Minister of Finance and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionists) said on Monday that although a member of the Security Cabinet, the IDF did not give him all the data needed to make decisions. Therefore, he also spoke with officers in an unofficial capacity to get a full picture of the situation.
"In what world does a senior cabinet member, someone at my level, have to ask officers in the military or retired officers to give me information?" Smotrich wondered in an interview with Kan Reshet Bet.
He clarified that there is nothing wrong with him coming to cabinet meetings with prior information: "I'm proud that I come ready to discussions. It's crazy that they blame me for coming with information."
Smotrich accused former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi of silencing opinions and withholding information from the ministers. "I asked them to summon the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Commander of the Northern Command, and the head of the Intelligence Directorate to the cabinet, the most important people in the war in the north - the Chief of Staff strongly opposed. It's extremely serious. The Chief of Staff didn't speak to his deputy and the head of the Personnel Directorate for months."
He added: "The attempt to silence opinions from outside the military is severe in my opinion. When there is no communication within the General Staff, when they bury ideas and plans, then if they come to me and present plans for me to consider, it (research) seems to me to be the most necessary thing.