Akademik

(1950- )

   Seventeenth chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Born in Kiryat Haim, Israel, he earned a B.A. in political science from Haifa University. In 1968, he was drafted and joined the Nahal brigade. He served as a paratrooper in the Yom Kippur War (1973). From 1979 to 1982, he was a member of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit. He became commander of the para-troop brigade in 1990. In 1992, he became commander of Israeli military forces in the West Bank and was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. He was promoted to the rank of major general in 1995. He became commander of the central command in 1998. In 2000, he served as deputy chief of staff under Shaul Mofaz. He was appointed chief of staff of the IDF in 2002 and became a lieutenant general. He ended his military career in May 2005 as chief of staff of the IDF. He is currently a distinguished fellow at the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shalem Center Institute for International and Middle East Studies in Jerusalem.