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'{{Refimprove|date=June 2016}} {{Infobox official post |post = Chief of the General Staff |native_name = {{Lang-he-n|ראש המטה הכללי}} |body = |flag = Flag of IDF Chief of Staff.svg |flagsize = 125px |flagcaption = Flag of the Chief of the General Staff |insignia = |insigniasize = 110px |insigniacaption = |imagesize = 165px |image = 160804-D-PB383-018 (28695500081) (cropped).jpg |incumbent = Rav Aluf [[Gadi Eizenkot]] |incumbentsince = 16 February 2015 |member_of = [[General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces|General Staff]] |department = [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)|Ministry of Defense]] |reports_to = [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)#Minister of Defense|Minister of Defense]] |seat = Rabin Camp, [[HaKirya]], [[Tel Aviv]] |nominator = [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)#Minister of Defense|Minister of Defense]] |appointer = [[Cabinet of Israel]] |appointer_qualified = |termlength = |formation = 1 June 1947 |first = Rav Aluf [[Yaakov Dori]] |deputy = |website = }} The '''Chief of the General Staff''', also known as the Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces, also known as giant pussy ({{Lang-he-n|ראש המטה הכללי}}, '''''R'''osh Ha'''M'''a'''t'''eh Ha'''Kl'''ali'', abbr. '''''Ramatkal'''''—{{Hebrew|רמטכ"ל}}), is the supreme commander and head of the [[Israel Defense Forces]]. At any given time, the Chief of the General Staff is the only active officer holding the IDF's highest rank, ''[[rav aluf]]'' ({{Lang-he|רב-אלוף}}), which is usually translated into English as [[lieutenant general]], a [[three-star rank]]. The lone exception to this rule occurred during the [[Yom Kippur War]], when former Chief of the General Staff [[Haim Bar-Lev]], who was a cabinet member at the outbreak of and during the war, was brought out of retirement and installed as chief of [[Southern Command (Israel)|Southern Command]]. For a brief period, he and Chief of the General Staff [[David Elazar]] were both in active service with the rank of ''rav aluf''. The [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) is an integrated force, [[Israel Defense Forces ranks|its ranks]] are the same in all services. It has a slightly compacted rank structure; for instance, the Chief of the General Staff (''Ramatkal'' or ''rav aluf'' (Hebrew: רב-אלוף)) is seemingly only equivalent to a [[lieutenant general]] (NATO OF-8) in other militaries. ''Rav aluf'' means 'arch-general', which would be equal to a [[field marshal]] or [[five star general]] in other armies and equivalent to OF-10. ==Legal position== The position of ''ramatkal'' is defined in the ''[[Basic Laws of Israel|Basic Law]]: The Military'' (1976), clause three: *The supreme [[Israel Defense Forces ranks|command rank]] in the military is that of the Chief of the [[General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces|General Staff]] *The Chief of the General Staff is to be placed under the authority of the [[Cabinet of Israel|government]] and subordinate to the [[Ministry of Defense (Israel)#Minister of Defense|Defense Minister]] *The Chief of the General Staff is to be appointed by the government, according to the recommendation of the Defense Minister The Chief of the General Staff is formally appointed once every three years, with the government often extending the term to four years, and in some occasions, even five. As of 16 February 2015, the Chief of the General Staff is [[Gadi Eizenkot]]. ==Significance== Given the importance of the IDF in Israeli society, the Chief of the General Staff is an important public figure in Israel. On appointment of a new Chief of the General Staff, mass-circulation papers such as [[Yediot Aharonot]] and [[Israel Hayom]] customarily provide their readers with large-scale portrait photos of the new Chief, and Israeli citizens often hang such photos in homes and shops. Former Chiefs of the General Staff often parlay the prominence of their position into political life, and sometimes the business world. Two Chiefs of the General Staff ([[Yitzhak Rabin]] and [[Ehud Barak]]) have become [[Prime Minister of Israel]] and nine others ([[Yigael Yadin]], [[Moshe Dayan]], [[Tzvi Tzur]], [[Haim Bar-Lev]], [[Mordechai Gur]], [[Rafael Eitan]], [[Amnon Lipkin-Shahak]], [[Shaul Mofaz]] and [[Moshe Ya'alon]]) have served in the ''[[Knesset]]''. Of these, only Tzur did not get appointed to the [[Israeli Cabinet|Cabinet]]. Five former Chiefs of the General Staff (Dayan, Rabin, Barak, Mofaz, and Ya'alon) held the position of [[Defense Minister of Israel|Defense Minister]], widely considered to be the most powerful ministerial post in the country and the immediate [[civilian control of the military|civilian superior]] of the Chief of the General Staff. Of these, Mofaz is the only one to serve as Defense Minister over his immediate successor as Chief of the General Staff (in Mofaz's case, Ya'alon). Moshe Dayan served also as [[Israeli Foreign Minister|Foreign Minister]]. Soon after his discharge, [[Dan Halutz]] became the CEO of a prestigious car importer. [[Ehud Barak]] took a hiatus from politics twice after defeats for re-election and pursued successful international business ventures. ==List of Chiefs of the General Staff== {{Officeholder table start | showorder = y | showimage = y | officeholder_title = Chief of the General Staff | showtermlenght = y | showparty = n | showdefencebranch = n | showref = n }} {{Officeholder table | order = 1 | image = Yaakov Dori2.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Yaakov Dori]] | officeholder_sort = Dori, Yaakov | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1899 | died_year = 1973 | term_start = 1 June 1947 | term_end = 9 November 1949 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1947|06|01|1949|11|09}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 2 | image = Ygal Yadin - Lt Gel 1949-1952.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Yigael Yadin]] | officeholder_sort = Yadin, Yigael | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1917 | died_year = 1984 | term_start = 9 November 1949 | term_end = 7 December 1952 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1949|11|09|1952|12|07}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 3 | image = Mordechai Maklef 1952.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Mordechai Maklef]] | officeholder_sort = Maklef, Mordechai | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1920 | died_year = 1978 | term_start = 7 December 1952 | term_end = 6 December 1953 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1952|12|07|1953|12|06}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 4 | image = Mosche Dajan.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Moshe Dayan]] | officeholder_sort = Dayan, Moshe | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1915 | died_year = 1981 | term_start = 6 December 1953 | term_end = 29 January 1958 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1953|12|06|1958|01|29}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 5 | image = Haim Laskov 1958.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Haim Laskov]] | officeholder_sort = Laskov, Haim | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1919 | died_year = 1982 | term_start = 29 January 1958 | term_end = 1 January 1961 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1958|01|29|1961|01|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 6 | image = Tzvi Tzur.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Tzvi Tzur]] | officeholder_sort = Laskov, Haim | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1923 | died_year = 2004 | term_start = 1 January 1961 | term_end = 1 January 1964 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1961|01|01|1964|01|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 7 | image = הרמטכ"ל רבין. 003994467.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Yitzhak Rabin]] | officeholder_sort = Rabin, Yitzhak | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1922 | died_year = 1995 | term_start = 1 January 1964 | term_end = 1 January 1968 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1964|01|01|1968|01|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 8 | image = Haim Bar-Lev.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Haim Bar-Lev]] | officeholder_sort = Bar-Lev, Haim | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1924 | died_year = 1994 | term_start = 1 January 1968 | term_end = 1 January 1972 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1968|01|01|1972|01|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 9 | image = David Elazar - 1964.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[David Elazar]] | officeholder_sort = Elazar, David | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1925 | died_year = 1976 | term_start = 1 January 1972 | term_end = 3 April 1974 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1972|01|01|1974|04|03}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = - | image = Yitzhak Hofi 1982 - 1990.jpg | military_rank = Aluf | officeholder = [[Yitzhak Hofi]] | officeholder_sort = Hofi, Yitzhak | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1927 | died_year = 2014 | term_start = 3 April 1974 | term_end = 16 April 1974 | acting = y | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1974|04|03|1974|04|16}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 10 | image = Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - 10th IDF Chief of Staff Mordechai "Motta" Gur.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Mordechai Gur]] | officeholder_sort = Gur, Mordechai | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1930 | died_year = 1995 | term_start = 16 April 1974 | term_end = 16 April 1978 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1974|04|16|1978|04|16}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 11 | image = Refael Eitan.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Rafael Eitan]] | officeholder_sort = Eitan, Rafael | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1929 | died_year = 2004 | term_start = 16 April 1978 | term_end = 19 April 1983 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1978|04|16|1983|04|19}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 12 | image = Moshe Levi (cropped).jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Moshe Levi]] | officeholder_sort = Levi, Moshe | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1936 | died_year = 2008 | term_start = 19 April 1983 | term_end = 19 April 1987 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1983|04|19|1987|04|19}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 13 | image = Dan Shomron.png | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Dan Shomron]] | officeholder_sort = Shomron, Dan | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1937 | died_year = 2008 | term_start = 19 April 1987 | term_end = 1 April 1991 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1987|04|19|1991|04|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 14 | image = Ehud Barak military.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Ehud Barak]] | officeholder_sort = Barak, Ehud | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1942 | died_year = | term_start = 1 April 1991 | term_end = 1 January 1995 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1991|04|01|1995|01|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 15 | image = Amnon Lipkin Shahak.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Amnon Lipkin-Shahak]] | officeholder_sort = Lipkin-Shahak, Amnon | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1944 | died_year = 2012 | term_start = 1 January 1995 | term_end = 9 July 1998 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1995|01|01|1998|07|09}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 16 | image = Shaul Mofaz.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Shaul Mofaz]] | officeholder_sort = Mofaz, Shaul | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1948 | died_year = | term_start = 9 July 1998 | term_end = 9 July 2002 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|1998|07|09|2002|07|09}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 17 | image = Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Award of Excellence-Yaalon.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Moshe Ya'alon]] | officeholder_sort = Ya'alon, Moshe | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1950 | died_year = | term_start = 9 July 2002 | term_end = 1 June 2005 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|2002|07|09|2005|06|01}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 18 | image = Dan Halutz 2.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Dan Halutz]] | officeholder_sort = Halutz, Dan | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1948 | died_year = | term_start = 1 June 2005 | term_end = 14 February 2007 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|2005|06|01|2007|02|14}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 19 | image = Gabi Ashkenazi5.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Gabi Ashkenazi]] | officeholder_sort = Ashkenazi, Gabi | officeholder_note = | born_year = 1954 | died_year = | term_start = 14 February 2007 | term_end = 14 February 2011 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|2007|02|14|2011|02|14}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 20 | image = Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - 20th Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz.jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Benny Gantz]] | officeholder_sort = Gantz, Benny | officeholder_note = <ref name=idfSpokespersonCOS>{{cite web|title=Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz Appointed 20th IDF Chief of the General Staff|url=http://idfspokesperson.com/2011/02/14/lt-gen-benny-gantz-appointed-20th-idf-chief-of-the-general-staff/|publisher=Israel Defense Forces|accessdate=14 February 2011|date=14 February 2011}}</ref> | born_year = 1959 | died_year = | term_start = 14 February 2011 | term_end = 16 February 2015 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|2011|02|14|2015|02|16}} }} {{Officeholder table | order = 21 | image = 160804-D-PB383-018 (28695500081) (cropped).jpg | military_rank = Rav Aluf | officeholder = [[Gadi Eizenkot]] | officeholder_sort = Eizenkot, Gadi | officeholder_note = <ref>{{cite web|last1=Ginsburg|first1=Mitch|title=Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot to be named 21st commander of IDF|url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/maj-gen-gadi-eizenkot-to-be-named-21st-commander-of-idf/|website=The Times of Israel|accessdate=28 November 2014}}</ref> | born_year = 1960 | died_year = | term_start = 16 February 2015 | timeinoffice = {{ayd|2015|02|16}} }} {{Officeholder table end}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{Chiefs of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces}} {{Chief of military by country}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Chief of General Staff (Israel)}} [[Category:Military ranks of Israel]] [[Category:Chiefs of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces|*]] [[Category:Israeli generals]] [[Category:Chiefs of defence|Israel]] [[Category:Commanders in chief]]'