Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder said he did not speak out against Donald Trump's plan for a US takeover of the Gaza Strip and confirmed that he had spoken with Defense Minister Israel Katz on the matter on Friday.
"I made it clear that I did not speak out against the Trump plan and that the IDF and I, too, are subordinate to the political echelon and will follow its instructions," he said.
"By virtue of my role, I presented the possible implications of the plan, the enemy's view from a security perspective, and recommendations for offensive activity accordingly."
Binder had warned in a closed-door discussion as part of an intelligence assessment that Trump's plan could "set the area on fire."
Binder made these statements after responding to an N12 report that claimed that Katz had instructed IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi to reprimand him for his reservations about Trump's plan.
Binder was accused of saying that Trump's plans would "set the region alight," in particular because the IDF needed to prepare for Ramadan. Large-scale unrest normally occurs during Ramadan for a variety of reasons.
Anonymous senior official defends Binder
The report initially stated that a senior official who served alongside Binder for many years sharply criticized Katz, instructing Halevi to reprimand Binder.
The report also quoted the official close to Binder, who commented on the "age-old professional debate on the question whether the IDF Intelligence Directorate should recommend policy."
However, he clarified that this was not the case and that it was the head of military intelligence's job to present the possible consequences of the act.
"If Binder leaked this to the media, then this is an extremely serious incident. From my knowledge of him, in my opinion, this is not the case," the official added. "He is the most discreet man I know. What is happening here is a 'Twitter battle' disconnected from factual reality."
Katz commented, "There will be no reality in which IDF officers will speak out against US President Trump's important plan regarding Gaza.
"I ordered the IDF to prepare to advance the plan for voluntary departure for Gaza residents who would be interested in leaving for various places in the world - and that is exactly what the IDF is required to do and will do."
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid then responded to the Israeli minister by saying that Katz "has forgotten that the role of the Head of the Military Intelligence Directorate is to alert and warn against foreseeable dangers as soon as he sees them. Attempts to silence the intelligence community will lead us to another disaster."
Lapid referenced the specific policy within the IDF that the Intelligence Directorate should be free from political policy in order to give it the freedom to independently assess threats to the country.
The unit typically responsible for this is the Comptroller's Department or Devil's Advocate Unit. It was formed after the Yom Kippur War and has come back into the spotlight after it was revealed last year that the unit had repeatedly warned the IDF senior command and politicians prior to the October 7 attacks.