The new Israeli Chief of Staff threatens the Palestinians and confirms that the crisis isn’t over yet
Israel’s newly appointed chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, vowed on Sunday to continue fighting against the Palestinians, quoting a text from the Torah in his incitement to do so.
This came in statements made by Zamir, who participated in killing and suppressing Palestinians during his 38 years of service in the Israeli army, during a Defense Ministry conference in Tel Aviv, which were broadcast by the Israeli Channel 12.
On Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the appointment of Zamir as the new Chief of Staff, succeeding his resigned predecessor, Herzi Halevi.
“2025 will be a year full of fighting and military challenges,” said Zamir, who will officially assume his position in March.
He added, “The crisis isn’t over yet, and the challenges still lie ahead”.
In a veiled threat, Zamir quoted a text from the Torah, saying, “I’ll pursue my enemies and overtake them, and I’ll not return until I have destroyed them”.
This isn’t the first time that an Israeli official has quoted a biblical text to incite fighting.
Netanyahu previously sent a message to soldiers to incite them against the Gaza Strip in early November 2023, in which he made many quotations from the Torah.
In the same context, the channel 12 indicated that with Zamir assuming his position, the General Staff will witness major changes, including dismissals and new appointments.
On January 21, Halevi submitted his resignation after acknowledging the failure of the Israeli army to prevent or confront the October 7, 2023 attack, stressing that he would bear the consequences of this terrible day for the rest of his life.
On that day, Palestinian factions, most notably Hamas, carried out a surprise attack on Israeli settlements and military bases, which resulted in the killing and capture of soldiers and settlers and their detention in the Strip, without the army being able to predict this in advance and prevent it from happening or deal with it in a way that would prevent their capture.
A number of Israeli political, military and security officials have acknowledged their responsibility for the failure to prevent the attack, but Netanyahu has refused to accept any responsibility or form an official committee of inquiry into the events.
