Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz appointed attorney Itai Ofir as the advocate general of the Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday, following the dismissal of Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi amid a video leak scandal.
Katz said the decision followed “serious facts that continue to emerge” and stressed the need for an external appointee untainted by suspicion to restore integrity to the military prosecution.
He stressed that this must be done based on the guiding principle of “defending IDF soldiers who are fighting bravely under difficult and complex conditions for Israel’s security—and certainly not by initiating or taking part in any blood libels that would slander our soldiers, harm their honor or expose them to persecution around the world.”
Ofir, 52, who was among the candidates recommended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has served as a legal advisor to the defense establishment, practiced law in Israel and the United States, and was a senior partner in a Tel Aviv law firm. In 2022, he was among three finalists for attorney general, competing with Gali Baharav-Miara, Israel’s current attorney general.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of the Political and Security Cabinet, welcomed the appointment.
“There is no one more worthy and suitable to heal the military prosecution system than attorney Itai Ofir,” Smotrich said. “A soldier and officer in the reserves, with a backbone of Zionist values and a first-rate professional. I am convinced that this excellent appointment by the Minister of Defense will lead to the necessary correction of the system.”
Tomer-Yerushalmi, the former top lawyer for the Israel Defense Forces, resigned and was subsequently arrested after admitting to leaking surveillance video showing Israeli soldiers allegedly abusing a Palestinian terrorist detainee at Sde Teiman prison. Following her resignation, she briefly disappeared, leaving a note and her car by a beach north of Tel Aviv, prompting a nationwide search before she was found alive and subsequently jailed on charges including abuse of office and breach of trust.
During her disappearance, authorities believe she deliberately threw her phone into the sea—allegedly in an effort to destroy potential evidence related to the leak. Police and divers conducted extensive searches along the shoreline, but as of the latest reports, the device has not been recovered.
