Turkel C'tee to meet with Gantz on IDF chief candidacy

Appointment could be brought to cabinet for final vote early next week; outgoing IDF head Ashkenazi preaches vigilance on northern border.

BennyGantzHome311 (photo credit: GIDEON MARKOWICZ)
BennyGantzHome311
(photo credit: GIDEON MARKOWICZ)
The Turkel Committee which vets senior government appointments met on Tuesday with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to discuss the candidacy of Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz as the next IDF chief of General Staff.
On Wednesday, the committee will meet with Gantz and outgoing chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. The committee could issue its approval for Gantz as early as Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, meaning that the appointment could be brought to the cabinet on Sunday for a final vote.
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Gantz will then replace Ashkenazi on Monday. The outgoing chief of staff is rumored to have already purchased plane tickets for a vacation overseas but will make himself available to Gantz who will be taking up the post without much time to prepare.
Meanwhile Tuesday, Ashkenazi warned during a visit to the Northern Command that the security situation along Israel’s border with Lebanon “could change instantly."
Later in the day, during a Navy graduation ceremony, Ashkenazi warned against underestimating the enemy.
“Listen to what is happening in the region and never close your eyes,” Ashkenazi told the Navy graduates. “The Second Lebanon War was a reminder that we should never underestimate our enemy and that calms seas can change in an instant.”