Israelis love to love their IDF chief of staff
Israel's chief of staff is treated like a sacred cow, admired and loved by a public tired of corruption and political squabbles.
On Feb. 13, just four days before being discharged from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), outgoing Chief of Staff Benny Gantz was seen stepping out of his vehicle in a downpour and handing a 200-shekel ($50) note to a beggar panhandling at a major intersection in the city of Ramat Gan. The photographer was Simor Luzon, a city resident who happened to pass by and took a quick snapshot. Posting the somewhat grainy photo on his Facebook page, he related that the chief of staff’s motorcade stopped in the middle of the street and added, “Thank you Benny Gantz, for restoring my trust in the top brass that runs our country and my faith that there are good people like you.”
As was to be expected, the photo of the chief of staff and the panhandler went viral, enjoying thousands of shares, comments and references on other websites, in the news media and on TV shows. Luzon had his 15 minutes of fame and Gantz was labeled “an officer and a gentleman.” There is no need for a special poll to see that in an analysis of Gantz’ electability for the premiership at this point in time, he would beat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This would have also probably been the case during the entire handing over of his position, beginning last week and culminating on Feb. 16 in several ceremonies that were broadcast live.
For days on end, the press featured many stories about the outgoing Gantz and the incoming military chief Gadi Eizenkot, running childhood photos and family stories and reviewing their military careers starting from boot camp. The headlines in Yedioth Ahronoth were worshipful, such as “Thank you Benny,” “Our fate in his hands,” “Not even one day of grace” and “Alone at the top” on a piece about Eizenkot’s new office.
On the Mako website, a special column was dedicated to Eizenkot with the heading, “11 things you might not know about the chief of staff.” The column revealed that he wanted to serve in the navy or the air force, but happened to land in the Golani infantry brigade; that during the 1982 war in Lebanon, he reached the front line by hitchhiking; that he consults with a certain rabbi in Jerusalem; and that he is not “chummy.”
