The IDF Chief of Staff's office issued a strong statement on Monday against Minister of Defense Israel Katz's decision to reevaluate issues raised in the Turgeman Commission's report on the failures that led to the October 7th Massacre, and to suspend appointments in the IDF for a month.
"The Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, was informed this morning through the media about the processes the Minister of Defense intends to carry out regarding the review team he established upon entering office - at a time when the Chief of the General Staff is in the midst of a General Staff surprise exercise in the Golan Heights arena," Zamir's office stated.
The office noted that "the Turgeman Team Report was defined from the outset for the Chief of the General Staff’s use, to examine the quality of inquiries and integrative process of learning lessons in the IDF, and not for political use. The decision to cast doubt on the report, which was written over the course of seven months by 12 Major Generals and Brigadier Generals, concluded by the Chief of the General Staff and presented to the Minister personally, is puzzling. The committee heard more than hundreds of testimonies, conducted an in-depth examination, and carried out a professional process. An alternative review of thirty days by the Ministry of Defense Comptroller, with all due respect, is not substantive. In addition, the Minister has already been updated that one of the Chief of the General Staff’s first decisions following the report is to conduct an in-depth inquiry into the 'Jericho Wall' plan, in light of its importance."
Zamir's office stressed that "the IDF is the only body in the country that has thoroughly investigated its own failures and taken responsibility for them. If any further examination is required to complete the picture, it must take the form of an external, objective, and independent commission, outside the IDF, that will examine the inter-organizational and multi-level processes that preceded the failure of October 7th, including the interface between the military echelon and the political echelon. Regarding conclusions for individuals - these are internal command measures within the IDF that do not require approval."
The statement further clarified, "The implication that the criteria, which were examined with utmost rigor, are not applied equally is inappropriate, especially in light of the amount of time and deliberation the Chief of the General Staff invested personally in the decision regarding each and every officer."
The statement continued, "Freezing IDF appointments for an additional thirty days harms the IDF’s capabilities and its readiness for the upcoming challenges. The Chief of the General Staff will continue to hold posting discussions as planned, in accordance with his authority, and will submit the decisions to the Minister for approval as required."
"We continue to operate with increased intensity across all arenas; in just the past two days, in an IDF operation, Hezbollah’s Chief of General Staff was eliminated, and dozens of terrorists in the Gaza Strip were eliminated. In addition, this morning, the Chief of the General Staff initiated a large-scale surprise General Staff exercise in the Golan Heights, as part of the process of implementing the lessons learned, restoring readiness, strengthening operational foundations, and enhancing operational preparedness. The Chief of the General Staff continues to lead the IDF in the face of the existing operational challenges across all fronts," it concluded.
Defense Minister Israel Katz responded to the criticism: “I respect the Chief of Staff, who knows very well that he is subordinate to the prime minister, the defense minister, and the government of Israel. I do not intend to engage in public sparring. The Defense Ministry’s inspector will present his conclusions within 30 days - and only then will I formulate my decisions regarding appointments, as required by my role and authority."
Defense Minister Katz announced on Monday that he has directed the Comptroller of the Defense Establishment, Brigadier General (Res.) Yair Wolansky, to conduct an in‑depth examination of the report prepared by the team led by Major General (Res.) Sami Turgeman.
According to Katz, the review will include an assessment of whether additional investigations are required in areas the IDF has not previously examined and which the Turgeman Committee did not address, due to its mandate being limited to existing investigations. This includes matters related to the Jericho Wall document, as well as inquiries the Committee marked in red, indicating that they were not carried out properly or thoroughly.
Wolansky will also be tasked with presenting recommendations for equitable criteria regarding the drawing of personal conclusions.
Katz stated that the conclusions of the Comptroller's review are to be submitted within 30 days. He noted that these findings will assist him in forming his position on senior IDF appointments under his authority in light of the events of October 7th.
The Defense Minister reiterated his stance opposing the promotion of those who served in the Southern Command on October 7th.
Katz added that the issue of appointing a military attaché to Washington is unrelated and does not serve as grounds for delaying any appointment within the IDF.