BICOM

Israel’s Defence Minister has appealed to IDF officers to continue speaking with moral conviction, even if it contradicts the country’s political leadership.

Addressing the IDF leadership at the Defence Ministry’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, Moshe Ya’alon appeared to reignite debate over the controversial comments made earlier this month by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, who said at a Holocaust Memorial Day event that some processes from 1930s Germany could be detected in Israel today. Ya’alon backed Golan, who was sharply criticised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his comments.

Ya’alon urged commanders: “Be brave not just in the battlefield, but also at the discussion table. A good army is an army whose commanders feel safe in their ability to voice their views at any stage.” He added that they should speak their minds “even if [what you have to say] isn’t part of the mainstream, even if it differs from the positions and ideas voiced by senior commanders or the political leadership”.

Ya’alon said this is part of a battle against “a new radical minority” which has “trickled into the mainstream of our society and is now trying to influence the IDF”. He insisted: “This is not a matter of right or left.”

Nonetheless, Ya’alon has been summoned by Netanyahu for a “clarification conversation” this morning. A statement from Netanyahu’s office said: “IDF officers express their opinions freely”, but that Golan’s comments had been “inappropriate”. Channel Two has said that Ya’alon’s outspoken words could see Netanyahu attempt to replace him with Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, whose party are in the opposition.

However, other opposition leaders praised Ya’alon’s comments. For example, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said: “The IDF is the most moral army in the world, but only because it engages in continuous, open and courageous discussion.” Meanwhile, Zionist Union MK Shelly Yachimovich called Ya’alon’s comments “simple, moral, clear-cut” for “every normal person in the State of Israel”.