Hagari under fire: MKs, Halevi criticize spokesperson over Feldstein bill comments

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that he intends to hold a disciplinary procedure against IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who criticized the "Feldstein bill," calling it "very dangerous to the IDF" during a press conference on Wednesday evening. 

Katz criticized Hagari, saying, "The IDF Spokesperson’s criticism of the political echelon and the legislative process in the Knesset is a serious and extraordinary phenomenon, completely outside of its authority and what is permitted and expected from someone in uniform in a democratic regime."

"I intend to take disciplinary action against him as soon as possible to draw the necessary conclusions."

Hagari spoke during a press conference that discussed the IDF's operation that returned the body of hostage Itai Svirsky, who was killed in Hamas captivity, as well as the IDF probe investigating the deaths of six hostages. During the press conference, he was also asked about the Feldstein bill, which was passed in a preliminary vote in the Knesset on Wednesday. 

The bill would make soldiers who make unauthorized transfers of secret documents to the prime minister's office or defense minister's office immune from criminal responsibility. 

"The IDF does not withhold information from the political echelon. The IDF operates under the instructions of the political echelon to ensure the security of the State of Israel. I want to clarify – the document in question was accessible to authorized individuals in the Prime Minister's Office."

"This document was stolen from the IDF and transferred to a newspaper in Germany through a route that bypassed the censorship. This exposed the information to the enemy, and it harmed the security of the State of Israel."

Hagari criticizes Feldstein bill 

"Regarding the law - this law is very dangerous to the IDF. It is dangerous because it would create a situation where any low-ranking official in the IDF could, at their discretion, steal and leak documents or intelligence information," Hagari said during the press conference. 

"This is a serious matter that could endanger lives and the safety of soldiers, and it is very dangerous to the IDF and to the security of the state."

Shortly after the press conference, Hagari apologized for his statements. He said, "I expressed myself in a manner that exceeded my authority as IDF spokesman. The State of Israel is a democratic state, and the IDF is subordinate to the political echelon."

בהצהרה שלי הערב בתשובה לשאלה התבטאתי באופן שחרג מסמכותי כדובר צה״ל, ועל כך נזף בי הרמטכ״ל.מדינת ישראל היא מדינה דמוקרטית וצה״ל כפוף לדרג המדיני. במאות ההצהרות והשאלות שעניתי עליהן מאז ה-7 באוקטובר אני שומר על ממלכתיות.צה״ל מעביר את עמדתו לגורמים הרלוונטיים בענייני חקיקה…

— דובר צה״ל דניאל הגרי - Daniel Hagari (@IDFSpokesperson) December 4, 2024

"In the hundreds of statements and questions I have answered since October 7, I have maintained professionalism. The IDF presents its position on legislative matters to the relevant parties through the accepted mechanisms for such issues, not in any other way."

MKs and other leaders respond to Hagari's comments 

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reprimanded Hagari over his response to the question at the press conference, saying that it was "beyond his authority." 

"The IDF does not criticize the legislature but rather presents its position to the political echelon through the accepted mechanisms for doing so."

Former defense minister and MK Benny Gantz responded to both the operational development and Hagari's criticism on X/Twitter, saying, "Six hostages who were held under horrific conditions and murdered, the body of another hostage rescued in a brave and complex operation. This was the statement from the IDF Spokesperson. That is what matters." 

Gantz said that Hagari spoke to Israeli citizens in a "dedicated and professional manner, even in the most difficult moments." 

"This evening, he made a mistake and apologized, but his integrity is beyond question. The manner in which he expressed himself is a matter between him and the Chief of Staff."

שישה חטופים שהוחזקו בתנאים מחפירים ונרצחו, גופה של חטוף אחר שחולצה במבצע אמיץ ומורכב. על זה הייתה ההצהרה של דובר צה"ל. זה מה שחשוב. תא״ל הגרי מדברר את צה״ל במלחמה כבר למעלה משנה ומדבר אל כל אזרחי ישראל בצורה מסורה ומקצועית גם ברגעים הקשים ביותר. הערב הוא טעה והתנצל, אך יושרתו…

— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) December 4, 2024

The MK also called on Israeli leaders to set politics aside and stand with bereaved families. 

Likud MK Amir Ohana also addressed Hagari's statements in a post to X/Twitter, writing, "In a democratic country, the military does not criticize legislative processes in Parliament during a press conference, but rather implements them as part of the executive branch, if and when they become law."

במדינה דמוקרטית הצבא לא מבקר במסיבת עיתונאים תהליכי חקיקה בפרלמנט, אלא מיישם אותם כזרוע של הרשות המבצעת, אם וכאשר הם נכנסים לספר החוקים. צה״ל יכול להביע את עמדתו בכנסת בוועדה שמכינה את החוק, כפי שעשה פעמים אינספור בעבר, וכפי שעושים כל גופי המדינה המפוקחים על ידי הכנסת או…

— Amir Ohana - אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) December 4, 2024

"The IDF can express its position in the Knesset’s committee that is preparing the law, as it has done countless times in the past, and as all state bodies that are supervised by the Knesset or influenced by legislation do."

"These are fundamental principles in a democracy. The statement made by the IDF Spokesperson this evening is a severe, exceptional, and highly unacceptable crossing of a red line, which must not be repeated."

Opposition MK and chairman of The Democrats responded to Hagari's statements, where he also criticized the Feldstein bill in a post to X/Twitter, saying, "The IDF Spokesperson today looks directly at all of Israel and says that the coalition is harming the security of the state."

דובר צהל מישיר היום מבט מול כל עם ישראל ואומר שהקואליציה פוגעת בביטחון המדינה.חוק "פלדשטיין" מסוכן מהרבה בחינות, כסגן הרמטכ"ל לשעבר אני קובע כי העיקרית שבהן היא שאם מערכת המודיעין הישראלית תופקר בידיהם של מדליפים פוליטיים, אף גוף מודיעני בעולם לא ישתף איתנו פעולה. זו תהיה פגיעה…

— Yair Golan - יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) December 4, 2024

"The "Feldstein Law" is dangerous in many ways. As a former deputy chief of staff, I assert that the primary danger is that if Israel's intelligence community is left in the hands of political leaders, no intelligence agency in the world will cooperate with us. This would be a devastating blow to Israel's security capabilities."

"The coalition and the government are once again acting against the security of the state, driven by political corruption."

Eliav Breuer and Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.