Zehut Party Leader Moshe Feiglin Seeks Defense Minister Role, Criticizes IDF

Moshe Feiglin, chairman of the Zehut party, which recently joined forces with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party, has declared his intention to lead Israel's security apparatus and aims to become the next defense minister. In a recent interview, Feiglin asserted that all his security assessments over the past 30 years, from the opposition to the Oslo Accords to the events of October 7th, have proven correct.

Feiglin called for the conquest, expulsion, and settlement of Gaza, stating that without these actions, Israel cannot win the current war. He sharply criticized the current security establishment and its leadership, claiming that the army was absent on October 7th and that "progressivism has poisoned it to its very core." He argued that while Israel possesses a strong air force, elite units, and excellent intelligence, it lacks a ground force capable of confronting challenges from the perspective of a victorious regional Jewish power.

Specifically targeting former IDF Chief of Staff and current Knesset Member Gadi Eisenkot, Feiglin accused him of dismantling the ground forces over the past 20 years since the disengagement from Gaza. Feiglin claimed Eisenkot discharged 100,000 soldiers and disbanded units, including his own in combat engineering. Feiglin questioned how Eisenkot could now seek public trust given this record, reiterating his belief that deep-seated progressivism still permeates the military.