Humiliation: IDF Chief Blocked from Defense Minister’s Office

A public confrontation between Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir was preceded by an embarrassing incident at the Kirya headquarters, where the army chief was denied entry to the minister’s office, N12 News reported Tuesday.

According to the report, over the past several days the Chief of Staff’s office had made repeated attempts to schedule a meeting with Katz to approve senior military appointments. When the meeting was finally set, Zamir arrived, only to be told by the minister’s aides, “There’s a schedule, and he will not meet with you.” Zamir was forced to leave the office.

The clash comes on the eve of an expanded IDF operation in Gaza and plans to take control of Gaza City. At the heart of the dispute is the list of candidates for top military posts. The disagreement sparked a late-night exchange of messages and a warning from Katz that he would block the appointments.

By Tuesday afternoon, senior IDF officials were already trying to defuse the crisis, stressing that the Chief of Staff “understands the importance of calming the tensions that have developed in recent hours between him and the defense minister.”

Last Thursday, the Chief of Staff’s aide informed Katz’s office of an upcoming appointments meeting scheduled for the following week. Katz’s staff insisted that the list of candidates be submitted in advance for his review, calling it a “mandatory” requirement. The Chief of Staff’s office responded by sending a list of positions—without the names of the nominees.

The incomplete submission appears to have deepened the disagreement, culminating in Monday’s dramatic refusal to grant the Chief of Staff entry to the minister’s office.