Ben-Gvir goes head-to-head with army chief over jailed soldier

Israel’s army chief scolded politicians interfering with the military’s decision to jail a soldier who told left-wing activists in the West Bank that “Ben Gvir is going to sort things out in this place,” referring to incoming National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. 

The officer who sentenced the soldier to 10 days in jail has been the target of a smear campaign on social media where his photo has been shared.

Meanwhile, right-wing politicians have defended the soldier, with Ben-Gvir among the most vocal critics, calling on a “change of policy.” The far-right leader also expressed a wish to visit the soldier in jail.

A number of senior Likud lawmakers criticised the jailing of the solider, including Miri Regev, who said that even if the soldier made a mistake, jailing him was a “humiliation” and an “inappropriate punishment.”

“This smells like a political order from above,” she said.

“Attacking (the officer) is unacceptable, and any political interference in commanders’ decisions is unacceptable. Slandering commanders on political grounds is a slippery slope that we as a society must not slide down,” IDF chief of staff Aviv Kochavi said in a statement.

“We will not allow any politician, neither from the right nor from the left, to interfere in command decisions and use the army to promote a political agenda. Political interference in the IDF directly harms the army’s ability to carry out its tasks, and its legitimacy,” he added.

Kochavi’s statement was seen as directed at Ben-Gvir, who quickly fired back, saying that while he respects the army chief, “I would expect from the chief of staff that just as he demanded that a soldier not express himself politically, he himself would refrain from political statements.”

“No wonder that when the defense minister is not functioning and there is no one to set policy, a leadership vacuum is created. I have no intention of interfering with the punishment, but the policy must change,” Ben-Gvir added.

Incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke his silence on the issue, saying the IDF is “the people’s army. I call on everyone, right and left, to leave it out of any political argument.”