Brigadier-General Roni Benny, a former head of the IDF Military Police, will face a disciplinary hearing held by IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Major-General Benny Gantz for speaking to the press without authorization. This is part of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gabi Ashkenazi’s crackdown on media leaks and senior commanders making unauthorized statements to the press.

According to the investigation conducted by the IDF Judge Advocate General’s Office, the senior officer spoke with six journalists on 77 different occasions. The attorney representing Benny plans to appeal the recommendation that he face a disciplinary hearing.

Benny was appointed to head the military police in 2005, serving four years, now on his pre-retirement leave of absence. During his tenure in the military police post, he was also censured by Chief of Personnel Branch Major-General Elazar Stern. He also came under fire when a military court criticized the behavior of the military police in the investigation in the case of Brigadier-General Moshe Tamir, another stain on Benny’s record.

Following the Second Lebanon War and the ousting of IDF Chief Dan Halutz, resulting in Ashkenazi coming out of retirement, entrusted to rebuild the IDF, Ashkenazi implemented strict guidelines regarding statements to the media, determined to bring an end to military affairs being reported in the press without authorization.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)