At a farewell event Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi addressed the growing opposition protests in Egypt and said that “the security reality around us can change at any time”.

Ashkenazi stressed that the “army’s role and the essence of its existence is to defend the State. We all need to understand the huge responsibility that sits on our shoulders.”

This message was tweeted out by the IDF: “Chief of Staff: “The relative calm along Israel’s borders may change. It’s enough to look @ what is happening in Egypt to realize this”.

Meanwhile, it is up to the prime minister and defense minister to decide if Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant can be appointed to Israel Defense Forces chief of staff, the attorney general said on Tuesday, in a message he sent to the High Court of Justice.

Galant was designated to succeed IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi this month, however, his appointment has been delayed due to allegations that he seized public lands near his Moshav Amikam home in northern Israel.

(Dov Gordon – YWN / Ynet / Haaretz)