Galant named new Israel military chief

Israel has formally appointed as its next military chief Yoav Galant, who is best known for commanding a deadly war on the strip.

Galant, whose appointment was approved on Sunday, is expected to fully take over from the current holder of the position Gabi Ashkenazi in six months’ time, DPA reported.

The 51-year-old oversaw the December 2008-January 2009 Israeli offensives on the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians and cost the impoverished enclave’s economy USD 1.6 billion.

Galant is considered to be more hawkish than Ashkenazi, raising concerns that he might direct Israel towards further militarism.

Media outlets in the Arab world either expressed disapproval of the nomination or greeted it with derision, the Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported. The Lebanese broadcaster al-Manar TV had referred to Galant as a “war criminal.”

Galant joined the Israeli military in 1977, the Israeli website Ynetnews said.

He, however, left Israel for Alaska to work as lumberjack, it said. Several websites seized upon the matter, calling Galant a “woodcutter.”