Netanyahu is Intensifying His War Against His Army

Israeli Chief of Staff during his meeting with soldiers in Jabalia, north of Gaza (Israeli Army website)
Israeli Chief of Staff during his meeting with soldiers in Jabalia, north of Gaza (Israeli Army website)
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Netanyahu is Intensifying His War Against His Army

Israeli Chief of Staff during his meeting with soldiers in Jabalia, north of Gaza (Israeli Army website)
Israeli Chief of Staff during his meeting with soldiers in Jabalia, north of Gaza (Israeli Army website)

Israel has recently witnessed a new and intense escalation at the so-called eighth front that has emerged between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government against the leadership of the Israeli army and other security services.
The dispute between the two sides has reached a stage where the PM has requested the dismissal of the military's chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
Hagari, known for his wartime propaganda and cold-bloodedness, is a beloved figure in Israel.
The vast majority of Israeli Jews, 87%, have confidence in the Army spokesperson, according to a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute. This trust later dropped to 67% and again rose to 76%.
But the Israeli government wants to fire Hagari after the latter dared to criticize last Wednesday the so-called Feldstein law being advanced by the government. The law would shield members of the defense establishment from prosecution should they give classified intelligence to the prime minister or defense minister without authorization.
When asked about the law, Hagari said the legal amendment considered by lawmakers was “dangerous for the army and the country's security.”
During a press briefing, the spokesperson said the law aims to protect Eli Feldstein, a spokesman for Netanyahu, and an unnamed army reservist relating to their alleged involvement in the leak of stolen classified intelligence information to the foreign press.
“The army does not hide information from the political echelon. The army works in accordance with the political echelon for the defense of Israel,” Hagari said in response to a question at a press conference.
He said, “The document in question was accessible to the relevant authorities in the Prime Minister’s Office,” referring to the leaked classified intel.
“This law is very dangerous because it will create a situation where any junior official in the army can, based on his own personal judgment, steal documents or intelligence materials from the army,” he continued.
Angry Government
Hagari’s statements were met with criticism from government officials, including Defense Minister Israel Katz.
“The criticism by the army spokesman against the political echelon and against the legislative process in the Knesset is a grave incident and a complete deviation from his authority and what is allowed and expected of a uniformed person in a democratic regime,” Katz said.
Katz threatened that he would take “disciplinary action” against Hagari for his comments “as soon as possible.”
Hagari was also criticized by the government and several deputies, who said he had “exceeded the scope of his authority” by criticizing the law.
In a statement, Netanyahu said, “It is good that the army spokesman was put in his place to ensure that such a statement is not heard again.”
He added, “In a democratic country, the military is not supposed to interfere in political matters and certainly not criticize legislation.”
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said that in a democratic country, the military does not criticize the legislative process in parliament at a press conference.
“The army can express its position in the Knesset committee that prepares the law, as it has done countless times in the past, and as all state bodies that are monitored by the Knesset or are affected by legislation do,” Ohana said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir linked Hagari’s criticism to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s initiation of investigations of police officials who carried out orders by Ben Gvir to distribute weapons in contradiction to existing regulations.
“The spirit of the attorney general is seeping into the army spokesperson,” Ben Gvir said. “When Hagari sees that the attorney general disregards the government, he also disregards the defense minister. Full deep state – except this time, it's already from the get-go.”
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said Hagari’s statement was a very serious crossing of a red line.
“No one in uniform has any right to publicly express a political opinion on political issues, whatever their position may be, especially when it contradicts the position of the relevant minister,” Arbel said.
For his part, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “Israel has an army, not the other way around.”
In response to the criticisms, the Israeli army issued a statement, saying “Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reprimanded the army spokesperson for his response to a question about the law on transferring classified information to the Prime Minister and ministers during a press briefing, in which he exceeded his authority.”
The statement added that the army “does not criticize the legislature but conveys its position to the political leadership through the appropriate mechanisms for that purpose.”
Later, Hagari issued a personal statement apologizing for his remarks.
“In my statement tonight in response to a question, I spoke in a way that exceeded my authority as the army spokesperson, and for this, I was reprimanded by the Chief of Staff. Israel is a democratic country, and the army is subordinate to the political leadership.”
He added, “In the hundreds of statements and questions I have answered since October 7, I have maintained professionalism.”
On Wednesday, the Knesset had approved the so-called Feldstein bill in a preliminary reading.
The proposed legislation was introduced by Knesset members Hanoch Milwidsky and Amit Halevi, both from Netanyahu's Likud Party.
It passed with 59 out of 120 votes in favor and 52 against.
The bill follows the “classified documents case,” which emerged months ago, implicating Eli Feldstein, Netanyahu's security spokesperson, and advisor Jonatan Urich in the alleged leak of military intelligence documents.

 



32 Go on Trial Over Fatal Hotel Fire in Türkiye

A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Türkiye, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Türkiye, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
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32 Go on Trial Over Fatal Hotel Fire in Türkiye

A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Türkiye, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
A fire truck is seen in front of a hotel, following a deadly fire, in the ski resort of Kartalkaya, in Bolu, Türkiye, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

Thirty-two people went on trial in Türkiye on Monday over a fire at a luxury ski resort hotel in January that killed 78 people, including 36 children, local media reported.

Entire families perished when the huge blaze swept through the Grand Kartal Hotel in the northern mountain resort of Kartalkaya in the early hours of January 21.

Questions have multiplied about fire safety measures at the hotel and victims' families allege that negligence contributed to the high death toll.

More than 130 people were injured and the 12-storey building was destroyed.

Thirteen of the defendants -- including senior officials at the hotel, the fire department and the city council -- face up to 1,998 years in prison each on 78 charges, including "manslaughter with possible intent" to kill, AFP reported.

Survivors and experts have said the hotel's fire alarm system did not work.

According to the indictment, the suspects facing manslaughter charges include the hotel's owner, managers and members of the board, the deputy mayor of Bolu city and two fire department officials.

Before the hearing, victims' families gathered outside Bolu high school, where the trial is taking place, carrying portraits of the deceased.

They read out a statement, alleging countless breaches of safety and attempts to conceal evidence.

"During the fire, the owners, managers and employees of the Grand Kartal Hotel failed to alert guests or activate the alarm system.

"They rushed to save their cars while our loved ones were suffocating in the smoke," they alleged.

"An inspection report drawn up just one month before the fire clearly showed a lack of fire safety measures but the hotel owners ignored it on the grounds that the measures would be too costly," they continued.

"We know that the authorities turned a blind eye to this negligence, that evidence was concealed and that the camera recordings were deleted."

At the time of the fire, the tourism ministry and Bolu city council blamed each other for the disaster.

Due to the large number of defendants and plaintiffs -- 210 civil parties, the Bolu High Criminal Court is sitting at the high school's sports hall.

Ozgur Ozel, leader of the main opposition CHP, would attend the hearing, the social-democratic party said.

The trial is expected to last two weeks.