Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced that Major-General Aviv Kochavi will be the 22nd chief of staff of the IDF, succeeding Gadi Eizenkot, who will step down at the end of 2018. Kochavi, today the deputy chief of staff, is married with three daughters; is a vegetarian who likes to draw and play the piano, and holds two American master’s degrees. How did he rise through the ranks to this position?

Sledgehammer

During the 2002 Operation Defensive Shield, Kochavi’s creativity shone during the battle for the Balata refugee camp in Shechem. Fearful that his forces would be exposed to terrorist fire if they entered head on, he ordered the camp be encircled, equipped his soldiers with ten-pound sledgehammers, and instructed them to smash down houses one by one as they went in. Would-be snipers were denied hiding places, and IDF troops kept out of the line of fire. The operation is lauded as one of the IDF’s most glorious victories.

Dodged Bullets

Kochavi was Gaza Division commander in 2006 when Hamas kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. Although it later emerged that the IDF had precise, detailed intelligence about Hamas’s plans, military higher-ups decided against disciplinary action for the senior officers responsible. Later, Kochavi was head of Military Intelligence during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge; the State Comptroller found afterward that Kochavi had not properly gauged the Hamas tunnel threat from Gaza. Government ministers criticized in that same report opted to bury it, paving Kochavi’s way to his next post, head of the Northern Command.

Cyber Warrior

In 2010 Kochavi was appointed head of Military Intelligence. He is credited with significantly upgrading the division’s cyber warfare capabilities during his tenure, and with setting the stage for the next technological breakthrough: employing artificial intelligence (AI) in military applications.

Go Slow

Lieberman has called for a big Gaza operation to deal Hamas a heavy blow — but he may find that Kochavi doesn’t necessarily share his hawkish views. Army insiders say Kochavi’s outlook is closer to that of cautious outgoing chief of staff Gadi Eizenkot, who has consistently preserved quiet in the south.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 733)