Edited by: TJVNews.com
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Sunday nominated current Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Hertzi Halevi as the IDF’s 23rd Chief of Staff, replacing Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi, as was reported by the Israel Government Press Office.
The paratrooper was long seen as a front-runner to replace Kohavi who is set to retire from service in January.
“He is the most suitable officer in terms of the rich operational experience he has in a variety of areas, as well as in terms of his command abilities and his approach to various military issues, which he has demonstrated throughout his years of service,” Gantz said in a statement.
Gantz also considered Major General Eyal Zamir for the position. Zamir was replaced by Halevi as Deputy Chief of Staff in July 2021, according to a report in the Times of Israel. Gantz told Zamir that he considers him, too, an excellent, worthy and qualified candidate for the position of Chief of Staff as well as for other senior positions in the defense system.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid hailed the nomination of Halevi, calling it a “worthy and natural” selection, the TOI reported.
“Herzi is an excellent commander who is rich in experience and skill. I’m sure he’ll lead the IDF to many significant accomplishments,” Lapid said on Twitter.
The TOI reported that Halevi will become the IDF’s 23rd chief of staff when he replaces Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi, whose tenure ends in January 2023.
Gantz spoke to Zamir on Sunday and said “he was sure that he will continue to contribute to Israel.” Lapid also praised the runner-up.
Halevi, 54, headed the Southern Command during several rounds of fighting between Israel and terrorists in the Gaza Strip in 2018 and 2019, as well as the Military Intelligence Directorate. He has most recently been serving as deputy chief of IDF staff, a pivotal post on the path to the top spot, as was reported by the Times of Israel.
TOI also reported that Halevi, born in Jerusalem, was named after his uncle, also a paratrooper, who was killed on June 7, 1967, as Israeli forces recaptured the Western Wall during the Six Day War.
Halevi studied at the Himelfarb religious high school and was a member of the religious boy scouts. He was drafted into the IDF in 1985, and volunteered as a combat soldier in the Paratroopers Brigade, as was reported by The Jewish Press. He served as a squad leader, and in 1987 completed Officers School and returned to the Paratroopers Brigade as a platoon leader. Halevi led the Brigade’s Anti-tank company in counter-guerrilla operations in South Lebanon and was later assigned to the Sayeret Matkal special force, where he became the commander during the Second Intifada, the JP reported. He later commanded the Menashe Regional Brigade in Judea and Samaria. During Operation Cast Lead Halevi commanded the 35th Paratroopers Brigade. He later commanded the 91st Division.
In a 2013 interview with The New York Times, Halevi said he found his philosophy studies far more useful than business administration in the military, according to the TOI report.
The appointment was considered unorthodox ahead of Israel’s November election, as caretaker governments have traditionally shied away from filling senior positions, TOI reported. But Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said last month that she found the contents of a classified dossier along with a legal opinion provided by the Defense Ministry to be sufficient to allow the process to go ahead.
By law, candidates for IDF chief of staff, as well as other senior positions such as police commissioner and Bank of Israel governor, must be vetted by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, as was reported by the TOI. After that, a nominee is confirmed in a cabinet vote.
