Liberman approves nomination of 38 senior IDF appointments

Of the lower ranking appointments, two have stood out as controversial promotions.

By ANNA AHRONHEIM
Updated: NOVEMBER 13, 2017 23:13
Avigdor Liberman (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Avigdor Liberman
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has approved the nomination of 38 senior IDF appointments, on the recommendation of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, including eight to the General Staff, the IDF said Monday.
Leading the series of appointments is Maj.-Gen. Tamir Heiman, the current commander of the Northern Corps and military colleges, who will replace the current head of Military Intelligence, Maj.-Gen. Herzl “Hertzi” Halevi.
Halevi, who has served as the head of Military Intelligence since 2014, will become OC Southern Command, replacing Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Heiman, who has served in his position since 2015 and just finished leading Israel’s largest drill in close to 20 years simulating a war with Hezbollah, will be replaced by Brig.-Gen.
Amir Baram, who will be promoted to the rank of major-general.
Other appointments include Maj.- Gen. Nadav Padan, who served as the head of the army’s Cyber Communications and Defense Directorate, who will take control of the Central Command.
He will be replaced by Brig.- Gen. Lior Carmeli, who will be promoted to the rank of major-general.
Maj.-Gen. Aharon Haliva, who now heads the army’s Technology and Logistics Directorate, will replace Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon as the head of the IDF’s powerful Operations Directorate.
Brig.-Gen. Itzik Turgeman will take over from Haliva and will be promoted to the rank of major-general.
Of the lower-ranking appointments, two have stood out as controversial promotions.
Lt.-Col. Neria Yeshurun, who served as an Armored Corps battalion commander during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, has been tapped to be promoted to commander of the Yiftah Brigade in the Northern Command and promoted to the rank of colonel.
Yeshurun was officially reprimanded in June last year by then-deputy chief of staff Yair Golan for ordering the shelling of a clinic in the Gaza Strip during the conflict, in retaliation for the death of one of his company commanders.
Another appointment is Lt.-Col.
David Shapira, who was the battalion commander of Elor Azaria and asserted during Azaria’s trial that his soldier had not told the truth about the incident when he was questioned.
Shapira, the former commander of the Kfir Brigade’s Shimshon Battalion, has been appointed commander of the Binyamin Brigade and will be promoted to the rank of colonel.