The second episode of the documentary series “Revolt of the Generals,” based on Eran Tadmor’s book, aired Tuesday and focused on what the film describes as long-developing methods used by Israel’s security leadership to shape state policy and override elected officials. The program argues that this reflected a worldview in which politicians could not be trusted to make the right decisions, so “professionals” took it upon themselves to steer the country.
The episode says this influence was carried out through leaks to the media and foreign parties, partial or withheld information, shelved instructions, and actions taken against political guidance. Ret. Brig. Gen. Erez Wiener says senior officials who fail to persuade inside formal meetings then work outside them through leaks designed to sway public opinion and even the United States. MK Almog Cohen says a leak on the eve of the pager operation endangered Israel’s security and could have changed the fighting in the north.
Yuvall Blumberg presents the idea that governments are seen as lacking sound judgment and therefore must be “guided” by providing information in a way that produces the desired outcome. Amit Asa warns that the defense establishment is becoming a political body after a long educational and conceptual process. Erel Segal sharply criticizes the Shin Bet and calls for it to be rebuilt, saying it failed on October 7 and also acted against a democratically elected government.
The four-part series airs over the week and says events that looked like isolated incidents or mistakes were actually part of a systematic pattern built over years. The IDF responded that the night of October 6 to 7 was thoroughly investigated and fully presented to the political leadership and the public, that the military is subordinate to elected officials, and that it carried out every approved directive during the war. A representative for former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar called the allegations false and based on partial, biased quotes from a Shin Bet inquiry, saying only a state commission of inquiry can properly examine Hamas’s buildup, the decision not to target its leaders, and the policy of calm in Gaza. Bar’s side also said the questions sent for comment were not aimed at finding the truth, but at other, non-state motives. Ronen Bergman said the accusations against him were a smear campaign invented by Tadmor and others, that previous complaints and petitions on the matter were found groundless, and that no secret was leaked and no damage or danger was caused.
