On Saturday night, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon officially announced the recommendation of Maj. Gen Gadi Eizenkot as the next Chief of Staff of Israel’s Defense Forces, to replace the outgoing Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz in February. He beat out Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh for the position.
Eizenkot was informed of the decision, made jointly by Ya’alon and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday via text message. His appointment must still be approved by both the cabinet and the Turkel committee.
Netanyahu stated, “Major-General Eisenkot was chosen from an excellent group of generals to lead the IDF against the complex security challenges that the State of Israel faces. In the name of the citizens of Israel, I wish him good luck.”
Eizenkot, 54, was born in Tiberias, grew up in Eilat, and today lives in Herzliya. He is father to five children. He boasts a long and illustrious military career, serving as a commander in the Golani Brigade and even as then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s military secretary.
Eizenkot joined the army in 1978, and served in Lebanon during the Lebanon War in 1982. He was involved in counter-terrorism raids in Lebanon through the mid-1980s, and became the Northern Command’s operations officer in 1991. The following year, he took over command of the Carmeli reserves division, and in 1997, he was appointed commander of the Golani infantry brigade. He has also commanded the Bashan Armored Division, the Judea and Samaria Division, the IDF’s Operations Branch and the Northern Command.
Ya’alon said of the appointment, “The choice was between excellent, worthy and experienced candidates. I believe that Major-General Gadi Eisenkot is the right person as this time to lead the IDF in the coming years. I have known Major-General Eisenkot for many years, and he brings professionalism, a high level of command and leadership, and great skill, responsibility and judgment.
“Major-General Eisenkot has wide-ranging command and combat experience, and he went through significant stations during the course of his military service, as a fighter and as a commander in the field and key staff positions. Throughout his service, Major-General Eisenkot demonstrated honesty and integrity, moral standards and stood up for his opinions and his principles.”
Also Saturday evening, Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan, who until recently was head of the IDF’s Northern Command, was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, in an agreement between Netanyahu, Ya’alon and Gantz.
