Tension continues to mar the atmosphere between Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. This time the two are angry with each other as regards meetings between President Shimon Peres and four officers with the rank of Major General.
Barak was furious when he found out about the meetings, which had been approved by the Chief of Staff.
Barak called the generals in the hope of clarifying the matter. Now it was Lt.-Gen Ashkenazi who was livid, because the Defense Minister spoke directly to the generals without receiving his consent.
The IDF Spokesman's Unit and the President's Bureau did not deny that the meetings had taken place. The IDF Spokesman said that “the IDF and its commanders operate in accordance with the military's customs and its orders. This includes meetings between army officers and outside elements.”
The President's Bureau said that “the President regularly meets generals and other military officers, and coordinates all of his efforts with the Defense Minister and Chief of Staff, as he always has.”
Barak's bureau said the story was "completely false" and had "never happened."