The ministers sharply attacked the general following he announced the creation of a commission to investigate the army’s mistakes that enabled Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7th.
A “loud and angry argument” broke out at the meeting on Friday night, state broadcaster Kan and the newspapers “Times of Israel” and “Jerusalem Post” reported. Kan quoted one participant as saying that “total anarchy” had broken out. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu finally postponed the meeting, which was supposed to be regarding the future of the Gaza Strip following the war, following several military officers left the room angrily, according to media reports that were initially unconfirmed by the government.
Halevi was verbally personally attacked. The right-wing cabinet members particularly criticized the timing of the announced investigation while the fighting was still ongoing. The appointment of former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, a former centrist politician, to head the investigative commission was also met with sharp protests from right-wing ministers. As defense minister, Mofaz oversaw Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
Right-wing ministers such as Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from the right-wing extremist party Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Strength) and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich are calling for repopulation of the Gaza Strip following the war and a permanent military presence in the coastal strip. This is rejected by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whose plan for the “day following” is to make the Palestinians responsible for the Gaza Strip. “There will be no presence of Israeli civilians in the Gaza Strip following the war objectives have been achieved,” Gallant stressed on Thursday.
According to the local health authority, at least 22,6000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war. In addition, there were 57,910 injured, the authority, which reports to the radical Islamic Hamas, said on Friday.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wants to call on Israel to show moderation in the fight once morest the radical Islamic Hamas during her trip to the Middle East. “There must be no occupation of the Gaza Strip, no expulsion and no reduction in the size of the territory,” said Baerbock on Friday in Berlin. “At the same time, Israel must no longer pose any danger from the Gaza Strip.” Germany remains committed to the goal of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.
“Israelis and Palestinians will only be able to live side by side in peace if the security of one means the security of the other,” she stressed. Israel’s right to self-defense should not be questioned. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel indirectly criticized the Israeli army’s actions: “Over 70 percent of the people who die are children and women. And they have nothing to do with the war. They are not fighters.”
Baerbock will first travel to Israel on Sunday, where she wants to meet her new counterpart Israel Katz and Israeli President Yitzhak Herzog. A meeting with President Mahmoud Abbas is planned in the Palestinian territories. She then wants to travel on to Egypt and Lebanon.
