Israel's former military attache in the U.S., Gadi Shamni, is finally retiring, more than 35 years after enlisting in the IDF. Shamni began as a paratrooper and quickly climbed the chain of command to become GOC Central Command, in charge of Judea and Samaria, and later the military secretary to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his immediate successor, Ehud Olmert. Twice during his military career he was almost killed. The first time, as commander of the Paratrooper's elite reconnaissance unit, Shamni was shot in the head by a Hezbollah sniper. The bullet hit his helmet, and after wiping the blood away, he continued to engage the enemy. "I put my helmet back on, we continued our charge and we killed five of the six terrorists, and we also brought the sniper rifle that was used to hit me back [to Israel]." Shamni keeps the punctured helmet in his home to this day. Shamni's second near-death experience came as commander of the Paratrooper's 890th Battalion. After receiving an alert of a possible terrorist infiltration along the northern border, Shamni raced to the scene with his driver. The vehicle, however, lost control and fell into a ravine. His driver was killed on the spot. Shamni underwent an emergency operation in the field. After he was evacuated to the hospital, doctors fought for eight days to save him. This week, Israel Hayom military correspondent Yoav Limor interviewed Shamni (full disclosure, Shamni and Limor have been friends for nearly three decades) over his experience as the IDF envoy to Washington between 2009 and 2012, where he got a first-hand look at the bilateral relations between Israel and the U.S. He is currently on leave, ahead of his official discharge several months down the road. Shamni says defense-related ties with the U.S. are extremely tight, although he concedes the apparent strains between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama have had an impact on the overall atmosphere and activity. "We may not be as close [to the U.S.] as the U.K. or Canada, but we are closer than all other countries," Shamni stresses. "Our ties go very deep, owing to the large base of support Israel has in the U.S.; I am convinced that whatever happens, our military ties namely, the efforts to ensure Israel's qualitative edge will not deviate from the current path." You have logged many hours on Iran, can we trust the U.S. when it says it would not let Iran become a nuclear power- "We have no choice but to take them at their word; we depend on them strategically, no one can replace them and assume the role they take in the bilateral relations." Do you think they will attack Iran? "Such a decision is for the political echelons to make; but the U.S. military has the capability [to do that], it knows how to do it, and is combat-ready; the U.S. is well-aware of the threat from Iran and suffers from it, and I am convinced it would not shed a tear if Iran is dealt a heavy blow." How much consternation did they communicate to you over a scenario in which Israel attacked unilaterally- "At times they were particularly on edge, but at other times they were less so; but they kept a watchful eye on this matter all the time. We made efforts to coordinate our policy with them, as part of the strategic dialogue between us." Shamni's time in Washington reinforced his view that Israel must reach some form of a political modus vivendi with the Palestinians. As the GOC Central Command, he invested heavily in building bridges to the Palestinian Authority's security agencies, which he considers "a full-fledged partner." Shamni says the PA maintains day-to-day law and order but lets the IDF carry out what is essentially counterterrorism activity. "This lowers the friction [between the two sides] many times over." Do you think it will be possible to reach a deal with the Palestinians- "I think we have no choice but to reach a deal because both of us are going to be here forever." Shamni, 53, is a father of three daughters and one son. He is married to Hadas.
