IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, expressed, by all accounts, deep disappointment after Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday blocked two appointments that Zamir had approved. Katz’s decision prevented Brig. Gen. Menor Yanai from being named Head of the Ground Forces Staff and Brig. Gen. Eliad Moati from commanding Division 210, which is responsible for the Golan Heights. Both officers’ prior roles in the Southern Command and the Border Defense Corps were considered indirect and marginal in relation to the failures of October 7.
The IDF said Monday morning that “Moati and Yanai are capable officers and according to military regulations, the Chief of Staff appoints and promotes officers. Both candidates underwent the same rigorous appointment process, which included evaluation centers, discussions and approvals at General Staff, sociometric assessments, legal reviews and more. This is an event we will need to explain to the senior officer corps. The Chief of Staff represented both officers yesterday professionally and decisively. A new placement discussion will be held for the two roles.”
Zamir and Katz announced at the end of last month that they had agreed on the “appointment procedure” in the IDF. Their announcement at the time said there would be “early consultation” between them on appointments.
At the same time, it emerged Monday that Zamir did not interview retired Police Commissioner Yoram Halevy, who was appointed by Katz as Government Coordinator for the Territories. The unusual decision places a former police officer in the General Staff, responsible for all matters related to humanitarian aid to Gaza and potentially also for military governance in the Gaza Strip.
Zamir interviewed two senior IDF officers for the coordinator role: Brig. Gen. Zion Razon, former commander of the Golan Division, and Brig. Gen. Hisham Ibrahim, currently head of the Civil Administration in the West Bank and formerly the IDF’s Chief Armor Officer. Traditionally, heads of the Civil Administration have also served as Government Coordinators, responsible for civilian matters in Gaza and the West Bank.
Despite not interviewing Halevy, the IDF said he is a suitable candidate. “The appointment was not imposed on the Chief of Staff. Halevy previously commanded the YAMAM counterterror unit. He is a bereaved father and will be prepared for the role in the best possible way,” the army said.
First step toward military governance
The Government Coordinator for the Territories is a staff role that does not command forces, so the appointment has no direct or immediate impact on upcoming IDF operations in Gaza. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich may ask Halevy to lead and support the establishment of Israeli military governance in Gaza, a move opposed by both the previous and current Chiefs of Staff due to the enormous costs of an actual occupation requiring thousands of troops and large budgets.
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Brig. Gen. Eliad Moati, retired Police Commissioner Yoram Halevy, Brig. Gen. Menor Yanai
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's, Alex Kolomoisky)
Until now, Netanyahu and Smotrich have deliberately avoided deciding on a long-term strategy for Gaza, focusing instead on tactical IDF operations. Military officials say that despite the upcoming Gideon Chariots II operation potentially beginning with a ground incursion, they have been reluctant to make a heavy and controversial strategic decision.
The externally imposed appointment could be seen as both a challenge to senior IDF leadership, which had presented experienced candidates, and as a first milestone in the government ministers’ push for military governance in Gaza.