Druze commander to light IDF torch during Independence Day ceremony
Col. Hisham Ibrahim commands the 406th Armored Brigade
By ANNA AHRONHEIMCol. Hisham Ibrahim, Druze Officer and Commander of the 460th Armored Brigade at Shizafon. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE)
One of the most senior combat officers from the Druze community, Col. Hisham Ibrahim will light the IDF torch during Israel’s 72nd Independence Day ceremony, the military announced on Saturday evening.Ibrahim, the commander of the 460th Armored Brigade at the Shizafon training base in the Negev,was recommended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi and approved by Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev."Maj.-Gen.Ibrahim, the Commander of the Armored School, a member of the Druze community, illustrates, through his personal story and command positions throughout the years, a symbol of connecting different groups and sectors serving in the IDF,” Kochavi said.The Chief of Staff called the colonel an “outstanding officer and example of the IDF, which provides equal opportunity to all troops” and that he “focuses on volunteering in disadvantaged populations andin connecting with Israeli society and the IDF.”According to the military, Ibrahim has been working for many years to strengthen the connection between the IDF and the population, working to encourage recruitment of citizens of all sectors in the country and works to strengthen the ‘Beit Gil project’, during which the armored brigade volunteers to help children with special needs.“His diverse social work brings to life his extraordinary personality as an officer, as an Israeli and as a person. His voluntary spirit, carried proudly on his shoulders, strengthens the spiritual armor of the people of Israel,” the military said."I am pleased with the decision to choose Col. Hisham Ibrahim to light the IDF torch on Israel's 72nd Independence Day,” Regev said. Ibrahim, she said, “exemplifies the connective and unifying forces of the various communities in Israel as one Israeli human emblem. Col. Hisham symbolizes the alliance and deep connection between the Druze community and the State of Israel and its citizens."For the first time in the state's history, the Independence Day torch lighting ceremony will be held without spectators because of the regulations imposed by the government in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
