A) Cooperation between the media and the gatekeepers
Last week Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi flew to the US before retiring from his position. The reason for his flight was not published in the media and his stay was shortened only so as to be back in Israel for the return of the fallen Bibas family. In the end he came afterwards, but there was no media criticism. It’s well known that Hertzi Halevi is considered a "gatekeeper"; his role is that of defender of democracy, and therefore is coddled by the media.
The media also sees itself as a "watchdog of democracy", but as we explained elsewhere, the word democracy has undergone ‘conversion treatments’.
According to the ruling hegemony, democracy no longer means majority rule, but rather the rule of human rights; wherein only the Left, not the general public, can determine what is moral and what is not. That is why the media has turned itself into the attack dog against elected officials – because in their worldview, the majority is threatenening "democracy", and so from now on the role is focused on protecting the gatekeepers.
Therefore you will see constant criticism in the media of ministers and prime ministers flying abroad on state business, being presented as hedonists flying for personal interests, but you will not find even one criticism of a Chief of Staff who flies in the middle of a war (!) to the USA. Why did he go? After all, as he’s shortly leaving his post, there can’t be anything of military or political significance..The purpose of his trip was to receive a decoration.
But no criticism that he didn't even make it to the ceremony for the Bibas family martyrs, who were kidnapped on his watch.
It is perfectly fine for the media to criticize elected officials; that is part of its job, but if it levels criticism at the elected officials only, and not the appointed public servants, people may mistakenly think that the elected officials are always self-interested and corrupt, while all other public officials are purely professional, acting only in the public interest.
However, even when they are wrong, the media will cover it up. Has anyone seen any criticism of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar for the attack that almost happened? No, the media only published a letter from "formers" imploring him not to resign. This is how a government of unelected officials has been created; one that replaces public office. Not dictatorship of the majority, but dictatorship of the minority.
Parts of the right-wing and religious sector say: "Everyone who took part in the security failure related to the Simchat Torah massacre, both political and military ranks, should be fired," while the media, academia, economy leaders and former security officials say: "Only the elected officials should be fired, and don't touch the officials (who continue to appoint their replacements in their own image)." This produces a purism, according to which parts of the public are sure that justice has been done.
Note that there has been no media investigation against the head of the Shin Bet and the Chief of Staff for a year and a half and no public call for their immediate dismissal. As if there wasn't a bigger security failure here than the Yom Kippur War. And yet members of the media are still imploring the head of the Shin Bet to stay in his position.
B) Chief of Staff under Biden's command
The one who awarded Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi the "Legion of Merit" is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the USA, Charles Brown.
Former Chiefs of Staff in Israel also received this medal, in order to bend them to US policy, but there was no huge security failure during their time.
What is the distinction for which Hertzi Halevi received a medal? In a normal country, he should have been tried and maybe demoted a few ranks for what happened at Simchat Torah.
To answer this, we should get to know Charles Brown, who was fired by President Trump this week because of his progressive views. Brown supported DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and promoted progressive agendas in the US military. Among other things, he supported the progressive Black Lives Matter protest that broke out following the killing of George Floyd by a white police officer. The protest promoted a neo-Marxist discourse in the US as if whites were killing blacks for nothing, and tried to neutralize the law enforcement system in the name of 'the discourse of the oppressed'. Army General Brown took part in promoting the progressive protest (Generals taking part in political civil protests, sounds familiar?).
It is therefore understandable why Brown gave a medal of distinction to Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi. In a progressive world where there is no truth or falsehood, no good or evil — it doesn't matter if you are responsible for the biggest security failure since the founding of your country, because excellence is in the eyes of the beholder (or maybe it's actually about excellence in matters of equality, diversity and inclusion?).
Imagine what would have happened if President Trump had given Prime Minister Netanyahu a security medal of distinction, what would the media have done? How much would it have reminded us of his role in the disaster? But when it comes to the Chief of Staff, the gatekeeper of democracy? Only the sound of crickets chirping.
It is also not clear why Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi chose to go receive this medal after this failure, and others, moreover during the war he is directing, and while the abductees are returning, to whit. And perhaps this is understandable — Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi has always looked up to the Biden administration, this has been his reference group, they gave him inspiration and support.
The role of Chief of Staff is to serve the citizens of the State of Israel and their security; not to be intellectually subordinate to a foreign government with agendas that have nothing to do with security.
Now that the Chief of Staff in Israel is changing, as well as in the US, let's hope that they will remove all progressive agendas from the IDF and the security establishment, and focus on winning the war. The more the Chief of Staff is connected to the values of the Jewish People and its roots and less to Western agendas, the more we will, with the help of G-d, win the war.
