IDF chief: The military is not immune to criticism

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira released his report on Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip in 2014, stirring controversy in the political system.

Thereportfound fault in the military's conduct, as well as in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet's decision making process ahead and during the campaign.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement offering the IDF his full backing.

"The IDF has dealt Hamas the most massive blow in its history. Israel eliminated 1,000 terrorists and destroyed thousands of rockets. We thwarted rocket attacks nationwide thanks to my directives to acquire thousands of Iron Dome [defense system] interceptors. Israel foiled Hamas' plan to use the tunnels to infiltrate a border community and abduct civilians. The unprecedented peace and quiet in the south since Operation Protective Edge is proof of this. The communities adjacent to the Gaza border are flourishing and thousands of Israelis are moving there," he said.

Commenting on Shapira's criticism over the cabinet's decision making process, Netanyahu said, "The tunnel threat was presented in detail to the cabinet ministers in 13 different meetings. The gravity of the threat was discussed in full, and all strategic and operational scenarios were reviewed. The most significant lessons from Operation Protective Edge are already being implemented -- quietly, thoroughly, and responsibly, and none of them appear in the comptroller's report."

Shapira commented on the prime minister's criticism, saying his audit "uncovers significant faults in the conduct of the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet, headed by the prime minister, as well as significant faults in the way the military dealt with the tunnel threat.

"The individuals reviewed know the audit was conducted in accordance with the law, by a professional and experienced team, and in a thorough and unbiased manner. Nevertheless, the State Comptroller's Office and the comptroller himself have been under attack and delegitimization attempts by the political system, meant to deter and erode the status of the State Comptroller's Office, as defined in Basic Law: The State Comptroller."

Shapira noted that "it is imperative that the political echelon and other officials, as well as the Israel Defense Forces and the defense establishment, study the report and focus on drawing the necessary conclusions, instead of on slander."

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot issued a statement backing his predecessor, Benny Gantz: "As deputy chief of staff and a partner to the results of the campaign, I personally witnessed IDF troops and commanders on land, at sea and in the air, headed by Chief of Staff Gantz, sparing no efforts to meet the campaign's objective and restore security to Israel. The IDF is not immune to criticism over Operation Protective Edge, over the war on terror or any other event taking place in the military. Still, we must remember that these are outstanding individuals who have dedicated their lives to the State of Israel's defense."

A statement by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said the military was "studying the comptroller's report and will draw the necessary conclusions."

President Reuven Rivlin urged the political echelon to avoid bickering over the report's findings.

"We must address the faults that were found. This is not the time to trade political blows, but rather the time to learn and implement the lessons, and reinforce the IDF so it may continue to be our bulwark," he said

Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon lambasted the findings, saying the report has been politicized.

"Unfortunately, the comptroller's report does not allow for the drawing of real conclusions. The report has become a political statement ... that only reviews partial aspects of a complex operation, and ignores wider considerations. It [the report] has fallen captive to politicians' special interests, which have contaminated the review process."

Ya'alon continued that during Operation Protective Edge, "the cabinet exhibited the worst and most irresponsible conduct I have ever encountered. It was a superficial, populist cabinet, fueling leaks and speaking for the record only, and saying one thing in public and another behind closed doors. This reality made a farce out of its sessions, and if not for the prime minister, the chief of staff and me, it [the operation] could have ended in disaster. We ran a professional, responsible campaign, and restored peace and quiet to Israel."

A 'deeply troubling' report

"Israel's independence and security come with a painful price," said Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, who was intelligence and strategic affairs minister during the operation. "There are always very difficult dilemmas. There are no perfect wars, but at the end of the day, the operation was successful."

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who was finance minister and a cabinet member during the operation, said Shapira's report "mandates that we do some serious soul-searching. This report proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that the prime minister knew about the strategic tunnel threat, but failed to instruct the IDF to prepare an operational plan, nor did he brief the cabinet or tell the public the truth. This is a very thorough, very troubling report."

Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett said, "This is a difficult day that requires we demonstrate responsibility and sensitivity. I will study the report and comment on it at a later date."

Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) urged the public to read the report.

"The comptroller's report paints a very bleak picture that should worry every Israeli. This is a professional, detailed report, free of political considerations, and it clearly illustrates how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the cabinet he command failed in their role, failed in understanding the threats, determining strategy, understanding the reality, and how they failed in properly preparing the IDF and the Israeli public, particularly residents of the south [for the operation].

"It is on their backs that the leadership waged a political squabble, solely for personal political gain, all while failing to observe the responsibility with which it was tasked."

Herzog added that "it is the duty of every Israeli citizen to read the comptroller's report, to understand how the leadership conducted itself before and during Operation Protective Edge -- especially Mr. Security [Netanyahu's nickname], who has emerged once again as Mr. Failure."

Zionist Union MKs Stav Shaffir Omer Bar-Lev announced Tuesday that they plan to petition the Knesset's State Control Committee to launch a state commission of inquiry into the operation.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority refrained from commenting on the findings, but a Hamas official in Gaza warned that any future strike on the enclave would meet "a forceful response."

"Senior Israeli political officials and military officers boast time and again that they have generated deterrence and 'crushed' Hamas, when in fact, the opposite is true and the occupation's army suffered a stinging defeat," the Hamas official said.