On Saturday, Yair Netanyahu published on his Instagram account a survey conducted by Channel 14, which showed that among coalition voters who responded, 79% believe that Brigadier General Ofer Winter should be the Defense Minister, compared to 21% in favor of the incumbent Minister, Benny Gantz.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's son published the survey and wrote, 'Israel demands: Winter for security!'
Winter, former IDF Chief of Staff Secretary and commander of the Givati Brigade during Operation Protective Edge received notice from the Chief of Staff recently informing him of his release from the IDF. During his tenure as Givati Brigade commander, Winter sparked controversy by publishing a command page to boost soldiers' morale before combat, which included religious motifs, drawing criticism from both military ranks and the public.
Among other things, the commander's page stated: "History has chosen us to be at the forefront of the fight against the terrorist enemy, which blasphemes and defies the God of the armies of Israel. I raise my eyes to the heavens and call out with you, 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.' May the God of Israel grant success to our paths as we march to battle for the sake of the people of Israel against the enemy who defiles Your name."
Winter's disciplinary comment
Amid this, Winter received a disciplinary comment regarding a series of events within the "Tzabar" (the Hebrew word for "born in Israel") Battalion of the Brigade, including the sexual harassment scandal involving the former battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Liran Hajbi. However, Chief of Staff at the time, Benny Gantz emphasized that Winter's involvement in the events was professional and not an attempt to cover up the incident.
Chairman of the Yisrael Beytenu party, Knesset member Avigdor Liberman, responded on his account X, formerly Twitter, to the decision to release Brigadier General Winter: "The way the IDF leadership persisted for days against Brigadier General Ofer Winter, leading ultimately to his release from the IDF, contradicts all the accepted norms in the IDF since its establishment.
הדרך בה ראשי הצבא תדרכו במשך ימים שלמים כנגד תא״ל עופר וינטר, תדרוכים שהובילו לבסוף לשחרורו מצה״ל, נוגדת את כל הנורמות המקובלות בצה״ל מאז היווסדו. מדובר בשערורייה ובהדחה של קצין בכיר שבניגוד לחלק ניכר מהקצינים במטה הכללי, לא נושא באחריות למחדל של השבעה באוקטובר.אני מכיר היטב…
— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) May 8, 2024
“It's a scandal and dismissal of a senior officer who, unlike a significant portion of the General Staff officers, was not responsible for the failure of the October 7 Massacre. I know Ofer Winter well, even when he served as my military secretary during my tenure as defense minister. He's a brave, values-driven, and rights-oriented officer. One thing is certain - if he had been the Southern Command Chief on October 7, the terrible failure would not have occurred under his watch."
In the past few months, Yair Netanyahu has been staying in Miami, making occasional short visits back to Israel. As revealed by the English newspaper Daily Mail two weeks into the outbreak of the Swords of Steel War. Yair Netanyahu, 32, has been in Florida since April after his father instructed him to tone down his social media posts, which led to numerous legal claims against him. Furthermore, the newspaper unveiled exclusive photos of him in a luxury apartment in Florida, where the rent is $5,000.