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US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued an unusually harsh rebuke Wednesday evening against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir following his filmed confrontation with activists from the pro-Hamas flotilla headed toward Gaza.
Huckabee sharply criticized Ben Gvir’s conduct and said senior Israeli leaders across the political spectrum had denounced the minister’s actions.
“Universal outrage & condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official, from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa’ar, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and Ambassador Yechiel Leiter for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was a stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed the dignity of his nation,” Huckabee said.
Ben Gvir also faced public criticism earlier in the day from Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, who accused the minister of damaging Israel’s diplomatic standing.
“As Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have made clear, Itamar Ben Gvir’s reckless grandstanding is not representative of government policy. I am Israel’s top diplomat in the US, at the heart of our most important alliance. Ben Gvir’s antics take a sledgehammer to our diplomatic efforts while Israel’s enemies gleefully jump on every unfortunate nonsense to discredit and demonize. The provocateurs of the Flotilla charade were properly detained in accordance with international law and will be deported to their home countries. End of story,” Leiter wrote on X.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu also distanced himself from Ben Gvir’s handling of the situation, while reiterating Israel’s right to block flotillas attempting to reach Gaza.
“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar joined the criticism as well, accusing Ben Gvir of inflicting serious diplomatic damage on the country.
“You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display – and not for the first time,” Sa’ar wrote in response to the incident. “You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people – from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others. No, you are not the face of Israel.”
The controversy has already sparked international fallout. At least five countries have announced plans to summon Israeli ambassadors for formal reprimand meetings following Ben Gvir’s tour among the flotilla activists and the footage later released from the encounter.
Despite the widespread criticism, Ben Gvir remained defiant and signaled no regret over his actions.
“There are those in the government who still do not understand how supporters of terrorism should be treated. Israel’s foreign minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a punching bag. Anyone who comes into our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get hit – and we will not turn the other cheek,” Ben Gvir said.
{Matzav.com}
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee renewed discussions Wednesday on the controversial Draft Law and legislation extending mandatory military service, following instructions from Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu amid growing political tensions surrounding the issue.
The renewed talks came shortly after MKs from the Degel Hatorah faction announced that they plan to support dissolving the Knesset during the preliminary vote scheduled for later Wednesday.
During the committee session, Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, who heads the IDF’s Planning and Manpower Administration Division, presented stark figures regarding the army’s manpower crisis.
“We have not yet received a new draft of the law. There is a need for 12,000 soldiers, and at the beginning of the year this will rise to 17,000 when soldiers are discharged after 30 months.”
According to Tayeb, the military is already facing an urgent shortage of between 6,000 and 7,000 combat troops.
He added that enlistment numbers have increased in part due to enforcement measures and penalties already being implemented, but cautioned that the broader situation remains alarming.
“there are already 30,000 draft dodgers now, and another 50,000 on the way to becoming draft dodgers.”
Tayeb also noted that the burden on reservists has grown far beyond earlier projections. While the army had originally hoped to limit reserve duty to approximately 55 days annually, he said the reality is far harsher.
“today we are at 80-100 days of reserve duty.”
Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth addressed the prolonged legislative deadlock as well as the public uproar over the punishment handed to a soldier who wore a “Moshiach” patch.
“Today we are resuming the discussion on the Draft Law after many long weeks, and at the instruction of the Prime Minister, out of a genuine and sincere intention to complete the legislation of the law that is so necessary at this time for the IDF, for the cohesion of the people, and out of the need to ensure that brothers do not turn to each other as enemies – certainly not during wartime,” Bismuth said.
Later in the discussion, Bismuth argued that efforts to increase chareidi enlistment cannot simultaneously reject outward expressions of religious identity and faith.
“You cannot want more chareidim in the IDF and at the same time be alarmed by every expression of faith or Jewish spirit that they bring with them.”
“If we want more chareidim in the IDF, we must understand that they will not arrive as secular people wearing a kippah; they will arrive with their value system, with faith, with symbols, and with a spirit that will integrate into a single Israeli partnership.”
Bereaved father Yehoshua Shani also addressed the committee and appealed directly to MKs Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz, both of whom oppose the current legislation.
“Show responsibility and support the Draft Law. This is the only law that will expand the enlistment of chareidim and prevent the rift from deepening.”
{Matzav.com}
The Knesset plenum convened Wednesday afternoon for a high-stakes debate and preliminary vote on a coalition-backed proposal to dissolve the 25th Knesset, as political tensions surrounding the Draft Law continue to shake the government.
The proposal passed overwhelmingly, with all 110 MKs present voting in favor and no lawmakers opposing or abstaining.
The initiative is being pushed by the chareidi parties after the coalition failed to move forward with legislation addressing military draft exemptions through the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Under political agreements reached between coalition factions, a separate bill submitted by the Blue and White party calling for the dissolution of the Knesset is also expected to pass its preliminary reading in the plenum.
Despite Wednesday’s dramatic vote, the Knesset will not immediately dissolve. Under parliamentary procedure, the legislation must first move to the Knesset Committee for additional deliberations and final drafting.
Once committee discussions are completed, the bills will return to the plenum for a first-reading vote. If approved at that stage, they will once again be sent back to committee for further preparation before being brought for final approval in second and third readings.
Only after a bill passes its third reading will the Knesset officially dissolve and a date for new national elections be set.
According to the explanatory notes attached to the coalition’s proposal, “It is proposed to determine, in accordance with Sections 34 and 35 of Basic Law: The Knesset, that the 25th Knesset will disperse before the end of its term, and that the elections for the 26th Knesset will be held on a date to be determined by law, as proposed by the Knesset Committee as part of the legislative process.”
{Matzav.com}
The IDF stated Wednesday that a soldier who petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice over his prison sentence was not punished for wearing a “Moshiach patch,” but rather for what the military described as a disciplinary infraction.
In a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the military said the case involved conduct that harmed military discipline and was unrelated to uniform appearance regulations.
“The soldier was tried for an offense of harming discipline, and not for a violation related to appearance and dress code. According to the military disciplinary regulations, a senior judicial officer holding the rank of colonel is authorized to impose up to 30 days of military imprisonment for such an offense. The IDF responded directly to the appeal submitted yesterday afternoon by the soldier’s legal representative,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.
The clarification came after the soldier submitted an emergency petition to the High Court against IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the Military Advocate General. The filing was made one day after the soldier’s sentence was reduced by ten days by his regional commander, leaving a remaining sentence of 20 days in military prison.
Through his attorney, Ran Cohen-Rochberger, the soldier argued in the petition that his imprisonment is unlawful and exceeds the authority granted under existing military regulations.
According to the defense, the commander of the Nachal Brigade did not possess the legal authority to impose such a severe sentence on a combat soldier for what they characterized as a first-time disciplinary matter connected only to “appearance and dress.”
Meanwhile, parents of soldiers serving in the Nachal Brigade announced plans to intensify protests in response to what they described as indifference and insensitivity on the part of senior military leadership.
The parents said demonstrations in the coming days would expand and be directed toward the homes and offices of senior IDF officials and decision-makers.
“We will not be silent and we will not rest. The system is abandoning its soldiers and harming the spearhead of the IDF because of ego and pettiness. We demand immediate intervention – release the soldier from prison immediately!” the parents’ protest headquarters said in a statement.
{Matzav.com}
