This (Thursday) evening, Defence Minister Galant published a series of new appointments for the IDF General Staff, which he concluded with Chief of Staff Hertzi Halevi. This is not the end of the process, since the appointment to the rank of general requires the approval of the prime minister; On the other hand, Israeli prime ministers did not generally intervene overwhelmingly in military appointments other than the appointment of the Chief of Staff, and Prime Minister Netanyahu is not expected to veto any of the new appointments (although some have already encountered some criticism from his coalition colleagues, particularly from the Religious Zionist and Jewish Power parties).
Five officers will be promoted to the rank of general, replacing two officers who retired last week, and three more who are expected to finish their duties soon. The most intersting among them is undoubtedly Brigadier General Shlomi Binder, who was agreed to be the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, to replace Aaron Haliva. Binder previously served as the leader of the 91st Division (Galilee), and at this time serves as the commander of the operations division – that is, in charge of the force operation of the IDF. As part of this role, Binder was met with criticism for the IDF’s conduct in 7.10, but it seems that in the opinion of the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Defence, it is not a responsibility that depends on him personally.
Two commanders of maneuvering divisions who excelled during the war are also in the appointees round: Brigadier General Dado Bar-Kalifa, commander of the 36th Division (which operated in Gaza City), will be appointed head of the IAA (personnel division); and Brigadier General Dan Golfuss, commander of the 98th Division (which operated in Khan Yunis), will be appointed commander of the Northern Corps and the maneuvering system. Golfuss recieved a command reprimand a month and a half ago after speaking out against politicians; however, the new appointment is a significant vote of confidence in his role as a general, as these are the two most significant roles for a war on the northern front.
In addition to these, Brigadier General Avi Blut, commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, was appointed as the Central Command’s general, a significant jump in the same sector. In addition, Brigadier General Aviad Dagan was appointed head of the Tikshuv Division – a non-combat unit, but critical for the IDF’s continuous functioning. It is interesting to note that three of the five new generals are members of the religious sector, and two of them are graduates of Himmelfarb High School, who lost no less than 6 graduates in the recent war (and another one now hostage in the Gaza Strip). We hope that the new appointments will bring the IDF to even higher levels of performance, many successes on the battlefield, and improved trust for Israeli citizens.
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