Israel-Hamas War
A fresh face-off between the state and Israel's military establishment is being written. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the head of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) have clashed over appointment of the Shin Bet chief. It's not merely a matter of one appointment. This face-off is providing a fresh definition of the country's democracy, military discipline and zone of power. The military referred to it as political intervention, so Netanyahu declares it a decision on national security. Let's see how one appointment has made a splash in Israel's military and political sectors.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made public the appointment of Major General David Genie as the new director of the Internal Security Agency, but he did not make Army Chief Lieutenant General Eyal Jamir aware of this prior to the decision. Jamir learned about this shortly before the media, and this generated a wave of resentment among the military establishment.
The Army termed the appointment an "institutional insult". Any army officer who speaks directly to the political leadership will need to seek permission from the Army Chief, the statement added. Genie was soon to be sent out of service, which came later to be labeled as 'voluntary retirement'.
Genie and Netanyahu spoke for over an hour in the prime minister's vehicle in advance of the Gaza campaign. By the time they spoke, Genie had already been offered the leadership of Shin Bet, according to press reports. Genie herself acknowledged that she was not even officially interviewed, merely a chat.
The selection followed after the High Court ruled that Netanyahu's order to dismiss the existing Shin Bet head Ronan Barr was illegal. The Attorney General also prevented the PM from appointing the new head for now. Nevertheless, the selection of Jinni triggered a constitutional crisis.
Among the cases probed by the then Shin Bet chief Barr was accused to have economic connections with Qatar of Netanyahu's close associates. In such circumstances, doubts were raised over the intention of the government to appoint the new chief. Netanyahu is accused to be interfering in the intelligence apparatus for personal security.
Genie is a high-ranking military officer, but his experience is restricted for an organization like Shin Bet. The Prime Minister had reportedly turned him down earlier for his military secretary, stating that he is too religious. Still, his name emerged with the intervention of the PM's wife Sara Netanyahu.
The episode has raised issues regarding the fundamental standards of Israeli democracy. Do decisions of this nature depend solely on the Prime Minister? Is the military just a submissive institution or an independent framework? Such questions are raised by this conflict.
This is not the first time Netanyahu's appointments have been problematic. In March, he overturned the appointment of Eli Sharwit as Shin Bet chief within a day. These successive appointment fails are becoming a symbol of the volatility of power. Shin Bet is the mainstay of Israel's domestic security. It is highly critical to remain aloof from political pressure. But recent trends indicate that it has been turned into a political instrument. Experts are warning that this would inflict serious harm on the agency's impartiality.
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