Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wants to appoint his man to the post of Deputy Head of the Civil Administration, with powers over the enforcement of illegal construction in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. As a result, the commanders of the regional divisions in Judea and Samaria will have to justify their decisions on the demolition of “illegal” construction to Smotrich’s Deputy Head, whereas today, such decisions are in the hands of the current Commander of the Central Command.
Smotrich wants the systemic change and the appointment to be done by an executive order rather than legislation, which could be problematic under the gaze of the State Dept. in Washington and the ICC in the Hague.
The former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and his successor Herzi Halevi are both staunchly opposed to Smotrich’s plan, which probably means it’s a good one. As Smotrich’s office put it on Sunday: “We couldn’t have received a better proof of our opposition to the round of appointments in the IDF by the General Staff that failed on October 7 than the fact that the defense minister and the chief of staff also understand that they have no serious argument on the merits of the matter and are going into the realms of unfounded, made-up accusations. Those who failed will not shape the perception of security, the building of power, and the next high command of the IDF. Period.”
Without a shadow of a doubt, Smotrich’s plan is viewed as problematic because it is another step to the full application of Sovereignty. May it be so!