The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee had a heated meeting last July with Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot. It was an unusual session, requested by Eizenkot, who wanted to shock the political class by warning that the greatest threat facing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is not the foreign armies beyond Israel’s borders. It is the loss of public trust in the military and its leaders. The context was obvious. The chief of staff was referring to comments by Knesset members and other public figures about the trial of Sgt. Elor Azaria, who was accused of killing a neutralized terrorist on March 24 (and since convicted by a military court).

The chief of staff’s alarm call came after several long months of incitement against him and the organization he heads. He felt that senior political officials were attempting to delegitimize his firm position against what Azaria did in order to score political points. But not much happened since then. Eizenkot’s warning went unheeded, and the campaign of incitement against him only got worse as the date of the verdict approached.

Based on the responses to Azaria’s conviction Jan. 4, it appears as if Eizenkot foresaw exactly what would happen. A mob of people from the right rioted outside the Tel Aviv court, even threatening Eizenkot with their chant: “Gadi! Gadi! Watch out! Rabin is looking for a friend!” They were referencing late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated by a right-wing assailant in 1995 (and to the eulogy by former President Bill Clinton, who said, “Goodbye friend”).

Nine long hours passed before the prime minister of Israel deigned to respond to this incitement. In a brief statement on his Facebook page, Benjamin Netanyahu offered anemic support for the chief of staff, while at the same time calling for Azaria to be pardoned, even before his sentence was declared.