On Sunday, a number of Israeli news agencies reported an “unprecedented confrontation” between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir who “clashed over a military action that could renew the conflict with Iran”. Zamir, who is widely respected among members of the military and political establishment, apparently refused to act on Netanyahu’s directive “amid concerns it risked rapid escalation or miscalculation just before Israel’s October 27 elections.” According to the Jerusalem Post:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir clashed over a military action that could renew the conflict with Iran days before Israel’s elections, N12 News reported Sunday evening. Recently, Zamir received a directive from the political echelon to carry out an action, which security officials told N12 would “trigger a rapid escalation into a confrontation with Iran.”….

Sources familiar with the details told N12 that Zamir and additional IDF leadership are concerned that the political echelon may be trying to exploit the front with Iran ahead of elections for political gain.…

It remains unclear how far Netanyahu would have been willing to go if he had not anticipated that certain figures would place the brakes on certain actions.…. Netanyahu may also have played with the possibility of Israel taking a leading, ‘first-attacker’ role, or serving as a spoiler to prevent versions of an Iranian nuclear deal which he would view as a bad deal. IDF chief pushed back on Netanyahu order for ‘action’ against Iran, fearing political motives, Jerusalem Post

Since Iran poses no immediate threat to Israel, onlookers can only assume that Netanyahu believed that an attack on Iran would either give him an edge politically in Tuesday’s balloting or give him a reason to scrap the elections altogether. In any event, the majority of people following this story are likely to conclude that Bibi was planning to put the country at risk to achieve his own narrow political ambitions. Clearly, that is what the authors of the article want readers to believe, but is it true?

We’re all familiar with the term “October surprise” which indicates the dirty tricks that are timed to coincide with major elections. Could this alleged “clash” between Netanyahu and Zamir be manufactured news aimed at derailing Bibi’s prospects for reelection?

It certainly looks like it. Notice how the Jerusalem Post (and all the other media) do not actually say Zamir “Refused an order” but “clashed over a military action that could renew the conflict with Iran.” In other words, the author is trying to suggest that Zamir disobeyed without explicitly stating it. (The phraseology is deliberately misleading.)

Not surprisingly, Netanyahu’s main opponent, Gadi Eisenkot, is using the story to improve his chances of winning on Tuesday.

“Netanyahu, my eyes are on you…. The man, on whose watch the greatest disaster in the nation’s history occurred, refuses to grasp that Israel’s security is not a political plaything; that the lives of Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers are not to be treated with reckless disregard; and that the State of Israel is not his private property.”

“I have full confidence in IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the IDF commanders, who act with professional responsibility and an absolute commitment to the nation’s security. We will not allow the IDF to be turned into a tool for Netanyahu’s political survival campaign… Do not dare to place your own political interests above the security of the State. Jerusalem Post

So, even though the facts of the case remain murky, Eisenkot is using the story to batter his opponent. It’s all very suspicious.

Eisenkot added: “In two days, the citizens of Israel will put an end to this era of reckless, lawless governance and restore responsibility, a sense of statehood, and the security of Israel,” Eisenkot said. “I give you my word.”

Other Israeli politicians have piled-on, too, like Democrat party chair Yair Golan who said:

“It is forbidden to allow any military action that lacks a clear security need, a strategic purpose, and a responsible action plan behind it. When Israeli citizens go to the polls next Tuesday, they must remember this: Netanyahu constitutes a security threat to Israel. He does not hesitate to sacrifice the lives of our children for his survival on the eve of elections, and this is what the IDF is trying to thwart.”… “Israel’s security is in the hands of a corrupt political echelon, unfit and deranged people who do not hesitate to sacrifice Israel’s security in order to cling to their seats.”

So, it’s all about the election?

Indeed, and Netanyahu is being attacked on the one issue on which he’s based his entire career, security. Avigdor Liberman of the Yisrael Beytenu party, leveled the same accusation as the others saying that Netanyahu’s attempt to “drag Israel into military action in order to prevent the elections” an act of “betrayal of the state and its security.”

For the people who already despise Netanyahu, (like me) it’s easy to draw hasty conclusions, but the facts remain cloudy at best. First of all, we have no independent confirmation that Netanyahu ordered an attack on Iran. That needs to be established before we pass judgement. Second, Chief of Staff Zamir never refused to follow a direct order from Netanyahu. That is insinuated but never clearly stated. According to multiple reports, “he requested an in-depth discussion and formal authorization before moving forward with the action.” Here’s more from Israel.com:

None of the reports explains what specific action against Iran was under discussion, whether any order was formally issued in writing, or whether it was carried out, changed or withdrawn. They do not include a response from Zamir or from the IDF spokesperson, and they do not say whether other ministers or security officials were involved…. The reports also do not identify the sources behind the original disclosure. Israel.com

So, why is this headline news? There are no facts at all, just hearsay and innuendo.

Here’s more from a different article at Israel.com:

Israel’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz described the reports of disagreement as “completely baseless and false,”… His denial followed a report the previous evening on Channel 12 news describing a clash between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Zamir, which Fabian said centered on an instruction given to the military…. The Times of Israel’s live blog summarized Katz as calling the reports of a clash between the prime minister and the army chief baseless and saying there was no intention to attack Iran before the vote. Israel.com

Keep in mind, this is a headline news story that is circulating across Israeli media and around the world that alleges an “unprecedented confrontation” between Israel’s Prime Minister and his Chief of Staff. In fact, the Times of Israel’s headline reads like this:

Report: In ‘unprecedented confrontation,’ IDF chief resisting carrying out military action ordered by Netanyahu relating to Iran, The Times of Israel

Does the above headline strongly suggest that a mutiny is underway in Israel?

It does. The impression one gets is that Zamir refused an order he thought was politically motivated which would put the country at risk. In fact, the Times article states clearly: “Zamir is reportedly resisting carrying out the unspecified military action.”

But if we read the articles more carefully, we see there is no mutiny, no insubordination, no refusal to follow a direct order, and no evidence that Netanyahu planned an attack at all. It’s all unsourced, uncorroborated, unverified, politically motivated gibberish. The authors of this nonsense are trying to torpedo Netanyahu’s reelection prospects by publishing ominous-sounding allegations they’ve pulled out of thin air. Here’s the Times:

It quotes a military source saying, “This relates to an action that could lead to a flare-up with Iran, at a sensitive and dramatic moment, creating this [potential] miscalculation.”

“Source? What source? The source is not identified, nor is the nature of the action. It’s all innuendo designed to scare readers into thinking Netanyahu is a reckless self-serving politician who is weak on national security.

We shouldn’t allow our feelings about Netanyahu to prevent us from seeing the truth. He may be a genocidal psychopath, but there is nothing in these articles that proves he was planning a pre-election attack on Iran. It’s all unverifiable hogwash.