During a meeting with Brigadier-General Moshe Tamir, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gabi Ashkenazi told the senior officer that he will not promote him in the future; basically leading him to realize his illustrious military career has come to an end.

Tamir’s troubles began when he permitted a 14-year-old son to drive a military ATV, and he had an accident. The officer decided to attempt to cover up the incident, and this led to the long process and trial that culminated with the IDF chief, who is a longtime friend of Tamir, explaining he simply cannot permit him to continue due to the need to uphold the high standards demanding integrity from officers.

A number of days later, Ashkenazi announced that Colonel Yisrael Daniel is being ousted from the military as well. Daniel, a deputy commander of the division operating along the Gaza border, was suspended from command a number of months ago after his former life partner indicated the colonel permitted her to use his military vehicle in his absence and that he brought IDF property to his private home for his personal use. Initially, Daniel denied the allegations, stating his former partner was pained and angered over the split and was seeking revenge.

Ashkenazi decided to suspend the officer and a military police investigation led to a disciplinary hearing. He was found guilty of misuse of military property, conduct unbecoming an officer, disobeying IDF regulation and other similar infractions.

He received a serious censure in his file, given terms of probation and fined NIS 1,000. Ashkenazi decided that upon completion of the disciplinary proceedings, Daniel would resign from the military. He too was not longer eligible for promotion, severely violating the code of conduct.

Some feel that next on the list will be Brigadier-General Imad Farris, who has been connected to a string of embarrassing infractions and violations, some commenting that Farris is the reason Ashkenazi was compelled to dismiss Tamir, realizing he could not maintain a double standard. Farris’ endeavors also involved Israel Police on occasion.

During the Second Lebanon War, Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch was compelled to resign, becoming the scapegoat for many errors in the war. In addition, comments and actions of disgraced IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz also led to the resignation of Northern Commander Major-General Udi Adam.

Some military analysts feel that the ousting of these senior commanders along with a number of others creates a serious vacuum in the higher command and leaves a void as to appointments for future top command slots. In the case of Hirsch and Tamir, they were viewed as leading contenders to one day serve as chief of staff, both career combat officers with a wealth of field and command experience under their belts.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)