The general staff bade farewell on Sunday afternoon to the departing minister of defense, Moshe Ya'alon, at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Ya'alon addressed the heads of the IDF, saying, "Remember: An army must win, but it must remain human. Even after a battle or an operation or a war, we must keep our values and retain our humanity. I trust you to continue to lead and to triumph."
He added, "Here sits the shield of defense, and I want to express my thanks and great appreciation to all of you. Personally, and on behalf of the entire nation of Israel. You bring about a security situation that allows Israel to thrive. This board can boast achievements in bringing Israel relative security stability. This is because the group sitting here is level-headed and responsible, headed by the chief of the general staff who uses force wisely. The threats have not ceased, so this board will not be unemployed in the coming years."
That afternoon, Ya'alon had a farewell conversation with Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot. Ya'alon tweeted, "Thank you for the cooperation. It was an honor to work with you, with the generals of the General Staff and the rest of the commanders."
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Ya'alon shaking Depuy Chief of Staff Yair Golan's hand (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
(צילום: מוטי קמחי)
Earlier in the day, Ya'alon said goodbye to his employees at the Ministry of Defense. He also tweeted about them, "Excellent staff headed by Director General Dan Harel, who leads remarkable and exceptional work by the ministry's employees. Thank you!"
Ya'alon announced his resignation on Friday, first on social media ,writing "I am resigning from the government and the Knesset and taking a break from political life." Later that same day, he held a press conference inwhich he said, "Those who lead us must do so based on ethics, an inner compass and at times against an opposing gale-force wind. They should work to outline a path, and not get blown off course for electoral reasons or in light of public surveys, nor should they conduct or agree to any reckless and irresponsible discourse.”
It was announced on Wednesday night that Avigdor Lieberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu, would be bringing his party to join the coalition. Lieberman himself is to receive the defense portflio. Reportedly, Ya'alon, who had been growing distant from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was not surprised at this development.