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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
In wake of Jordan blow-up, IDF chief cautions discretion
2006-02-26
Chief of Staff Dan Halutz yesterday asked top Israel Defense Forces brass to exercise caution in their public declarations. Halutz convened a forum of senior officers in the wake of Jordanian protests against GOC Central Command Yair Naveh's comments about the stability of the Jordanian regime and an assessment by deputy chief of staff Moshe Kaplinsky that there are "early signs of the undermining of Mubarak's presidential regime".

Halutz told the generals they must exercise "great caution and sensitivity" in public statements, as careless comments by senior officers can be incorrectly interpreted and taken out of context. He warned against the military's being dragged into public debate, through misleading representation of military and government positions on sensitive issues.
"You guys! Shaddup!"
The General Staff waited yesterday for the results of talks between the acting prime minister, foreign minister and minister of defense and Jordanian King Abdullah and senior Jordanian government officials, hoping for a quick resolution to the Naveh affair. Military sources believe how the affair ends is dependent mostly on the Jordanians. "if Jordan suffices with Israel's clarification and expression of regret, the crisis will be behind us," they said.

However, if Jordan continues to demand sanctions against the general, it is possible there will be no way to avoid disciplinary measures such as censure by Halutz.

Naveh and Kaplinsky's comments, particularly Naveh's, were very embarrassing for the General Staff, both because of the diplomatic tensions they created with Jordan and because they opened the door for political figures to attack senior military figures for running off at the mouth. Even if no immediate measures against Naveh are implemented, the affair could impact his career.
Posted by:Steve White

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