Israeli Defense Minister Nominates New Army Chief

Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz addresses a press conference in the central city of Ramat Gan on August 14, 2022. AFP
Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz addresses a press conference in the central city of Ramat Gan on August 14, 2022. AFP
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Israeli Defense Minister Nominates New Army Chief

Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz addresses a press conference in the central city of Ramat Gan on August 14, 2022. AFP
Israel's Defense Minister Benny Gantz addresses a press conference in the central city of Ramat Gan on August 14, 2022. AFP

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has nominated Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi as the country’s next army chief, his office said on Sunday.

The nomination of Halevi, who serves as deputy to outgoing Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi, will be discussed by an advisory committee in the coming days before the government gives its approval, Gantz’s office said.

Halevi is due to take up his new position in February next year, the Defense Ministry said, after Kohavi’s term ends.

Gantz considered Halevi “the most suitable officer” for the position due to his “extensive operational experience in a variety of theaters of operation” and his “commanding abilities and attitude to various military issues, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

He served as commander of Sayeret Matkal for three years from 2001 and then continued to climb the ranks, becoming head of military intelligence in 2014 and head of the southern command in 2018, the army said.

Halevi has degrees in philosophy and business management from the Hebrew University and a master’s in resource management from Washington’s National Defense University, according to the army website.

Married with four children, Halevi lives in Kfar Haoranim, a community that is partially a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid welcomed the decision to nominate Halevi, whom he called “a worthy and natural choice.”

“I am certain that he will lead the army to many significant achievements,” Lapid said in a statement, AFP reported.



Palestinians Must Not Be Expelled from Gaza, Berlin Says After Trump Comments 

Internally displaced Palestinians make their way from southern to northern Gaza along Al-Rashid road, central Gaza Strip, 27 January 2025. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians make their way from southern to northern Gaza along Al-Rashid road, central Gaza Strip, 27 January 2025. (EPA)
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Palestinians Must Not Be Expelled from Gaza, Berlin Says After Trump Comments 

Internally displaced Palestinians make their way from southern to northern Gaza along Al-Rashid road, central Gaza Strip, 27 January 2025. (EPA)
Internally displaced Palestinians make their way from southern to northern Gaza along Al-Rashid road, central Gaza Strip, 27 January 2025. (EPA)

The Palestinian population must not be expelled from Gaza, the German foreign ministry said on Monday after US President Donald Trump said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians.

Asked for a reaction to Trump's comments, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Berlin shared the view of "the European Union, our Arab partners, the United Nations ... that the Palestinian population must not be expelled from Gaza and Gaza must not be permanently occupied or recolonized by Israel."

Jordan is already home to several million Palestinians, while tens of thousands live in Egypt. Both countries and other Arab nations reject the idea of Palestinians in Gaza being moved to their countries. Gaza is land that Palestinians would want as part of a future Palestinian state.