Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday approved the recommendation of Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and appointed Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot to the post of deputy IDF chief of staff. Eizenkot, who will replace Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh, prevailed over other candidates for the position, including former GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi. It has not yet been determined when Eizenkot will assume his new position. In the past, Eizenkot served as the military secretary to the prime minister, commander of the 366th (Reserve) Armored Division (also known as "Pillar of Fire"), commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, the head of the Operations Directorate and GOC Northern Command. As the commander of the Golani Brigade, Eizenkot changed behavioral norms within the veteran units, battling insubordination and streamlining relations between young and veteran soldiers. In 1997-1998, the brigade he commanded was involved in combat against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. In 1999, Eizenkot was appointed to serve as the military secretary to then Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. It was in this capacity that he took part in peace talks with Syria. He later served as military secretary to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. After Maj. Gen. Udi Adam resigned in Oct. 2006 amid criticism over his conduct in the Second Lebanon War, Eizenkot replaced him as GOC Northern Command, a post he held until 2011. In 2014, Eizenkot is widely expected to vie for the position of IDF chief of general staff. Vice Prime Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon, a former IDF chief of general staff himself, told Army Radio on Monday, "I think Eizenkot is a praiseworthy and excellent choice." "I know Gadi well," Ya'alon added. "He is an admirable man, an admirable officer, and I definitely welcome the appointment."
