Meet Israel's new army chief

Veteran IDF man Benny Gantz began as a paratrooper in 1977 and rose through ranks; his appointment as the IDF's commander in chief was finalized on Sunday.

By Haaretz Service Major General Benny Gantz was named the Israel Defense Forces' 20th chief of staff on Sunday, an army which he has served for more than three decades.
The 51-year-old veteran army man was chosen after months of controversy and debate surrounding the initial selection and subsequent disqualification of Major General Yoav Galant for the position.
Gantz first enlisted in the IDF as a paratrooper in 1977 and graduated from officer school in 1979. He has since served in many major command capacities over the course of his illustrious career.

After completing officers' school, Gantz returned to the Paratroopers Brigade, where he served as a platoon, company, and battalion commander.
He assumed command of the Israel Air Force's elite Shaldag unit in 1989, where he served for three years before assuming thecommander of Paratroopers Reserves Brigade.
In 1994, he was appointed to command the Judea Brigade in the Judea and Samaria Division, and a year later he was promoted to commander of the Paratroopers Brigade.
Gantz took a leave of absence in 1997 to obtain a Master's Degree in National Resources Management from the National Defense University in the United States. Upon returning to active service in the IDF, he became commander of a reserve division in the Northern Command.
Gantz served as commander of the IDF's lliaison unit in Lebanon during Israel's withdrawal in 1999, and was personally responsible for shutting the gate between the two countries.
In 2000, Gantz was appointed commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, overseeing IDF forces in the West Bank during the outbreak of the Second Intifada.
Two years later he was appointed GOC Northern Command, one of the highest positions in the IDF.
In 2005, he became commander of the IDF Ground Forces, a position he held during the Second Lebanon War. The position did not place him in a decision-making capacity, and Gantz later remarked that he unsuccessfully advocated mobilization of reserves and a ground campaign at an early stage.
Gantz was next appointed as the IDF's military attaché in the United States, and assumed the role of deputy chief of staff in 2009 upon his return to Israel. He held that position until his recent retirement from the IDF, after being initially passed over for chief of general staff.
In addition to Master's degree he received in the United States, Gantz holds a B.A. in history from Tel Aviv University and a M.A. in political science from the University of Haifa.
The choice of Gantz as the IDF's top commander follows months of controversy over the initial choice of Galant, who was disqualified due to allegations that he commandeered public land for his personal home estate.
Gantz was embroiled in two major controversies during his service. While in charge of the Judea and Samaria Division, he was criticized after Corporal Madhat Yousef was left to bleed to death after being wounded by a sniper.
The Palestinian Authority was responsible for evacuating the wounded soldier, but they failed to arrive in time. As commander of the area, Gantz was lambasted for the way the situation was dealt with, but has since been exonerated by the Turkel Committee.
On a personal level, Gantz too was charged with illegally extending his private property into public space.
After the allegations were raised, Gantz agreed to remove the additional piece of property in question, and this incident was not deemed severe enough to prevent his appointment.
Still, some lawmakers have asked why Galant was penalized and Gantz has seemingly escaped judgment.
Although Gantz is widely regarded as a pre-eminently qualified officer, he is viewed within certain army circles as a "prince" who has risen meteorically without facing many obstacles to success.