Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz Concludes 38 Years of Dedicated Service

Benjamin "Benny" Gantz (born June 9, 1959) was the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (February 14, 2011 – February 16, 2015).

Gantz was born in Kfar Ahim, Israel in 1959. His mother is a Holocaust survivor, originally from Mezőkovácsháza, Hungary.Gantz was drafted into the IDF in 1977. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade, and in 1979 became an officer after completing officer's training school. During his career Gantz has served in a number of roles, including: Commander of the Shaldag Unit in the Israeli Air Force, Commander of the Paratrooper Brigade, Commander of the Reserves Division in the Northern Command, Commander of the Lebanon Liaison Unit, Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division in 2000, before becoming the Commander of the Israeli Northern Command in 2001, and as Israel's military attaché in the United States from 2005 until 2009 before becoming the Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

Gantz has received a number of degrees during his military service. He is a graduate of the IDF Command and Headquarters College and the National Security College. He holds a bachelor's degree in history from Tel Aviv University, a master's degree in political science from the University of Haifa, and an additional Master's Degree in National Resources Management from the National Defense University in the United States.

Following the canceled appointment of previous nominee Aluf Yoav Galant, Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced on 5 February 2011 that he will be recommending to the government that Gantz be appointed the 20th Chief of the General Staff (after the pending approval by the Turkel Advisory Committee on Senior Appointments and a government vote).

On 13 February 2011, the Israeli government unanimously approved Gantz to be the next IDF chief of staff. According to the Jerusalem Post, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated in the weekly Cabinet meeting in

Jerusalem that Gantz was an "excellent officer and experienced commander and had rich operational and logistical experience, with all the attributes needed to be a successful army commander."

On February 14, 2011 Gantz assumed command as the Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. In his first year as Chief of the General Staff, Gantz appointed the IDF's first-ever female major-general, Orna Barbivai.

In July 2011 Gantz appointed a special committee to address a controversy that had developed concerning mention of the word Elohim, "God," in the military Yizkor prayer. 

The committee determined that a disputed passage should read Yizkor 'Am Yisrael, "May the Nation of Israel remember," and not Yizkor Elohim, "May God remember." Gantz upheld the committee's ruling.

Gantz has called on the IDF to be ready for a new ground invasion of Gaza.

THANK YOU FOR A JOB WELL DONE...FOR A WHOLE LIFETIME DEDICTATED TO THE JEWISH STATE OF ISRAEL, TO ITS PEOPLE, CARING AND LOVING THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES.

MAY YOU ENJOY A WELL-DESERVED RETIREMENT AND I KNOW YOU WILL BE THERE...A JEWISH MINUTEMAN...TO COME TO THE AID OF ISRAEL WHENEVER NEEDED AGAIN!

LET US NOT DECEIVE OURSELVES, LET US NOT SUFFER FROM DELUSIONS...THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE BETWEEN WE AND THEM...WE WANT PEACE...THEY WANT OUR DEATH...THERE WILL NEVER BE PEACE...

JABOTINSKY AND KAHANE WERE RIGHT...NOT AN INCH OF OUR SOIL TO BE GIVEN BACK...THE JEWISH STATE OF ISRAEL HAS PAID DEARLY WITH THE BLOOD OF OUR BOYS AND GIRLS FOR B'ERETZ ISRAEL.