IDF chief of staff: Commanders can make mistakes, but we will back them up
Kochavi also referred to the movie "Jenin, Jenin" directed by Mohammed Bakri and criticized its twisted portrayal of soldiers who fought during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.
By TOBIAS SIEGALIDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi speaks at the officers graduation ceremony, July 1st, 2020(photo credit: IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi spoke at an officers' graduation ceremony and assured soldiers that the IDF is committed to backing them up in complicated situations that require quick decision-making, while emphasizing their own moral responsibility, according to a press release by the IDF Spokesperson's Unit on Wednesday."We are obligated to back you up [...] commanders might make mistakes, and in the chaotic and dynamic battlefield, a commander can be wrong, and we will back you up," Kochavi said. "In a profession that requires decision-making under stress and within seconds, mistakes can be made," Khchavi added, and stressed the IDF's responsibility of showing support and knowing to take complex situations under consideration.However, Kochavi also drew a clear distinction between errors and mistakes, emphasizing the difference "between an error and a mistake. Cases of errors will be judged severely, cases of making mistakes will be met with understanding," adding that the backing up of soldiers is "not automatic, surly not blind. We won't back you up for a clear error, and especially not for an ethical error."Kochavi also referred to the movie Jenin, Jenin directed by Mohammed Bakri and criticized its twisted portrayal of soldiers who fought during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002. Kochavi said that "we can't allow the freedom of expression to allow debasement, and to strip our soldiers from their means of defense."Kochavi ended his speech by addressing the parents of young Israelis, and saying that "every mother who hands her son's fate to his commanders should know that he will receive the appropriate back up. In war, in operational activities and during routine training."President Reuven Rivlin also spoke at the ceremony, noting that “The State of Israel and the IDF face many challenges on our northern and southern borders, and we may even be facing a challenging period in Judea and Samaria. We do not seek war, but the IDF is ready and prepared for any threat and is tasked with implementing any decision from the political leadership.”The president also referred to different models of service that every Israeli citizen can be part of, saying “From here, I call on young men and women of the age of enlistment from all parts of society: we need you, the IDF needs you, come and serve Israeli society. The issue of service to the State of Israel is always on our agenda. From time to time, it is re-evaluated and I am sure that under the Minister of Defense, it will happen again soon. But I call on you now, if you cannot serve in the IDF, to join the civil-national service – in education, welfare, in hospitals. I am sure that the day will come when we are able to direct all Israeli young people into meaningful service to the State of Israel that has one aim: strengthening the resilience of our country."
