IDF Welcomes New IDF Chief of Staff Kochavi in Ceremony

NEWS DESK | Israel has a new IDF chief of staff with the new Aviv Kochavi taking over for Gadi Eizenkot. Kochavi was introduced as the new chief in a press conference in the morning and ceremoniously entered the position later in the day.

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Freshly promoted Lieutenant General Aviv Kochavi officially became Israel’s 22nd Chief of the General Staff on January 15, taking over for Gadi Eizenkot who ended his nearly four-year tenure.

The change in guard took place at a ceremony at the Kirya base in Tel Aviv on Tuesday morning, which saw the 54-year old major general first promoted to the rank of lieutenant general before his transition from deputy chief of staff.

His deputy will be Eyal Zamir, a former head of the Southern Command, who was sworn in last month and had also been in the running for the chief position.

Eisenkot congratulated his deputy on being selected to succeed calling Kochavi 'a distinguished officer with extensive combat experience from multiple combat theaters.'

At the ceremony, Netanyahu reiterated that Israel's central security challenge was 'Iran and its terror emissaries,' saying the Israeli military had 'prevented the military entrenchment of Iran in Syria.'

Tehran denies sending regular troops to fight in Syria, saying it has only provided military advisers and militia fighters from various countries.

Kochavi takes over during a sensitive time, as the government approaches snap elections in April, following the resignation of former defense minister Avigdor Liberman amid caustic escalation on the border with Gaza.

Liberman formally appointed Kochavi before he resigned his position as defense minister. According to Army Radio, Liberman’s decision caused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to shout at the former defense minister for not picking Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, whom Netanyahu preferred.

Liberman reportedly decided to appoint Kochavi while Netanyahu was on a secret trip to Oman last month.

Officials in the Prime Minister’s office eventually agreed that Kochavi was 'the most experienced candidate.'

Kochavi, the former head of the IDF Northern Command and head of Military Intelligence, was widely seen as the front runner for the position as IDF chief of staff.In addition to his military career, Kochavi holds three university degrees; a BA in philosophy from the Hebrew University, an MA in public administration from Harvard University, and lastly another MA in international relations from Johns Hopkins University.

He is the father of three daughters and is the first Vegan to assume the post according to Haaretz.Following the inauguration ceremony, Kochavi will meet with his general staff in the afternoon, putting in place his strategic guidelines and issuing a daily order for all Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commanders and soldiers.

He will also complete the traditional part of visiting the sacred site of the Western Wall and meet with President Reuven Rivlin in his Jerusalem residence before returning to Tel Aviv to officially take the reins.

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked welcomed the appointment, calling Kochavi a 'fearless warrior, a moral commander, experienced and the most suitable person for the position of chief of staff during this sensitive period.'

Liberman also applauded his approval back in November by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, which is led by former judge and state comptroller Eliezer Goldberg, touting that the general 'has operational and rich command experience, integrity, values and morals.'

The committee's announcement said there were no objections whatsoever to the appointment, noting they found that 'there is no deficit in his integrity.'

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