Dr. Doron Avital, former commander of Sayeret Matkal – the IDF's elite Special Forces unit – announced Wednesday that he would be bidding for a slot on Kadima's Knessetroster ahead of the next general elections .
Avital commanded Sayeret Matkal during two of its milestones: The operation in which the IDF kidnapped Mustafa Dirani – a prominent member of the Lebanese Shiite movement Amal – and the Tze'elim tragedy of 1992, in which five soldiers were killed by friendly fire during a military exercise.
Avital, who is currently a partner in Evergreen Venture Capital, has a PhD in Logic and Philosophy from Columbia University, a BSc in Mathematics and Computer Science, and a Masters in History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas from the Tel Aviv University.
Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni welcomedAvital to the party's ranks, saying that it was proof that "Kadima is the political home for talented people, who chose to stop looking at things from the outside and decide to go into politics and contribute from their experience."