Defense Minister Gantz Appoints Major General Herzi Halevi As IDF Chief Of Staff

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Defense Minister Benny Gantz has chosen Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, a former paratrooper who has long been considered a frontrunner to lead the Israeli military, as the next chief of staff for the IDF. Halevi (54) is set to take up the post 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.

Halevi 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.

The appointment was deemed controversial due to its timing -in the midst of an election campaign, as caretaker governments have traditionally shied away from filling senior positions. However Gantz claimed that Israel’s security situation required clarity regarding the changes of staff which would take place in the IDF and Attorney-General Baharav-Miara concurred, allowing the selection process to continue.

Halevi is set to replace the popular Lt. General Aviv Kochavi, whose tenure ends in January.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid hailed the nomination of Halevi, calling it a “worthy and natural” selection.

“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.

Gantz stated that his decision had been difficult as other officers were also highly talented and experienced. A second candidate, Eyal Zamir, had also served as deputy chief of staff and is currently in Washington as a research fellow.

Halevi was born to a religious Zionist family. His father is a great-nephew of Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Hakohen Kook, the first chief rabbi. Halevi, who is named after his uncle who died in the battle for Jerusalem in the Six Day War, studied at the Himmelfarb school in Bayit Vegan and joined the IDF in 1985, becoming a paratrooper like his uncle. After completing an officers training course and commanding a squadron, he moved over to the elite Sayeret Matkal reconnaissance unit, becoming its commander in 2001.

Despite his military background and combat experience, Halevi chose to start his academic studies in philosophy, holding a bachelors in philosophy and business administration from Hebrew University and a master’s degree in national resource management from the National Defense University in the United States.

He lives in the settlement of Kfar HaOranim, which is in the Binyamin region, just south of Modi’in Illit (Kiryat Sefer) and is married and a father of four.

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.

“People used to tell me that business administration is for the practical life and philosophy is for the spirit,” Halevi told the newspaper at the time. “Through the years I found it is exactly the opposite — I used philosophy much more practically.”

“Philosophers that spoke about how to balance, how to prioritize principles in a right way,” he said, citing Plato, Socrates, and Maimonides. “This is something that I find very helpful.”