Yedioth Ahronoth: A collapsed army and tough challenges await the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army
The Israeli Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, said in an article by writer Yossi Joshua, that c collapsed army and many challenges await the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces.
According to Joshua, “After nine months in office, outgoing Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi leaves behind an army grappling with its darkest moments, and the new Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir will need to deal with a fractured institution and restore public trust that was severely eroded after the events of October 7”.
“The tenure of outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi isn’t the shortest in the history of the IDF, but it’s the most painful,” he explains, adding that “his tenure began, with a great promise, placed on the shoulders of a person who was known for his greatness long before he arrived at the General Staff… However, it ended with the worst military failure in the country’s history”.
Joshua continued his article by saying that the ceremony of handing over the position of the new Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, far from any ceremonial character, took place in the shadow of the shocking conclusion of Halevi’s term: the results of the published investigations into the failure of October 7, collectively and individually, paint a terrifying picture in every sense of the word.
In his article, Joshua believes that the Israeli army failed to follow basic procedures that could have saved dozens of lives, and the writer blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that “part of the Israeli tragedy is that the attitude toward Halevi is shaped by the behavior of the prime minister and most of the political echelon toward him and toward the head of the Shin Bet”.
The article concluded by saying that the new Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in facing several challenges in his new position, starting with the repercussions of the October 7, 2023 war, and ending with the central test that no chief of staff has faced before him, which is to return to the basics: basic discipline, uncompromising professionalism, rewarding excellence, and punishing failure to comply with orders and procedures.
Joshua asked whether Zamir will have the time needed – at a time when the ceasefire is at stake and the prime minister doesn’t seem interested in moving to the second stage – or whether he will spend the first days of his term managing combat operations.
