Benny Gantz

Benjamin Gantz Aluf Benny (Benjamin) Gantz ( , born 1959 in Kfar Ahim ) is a general in the Israel Defense Forces and currently the Deputy Chief of the General Staff . Born in Israel , Gantz was drafted into the IDF in 1977. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade , and in 1979 became an officer after completing officer's training school. During his career Gantz has served in a number of different roles, including: Commander of the Shaldag Unit in the Israeli Air Force , Commander of the Paratrooper Brigade, Commander of the Reserves Division in the Northern Command, Commander of the Lebanon Liaison Unit, Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division in 2000, before becoming the Commander of the Israeli Northern Command in 2001, and as Israel's military attaché in the United States from 2005 until 2009 before reaching his current position. Gantz has received a number of degrees during his military service. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in History from Tel Aviv University , a Master's Degree in Political Science from the University of Haifa , and an additional Master's Degree in National Resources Management from the National Defense University in the United States. IDF spokesperson website "IDF chief announces new appointments to General Staff" from Haaretz Google cache version

Israeli general and politician Benjamin Gantz ( ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli soldier and politician serving as Alternate Prime Minister of Israel and Minister of Defense since 2020. He served as the 20th Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 2011 to 2015 and the 17th Speaker of the Knesset from 26 March 2020 to 17 May 2020. In December 2018, he established a new political party named Israel Resilience . The party later allied itself with Telem and Yesh Atid to form Blue and White ( Hebrew : Kaḥol Lavan ), the colours of the Israeli national flag . Gantz's Blue and White alliance platform includes introducing prime ministerial term limits, barring indicted politicians from serving in the Knesset , amending the nation-state law to include Israeli minorities, limiting the power of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel over marriages, investing in early education, expanding health care, and re-entering negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a peace agreement. On 20 April 2020, Gantz agreed to join a unity government with Prime Minister Netanyahu which would see Gantz serve as prime minister in a rotation deal in 18 months. Gantz is scheduled to become prime minister on 17 November 2021. The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel .

Israeli general and politician Benjamin Gantz ( , Transliterated: Binyāmīn "Bēnī" Ganṣ ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general who served as the minister of Defense between 2020 and 2022 and as deputy prime minister of Israel between 2021 and 2022. He previously served as the alternate prime minister of Israel from 2020 to 2021. He served as the 20th chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from 2011 to 2015. In December 2018, he entered politics by establishing a new political party named Israel Resilience . The party later allied itself with Telem and Yesh Atid to form Blue and White ( Hebrew : Kaḥol Lavan ), the colours of the Israeli national flag . Gantz's Blue and White alliance platform includes introducing prime ministerial term limits, barring indicted politicians from serving in the Knesset , amending the nation-state law to include Israeli minorities, limiting the power of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel over marriages, investing in early education, expanding health care, and re-entering negotiations with the Palestinian Authority for a peace agreement. On 20 April 2020, Gantz agreed to join a rotation government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . Under the terms of the agreement, Gantz was to serve as Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense , before succeeding Netanyahu as Prime Minister of Israel in November 2021. However, the coalition collapsed, resulting in another election in 2021 . As defense minister, Gantz was in charge of Operation Guardian of the Walls in Gaza. In June 2021, he was reappointed Defense Minister and became Deputy Prime Minister, serving in those roles until December 2022. The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel . The Times of Israel .