Amcha Israel party leader Ret. Brigadier General Ofer Winter claimed that during Gadi Eisenkot’s tenure as IDF chief of staff, the military fabricated data to avoid a major operation in Gaza. Speaking at an activists’ conference, Winter accused the security establishment of addiction to false calm and a policy of containment. Israel must shift to decisive military action, he said.
The Amcha Israel party, led by Ret. Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter, held an activists and supporters conference Tuesday at Cinema City Glilot, with hundreds in attendance. Winter spoke alongside party members Yoseph Haddad and Natalie Shem Tov. During his speech, Winter revealed disturbing details from Eisenkot’s tenure as IDF chief of staff, claiming the security establishment fabricated data and presented false information to political leadership to avoid a large-scale military operation in Gaza.
Winter referenced Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s essay “The Iron Wall,” which argued that Arabs will never abandon their dream of destroying Israel—not for money or quiet arrangements. The party leader emphasized that the October 7 attacks exposed the heavy price of the conception that took hold in the system over years. Winter then cited an example from October 2018, when he served as military secretary to the defense minister, explaining that when Hamas launched incendiary kites and the cabinet authorized strikes in case of escalation, the IDF spokesman issued a false statement to the press.
According to Winter, while the IDF spokesperson reported it was the quietest Friday in three months, an evening review of the data showed it was actually the most severe day of that period. He questioned the insanity of lying to political leadership and arranging reality to avoid action, stressing that the top brass became addicted to false calm. Winter concluded that Israel must shift to a policy of decision and initiative instead of containment and rounds, leveraging the army’s strength and leading its fighters to defeat the enemy without empty threats.