Israel’s Katz bars ex-defense minister from military bases

JERUSALEM /ISTANBUL

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Wednesday that he is barring former Defense Minister and Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon from participating in events held at Israeli military bases following Ya’alon’s allegations that the army committed ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip.

Ya’alon had been scheduled to give a lecture at the Glilot base north of Tel Aviv on April 1, according to Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth daily.

Ya’alon is "the man who claimed that Israeli soldiers are carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza, described the war as futile, and even implied he hopes Israel won’t send soldiers to kill children in Gaza," said a letter that Katz received from the father of an Israeli soldier killed in Gaza and Matan Peleg, the head of the right-wing Im Tirtzu organization.

In late November last year, Ya’alon, who served as defense minister from 2013 to 2016, said in an interview with the Israeli channel DemocraTV that Israel was committing ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of leading the country toward "destruction."

Following widespread backlash from Israel's right-wing political circles, Ya’alon said on Dec. 1 that he stands by his remarks about the Israeli army committing ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza. He added that war crimes were being committed there and that efforts were being made to hide this from the Israeli public.

Speaking to Israel’s public broadcaster at the time, Ya’alon said "I take full responsibility for what I said about ethnic cleansing being carried out in northern Gaza."

"I’m speaking on behalf of the commanders serving in northern Gaza. War crimes are being committed,” he said.

"Israeli soldiers are putting their lives at risk and will face legal proceedings at the International Criminal Court.”

"I must raise the alarm about what is happening there (in northern Gaza) and what they are trying to hide from us, as war crimes are being committed there," he added.

Nearly 50,200 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 113,700 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.