The transfer of command will take place in two stages: Yaalon and Halutz will first meet at Prime Minister Sharon's office in Jerusalem, where Yaalon will grant Halutz his new stripes - actually, two "falafels" and a sword-and-olive branch symbol.
From there, the two generals will proceed to IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv, where Yaalon will convene his last General Staff meeting. The formal transfer of command will take place at 1 PM.
Yaalon thus ends an illustrious 37-year career in the army, marred only by what was generally perceived to be his firing by Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz. This occurred earlier this year, when Mofaz announced tersely that Yaalon's tenure as Chief of Staff would not be given the customary extension from three years to four.
Yaalon was one of the first to warn of the dangers of the disengagement, having said well over a year ago that the withdrawal would provide a "tail wind" for terrorism. It is widely felt that this statement is one of the reasons why his tenure as Chief of Staff was prematurely ended.
"All signs point to [a renewal of terrorism]," Yaalon has said several times - most recently yesterday. He said in end-of-term interviews over the past few days that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv can expect to find themselves in Sderot-like situations, and Kassams and terrorist attacks in central Israel are also likely.
"If Israel does not commit itself to another withdrawal, there will be a burst of violence," Yaalon told Haaretz. "There will be attacks of all types – shootings, bombs, suicide attacks, mortar shells, Kassams."
"If we don't give the Palestinians more and more, they will respond with violence. It will begin in Judea and Samaria, and the situation of Kfar Saba, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will be like that of Sderot. There is a high likelihood of a second terror war."
Yaalon also debunked a popular myth that Abu Mazen – PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas – has pragmatically given up on the "Right of Return" for millions of Arabs living in refugee camps and elsewhere around the world. "Abu Mazen has not given up on this demand, neither symbolically, nor practically. [He wants to] return to the houses and return to the villages – meaning that this would no longer be a Jewish state."
Yaalon also had harsh words for the Sharon-Bush plan for a PLO state alongside Israel west of the Jordan River. "The establishment of a Palestinian state will lead, at some stage, to war," the roundly-admired outgoing Chief of Staff said. "Such a war is liable to be dangerous to Israel… the [PLO] state will try to undermine Israel."
Yaalon took a more dovish approach regarding the Golan Heights. In two other interviews, with a London Arabic-language paper and Israel's largest daily Yediot Acharonot, Yaalon implied that Israel could safely defend itself even without the Golan Heights.
However, he added the condition that this could only occur if Israel struck a peace deal with a “serious” Syrian leadership.
Israel captured the Golan in 1967, after Syria used those mountains to launch constant attacks against northern Israeli towns below.
Former Deputy IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Yaakov Amidror said today that Yaalon's remarks on the Golan were insignificant, "as everyone agrees that if the border between us and Syria were similar to the borders in western Europe, we might not need the Golan… The problem is not how to defend ourselves in peace time, but during war."
From there, the two generals will proceed to IDF Headquarters in Tel Aviv, where Yaalon will convene his last General Staff meeting. The formal transfer of command will take place at 1 PM.
Incoming IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz receives rank Wednesday from PM Ariel Sharon and DM Shaul Mofaz. Outgoing COStaff Moshe Yaalon is seated
Yaalon thus ends an illustrious 37-year career in the army, marred only by what was generally perceived to be his firing by Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz. This occurred earlier this year, when Mofaz announced tersely that Yaalon's tenure as Chief of Staff would not be given the customary extension from three years to four.
Yaalon was one of the first to warn of the dangers of the disengagement, having said well over a year ago that the withdrawal would provide a "tail wind" for terrorism. It is widely felt that this statement is one of the reasons why his tenure as Chief of Staff was prematurely ended.
"All signs point to [a renewal of terrorism]," Yaalon has said several times - most recently yesterday. He said in end-of-term interviews over the past few days that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv can expect to find themselves in Sderot-like situations, and Kassams and terrorist attacks in central Israel are also likely.
"If Israel does not commit itself to another withdrawal, there will be a burst of violence," Yaalon told Haaretz. "There will be attacks of all types – shootings, bombs, suicide attacks, mortar shells, Kassams."
"If we don't give the Palestinians more and more, they will respond with violence. It will begin in Judea and Samaria, and the situation of Kfar Saba, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will be like that of Sderot. There is a high likelihood of a second terror war."
Yaalon also debunked a popular myth that Abu Mazen – PA Chief Mahmoud Abbas – has pragmatically given up on the "Right of Return" for millions of Arabs living in refugee camps and elsewhere around the world. "Abu Mazen has not given up on this demand, neither symbolically, nor practically. [He wants to] return to the houses and return to the villages – meaning that this would no longer be a Jewish state."
Yaalon also had harsh words for the Sharon-Bush plan for a PLO state alongside Israel west of the Jordan River. "The establishment of a Palestinian state will lead, at some stage, to war," the roundly-admired outgoing Chief of Staff said. "Such a war is liable to be dangerous to Israel… the [PLO] state will try to undermine Israel."
Yaalon took a more dovish approach regarding the Golan Heights. In two other interviews, with a London Arabic-language paper and Israel's largest daily Yediot Acharonot, Yaalon implied that Israel could safely defend itself even without the Golan Heights.
However, he added the condition that this could only occur if Israel struck a peace deal with a “serious” Syrian leadership.
Israel captured the Golan in 1967, after Syria used those mountains to launch constant attacks against northern Israeli towns below.
Former Deputy IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Yaakov Amidror said today that Yaalon's remarks on the Golan were insignificant, "as everyone agrees that if the border between us and Syria were similar to the borders in western Europe, we might not need the Golan… The problem is not how to defend ourselves in peace time, but during war."