The government approved Sunday the appointment of Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi as the twenty-third chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He will replace Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, whose term ends in January 2023.
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Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced on Sept. 4 that he had selected Halevi to be the next military commander, and on Oct. 18, the Senior Nominations Advisory Committee approved the selection, after ruling that an interim government, such as the one Israel currently has, can appoint an IDF chief.
Halevi, who until now served as IDF deputy chief of staff, has served in many positions in the military, including as head of the Southern Command, and chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate. He also commanded the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit during the Second Intifada.
Addressing the decision, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said, "Maj. Gen. Halevi joins a long and elite series of thoughtful and bold commanders who knew how to march the IDF forward."
"The central challenge has not changed: Our enemies do not want the existence of the State of Israel, and we must always, at any given time, be stronger, more sophisticated, and more determined than them," he said, and praised the utgoing chief of staff, calling his time in the role as "a glorious chapter in this book of life."
He has made "enormous contribution to Israeli security, to the IDF's quality, and to the power of the state," Lapid said.
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