Former IDF intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. (res.) Tamir Hayman unloaded against Noam Party leader Avi Maoz on Thursday regarding a request he made to the military to close up the office of Gender Advisor, which assists with improving the work environment for women and LGBTQ+ personnel.
“I cannot imagine the intelligence wing without women and without the LGBT community personnel,” Hayman said in a Twitter post.
“The State of Israel owes a great debt to these incredible people, both women and men, who are able to get support from the Gender Advisor, a true address for assisting in difficult times and to help commanders create a more secure work environment,” he said.
"The State of Israel owes a great debt to these incredible people, both women and men, who are able to get support from the Gender Advisor, a true address for assisting in difficult times and to help commanders create a more secure work environment."
Former IDF intelligence chief Tamir Hayman
The former IDF intelligence chief said that Maoz’s request to IDF chief-of-staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi shows that he is clueless about the IDF and what makes Israeli security successful.
“It seems we need to remind people of what is obvious,” he said.
Maoz is known for having anti-LGBTQ+ views as well as having controversial views on women’s issues.
What is the Gender Advisor office?
The Gender Advisor office, which was established in recent years after a series of incidents in which commanders and soldiers used their power to sexually assault, harass or otherwise oppress women, was based on policy recommendations by an apolitical panel.
LGBTQ+ awareness in the IDF received a boost from 2015-2021 when the military’s chief lawyer was Maj.-Gen. (res.) Sharon Afek, who is openly gay.
Maoz said in response that “he had nothing to say at the moment.”
The Likud did not respond to a query by The Jerusalem Post.
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.