Will a prominent Religious Zionist IDF officer be forced out of the IDF?
According to reports, the IDF will decide on Monday whether Brigadier General Ofer Vinter will be promoted. Should he be passed over for promotion, Vinter will likely leave the military.
According to Yediot Ahronot, Vinter is being considered to head the 162 Division and the 91 Division, which guards Israel's border with Lebanon.
Vinter is a decorated officer, with stints commanding the Givati Brigade and the elite Duvdevan counterterrorism unit. However, Vinter's once-promising military career came to a halt after he controversially told Givati Brigade soldiers doing 2014's Operation Protective Edge that they were going out against the "the terrorist Gazan enemy that curses, reviles and insults the G-d of Israel."
Vinter's letter caused a media storm, with many alleging that he had improperly mixed religion into the IDF. Ever since the incident, Vinter had been repeatedly passed over for promotion.
In November, Vinter reportedly told family members that the IDF was refusing to promote him due to his observant lifestyle, saying that "there is no way for an observant officer to get promoted in the IDF".