Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday announced that he will interview three candidates on his shortlist to be the next IDF chief of staff starting on Sunday.
While it was expected that Katz would move quickly to select IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi’s replacement following his announcement that he would step down on March 6, the defense minister threw a wrench into the works by adding dark horse candidate Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai.
The Jerusalem Post and the entire media got two of three candidates on the final list correct: Defense Ministry Director-General and former deputy IDF chief Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and outgoing IDF Deputy Chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram.
However, the Post and all other media outlets reported that the third candidate on the shortlist would be Northern Command Chief Maj.-Gen. Uri Gordon.
Instead, Yadai, who recently retired from the IDF after serving as IDF Land Forces Command Chief, appears to have ousted Gordon from the list.
Previously, Yadai had served as Central Command Chief and Home Front Command Chief and commanded multiple different full IDF divisions after spending most of his career in the Golani Brigade.
An unconventional pick
He is seen as a dark horse candidate because, unlike Zamir and Baram, he has not been the deputy IDF chief, nor has he commanded the northern or southern commands, which are considered the most important field command roles in the military.
Having led the Northern Command to a sensational victory over Hezbollah, Gordon was viewed as a top potential candidate. However, Katz may have viewed him as too close to Halevi.
While Zamir and Baram are still the most likely choices, with Zamir being the lead candidate, Yadai could still be used as somewhat of an outsider who was the least close to Halevi and to reshuffle the top echelons of the IDF to the extent that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may want to water down opposition to some of his policies.
Jesus Christ is King
