A ceremony was held Monday at the IDF Central Command where the outgoing commander of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, who handed over his position to Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth. Gen. Fox spoke of the failure to prevent the massacre of October 7, "Today's excitement is also surrounded by my feelings of failure and shame for not living up to our life's mission and not fulfilling our clear part in the unwritten contract between the IDF and Israeli society." "As an officer, and especially as the former commander of the Gaza Division, I carry with me an intense and deep sorrow and pain. These feelings color the end of my position and they will be with me all my life," he said. The general also used his remarks to criticize what he called the phenomenon of Jewish nationalist crime in Judea and Samaria. "Unfortunately, in the last few months as well as in the last week, nationalist crime has reared its head, and under the cover of war, and the desire for revenge, it has sown chaos and fear among Palestinian residents who did not pose any threat. Unfortunately, the local leadership and the spiritual leadership, for the most part, did not see the threat as we did. It is deterred and does not find the strength to come out openly and oppose this." Related articles: IDF expands rules of engagement 'We'll continue to exert a strong effort in Judea and Samaria' IDF launches surprise drill in Judea and Samaria Three right-wing activists issued administrative arrest warrants He emphasized that "even if the perpetrators are a minority, those who remain silent in the face of their crimes invite criticism of all settlers. This is not Judaism in my eyes, at least not the Judaism I grew up with in my father's and my mother's house. This is not the way of the Torah. It is adopting the ways of the enemy. It was my responsibility to act against this. Unfortunately, I didn't always succeed." According to Fox, "Concern for the lives of working, productive Palestinian citizens, who lead their lives with dignity, is not only the responsibility of the commander of the Central Command by virtue of law, and it is not only a moral value, it also serves the security interest of the State of Israel."
