Amona eviction 2019
Amona eviction 2019Hodaya Saadiah/TPS

IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot reprimanded Prime Minister Netanyahu's military secretary for failing to relay the prime minister's order to halt the evacuation in Amona on time.

During the meeting, Eizenkot made it clear to Brigadier-General Avi Blut that he is expected to act in a more professional manner in the future. The IDF said that Blut recognized his mistake and will act differently in the future.

Blut had passed the prime minister's instructions only in the morning when the violent evacuation had already begun. In clashes between opponents of the evacuation and the security forces, 23 policemen and three residents were injured.

Netanyahu was slammed by a number of lawmakers on Friday for sending the decorated officer for a disciplinary hearing. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman both accused the prime minister of letting an IDF officer get the blame for a politically-damaging move during an election period.

"Netanyahu is again trying pin responsibility on the IDF and its commanders. He is the prime minister and defense minister and he ordered the evacuation of Amona," said Lapid on Friday.

"His attempt to evade responsibility at the expense of the military secretary is typical of Netanyahu, but it is shameless even for him."

Avigdor Liberman, meanwhile, said that Netanyahu's move to blame Blut for the demolition was "despicable".

"The prime minister's shameful attempt to put the blame on the evacuation of Amona to his military secretary, Brigadier-General Avi Blut, is at the least despicable, and it is impossible to avoid seeing this as an evasion of responsibility and a desperate attempt to search for a scapegoat," wrote Liberman on Facebook.