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Benny Gantz

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Benny Gantz
Gantz in 2011
Native name
Template:Hebrew
Nickname(s)Benny
Born (1959-06-09) 9 June 1959 (age 65)
Kfar Ahim, Israel
Allegiance Israel
Service / branch Israel Defense Forces
Years of service1977–2015
Rank Rav Aluf (Lieutenant general; highest rank)
UnitParatroopers Brigade
Commands
Battles / wars
AwardsCommander of the Legion of Merit (United States)

Benjamin Gantz (Template:Lang-he-n; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli army officer and politician, who served as the 20th Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from February 2011 to February 2015.[1][2] In December 2018, he established a new political party named Israel Resilience (Hosen L'Yisrael).[3][4] The party later allied itself with Telem and Yesh Atid to form Kachol Lavan, lit., "Blue and White", the colours of the Israeli national flag.[5] Gantz's Blue and White party platform includes introducing prime ministerial term limits, barring indicted politicians from serving in the Knesset, amending the nation-state law to include Israeli minorities, limiting the power of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel over marriages, investing in early education, expanding health care, and re-entering negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a peace agreement.[6]

Early life

Binyamin (Benny) Gantz was born in Kfar Ahim, Israel, in 1959. His mother Malka was a Holocaust survivor, originally from Mezőkovácsháza, Hungary.[7][8] His father Nahum came from Romania, and was arrested by the British authorities for trying to enter Palestine illegally before reaching Israel. His parents were among the founders of Moshav Kfar Ahim, a cooperative agricultural community in south-central Israel.[9] In his youth, he attended the Shafir High School in Merkaz Shapira, and boarding school at the HaKfar HaYarok youth village in Ramat HaSharon.

Gantz is a graduate of the IDF Command and Headquarters College and the National Security College. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Tel Aviv University, a master's degree in political science from the University of Haifa, and an additional master's degree in National Resources Management from the National Defense University in the United States.[10]

Military service

Gantz was drafted into the IDF in 1977. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade. His first mission as a young conscript in 1977 was as part of the security detail for Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's visit to Israel.[11] In 1979, Gantz became an officer after completing Officer Candidate School. He returned to the Paratroopers Brigade and served as a platoon leader and company commander, completed a course in the U.S Army Special Forces, and fought in the First Lebanon War.[12] Later on, he led 890 "Efe" (Echis) paratroop battalion in counter-guerrilla operations in South Lebanon.[13] In 1991, he commanded the commando unit that was on the ground in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for 36 hours, securing the Operation Solomon airlift of 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.[11] During his career, Gantz has served in a number of roles, including: Commander of the Shaldag Unit in the Israeli Air Force; Commander of the 35th Paratroopers Brigade;[14] Commander of the Reserves Division in the Northern Command; Commander of the Lebanon Liaison Unit; Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division in 2000, before becoming the Commander of the Israeli Northern Command in 2001; and as Israel's military attaché in the United States from 2005 until 2009, before becoming the Deputy Chief of the General Staff.[10][15] He served in the 1978 South Lebanon conflict, 1982 Lebanon War, the 1985–2000 South Lebanon conflict, Operation Solomon, and the Second Intifada.

Chief of Staff

Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz trains with soldiers at a Paratrooper Exercise on 18 May 2011.
Chief of Staff LTG Benny Gantz embraces Gilad Shalit upon his return from captivity on 18 October 2011
Benny Gantz visits Southern Command on 19 August 2011, following the 2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks.

Following the canceled appointment of previous nominee Aluf Yoav Galant, Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced on 5 February 2011 that he would be recommending to the government that Gantz be appointed the 20th Chief of the General Staff (after the pending approval by the Turkel Advisory Committee on Senior Appointments and a government vote).[16] Gantz had already been in the process of an honorable discharge from his army service.

On 13 February 2011, the Israeli government unanimously approved Gantz to be the next IDF chief of staff.[17] According to The Jerusalem Post, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem that Gantz was an "excellent officer and experienced commander, and had rich operational and logistical experience, with all the attributes needed to be a successful army commander".[18]

On 14 February 2011, Gantz returned to the IDF and assumed command as the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.[2] He served for the required three years and was nominated for a fourth year, which he agreed to fulfill, followed by retirement.

In his first year as Chief of the General Staff, Gantz appointed the IDF's first-ever female major-general, Orna Barbivai.[19][20]

In July 2011, Gantz appointed a special committee to address a controversy that had developed concerning mention of the word Elohim, "God", in the military Yizkor prayer. The committee determined that a disputed passage should read Yizkor 'Am Yisrael, "May the Nation of Israel remember", and not Yizkor Elohim, "May God remember". Gantz upheld the committee's ruling.[21]

Gantz commanded the IDF when it fought against Palestinian factions in Gaza in the campaigns Operation Pillar of Defense[22] and Operation Protective Edge.

Business career

Gantz was the chairman of the Fifth Dimension, a computer security and law enforcement technology company, which specialized in tracking via smartphone spyware.[citation needed][23] The company closed due to financial reasons after its Russian investor was sanctioned by the United States during the Special Counsel investigation into Russian attempts to interfere with the US election.[24][25]

Political views and career

Gantz with fellow party members

In December 2018, Gantz announced his intention to form a new political party, but did not originally disclose his views or name of the organization.[26] Polls have demonstrated fluctuating support for the party.[27][28] On 27 December 2018, Gantz formally established his own party named the Israel Resilience Party ("Hosen LeYisrael" in Hebrew), which will run in the 2019 Israeli legislative election.[29]

On 29 January 2019, Gantz gave his first major political speech. Gantz pledged to strengthen Israeli settlement blocs and said that Israel would never leave the Golan Heights.[30] He neither endorsed nor rejected a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. "The Jordan Valley will be our border, but we won't let millions of Palestinians living beyond the fence to endanger our identity as a Jewish state," he said.[30]

Gantz had previously contributed to writing a unilateral separation plan for the Institute for National Security Studies, which called for the unilateral creation of a contiguous Palestinian "entity" on about 65% of the West Bank and a freeze to construction in settlements outside the major settlement blocs that Israel expects to retain in a future peace agreement with the Palestinians in order to stave off the perceived threat of a one-state solution, which the plan termed as being an existential threat to Israel, along with a nuclear Iran.[31]

At the end of his speech, Gantz announced an electoral alliance with former minister of defense and IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon.[32]

On 17 February 2019, at the Munich Security Conference, Gantz called the Iranian regime "evil", and said the main challenges that the West must face are "extremist Iran, Islamic terror, and regional instability".[33]

Personal life

Gantz is married to Revital, and is the father of four. He lives in Rosh HaAyin.[34]

Controversies

Building on public land allegations

In March 2010, the Israeli daily Yisrael Hayom reported that Gantz had illegally extended the perimeter of his yard by several feet to encompass a small plot of land that had been designated as public property. Gantz admitted to the facts but claimed that the land in question was not, and could not be, accessible for use by the public. Two months later, the deck he built there was removed.[35] In February 2011, following the government decision to promote Gantz to Chief of the General Staff, Attorney Avi'ad Vissuli of the Forum for the Land of Israel unsuccessfully demanded that the appointment be revoked.[36][37]

Death of Corporal Madhat Yusuf

On 1 October 2000, a group of armed Palestinians attacked Joseph's Tomb in present-day Nablus, and a Palestinian sniper shot Corporal Madhat Yusuf, a Druze IDF soldier guarding the tomb. The Palestinian Authority agreed to evacuate Yusuf, but their security forces failed to arrive, and Yusuf bled to death after four hours. Yusuf's relatives blamed Gantz, who was then Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division. The Turkel Committee charged with reviewing Gantz's qualifications vis-à-vis his planned appointment to Chief of the General Staff, determined that Gantz "was not the most senior ranking commander at the scene, and there were operational as well as political considerations involved in the incident for which he was not responsible".[38][39][40]

Allegation of sexual misconduct

In February 2019, an Israeli-American woman accused Gantz of exposing himself to her 40 years earlier, causing her traumatic disorders. Gantz denied all allegations, claiming that such an incident never took place and that the allegations were politically motivated. Gantz has since sued Jacobs for defamation.[41]

References

  1. ^ a b "Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz Appointed 20th IDF Chief of the General Staff". Israel Defense Forces. 14 February 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  2. ^ a b Haaretz Service (14 February 2011). "Gantz takes over as IDF chief: I am ready to face the challenges". Haaretz. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  3. ^ Moran Azulay (27 December 2018). "Benny Gantz registers new political party". Ynetnews.
  4. ^ Wootliff, Raoul. "Surrounded by idioms: How campaign slogans get lost in English translation". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  5. ^ Staff writer. "United Gantz-Lapid party to be called 'Blue and White'; no women in top 6". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. ^ Raoul Wootliff (6 March 2019). "Blue and White releases its political platform: 'No second disengagement'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
  7. ^ Israel commemorates Holocaust Remembrance Day, Haaretz 8 April 2013
  8. ^ In Auschwitz, Israeli army chief vows to prevent a 'second Holocaust', The Times of Israel 8 April 2013
  9. ^ "גנץ ונתניהו נפגשו והתחברו למקורות ולשורשים". ערוץ 7.
  10. ^ a b "New Deputy Chief of the General Staff Appointed" (Press release). IDF Spokesperson's Website. 12 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2011. {{cite press release}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ a b Pfeffer, Anshel (28 January 2019). "The General Coming to End the Netanyahu Era". Haaretz. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  12. ^ Gal Perl Finkel, When good commander doesn't equal a good politician, The Jerusalem Post, Mars 7, 2019.
  13. ^ Gal Perl Finkel, Importance of IDF Ground Forces in new army appointments, The Jerusalem Post, February 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Avihai Becker, Generally Sensitive, Haaretz, 24 April 2002.
  15. ^ "IDF chief announces new appointments to General Staff" from Haaretz[permanent dead link] Google cache version
  16. ^ Greenberg, Hanan (5 February 2011). "Gantz set to be named 20th IDF chief". Ynet. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  17. ^ Ravid, Barak (13 February 2011). "Benny Gatz becomes IDF's 20th chief of staff". Haaretz. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  18. ^ Keinon, Herb (13 February 2011). "Gantz appointment as IDF chief sails through cabinet". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  19. ^ "Newly Appointed Head of the Personnel Directorate, GOC Northern Command, GOC Home Front Command". IDF Spokesperson's Unit. 26 March 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011. Brig. Gen. Orna Barbivay will be promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Head of the Personnel Directorate, replacing Maj. Gen. Avi Zamir, who will end his service in the IDF.
  20. ^ "Israeli military appoints first female major general". Monsters and Critics. Tel Aviv. Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has promoted the first female major general in its 63-year history, a military spokesman announced Thursday night. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ Katz, Yaakov (4 August 2011). "IDF panel keeps God out of Yizkor prayer". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 17 August 2011. The IDF will retain the original wording of the Yizkor memorial prayer with "Yizkor Am Yisrael" (May the People of Israel Remember), and not "Yizkor Elohim" (May God Remember), a military committee tasked with ruling on the issue announced on Thursday.
  22. ^ Yossi Arazi and Gal Perl Finkel, Integrating Technologies to Protect the Home Front against Ballistic Threats and Cruise Missiles, "Military and Strategic Affairs", Volume 5, No. 3, December 2013.
  23. ^ NSO in talks to buy Israeli intelligence company Fifth Dimension, Globes[dead link]
  24. ^ Hoffman, Gil. (16 December 2018). "Did Stormy Daniels cause Benny Gantz's Cyber Company to close shop?" Jerusalem Post website Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  25. ^ "Israeli Startup Headed by Ex-top Security Officials Shuts Due to Link With Sanctioned Oligarch". Haaretz. 17 December 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
  26. ^ Asa-El, Amotz. (22 December 2018). "The other Benjamin-Will Israeli politics be saved by one-more general?". Jerusalem Post Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  27. ^ Mualem, Mazal. (21 November 2018). "Former IDF head spooks Israel's entire political spectrum". Al-Monitor Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  28. ^ Hoffman, Gil. (25 December 2018). "Poll finds Gantz's political party in free fall." Jerusalem Post Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  29. ^ "Former IDF chief names new party: 'Israel's Resilience'". WIN. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  30. ^ a b "Breaking political silence, Gantz indicates he won't serve under indicted PM". Times of Israel. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  31. ^ Gross, Judah Ari. "Proposal would split Israel from Palestinians – but don't call it a peace plan". Times of Israel. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  32. ^ "Gantz: Current leadership is divisive, I won't join Netanyahu if indicted". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  33. ^ "Gantz in Munich speech: 'No daylight' with Netanyahu on Iran". Times of Israel. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
  34. ^ "Benny Gantz, Netanyahu Rival, Gives Campaign Launch Speech – Full English Transcript". Haaretz. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  35. ^ Navon, Eran (5 March 2010). שטח משוחרר – הוחזר [Liberated Land – Returned]. Yisrael Hayom (in Hebrew). Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  36. ^ Sharvit, Noam (7 February 2011). פנייה ליועץ: פסול מינוי גנץ בשל עבירות בנייה [Petition to the Attorney General: Revoke Gantz's Appointment in Light of Building Violations] (in Hebrew). NRG (Ma'ariv). Retrieved 7 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ Tzuk, Dana (7 February 2011). המטה למען א"י נגד האלוף גנץ [The Forum for the Land of Israel V. Major General Gantz] (in Hebrew). GLZ (Army Radio). Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ Ravid, Barak (10 February 2011). ועדת טירקל אישרה את מינוי גנץ למרות "פגמים בהתנהלות" [Turkel Committee Approves Gantz Appointment Despite Flaws in Conduct]. Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  39. ^ "Family of fallen soldier considers petition against Gantz". Jerusalem Post. 6 February 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  40. ^ "Brother of Slain Druze Soldier: Gantz Not Worthy to Run Israel | Hamodia.com". Hamodia. 14 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Gantz rejects sexual misconduct allegations, 'This is a blood libel' – Israel News – Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
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