Eyal Zamir is the Israeli army’s first Kahanist Chief of Staff

IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in March 2025

Rogel Alpher writes in Haaretz on 23 March 2025:

Eyal Zamir’s appointment as the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff immediately proved to be a disaster.

Before he was chosen for the job, military analysts were united in their opinion that he was a worthy choice – experienced, professional, statesmanlike, possessing moral authority and not stained by the failures of October 7, 2023.

After he was chosen, even opponents of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised his surprising good judgment and restraint. This was cited as proof of Netanyahu’s ability to act in a statesmanlike manner.  People even said with satisfaction that Zamir had the spine needed to serve as a gatekeeper against the government, since, being the natural and obvious choice, he didn’t owe his appointment to Netanyahu. That would mean he would be free of the burden of gratitude toward the prime minister, and would insist on businesslike decisions that didn’t serve Netanyahu’s personal political needs.

But it turns out that in everything they said about Zamir, the analysts were captive to a misconception. He is nothing less than a Kahanist general.

According to Amos Harel [Haaretz, March 21], Zamir has a grand plan – a large-scale ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that would include several divisions and would require calling up a large number of reservists.  Zamir even told Israel’s ministers that he’s capable of bringing about the complete destruction of Hamas’ rule in Gaza and its military capabilities – or, in other words, the “total victory” Netanyahu promised.

Netanyahu plans to exploit Zamir’s military offensive to establish a military government in Gaza, with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, and to transfer control over the distribution of humanitarian aid to the IDF. In other words, Netanyahu plans to occupy Gaza and restore full Israeli control over it, in preparation for rebuilding settlements and forcibly expelling the Palestinians. Even though this expulsion will be billed as “voluntary emigration.”

While messianic Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter is already busy setting up an emigration administration, other reservists are less enthusiastic.

There are growing calls within the reserve army for people to stop volunteering for reserve duty. Many others, including in the regular army, are planning on “gray refusal,” without openly announcing a revolt against Zamir.

This is what Netanyahu wants – a military offensive with Kahanist goals combined with a constitutional crisis over the dismissal of Shin Bet security service director Ronen Bar. The latter will spark major public clashes that will end up serving Netanyahu in his supreme goal – delaying the legal proceedings against him.

Zamir’s appointment was a necessary condition for fulfilling this fascist dream, which, of course, also requires purging the army of dissidents like former IDF Spokesperson Daniel Hagari.  Zamir is displaying personal loyalty to Netanyahu and the government’s vision. Contrary to all the naïve wishful thinking, it’s clear in retrospect that it’s no accident that Zamir has been Netanyahu’s preferred candidate for chief of staff throughout the last decade.

If this is what Zamir is doing when he doesn’t owe Netanyahu any gratitude, one wonders what he would have done if he did. Would he have entered the cab of a D9 bulldozer and personally demolished the Supreme Court?

Zamir evidently hid his Kahanist worldview with great sophistication until he entered the chief of staff’s office. Military analysts with statesmanlike worldviews had no idea who he really was.

Now, tragically belatedly, it has become clear – he is the first Kahanist chief of staff.  From the moment he was given power, he has put the IDF at Netanyahu’s disposal as a tool for implementing every aspect of his crazy fascist plans. Zamir has completely erased the distinction between Netanyahu’s political needs and Israel’s security needs.

Netanyahu isn’t the only one who has no moral right to send soldiers to kill Gazan civilians indiscriminately and die on the battlefield for the sake of his political survival.

Zamir also has no moral right to do this. Zamir is starting an optional political war. He cannot be the chief of staff of any moral soldier.

This article is reproduced in its entirety