The Public Trust in Government Institutions' report, to be published by the Israel Democracy Institute, is expected to be tougher than its predecessor.
Of the public institutions, the IDF traditionally enjoys the most trust. It is also understandable why: our children, who protect us, serve in it. But trust in this sacred cow is also steadily eroding. , From 90 percent support to 81 percent. Experts say that a further decline is expected this year in all public institutions, including the IDF
. Less than a third of the public gives the army a good score for its economic and budgetary conduct, and only a quarter gives it a good score for its treatment of soldiers and the treatment of their problems.
These data have a variety of reasons. The salary of conscripts (which will be increased by 50 percent from the beginning of next year), through the crisis in the fields of transportation and catering in the army, and ending with the excessive preoccupation of the IDF itself and its conditions. very bad.
The IDF - or rather: its head - says it understands this, but is doing the exact opposite. Evidence of this was given this week when Kochavi decided to award the rank of personal brigadier general to his associate, Head of the Behavioral Sciences Department Hadas Minka. Stars of rage when the matter leaked to "Israel Today", and hurried to act: on the day the news was published, he brought the matter to a discussion of placements, and stated a fait accompli. He did the same two years ago, when he asked to appoint Gil Messing as his spokesman; On the day the news item was published (even then in "Israel Today"), he issued an announcement about the appointment, which did not ultimately materialize.
Kochavi explained the decision to give Minka the exceptional chopper of a personal rank "in light of the possibility of extending her tenure for another two years, and in light of her unique contribution to the IDF and the extraordinary projects she leads.
" Unique "," exceptional "- a bit disturbing. In all parts of the IDF, those who lead projects are no less exceptional. As a former head of the Armed Forces he knows many of the stars: the technological units, for example, are full of unique centers of knowledge that have no substitute, nor do they have personal ranks.
But there are more obvious examples. The most prominent of them is Eran Ofir. A former logistics officer who has been building Israel's security with his hands for more than a decade. It started on the border with Egypt (241 km of fence that blocked the passage of tens of thousands of job seekers from Africa), continued on the border with Syria (Bezeq project that began with the outbreak of civil war in the country and stopped infiltrators and terrorism), moved to the border with Gaza (underground and underground project, Physical and technological, which solved the problem of tunnels), and now focuses on the Lebanese border (construction of a new barrier that should deprive Hezbollah of the ability to easily infiltrate Israel in the next war).
Ophir is a brigadier general. At the same level to this day. The proposals to give him the rank of personal champion were rejected outright by Kochavi. And perhaps the explanation is much simpler: it is not close enough.
Ophir has had quite a few rhymes over the years. The projects he leads cost billions, and there were those who claimed he was cutting coupons from the side. The state comptroller examined the project and found nothing, visitor security system checked and found nothing, and the IDF examined and found nothing. Military Police investigation included surveillance and wiretaps then Ophir, with the approval of the Military Advocate General. It ended in nothing.
If you know the chief of staff This contradicts these findings, it is his duty to open a new investigation, and if there is any in it - to oust Ofir immediately and prosecute him. As long as this is not the case, Ofir (and many others) are entitled to an answer as to why Minka did and he did not.
For those who claim that the rank of personal general is not the same as the rank of lieutenant general, it is recommended to deal with the following figure: Since Kochavi took over as chief of staff, three generals have been added to the General Staff (and two lieutenants generals). Also a bureau, assistants and sometimes headquarters with costs on its side. The
IDF boasted for years of being a modest army.
The soldiers are still like this: they sometimes travel standing up, and often receive food that is not edible.
Senior officers, on the other hand, are advised to take a short refresher course.
If it is educated to reconnect with the territory, and ceases to engage intensively in the affairs and affairs of its associates, it is possible that the public's trust in it and in its decisions will rise again.
The best for the IDF
Following this, the IDF celebrated this week the appointment of another general to the General Staff - Orly Markman, who will serve as president of the Military Court of Appeals, and will join Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who serves as the Chief Military Prosecutor.
This is indeed a precedent: . And yet, a reason to party is not; The IDF lags far behind when it comes to integrating women at the top of the organization. Just for comparison, the Supreme Court has already served three presidencies, and in Israel there were already two state prosecutors and three IPS commissioners.
Armies are male-oriented organizations. This is due to the fact that historically, all the warriors were men, and hence they are also the ones who advanced and promoted those who fought alongside them. This has long been not the case; Not only because women today serve in a variety of combat roles (in the Air Defense, Border Guard, Home Front Command and Border Protection system their rate reaches 50 percent), but because at the top of the military need not only command but also management.
There is no reason why women should not head the ACA, the Technology and Logistics Division, the ICT Division, the Intelligence Division, etc. In order for this to happen, they must first be promoted to the ranks of Colonel and Brigadier General: promoted professionally, not personally. The business sector has already proven that women in senior management positions improve the organization.
Adv. Gail Shoresh, a former senior at the Mossad and now an expert on gender issues, initiated a program to systematically increase the number of women in the IDF and other security organizations.
Target: 30 percent by 2030. She contacted the IDF many months ago with the plan, and until now she has not received an answer
.
He asked her to formulate her plan into a bill.
This is a worthy move, which will be good for the public, good for women and good for the IDF.
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