After two days of testimonies, committee approves Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz for IDF chief of General Staff post, says he "radiates integrity."
By JPOST.COM STAFFBennyGantzHome311(photo credit: GIDEON MARKOWICZ)
The Turkel Committee, which vets senior government appointments, approved the appointment of Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz as the new IDF chief of General Staff on Wednesday, saying he "radiates integrity."The committee's opinion referred to three reservations about the appointment of Gantz: his involvement in the incident in which IDF soldier Medhat Joseph was killed at Joseph's tomb, building without permits at his home in Rosh Ha'ayin, and the claims that he received benefits by changing his residence to the north as the Northern commander.RELATED:Turkel panel to evaluate Gantz for IDF chiefAG asked to look into Gantz building violation claimsFamily of fallen soldier considers petition against GantzGov't votes to cancel Galant's appointment to IDF chief Court rejects Galant appeal as PM explains Gantz decision After consideration, the attorney-general found no objections with regards to Gantz's involvement in the death of Joseph, or the claims that he received benefits when moving to the North and ruled that although there were discrepancies concerning the building of his home, they did not impair his capacity for the job.Convening Tuesday and Wednesday the committee heard testimonies from Defense Minister Ehud Barak, outgoing Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.Ashkenazi praised Gantz, calling him an "officer and a gentleman;" while the prime minister said Gantz was very worthy to serve as the new IDF chief of General Staff.On Sunday the government voted to cancel Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant's appointment to IDF chief of General Staff after Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein decided not to defend Galant due to what he deemed to be insurmountable legal and moral difficulties he would have faced in defending the appointment before the High Court of Justice.Yaakov Katz and Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
