Military correspondent Doron Kadosh reported on criticism sounded against Defense Minister Israel Katz, following his decisions not to promote certain officers in the IDF and for his alleged "double standard in his decisions."
According to Kadosh, these officers claims that since taking office, Minister Katz has canceled six appointments of Chiefs of Staff Herzi Halevi and Eyal Zamir, including the appointments of Ephraim Avni to the Paratroopers Brigade, Colonel A. to the Commander of Yahyalam, Eliad Moati to the 210th Brigade, Manor Yanai to the Commander of the Ground Force, Hisham Ibrahim to the Chief of Staff of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and Nimrod Aloni as Attaché in Washington.
In addition, Kadosh added that they said that Minister Katz delayed and postponed for weeks and even months the promotions of about 100 senior officers at the ranks of colonel and brigadier general, as well as four senior appointments in the General Staff - the Commander of the Air Force, the Commander of the Navy, the Chief of Staff of the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Attaché in Washington. The minister said at the time that he had not been consulted by the Chief of Staff as is the proper procedure.
Kadosh said that the officers claimed that one of the main reasons for the postponement of the promotions was the officers' alleged "responsibility" for the events of the October Shiva, but according to him, the minister acted with double standards. He noted that they added that officers who were in senior positions that day were promoted by Katz, while others were delayed, "officers in the IDF see the double standard of the Minister of Defense - and are shocked."
"The minister is interested in promoting personal appointments and those close to him, including his military secretary, and therefore prevents the promotion of others," he alleged. According to Kadosh, Minister Katz is working to change accepted rules in the IDF and impose new procedures on the Chief of Staff.
He concluded by alleging that "senior officers in the IDF have expressed extreme shock at the Minister of Defense's moves in appointments in the IDF and the transformation of appointment procedures into political, irrelevant and ugly ones."