Eisenkot Confronted Over IDF Manpower Cuts, Blames Netanyahu
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot was challenged at a political event by a reservist accusing him of reducing the army's size before October 7th. Eisenkot denied the claims, attributing manpower decisions and service length reductions to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He stated the IDF was larger than ever on October 7th and criticized the spread of misinformation, calling it a danger to Israeli society.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Gadi Eisenkot denied accusations of shrinking the IDF, blaming Prime Minister Netanyahu for service length decisions.
- Eisenkot stated the regular army on October 7th was the largest since the state's founding.
- He refuted claims of opposing the Gaza invasion and Rafah operations, stating he pushed for Gaza's occupation.
- Eisenkot cited a study finding the "Gideon" plan the most strengthening in 30 years.
- He highlighted the existence of 37,000 deserters and 50,000 evaders during the current war.
- Eisenkot warned that a "culture of lies" endangers Israeli society.
Former IDF Chief of Staff and party chairman Gadi Eisenkot was confronted at a campaign event for the Yisrael Beiteinu party in Givat Shmuel by a reservist who accused him of reducing the army's manpower prior to the October 7th Hamas attack. The reservist claimed that a decade ago, his request to return to military service was denied due to a lack of need, suggesting this reduction contributed to the army's unpreparedness.
Eisenkot vehemently denied the accusations, calling the circulated information a "lie and falsehood." He specifically refuted claims that he was responsible for closing several brigades, naming brigades 847 and 263 as examples. He asserted that the decision to shorten mandatory military service from three years to two was initiated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who sought to implement the Locker Committee's recommendations.
According to Eisenkot, he opposed Netanyahu's proposal to shorten service, arguing it was "complete recklessness." He stated that after prolonged debate, service was shortened by only four months, with an addition of 3,000 career soldiers to compensate. Eisenkot maintained that he passed on a larger regular army to his successor, Aviv Kochavi, than he received from Benny Gantz.
Eisenkot also highlighted the establishment of new units during his tenure, including the Commando Brigade, a reserve brigade, and a rescue and evacuation brigade, along with three additional battalions. While acknowledging a reform in the reserve system that reduced manpower by 60,000 to 80,000 soldiers, he stated that approximately 140,000 joined, resulting in a net stable size for the IDF over the decades. He further claimed that the regular army on October 7th was the largest since the state's founding.
Addressing the multi-year "Gideon" plan implemented during his time as chief of staff, Eisenkot cited a military study that found it to be the most strengthening plan in the last thirty years. He attributed the dissemination of contrary information to political motives. Eisenkot also discussed the burden on reservists, noting 37,000 deserters and nearly 50,000 evaders currently during the war, and proposed increasing the career force by 15,000 for short-term service to alleviate reservist duty lengths.
Finally, Eisenkot refuted reports that he opposed the Gaza invasion, operations in Rafah, or strikes in Iran, stating, "Contrary to what was said on a certain channel, I pushed for the occupation of Gaza." He concluded by warning that the "culture of lies endangers our shared life no less than other phenomena in Israeli society."
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