Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to exercise restraint and avoid nonessential military operations during the transition period as he attempts to assemble a governing coalition in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
Mr. Eisenkot, who leads the centrist Yashar party, said he’s received “troubling reports” that partisan politics has begun to creep into Israel’s security, which he called “the holy of holies.”
“At this sensitive time, you are called upon to act with national responsibility. Exercise restraint and caution against dangerous moves that can wait until a new government that has won the Knesset’s confidence is sworn in,” he said Wednesday in a letter to Mr. Netanyahu. “Do not desecrate the public’s trust in the institutions of government and the decision-making process.”
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“Deploying the security forces without a direct and immediate threat that brooks no delay could have devastating consequences for Israeli democracy and citizens’ trust in the institutions of government,” Mr. Eisenkot said.
Israeli defense minister Israel Katz dismissed the letter, saying that the government doesn’t require the approval of opposition politicians to launch military operations in the Gaza Strip, maintain a security buffer zone in Syria, or clear a terrorist neighborhood in the West Bank.
“Israel’s security is not on hold and is not waiting for the political processes taking place in parallel,” Mr. Katz said in a statement.
“There is one prime minister and one defense minister directing the [Israel Defense Forces] — and one government responsible for decision-making on all matters concerning Israel’s security and the protection of the citizens of the State of Israel,” he said.
On Nov. 8, Israeli President Isaac Herzog granted Mr. Eisenkot the mandate to form a government. The decision followed the Oct. 27 parliamentary elections, where 67 of the 120 incoming members of the Knesset recommended him for the role.
If Mr. Eisenkot is unable to form a government before his mandate expires — 28 days plus a 14-day extension if necessary — under Israeli law, it passes to a second Knesset member, most likely Mr. Netanyahu.
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