JERUSALEM: Israel’s defense minister on Tuesday reprimanded the country’s military chief over appointments made without his approval, as tensions simmered between the military and the executive ahead of a planned expansion of the war in Gaza.
A statement from the defense minister Israel Katz’s ministry said that deliberations conducted by chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on military appointments “took place... without prior coordination or agreement” with the minister.
The statement added that this was “in violation of accepted procedure” and that Katz therefore “does not intend to discuss or approve any of the appointments or names that were published.”
In an army statement published shortly afterwards, Zamir responded that he was “the sole authority authorized to appoint officers from the rank of colonel upwards.”
“The chief of staff makes the appointment decisions — after which the appointment is brought to the minister for approval,” the statement added.
