New Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot shares much of the worldview of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and retired Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, who preferred to adopt careful, calculated, restrained -- and sometimes hesitant -- strategies during last summer's Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. This was already evident back when Eizenkot was head of the military's Operations Directorate during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. His philosophy recognizes the limitations of military force no less than its advantages, and he does not relish using it unless circumstances demand it. The debate over what makes a worthy general is a long, continuous one. One approach says a general should urge politicians to employ military might in defense of national interests. Then-Education Minister Zalman Aran subscribed to that philosophy in 1967, saying he did not vote in favor of launching the Six-Day War because he did not feel the top military brass breathing down his neck. As one who supports the careful navigation of military campaigns in Gaza, and as one who believes their objective is to stretch the time periods between rounds of violence -- not to serve the false interests presented by Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman and Habayit Hayehudi head Naftali Bennett -- I have no doubt that Eizenkot's nomination is a worthy one. However, I also have no doubt the future holds discordant disagreements for the national leadership, and that Bennett will most likely demand Eizenkot order the military to pull the trigger much sooner than he planned. The new IDF chief has an impressive professional biography as an officer in the Golani Brigade and as a commander who has spent years in close proximity to the political echelons. His biography also carries a faded scar from the unsavory affair involving Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz and former IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenzi, but it seems this has faded from public memory as well, as it should have. We all want Eizenkot to begin his term with a clean slate. At the end of the day, Eizenkot and Ya'alon will have their hands full regardless of the government's makeup after the March 17 elections. Like his predecessors, Eizenkot will have to fight not only for an increase in the defense budget, but also for the multi-year work plan, which was approved but then shelved. He will also have to set new operational priorities, and try to answer the complex question of how much of the budget to allocate for immediate needs, and how much to dedicate to future contingencies. This is just what Netanyahu meant when he told Eizenkot, "You won't have a single day of grace." All we can do is hope he does well.
