With Defense Minister Israel Katz announcing his approval of Maj.-Gen. Tamir Yadai as deputy to incoming Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir on Friday only a short time after current IDF Deputy Chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Baram had been asked to stay on, Zamir signaled the beginning of a whole new era.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz had wanted Yadai to become the new deputy chief, but he had turned down the offer, leading them to ask Baram to extend his tenure a second time, after he had twice publicly announced that he was stepping down.
It is unclear what convinced Yadai to stay on after he had already declined and Baram had already walked back his second retirement announcement, but it was a dramatic turnaround that came as Zamir was closing in on taking office on March 5.
One possibility is that Zamir may have assisted Yadai to secure promises from Netanyahu about his future, possibly even as a future IDF chief after Zamir, or at a minimum that Yadai would have a major hands on role in reshaping the IDF more than the deputy chief typically has.
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“Maj.-Gen. Yadai is a veteran and esteemed officer who has successfully held key positions throughout his many years in the IDF,” the Defense Ministry statement read on Friday.
Katz said he was “convinced of Yadai’s ability to make a significant contribution to strengthening the IDF, in the force buildup process, and in building its offensive capabilities in the face of security challenges.”
Such positions included commander of the Ground Forces, the Central Command, the Home Front Command, the Judea and Samaria Division, and the Golani Brigade.
In September, Yadai resigned from his position as head of the IDF’s Ground Forces Command, citing personal reasons, but it was known that he had differences with outgoing IDF Chief Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi over a number of policy issues within the military.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid congratulated Yadai, writing on X/Twitter “His success is our success.”
Earlier this past week, the government vetting committee announced the appointment of Zamir to replace Halevi.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.