Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman on Friday blasted the government in the wake of comments by the commander of the Israel Air Force, General Tomer Bar, who said the refusals of reservists to serve in protest of the judicial reform have weakened the Air Force.
“The quotes from the Air Force commander prove beyond any doubt that the current government is ready to sacrifice the IDF and destroy the State of Israel just for the political survival of its members,” Liberman tweeted.
“When we return to power, we will establish a state commission of inquiry that will examine the entire decision-making process of the Prime Minister, and the considerations that guided him and the cabinet ministers in recent months,” he added.
“The Prime Minister's very refusal to hold an in-depth discussion on the state of the IDF's competence raises serious questions about Netanyahu's competence and ability to lead the State of Israel in such a complex period,” concluded Liberman.
His comments follow quotes attributed to General Bar during a meeting with 60 pilots and officers at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv. Bar suggested that there is “limited damage to the competence of the IDF, mainly in the Air Force but also in other formations in the army, in the headquarters and among the ground forces.”
General Bar stated that personal conversations are being held with officers and pilots who announced the termination or suspension of their service. He explained that the Air Force is still ready, "but less so."
"The cohesion has been greatly damaged. The Air Force will not be the same, even if they all return tomorrow. The picture has been presented to the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister. The pilots are following their conscience and we do not cut the branch we are sitting on," he said.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)