DM Katz Slams IDF Spokesman Hagari for Criticizing Coalition Legislation

Photo Credit: Oren Ben Hakoon; Chaim Goldbergl/Flash90

IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari vs. Minister of Defense Israel Katz

After the storm created by IDF spokesman Brigadier General Daniel Hegari’s scathing criticism of the newly introduced “Feldstein Law,” which extends immunity to soldiers who bypass the chain of command to inform the prime minister and other ministers, sources close to Defense Minister Israel Katz told Kan11 Thursday morning that Hegari’s comments were a “big warning sign” for him.

The same sources also said that “the Defense Minister will not allow this type of behavior in the future from anyone in uniform.” Katz’s public response was that Hegari exceeded every possible authority and that the minister intended to initiate disciplinary proceedings against him.

Hegari addressed the Feldstein Law in his statement Wednesday evening: “The law is dangerous for the IDF. It will lead to a situation whereby any soldier can steal documents. It is dangerous for the security of the state.”

THE FELDSTEIN LAW

The Feldstein Law was passed in a preliminary vote of 59 to 52. The bill seeks to regulate the transfer of security information from the military to the political echelon, in light of allegations that critical information was concealed from the Prime Minister and decision-makers during the Iron Sword War. The goal is to ensure that the political echelon receives all the information necessary to make strategic decisions while granting legal immunity to security personnel who transmit vital information, in order to remove psychological and communication barriers to the transmission of sensitive information.

Hagari insisted that “The IDF does not hide information from the political echelon, it acts subordinately to it for the security of Israel. The document in question was accessible to authorized officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, it was stolen and transferred to a newspaper in Germany in a way that bypassed censorship.”

According to Hagari, the document was thus “exposed to the enemy and harmed the state’s security. This law is very dangerous because it will create a situation where any junior figure in the IDF can steal intelligence information at will.”

Eliezer (Eli) Feldstein, 32, is Benjamin Netanyahu’s military spokesman. He was indicted on suspicion of stealing and leaking classified documents during the Iron Swords War with the intent to harm state security.

On November 21, Feldstein was indicted for possession of confidential information, disclosure of confidential information intended to harm state security, and obstruction of justice.

According to the indictment, in June 2024, Feldstein received classified information from an NCO in the IDF’s information security system, obtained through secret intelligence means. Feldstein, knowing that this was top-secret information, passed it on to an Israeli journalist in September 2024, to create social influence in the Israeli public regarding the struggle to free the hostages in the Gaza Strip.

The news was rejected by the military censorship and Feldstein was informed of the rejection. For the news to be published anyway, Feldstein, through Israel Einhorn, forwarded it for publication in the German newspaper Bild. Before publication, the NCO clarified to Feldstein that this was secret information, obtained from a secret intelligence source. Following the publication in Bild, the news was also published in Israel, as Feldstein had planned.

After the indictment was filed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video in which he stood by Feldstein, claiming that he did not do it intentionally to harm security The state, and criticized the system’s handling of his arrest. A demonstration was held outside the court against the extension of his arrest, with the participation of ministers Amichai Chikli and Amichai Eliyahu, who claimed that the defendants helped the prime minister make the right decisions. In addition, two hundred rabbis wrote a letter to the head of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, protesting Feldstein’s arrest.

After the Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reprimanded him, Hagari apologized: “I spoke in a manner that exceeded my authority. The State of Israel is a democratic state and the IDF is subordinate to the political echelon. In the hundreds of statements and questions I have answered since October 7, I have maintained my stateliness. The IDF conveys its position to the relevant parties on legislative matters through the mechanisms accepted for this purpose, and not in any other way.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also responded to the IDF spokesman’s criticism, saying: “It is good that the IDF spokesman was put in his place to ensure that such a statement is not heard again. In a democratic state, the army is not supposed to intervene in political matters, and certainly not criticize legislation.”