Maj.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi takes over today as the IDF's 19th Chief of Staff, succeeding Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, who resigned in the wake of the war in Lebanon.
The official handover ceremony is being held in the Prime Minister's office, to be followed by a reception at the President's residence. At 1 PM, an Honor Guard will welcome the new Chief of Staff [pictured] at the entrance to the General Staff building in the "Rabin" (Kirya) base in Tel Aviv. Immediately afterwards, the General Staff and Defense Minister Amir Peretz will bid farewell to outgoing Chief of Staff Halutz, and then hold their first meeting with Ashkenazi.
Halutz, speaking at the change of guard ceremony, said that the friendship he showed throughout his long army career apparently did not always guide others with whom he worked. "The difference between the word re'ut [friendship] and ra'ot [bad] is just one of punctuation," he said - but added that he holds a grudge against no one.
"Those who come to serve the State of Israel," Halutz said, "must understand that they are not always right; it could be that some of their actions were mistaken."
Specifically, he said he regrets having failed in returning home the three soldiers who were kidnapped last summer - Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit. The former were abducted by the Lebanese Hizbullah terrorists, and Shalit was taken to Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Shalit is assumed to be alive, while absolutely no word has been received regarding the others.
Ashkenazi, too, addressed the matter of the captives in his remarks, saying, "The IDF will not rest until the soldiers are returned to Israel."
The new Chief of Staff concluded his remarks with the verse, "On behalf of my brothers and friends, I wish you peace," and added, "Would that it be."