Over a month after the war with Hizbullah ended, OC Northern Command, Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam handed in his letter of resignation to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz on Wednesday. Halutz accepted the resignation and agreed that Adam would complete his term as head of the army in the North as quickly as possible.
Former IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz and former OC Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Udi Adam.
Photo: IDF [file]
Sources close to Adam said the general made the decision to resign about a month ago, but delayed stepping down from his post until after "the last IDF soldier returned from Lebanon," Maariv reported Wednesday. The sources said Adam wanted to set a personal example by refusing to take part in power struggles going on in the defense establishment.
General Adam 'shocked' by decision
Security and Defense: Udi Adam's war
The sources praised the general for what they said was a "proud and responsible" decision. Adam, they said, had been walking around with a "full stomach" since the end of the war and when Halutz appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky as his personal representative in the Northern Command.
"The Kaplinsky appointment was a hard blow for Adam," one officer said. "It was only a matter of time before he decided to resign."
The Northern Command post was Adam's second position as a major general in the IDF, an appointment he received last year after he already had one foot out the door following the completion of his tenure as OC Logistics Directorate in which he oversaw the smooth implementation of the disengagement.
"Maj.-Gen. Adam was one of those people ready to sacrifice a lot for this country," Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Wednesday. "We will need to inspect what is the significance of his decision."
Halutz will have to appoint two new generals within the General Staff following Adam's decision and OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh's decision to end his term as well. One of the leading candidates to replace Adam is OC Operations Directorate Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot.
Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a reserve brigadier general, praised Adam's decision to step down and called on Halutz to do the same. "He [Adam] knew when to take responsibility and I hope the chief of staff speaks out soon and takes responsibility as well," Ben-Eliezer said.
