Dadi Shamchi Demands Shared Leadership with Gantz: 'I Didn't Come to Be Number 7'

In a video, Dadi Shamchi speaks about the contacts with Gantz / Still photo: Reuven Castro

Brig. Gen. (res.) Dadi Shamchi, the former Fire and Rescue commissioner who announced his entry into politics, said today (Thursday) in an interview with "Sari and Schlesinger" that if he runs on a single slate with Benny Gantz in the upcoming Knesset election, he will demand shared leadership. "Shared leadership in a party is obvious, I didn't come to be number 7 or 9," Shamchi said. "The difference between 1 and 2 is irrelevant. In a party that will not win 30 seats and will not produce a prime minister, number 1 or 2 is less relevant and we can manage. Ego should not lead us."

In recent weeks, Shamchi has been holding marathon talks with most of the existing players, in an effort to forge a joint list. His top goal, he says, is to force a unity government. "For almost a year and eight months now I have been trying to build a bloc that will bring people together. I met with most of the players who want to run and also some who already exist," he says. "I sat with Yaron Zelekha, Gilad Erdan, Benny Gantz and also former Beit Shemesh mayor Aliza Bloch. Good people who understand that the most important thing for the State of Israel is a broad Zionist government."

Another option on the table is a connection with Ofer Winter. According to Shamchi, a reliable polling institute that conducted a survey for him found that such a party could win nine seats. However, at this stage there is no progress in the talks. "It takes two to tango, Winter has his considerations," says the reserve brigadier general. "I spoke with him a month ago. I am doing what I can with what I have."

At this stage, it appears he is leaning toward a tie-up with Gantz, who so far, according to the polls, has not managed to pass the electoral threshold on his own. "The right thing is to create a bloc that will make additional alliances. Gantz is the most realistic option, but things change every day. We will make more alliances, it is starting to emerge."

Running on the Likud list, at least for now, appears more distant. According to Shamchi, he never asked for a reserved spot on the Likud list, but he did receive various offers through emissaries on behalf of the party. "I had beautiful offers, not only from Likud, but I want to force unity." He says that even if he were offered a realistic reserved spot in Likud, it is doubtful he would accept: "As a bloc that has influence, there is a better chance of forcing unity than being one of the Knesset members in Likud."

Regarding the day after the election, Shamchi clarifies that "I will join anyone the public decides should form a government. But I will have one condition, that he offer a proper proposal to the other side. If he does not offer one, I will not join his government. If the other bloc receives a proper offer and says no, I will join the bloc that made the offer."

Former Fire and Rescue commissioner Shamchi makes clear that he will not agree to sit in a government with Arab parties. On the other hand, he does not rule out sitting with the ultra-Orthodox. "I don't understand the other side that wants the ultra-Orthodox out," says Shamchi, who served in the security services for about 40 years. "50% of Shas voters enlist. I think everyone should enlist for meaningful service, everyone, and at the next stage, Arabs too. But you can't, after October 7, make moves with an axe."

"In 1999 I recruited the first Haredi Nahal company. Today there is the Hashmonaim Brigade, in a little while there will be the Maccabim Division. There is an upward trend, it is a cultural process," Shamchi argues. "Those responsible are us, because we did not lead a structured and continuous process on this. There needs to be a cultural change. I am not here to defend them, but a process is beginning that will take a long time. There are no boycotts and we need a broad government, so I do not boycott the ultra-Orthodox."

"We became addicted to quiet and paid compound interest"

Shamchi, whose son Guy fell on October 7, does not forget the disaster for a moment. However, in perhaps a surprising position, he claims that 99.7% of the responsibility for the scale of the disaster lies with the IDF, and that the government bears only a small part of it. "All the generals in the General Staff think the way I do," says the bereaved father. "There is enough blame and responsibility for everyone. The political echelon is responsible and guilty, but what happened on October 7, 1,200 murdered in eight hours, is not related to the political echelon. There is a military force that receives hundreds of billions and should have closed this event."

"In a democracy, the political echelon has the authority to make decisions, and the IDF must fence in the risk. I do not know who will be prime minister in five years, but if, for example, he decides to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, there is an army responsible for making sure girls are not slaughtered in Bat Hefer," Shamchi added. "If the chief of staff had said 'get up' on the night of the massacre, we would have had 300 dead, not 1,200."

At the same time, it is important for Shamchi to clarify that "I know and am 1,000 percent certain there was no betrayal, I want to take that off the table. The atmosphere at the top was an atmosphere of containment and addiction to quiet. The State of Israel became addicted to quiet. The people became addicted to quiet. We did not want to pay the price, and we paid compound interest."

However, to investigate the disaster, Shamchi does not support a state commission of inquiry, but rather a "special national commission of inquiry," which he says would have broader powers. "Commissions of inquiry established under the current law investigated football match fixing and corruption in banks. For the October 7 event, a special law is needed," he explains. "I want a lethal commission of inquiry, one that has punitive powers, including personal ones, if necessary, to send people to prison. If it determines that someone was criminally negligent, strip ranks and put them in jail. If the commission investigates and says Netanyahu did something deliberately, let him sit in prison, but I do not think that will happen."

Against the backdrop of the limited responsibility he places on the government for the scale of the October 7 massacre, in which his son fell, Shamchi has drawn heavy criticism for being a "Bibiist," especially when he served as a commentator on "Friday Studio." Now, he rejects the claims: "I have not spoken with Netanyahu for two years. Nobody briefed me in my two years on Friday Studio, not Netanyahu, not an emissary, not the grandson of a grandson of an emissary."

"Even some of my colleagues on the panel were shocked by this. There was even once an unpleasant moment when I got angry at someone who said that," Shamchi adds. "The problem is that if someone starts expressing an opinion in a certain direction, they attack him. This is my independent opinion."