. Although no blood was shed –yet– in the streets, the energy of the spontaneous mobilizations on Saturday night was reminiscent of the Arab spring.
Bibi has a long history of unfulfilled threats, and few expected her to take such a wild move. Former high military commanders accuse him of having definitively lost his sanity. “The prime minister showed what his priorities are. His personal destiny comes first, and the country’s security is secondary. Israel resembles a banana republic. 75 years later, it does not look so different from other countries in the area,” said Amos Harel, a military analyst for the daily Ha’aretz.
The members of the IDF come from divergent social and ideological sectors, and the fear is that the deep social division will penetrate their ranks. “Netanyahu’s decision will increase the intensity of the revolt. It is causing the most serious crisis in history among the Tsahal reservists. There is a threat that bankruptcy will continue in the navy,” added Harel. Among active commanders and retired former generals, it is even valued that senior IDF officials resign to put more pressure on Bibi. Currently, it is difficult to gauge whether the operational capacity of combat fighters or cyber units is already diminished.
Given the prime minister’s unwillingness to heed these warnings, the question is what role the rebels will adopt in an eventual war. “It is time for responsibility,” asked Aviv Kochavi, commander-in-chief of the IDF, yesterday. In an urgent statement, he acknowledged that the current moment has no comparison. “We have not known times with external threats brewing, while a storm is raging at home. Let’s let our enemies know that we remain on guard and that no one abandons their posts,” Kochavi requested. In the police, chaos has already spread in the chains of command, due to the demands of the extremist minister Itamar Ben Gvir to apply a stronger hand against the “anarchist” protesters.
