Galant in Gaza. Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO
The appointment of a new Chief of Staff to the Israeli Military is frequently an interesting event. The Chief of Staff, who is appointed by the Government according to the recommendation of the Minister of Defence, is the highest commanding officer in the Israeli Military, and as such receives his orders directly from the Minister of Defence, and is in charge of implementing them.The newly appointed Chief of Staff, who is scheduled to begin his tenure on Feb. 14th, is Gen. Yoav Galant. Like any CEO, he will influential in determining the effectiveness and character of the organization of which he will be chief.
Galant, who began his military career as a Navy commando in 1977, headed Southern Command from 2005 until Oct.21st, 2010. In that position he commanded Operation Cast Lead (also known as The Gaza Masscre, a more accurate, but ambiguous description), a role which earned him widespread praise inside Israel.
Galant’s appointment is not yet certain. He is involved in corruption scandals involving theft of public lands and building a road without a permit, and a controversial decision by the Lands Administration in 2003 to legally transfer about 9 acres of public land to his possession.
The Israeli Supreme Court has received a petition from the Israel Green Movement to suspend Galant’s appointment until the case is resolved. The petition was denied, but the allegations of corruption and perjury are still being investigated, and might lead to the cancellation of Galant’s appointment on ethical grounds.
Amira Hass at Ha’aretz has something to say on Galant’s appointment:
The seizure of public land, unauthorized road paving, misleading testimony, double standards in land allocation – all under the cover of an army uniform. Is this a precis of the history of Israeli colonialism? Not at all. These claims are the basis of the High Court of Justice petition by the Green Movement political party against Yoav Galant’s appointment as the next Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, accusations that Maariv journalist Kalman Liebeskind has made repeatedly in investigative reports over the past two years.
