Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced he would not be granting IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gabi Ashkenazi a fifth year, signaling the defense minister wises to appoint a replacement as soon as possible.

The announcement was met by a statement from Ashkenazi, who insists he never requested a fifth year and never planned to serve an additional year.

This was met by an announcement from the Defense Ministry that Ashkenazi did request a fifth term and that is what prompted Barak to release the statement to the media.

The announcement has resulted in a surge of statements against Barak, with politicians on the left and right praising Ashkenazi, who is crediting with rebuilding and rehabilitating the military following the disaster of the Second Lebanon War and the poor state of affairs that existed when former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz was compelled to resign in disgrace.

Ashkenazi came out of retirement, leaving his senior Defense Ministry post to take on the challenge of rebuilding the military.

One outspoken critic of Barak is MK (Labor) Amir Peretz, a member of the Labor ‘rebel faction’ who served as defense minister during the Second Lebanon War. Peretz  appointed Ashkenazi after Halutz stepped down. He stated the nation owes Ashkenazi a major debt of gratitude and from Barak’s perspective; he owes Ashkenazi a great deal since his performance is what led to his success in office.

Political and military analysts lashed out at Barak for treating Ashkenazi in the fashion he did, stating by all accounts, he will go down in history and one of the most successful chiefs of staff, citing his success in rehabilitating the IDF, which now stands prepared to address an array of threats, including a nuclear threat from Iran.

Ashkenazi’s tenure ends in February 2010. In all likelihood, the replacement will be one of four senior officials; Deputy Chief of Staff Major-General Benny Gantz (50), Southern District Commander Major-General Yoav Gallant (51), Northern District Commander Major-General Gadi Eisenkott (49), or Major-General (reserves) Moshe Kaplinsky, who resigned following the Second Lebanon War.

Some also condemn Barak’s timing, explaining that with the major threats facing Israel, changing the IDF chief of staff and heads of the Shin Bet and Mossad in a one-year period is a dangerous and ill-advised move.

Speaking to reporters during a Tel Aviv visit, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai stated Israelis can rest assured that we are secure with Ehud Barak as defense minister and Gabi Ashkenazi as chief of staff. When asked to comment on Barak’s announcement, he stated he is not surprised, adding there are a number of suitable candidates for the post.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)