Defense Minister Israel Katz responded on Tuesday to criticism from the right over his appointment of attorney Itai Ofir as the new Military Advocate General (MAG), saying Ofir is expected to restore order to the IDF’s legal system.
In a message to Likud activists, Katz wrote, “I dismissed the former MAG, Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, and brought about her arrest - a precedent-setting move no one before me had taken, which exposed the collapse of a system that falsely accused IDF soldiers and shielded itself from accountability. Itai Ofir is an excellent candidate - a religious Zionist and resident of Samaria, who, in his previous role as legal advisor to the Defense Ministry, supported settlement efforts and upheld the authority of the political echelon, even when that clashed with the position of the bureaucracy.”
Katz noted that “Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Strock have already expressed support for Ofir’s candidacy.”
Addressing reports that Ofir participated in a training program operated by the Wexner Foundation - an organization viewed unfavorably in right-wing circles - Katz clarified that the course was a short, five-week program conducted under the directive of the Civil Service Commission: “It has no bearing on his views. Upon assuming office, I ordered an end to sending trainees to that foundation.”
Katz concluded by calling on party members to rally behind the new MAG: “Likud members should embrace Itai Ofir and support him in the difficult campaign he is about to lead to bring the necessary change to the system. Only together, in full unity, will we prevail.”