Senior Israeli military officials and veterans have voiced concerns over possible control over key posts by the ultra-nationalist partners in the new coalition government led by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military confirmed in a statement that outgoing Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi held a rare meeting with Netanyahu over the weekend "in the wake of publications about the possibilities of legislations related to the IDF."
During the meeting, Kochavi expressed "deep concerns" over coalition deals in which Netanyahu promised to give Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the pro-settler Religious Zionist party, control over the Civil Administration, which is in charge of most aspects of lives in the occupied West Bank, state-owned Kan TV reported on Monday.
In another coalition deal, Netanyahu promised to give control over the police and the paramilitary Border Police to Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the ultra-nationalist Jewish Power Party and a former activist convicted of supporting Jewish terrorism and inciting racism.
Currently, both the Civil Administration and Border Police are under the Israeli defense ministry, which also oversees the military. To put Smotrich and Ben-Gvir in charge of those new posts, amendments to the current Israeli laws are needed to split the defense ministry.
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