Eyal Zamir replaced Herzi Halevi as IDF chief of staff on Wednesday, also being promoted to lieutenant general, in the ceremony led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and in the presence of all of the leaders of the defense establishment.
Along with the entire IDF high command, Mossad Director David Barnea and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar were also in attendance as well as CENTCOM chief Michael Kurilla.
Netanyahu opened the speech thanking Kurilla, saying, “Your relationship with General Herzi Halevi was a tangible asset to our national security.”
“Until a few generations ago, we were pushed from place to place like straw in the wind,” but we returned our control of our fate, and “our history is [framed as] before the establishment of the IDF and after it. This doesn’t mean our enemies can’t attack us. We saw this on October 7..but unlike before we can” take the war to them, said the prime minister.
Netanyahu promised Israel will return all of the hostages and will end Hamas’s military and political rule.
Next, he said that although Zamir had lost the race for IDF chief twice, that the third time was a charm and “the time of Zamir.”
He said that he had been very impressed by Zamir’s capabilities as his military secretary, in particular his ability to coordinate between the defense and political echelons.
The prime minister also complimented Zamir in his work at the defense ministry in helping Israel to become more independent in producing more of its own weaponry.
אייל זמיר בנאום הבכורה כרמטכ”ל: “חמאס חטף אמנם מכה קשה, אך עדיין לא הוכרע. המשימה טרם הושלמה”@idfonline pic.twitter.com/B8eMPhkvsg
— ערוץ כנסת (@KnessetT) March 5, 2025
Zamir said that he will press for an “equal burden sharing” of serving in the IDF in a clear reference to wanting to increase the number of haredim serving in the IDF.
He said, “Therefore, we will act to broaden all of the parts of the population in all of the units of the IDF. The role of defending our State must be divided up equally.”
The incoming IDF chief said that while the Torah and Jewish tradition are important, action is also crucial.
Zamir stated that the size of the army and its budget must grow and soon.
He also committed to returning all of the hostages and all Israeli residents to their homes in the North and the South.
Zamir’s appointment
On February 16, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Zamir’s appointment, which came a week after the vetting committee led by former chief justice Asher Grunis approved Zamir.
Besides having the number one non-political role at the Defense Ministry, which has put him in control of much of Israel’s international defense relations and force buildup over the last two years, Zamir had been deputy IDF chief, Southern Command chief, and military secretary of the prime minister, three of the most prominent positions in the IDF high command.
Zamir came a close second to Halevi in the race for IDF chief in January 2023, but that pick was made by then-defense minister Benny Gantz toward the end of an 18-month period when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was out of power.
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