Behind the tough, incisive words, the speaker’s facial expression revealed what he was feeling. The body language of IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir during his “leadership speech” projected sheer revulsion. A few trivial sentences, which in normal times would have been considered clichés, resounded in our abnormal atmosphere as a burst of automatic gunfire aimed at one target: “We need a bold leadership, one with a purpose, aiming at changing the reality. A leadership that recognizes the failure but dares to lead a change … A leadership that inspires. Not an evasive leadership, but one that looks truth in the eye, and presents a new direction.”
Close Credit: Amos Biderman
It was a seminal moment that will be long remembered. A speech about trends, given almost a decade ago by then-Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, in which he predicted with precision the transformation of Israeli society into a racist, ultranationalist and Kahanist one, cost him the role of chief of staff. Zamir no longer faces promotion. But one can definitely continue to badger him, tarnish his name and carry out cheap, demeaning maneuvers against him.
For precisely that purpose, there is Israel Katz. This week, I recalled Keren Terner-Eyal, one of the most talented managers in Israel. In 2016, Katz, as transportation minister (in his second term there), appointed her as the director-general of his ministry after she had served in a senior post at the treasury. She excelled in her job. When Bezalel Smotrich replaced Katz, he left Terner-Eyal in place despite his natural opposition to women in managerial roles. Over time, he even praised her.