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Wednesday 25 November 2020 - 11:09

Netanyahu Keeps Army Chief in the Dark on Sensitive Issues: Haaretz

Story Code : 899901
Netanyahu Keeps Army Chief in the Dark on Sensitive Issues: Haaretz
The officials said Netanyahu is repeatedly ignoring Kochavi’s demands for decisions and budgets to carry out various security missions. And when it comes to sensitive topics, there is almost no cooperation.

A concrete example of the relationship between the two was provided this week, when Netanyahu did not tell the military’s leaders about his trip to Saudi Arabia. Kochavi learned of it from the media, after the Zionist delegation had already returned. The membership of the delegation also caused consternation in the General Staff.

Along with Mossad head Yossi Cohen, Netanyahu’s military secretary, Brig. Gen. Avi Bluth, was also on the trip. But he did not update Kochavi, to whom he is subordinate.

‘Israeli’ Haaretz newspaper cited military sources as saying that this is one of many examples indicating Netanyahu’s blatant distrust of Kochavi, which has prevailed since the latter assumed his post, and which intensified when Benny Gantz became war minister.

“As far as Netanyahu is concerned, Gantz and Kochavi are the same person,” said a source close to the war minister. “They are together since the Paratroops Brigade and Gantz [was the one who] appointed Kochavi to a series of positions that paved his way to the post of chief of general staff.”

Gantz, it must be recalled, did not appoint Kochavi chief of staff. He was appointed by then-War Minister Avigdor Lieberman, in what at the time was considered a compromise with Netanyahu.

According to a senior ‘Israeli’ official, who knows the people involved well and attends classified meetings, believes that Netanyahu also sees Kochavi as a future political threat.
Source : Haaretz
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