Timeline of a Breakdown: Katz, Zamir, and the Struggle for Control of the Israeli Army
The feud between Israel Katz and Eyal Zamir has exposed a deepening power struggle at the top of Israel’s defense establishment.
The confrontation between Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli army Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has deepened in recent days, as disagreements over promotions, investigations, and civilian oversight have become increasingly public, according to Israeli media reports.
The dispute became fully public on November 24, when the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Zamir had accused Katz of allowing “political calculations” to interfere with military decisions — a highly unusual public criticism from a serving chief of staff.
The newspaper noted that the confrontation began after Katz froze several senior Israeli army appointments that Zamir had approved.
On the same day, the news website Ynet reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had summoned both Katz and Zamir for separate meetings, urging them to avoid further public escalation.
According to the outlet, Netanyahu attempted to mediate ahead of a key Thursday session devoted to resolving the appointments issue.
Tensions did not ease. On November 24, The Times of Israel wrote that Katz and Zamir had exchanged accusations over reopening investigative files related to army failures preceding the October 7 attack. The following day, Netanyahu reportedly met both men again in an effort to “defuse the public feud”.
By early December, however, the spat showed no signs of abating.
On December 6, 2025, The Jerusalem Post reported that Katz had publicly reiterated his insistence that military promotions must receive civilian approval, criticizing Zamir for acting independently.
The report emphasized that Katz viewed several key appointments as procedurally improper. According to the Post, the minister accused the chief of staff “of imposing sanctions against officers without informing him, choosing not to investigate certain issues recommended to him, and holding a placement discussion for colonels before the Defense Establishment Comptroller completed his review.”
For its part, The Times of Israel highlighted the case of a senior Israeli reservist whose promotion had been blocked by Katz.
One of the central flashpoints in the confrontation has been the stalled promotion of Col. (res.) German Giltman, whose appointment to a senior command position had been approved by Zamir but was later frozen by Katz.
The Times of Israel reported on December 6 that Katz objected to the promotion on procedural grounds, while Giltman sharply criticized the minister’s intervention, calling it “a political decision, not a professional one.”
According to the outlet, the dispute over Giltman’s appointment became emblematic of the wider struggle between Katz and Zamir over who holds ultimate authority in shaping the army’s senior leadership.
Israeli media outlets have warned that the Katz–Zamir rift is unfolding amid ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and heightened regional tensions, raising concerns that the political struggle at the top of Israel’s defense establishment may affect broader strategic decisions.
(PC, Israeli Media)