Controversial Messages Inside the Israeli Army
According to the Israeli state television KAN and Channel 12, after the newly appointed commander of the Iskenderun Brigade, Besal, took office, Angert, the Brigade commander, made a remarkable post on the social media platform X. In a message he sent to his soldiers, Angert said, “A new commander has joined the Brigade. First of all, I hope the fighters will commit genocide. Lebanon’s villages will be deserted and the roads will be dead.”
In another post on social media, Angert described soldiers from the far-right “Religious Zionism” party led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as a “cult of death eaters.” These statements had a huge impact both in the public and in the political arena.
Simcha Rothman, Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution, Law and Judiciary, sent a letter to the Minister of Defense, Chief of General Staff and Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, calling for a disciplinary investigation into Angert and the initiation of the necessary procedures. Rothman’s initiative was considered an important step in terms of the violation of discipline and ethics rules in the army.
Smotrich also made a harsh criticism in a post on the X platform, saying, “Is there a reason why we woke up this morning without the Israeli army announcing that this woman has still been dismissed from the army?” This situation caused the debates within the army to deepen.
Channel 12 reported that soldiers from the Iskenderun Brigade have been serving as reserve soldiers on the Lebanese border and in the Gaza Strip for more than 200 days since October 7, 2023. Angert’s social media posts were immediately blocked, but copies of these posts continue to Circulate in Israeli media.
