If approved, Ashkenazi, 52, will become Israel’s 19th Chief of General Staff, and the first to have started his military career in the Golani Brigade. During this past summer’s Second Lebanon War, he was appointed Director-General of the Defense Ministry, ending a brief retirement from the military. He had resigned his position as Deputy Chief of General Staff when he was leapfrogged by Dan Halutz for the top job in 2005.
Sources close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that the PM will not oppose Peretz’s recommendation, and that Olmert acknowledges the worthiness of Ashkenazi’s candidacy. Ashkenazi’s nomination must still be reviewed by a judicial committee and approved by the cabinet in order to become final. Approval is not expected until late in the week or early next week.
Peretz’s recommendation comes just days after the resignation of outgoing Chief Of Staff Dan Halutz, who quit over failures in the running of the war in Lebanon.
The key decision-makers and candidates in the process of appointing a new Chief of Staff – Prime Miniser Olmert, Defense Minister Peretz, Dan Halutz, Gabi Ashkenazi, and current Deputy Chief of General Staff Moshe Kaplinsky – are all at risk of being implicated in the Winograd committee’s investigation into failures of the Second Lebanon War.
Kaplinsky, who had been considered a likely candidate to succeed Halutz, withdrew his candidacy in a letter he sent to Peretz and Olmert. In it, he mentions the Winograd committee report and says that it would be inappropriate to accept the post, despite superior credentials, while his role and conduct during the war are being investigated. Kaplinsky plans to remain Deputy Chief of General Staff. Kaplinsky’s letter also noted the role of the media in the decision process, and expressed hope that by withdrawing his candidacy, he would end the “media circus.”
Peretz and Olmert have largely ignored the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which met Sunday to formulate its own position on the next Chief of General Staff. Though they did not name a candidate, they agreed that he should not be tainted by the failures of the war against Hizbullah, should be acceptable by a broad consensus, and that the decision be made quickly. They also expressed hope that the Prime Minister and Defense Minister would work together with the Knesset committee during the selection process.
Sources close to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that the PM will not oppose Peretz’s recommendation, and that Olmert acknowledges the worthiness of Ashkenazi’s candidacy. Ashkenazi’s nomination must still be reviewed by a judicial committee and approved by the cabinet in order to become final. Approval is not expected until late in the week or early next week.
Peretz’s recommendation comes just days after the resignation of outgoing Chief Of Staff Dan Halutz, who quit over failures in the running of the war in Lebanon.
The key decision-makers and candidates in the process of appointing a new Chief of Staff – Prime Miniser Olmert, Defense Minister Peretz, Dan Halutz, Gabi Ashkenazi, and current Deputy Chief of General Staff Moshe Kaplinsky – are all at risk of being implicated in the Winograd committee’s investigation into failures of the Second Lebanon War.
Kaplinsky, who had been considered a likely candidate to succeed Halutz, withdrew his candidacy in a letter he sent to Peretz and Olmert. In it, he mentions the Winograd committee report and says that it would be inappropriate to accept the post, despite superior credentials, while his role and conduct during the war are being investigated. Kaplinsky plans to remain Deputy Chief of General Staff. Kaplinsky’s letter also noted the role of the media in the decision process, and expressed hope that by withdrawing his candidacy, he would end the “media circus.”
Peretz and Olmert have largely ignored the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which met Sunday to formulate its own position on the next Chief of General Staff. Though they did not name a candidate, they agreed that he should not be tainted by the failures of the war against Hizbullah, should be acceptable by a broad consensus, and that the decision be made quickly. They also expressed hope that the Prime Minister and Defense Minister would work together with the Knesset committee during the selection process.