Defense Minister Yisrael Katz today (Thursday) sent a directive to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, stating that all possible procedures within the military framework should be exhausted against the ousted Chief Military Advocate, Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi - and to act immediately to revoke her rights.
In his address, Katz emphasized: "Immediate steps must be taken to deprive all rights of the ousted MP Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi - who plotted a blood libel against IDF soldiers in favor of protecting the Nuhba terrorists and admitted to committing serious criminal offenses - and no decisions must be made that would ease her case.".
The Defense Minister noted the seriousness of the acts attributed to the ousted MP: "The offenses committed by Yerushalmi are among the most serious in the history of the IDF due to her being in charge of the military law enforcement system at the time the offenses were committed, and due to the harsh message they send to the families of IDF soldiers who feel that their sons were disowned for extraneous considerations and while committing serious criminal offenses.".
In his remarks, Katz also referred to the legal development of the soldiers of Force 100: "The fact that the trial against the soldiers in the Yemen field trial was canceled by the Chief Military Advocate who replaced Yerushalmi was an important and necessary step - but it is not enough.".
At the same time, the minister criticized the pace of proceedings in the civilian system and instructed the army to act with the tools at its disposal. "The fact that the civilian legal system is dragging its feet and refraining from advancing the indictment against Yerushalmi, which would have allowed for additional steps to be taken against her, including putting her in prison and revoking her ranks, is serious and requires exhausting every possible procedure within the IDF framework - and certainly not making decisions that would ease her case before exhausting the criminal procedure - and this by virtue of the authority granted to you and the policy that I guide as Minister of Defense in charge of the IDF on behalf of the Government of Israel.".
Katz emphasized: "Every possible procedure against her must be exhausted - and certainly no decisions must be made now that will make it easier for her in the face of the possibility of her conviction in the future and the exhaustion of justice.".
The Minister of Defense's remarks come after the Accountant General at the Ministry of Finance, Michal Abadi-Boyanjo, halted the Chief of Staff's decision regarding the severance payments for the IDF's former chief of staff, Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi.
According to a report this morning on the Ynet website, Tomer Yerushalmi's civil attorney has appealed to the IDF in protest over the failure to receive substantial sums.
According to the professional sources at the Treasury, and sources at the Ministry of Justice, the Chief of Staff's decision granted the IDF Attorney General extreme and unreasonable conditions - at a stage when it is unclear where the criminal proceedings will go.
The Chief of Staff was furious at the freezing of his decision and sent a letter to the IDF's intelligence chief, in which he clarified: "The decision is within my authority.".
The Chief of Staff's decision concerned the financial conditions of the dismissal, according to which the MPA will receive all the conditions like any other IDF retiree worth millions of shekels - and only the "Chief of Staff's perks" will be denied her. In the Chief of Staff's opinion, the denial of a few thousand a month is enough to strike at the severity of her actions, and according to the opinion he received from the Military Prosecutor's Office, this is also the maximum amount that can be denied.
However, the CFO did not shy away and did not release the funds. According to the professional sources in the Treasury, it is not possible for an irreversible decision to be made when the CFO's criminal legal status has not yet been clarified, and that at the very least, the decision should be waited and not made rashly without considering the legal situation.
MK Moshe Saada responded to the revelation on Ynet, writing on the X network: "The fact that the Chief of Staff did not strip the MP of her rank, and even fought for her economic rights, is a disgrace to his conduct. It is inconceivable that the army commander puts up with the deliberate harm she has inflicted on IDF soldiers, is content with a minor denial of benefits, and aligns himself with the other elements who are trying to protect her, such as Gali Baharav-Miara.".
MK Simcha Rotman also responded: "The fact that a discussion is being held about the terms of her retirement and not about the amounts in the prison canteen is a disgrace to the legal system of the State of Israel. Courtesy of Yitzhak Amit and Gali Baharav-Miara.".
""During the reform days, the MPA appeared before the Constitution Committee to explain to me that amending the grounds of reasonableness could harm Israel's legal status in the world. Throughout her career, she received a salary, she claimed, to maintain Israel's international status, and then she threw the fighters of Force 100 and the State of Israel under the wheels of the bus. Why discuss the terms of her retirement? Let her return all the salaries she received retroactively.".
The IDF told Ynet: "The Chief of Staff's decision in the case of the former MAG is a precedent-setting and serious decision, in accordance with the great seriousness with which the Chief of Staff viewed her actions. As published, the Chief of Staff removed the former MAG from her position, deprived her of the service completion component, canceled her retirement package, and in addition deprived her of retirement leave.".
""As for clarifying the legal situation, the Chief of Staff gave his opinion on the matter and noted, with his decision to dismiss the former MAG, that it would be appropriate to consider additional sanctions, including her demotion, in accordance with the future development of the findings of the investigation against her. The Chief of Staff's decisions above constitute an unprecedented harm, with a cumulative value of over one and a half million shekels.".
""As for the Accountant General's decision not to allow the full payments to which the MAG is entitled, the Chief of Staff's decisions were made in accordance with his command authority, in accordance with the law. To the extent that officials in the Ministry of Finance believe that this is not the case, it is right that they hold a discussion about this in the appropriate forums.".
The Ministry of Finance told Ynet: "During discussions held in recent weeks between the Accountant General's Office and the IDF, professional differences of opinion emerged regarding certain components of the final calculation of the account and the benefit that was made to the former MAG. Because of this, the Accountant General ordered, among other things, that the payments that were made and will be made to the former MAG (one-time payments and benefit payments) will be considered an advance that can be offset, until the investigation into the matter and the legal proceedings in her case are completed.".
