Yair Netanyahu, the older son of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, garnered harsh criticism Monday after sharing a post on Facebook and Telegram that suggest that IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi will go down in history as “the most failed chief of staff.”
The Twitter post, originally written by journalist Erez Tadmor, criticized Halevi for not cracking down on reservists who refuse to show up for duty in protest of the judicial reform program.
“Not only did you not judge or oust even one of the organizers and instigators, but you surrendered to them and became an ambassador for refusers who demand that the government surrender to them,” Tadmor wrote. “In the test of history, when the fog clears and the dust settles, you, Halevi, will be remembered as the biggest failure and most destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a former IDF chief, blasted Yair Netanyahu, tweeting that Halevi was “one of the most outstanding officers I have met in all my years in the IDF and in the defense establishment—a brave, honest, matter-of-fact, cool-headed, thorough and balanced commander. Many citizens of the country owe him their lives.”
The prime minister responded to the controversy but did not explicitly condemn the post shared by his son.
“The State of Israel faces great challenges and as prime minister of Israel, I work day and night together with the defense minister, the chief of staff, senior IDF officials and the security forces to together ensure Israel’s security in any situation,” he tweeted.
Podcaster Yair Netanyahu, 32, has a history of controversial remarks on social media. In 2021, his Facebook account was suspended after he posted the address of a politician and called on followers to protest outside his home.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.