IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir delivered sharp remarks Monday at a memorial ceremony for former Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, saying one of the main causes of the October 7 attacks was the “corrupt culture of ‘it’ll be fine'” that Rabin had warned against. Zamir stressed the importance of personal responsibility for every IDF commander.
1+The ceremony took place at the Rabin Center with members of the General Staff Forum and cadets from the Alon Battalion Commanders Course. Quoting Rabin’s warning, the chief of staff said: “One of the causes of the events of October 7 was the corrupt culture of ‘it’ll be fine’ that Rabin warned us about. As an IDF officer, don’t say ‘it’ll be fine’—say ‘I’m responsible.’ A commander must feel the weight of total responsibility placed on him, and act at all times to fulfill it.”
Zamir also addressed Rabin’s legacy as a military leader and emphasized the lessons to be learned from his path. “From his Palmach days through commanding the IDF, and as defense minister and prime minister, Rabin bore responsibility for defending the state and acted from a deep sense of mission,” Zamir said. “His path reminds us that military leadership requires responsibility, professionalism and judgment, alongside courage and determination.”
1+In closing, the chief of staff called for strengthening values of camaraderie and mission among all soldiers, regardless of social or ethnic affiliation, as a vital component of the IDF’s resilience. He also addressed Rabin’s assassination as “a deep wound in the history of the state”. He called for rejecting all violence in Israeli society as a means of resolving internal disputes.