Chief of Staff: The 'It'll Be Okay' Culture Was One of the Reasons for October 7

In depth

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said at a ceremony marking 31 years since the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin that the 'It'll be okay' culture was one of the causes of the events of October 7. Zamir called for adopting a different approach: "As an officer in the IDF, don't say 'It'll be okay,' say 'I am responsible'".

Speaking about the failures of October 7, he said the flawed 'It'll be okay' culture is the culture Rabin warned against. The Chief of Staff stressed that IDF commanders must take full responsibility for their soldiers and their missions.

Zamir called for maintaining unity and comradeship among fighters regardless of their social background, and called on commanders to adopt personal responsibility, professionalism and sound judgment. He placed his remarks at the center of the ceremony.