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- 14 aug 2010
Police question top IDF officers in ongoing Galant document probe
Avi Benayahu.
IDF spokesman among those investigated over document, which alludes at an alleged PR plan to boost the candidacy of Maj. Gen. Galant in the race for army chief.
Israel Defense Forces Spokesman Avi Benayahu, as well as several other top brass army officers, had been questioned by police in recent days, Haaretz learned on Saturday, over the alleged leak of the so-called Galant document.
Police has been attempting to ascertain the identity of the person behind the document, which alludes at an alleged public relations plan to boost the candidacy of GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Yoav Gllant in the race for the post of chief of staff.
The document, which includes unflattering descriptions of army rivals, was leaked to Channel 2 last week.
Earlier this week, a Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court judge rejected Channel 2's request to strike down a police order requiring it to turn over the Galant document.
"The principle of journalistic immunity pertains to the sources of information, and not the information itself," wrote Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court Judge Nachum Sternlicht.
An attorney for Channel 2 has since appealed that ruling, with both sides awaiting the court's final decision.
Police on Monday raided the offices of Eyal Arad, the head of a public relations firm whose logo is attached to the Galant document. Both Galant and Arad deny any connection to the document. Arad even filed a complaint with the police claiming that it is a forgery.
Amnon Abramovich, the Channel 2 reporter who obtained the Galant document, has yet to be summoned by investigators for questioning.
http://fwd4.me/0upp 13 oct 2010, 01:55 , Respect -
Maria 15 aug 2010
Police: No need to hand over 'forged' document at center of race to lead IDF
GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant
Investigators announce progress in establishing whether evidence pointing to a smear campaign by a top general against rivals to become Chief of Staff was forged.
Police said on Sunday that there was no need for Channel 2 television to hand over a document that could incriminate a candidate to be the next IDF chief, as they were making good progress with their investigation into claims it was forged.
Channel 2 last week lost an appeal against a court order to release the document, which apparently points to a plan by Maj. Gen.Yoav Galant to smear other candidates for the post of Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
Court procedings have since been delayed, however, after it emerged that he document shown on screen by Channel 2 was not the original. Meanwhile, the document remains in the safe of a Petah Tikva court pending a decision on whether to release it to police
Both Galant and Eyal Arad, a public relations consultant alleged to have compiled the document, say it is a forgery and it was in response to a complaint from Arad that police opened their inquiry.
On Friday it emerged that police had questioned IDF Spokesman Avi Benayahu at least three times in connection with the document, as well as other senior soldiers and defense officials.
http://fwd4.me/0kzR
'New development in Galant case'
Police to court: Channel 2 document no longer essential to probe.
A significant development occurred in the "Galant document" police investigation on Sunday, a police representative said during a Petah Tikva District Court session on Sunday.
During the court session, the police representative said that the National Serious and International Crimes Unit no longer felt it was essential to receive the document at this time, due to a breakthrough in the investigation.
Police were still interested in receiving the document "in order to complete the investigation," the representative added.
The court session was held to discuss an appeal by Channel 2 news against a previous court decision, which ordered the media outlet to hand the document over to police for forensic analysis.
Investigators now believe that the document and the strategic communications plan it detailed are authentic and not forgeries, Army Radio reported.
Despite the new development in the case, senior IDF officers will still continue to be called to give their testimonies to police in the coming days as part of the investigation, as a former senior police investigator told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday.
The police reportedly plan to call IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi to testify in connection to the "Galant Document" on Sunday.
Channel 2 News reported on Sunday that police plan to ask Ashkenazi if he knew about the document before it was leaked to the media. IDF spokesman Brig.-Gen. Avi Benayahu was reportedly asked the same question on Friday.
Other questions will deal with the connections between senior IDF officers and public relations offices, and the relations between the officers in the running to replace Ashkenazi, according to Channel 2. The police will reportedly also ask about possible motives for forging and leaking the document.
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=184808 18 oct 2010, 01:35 , Respect -
Maria 17 aug 2010
IDF chief had Galant Document for weeks
IDF sources surprised Ashkenazi did not inform Barak, Galant earlier.
A new development in the "Galant Document" episode broke Tuesday.
According to police reports, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi was in possession of the Galant document weeks before Channel 2 publicized its contents on its Friday night news program Ulpan Shishi. The army, under Ashkenazi's instruction, has provided the document to police for their examination, making the court case involving Channel 2's copy of the document a moot issue.
IDF sources expressed surprise that Ashkenazi did not inform Defense Minister Ehud Barak or call in Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant to explain the material when he first received it.
Ashkenazi instead sent the document to military prosecutors to provide a professional opinion if there were any legally actionable offenses contained within it. Before a response was drafted, Channel 2 broke the story and publicized the document.
Ashkenazi testified to the police in the "Galant Document" case on Tuesday. The chief military prosecutor will also be called to testify with the police.
Israel Radio also reported that a number of Major Generals said they received the document when Ashkenazi did.
Police released a statement on Tuesday afternoon criticizing the Israel Radio report and warning that media speculation was having a harmful effect on the investigation.
"We would like to clarify at this stage that the investigation is being managed under a total media blackout in order to safeguard the interests of the investigation. The investigation is at its height and has not yet ended," police said.
"Therefore, the various many reports accompanying the investigation...could disrupt and harm the people whose names are being raised in the reports without any basis," the statement added.
Police urged the media to "wait for the end of the investigation, which is based on facts and evidence. We are seeking to complete the investigation as quickly as possible, while maintaining the appropriate levels of professionalism and sensitivity that are needed."
http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=185057 29 oct 2010, 21:48 , Respect -
Maria 18 aug 2010
IDF chief: Galant affair harms us all
Ashkenazi: Carrying burden of defense
Gabi Ashkenazi says IDF cooperating with police, any fault found will be handled immediately
For the first time since the publication of the 'Galant document', IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi gave a public spech voicing concern over the affair's effect on the army Wednesday.
"This affair hurts us all, as it does all those who are involved in it," he told the graduates of the Command and Staff College.
"We are all now carrying the enlarged burden of continuing to defend the citizens of Israel and proving we are worthy of this task," Ashkenazi added. He said the IDF had been cooperating with police investigators for 10 days, but gave no further details.
"We trust in Israel Police and the law enforcement authorities to make the truth public as soon as possible. If a fault is found we will take care of it without delay."
In a personal message he published Tuesday night, Ashkenazi hinted that certain IDF officials were trying to harm his reputation, exposing rifts in the army's upper ranks.
"The media is unfortunately publishing half-truths and inexact information, which is voiced by different officials," he wrote about colleagues with whom he has tense relations.
But the chief of staff promised to be more transparent after the investigation concluded. "I assume that following the probe I and we will have more to say," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the military prosecution refrained from criticizing Ashkenazi, who has said together with the judge advocate general that he did not pass the document along to the latter.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939428,00.html 29 oct 2010, 21:53 , Respect -
Maria 19 aug 2010
IDF chief: I never believed commanders involved in forgery Barak promises to resume appointment of IDF chief in coming days
Defense Minister Ehud Barak welcomed the police announcement exonerating Defense Ministry and IDF officials of involvement in the creation of the Galant document and announced that the process of appointing a new IDF chief of staff will resume in the coming days.
Barak said he "had no doubt from the first moment that the document was forged and aimed at hurting the appointment of the next IDF chief." The minister noted that he will continue cooperating with IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi on the professional-security level until his last day in term.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3940143,00.html
IDF chief: I never believed commanders involved in forgery
IDF chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi expressed satisfaction at the police announcement clearing from suspicion senior officials in the IDF and the Defense Ministry in the forging of the Galant document.
He noted he "not for once believed that any army commander was connected to the document." Ashkenazi nevertheless stated that the affair had caused great damage to the reputation of the IDF which he said should be repaired.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3940127,00.html
Police: Barak, Ashkenazi cleared in Galant affair
IDF chief, defense minister, and their associates found innocent of forging 'Galant document'
The police announced Thursday that the IDF chief of staff, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and army brass were not involved in the forgery of the 'Galant document', after the prosecution said earlier that it was indeed a fake.
According to a police statement, no proof has been found linking the document, which suggests Brigadier-General Yoav Galant furnish a smear campaign against his opponent in the race for the office of IDF chief, and members of the army's upper ranks.
The statement, which was passed on to IDF chief Gabi Ashkenazi moments before its publication, says lie-detector tests have cleared the names of many of his associates, but that the police still have no leads as to the identity of the document's forger.
The police also backed claims by Eyal Arad, whose PR firm was named as the author of the document and who adamantly rejected their involvement. Investigators also succeeded in unearthing different versions of the document, which they say was altered as it passed through various hands.
The police statement was its first public remark on the affair, which has succeeded in halting the selection process of a new army chief. After the prosecution announced the document was forged, Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen convened high-ranking police officials for a debate, after which the statement was issued.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3940120,00.html
Respect for IDF is gone
Op-ed: Galant affair reveals grim, dangerous state of Israel's security establishment
We've had no sacred cows around here for a while now. We slaughtered all of them, one by one. However, there was still respect, appreciation, and usually pride as well. Indeed, the days when IDF generals were like God's deputies (with the army chief being God) are long gone, yet we still believed that the General Staff Headquarters is a sort of nature reserve that is, a forum immune to environmental pollution; a sort of green area within a polluted, decayed body.
This is the reason why the shock around here in the past week is so deep. The question of whether the so-called Galant document is forged or not is the last issue that should preoccupy us. What's much more disturbing is the conduct of the people who are supposed to be focused on one thing only: The responsibility for our security and wellbeing.
These are people who on a few minutes notice are supposed to be ready to counter the most extreme situations and greatest catastrophes. Yet it appears that nobody can convince us this is indeed the situation today.
Put this house in order
On Tuesday it turned out that the army chief held the Galant document for some months, yet nonetheless did not see fit to approach the defense minister or to clarify the matter with Major General Galant himself. This situation reveals the deep alienation between the army chief and the general under his command, as well as the lack of trust between Ashkenazi and the minister in charge.
The police investigation was launched last Sunday. For a few days we saw an unusual procedure where prosecutors demanded that Channel Two hand over the document. Yet now it turns out that the police knew all along that Army Chief Ashkenazi had the document in his possession, yet nonetheless chose to harass Channel Two. Now that's a scandal in and of itself.
One way or another, what we've seen in the past few days should certainly make us lose sleep. The more this mess clears up, the more it turns out that much is still hidden and that the negative atmosphere and impossible work environment at the top of our security establishment have a crucial effect on the one place that is supposed to be a model of level-headedness, calmness, and cooperation.
Something needs to happen here, and quickly. Someone needs to put the house in order. We obviously cannot go on with a divided, suspicious top brass preoccupied with intrigue and all sorts of plots. We must not have the decay that had spread everywhere in the country also spreading deep into the IDF. Sacred cow or not, if this happens, we can go ahead and just turn off the light.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939541,00.html
Netanyahu: Stop buzz over Galant affair
Netanyahu with Barak
For first time since its publication, prime minister, IDF chief voice concern over Galant document
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak on the 'Galant document' Wednesday, after IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi gave a public speech voicing concern over the affair's effect on the army.
"The army's top echelon must quit busying itself with matters of this investigation, and I expect the army and defense establishment's top levels to continue working together and cooperating for the benefit of Israel's security," Netanyahu said after the meeting.
The prime minister, who is also scheduled to meet with Ashkenazi later Wednesday, has asked the attorney general to speed up the investigation, which has presented an insurmountable obstacle in the selection of a new army chief.
Earlier the IDF chief of staff made a public speech on the Galant document. "This affair hurts us all, as it does all those who are involved in it," Ashkenazi told the graduates of the Command and Staff College.
(video: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939428,00.html)
"We are all now carrying the enlarged burden of continuing to defend the citizens of Israel and proving we are worthy of this task," Ashkenazi added. He said the IDF had been cooperating with police investigators for 10 days, but gave no further details.
"We trust in Israel Police and the law enforcement authorities to make the truth public as soon as possible. If a fault is found we will take care of it without delay."
In a personal message he published Tuesday night, Ashkenazi hinted that certain IDF officials were trying to harm his reputation, exposing rifts in the army's upper ranks.
"The media is unfortunately publishing half-truths and inexact information, which is voiced by different officials," he wrote about colleagues with whom he has tense relations.
But the chief of staff promised to be more transparent after the investigation concluded. "I assume that following the probe I and we will have more to say," he wrote.
Meanwhile, the military prosecution refrained from criticizing Ashkenazi, who has said together with the judge advocate general that he did not pass the document along to the latter.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3939428,00.html 31 oct 2010, 17:19 , Respect -
Maria 20 aug 2010
Report: IDF colonel admits to leaking Galant document
IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi (left), Defense Minister Ehud Barak (center), GOC Central Commander Yoav Galant
Colonel (res.) Gabi Siboni has admitted to leaking the Galant document to Channel 2, the Army Radio newspaper reported on Friday.
Siboni, a friend of GOC Northern Command Gadi Eizenkot, is not suspected of forging or writing the document.
Siboni believes that the document, suspected by police to be a forgery, is authentic and was created to promote the candidacy of Brigadier-General Yoav Galant to succeed current IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and to drive a wedge between Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Earlier this week, Siboni told Haaretz only that he had been questioned in the Galant investigation.
Police confirm that Siboni only leaked the document and did not forge it.
The police statement also cleared of suspicion of forgery all the candidates in the running to replace Ashkenazi, including Eizenkot.
The Galant document purports to outline a PR campaign for Galant in his efforts to become the next chief of staff. The existence of the document was first exposed by Channel 2 television's news program two weeks ago. Galant denies any connection to the document, as does PR guru Eyal Arad, whose company logo is said to appear on the document.
http://fwd4.me/0ups...Read more 31 oct 2010, 17:20 , Respect -
Maria 22 aug 2010
They think they know
Op. "Chalk it up to inexperience," Benjamin Netanyahu suggested, speaking in English - in his MIT lingo - when asked why, during his first term as prime minister, he gave the defense portfolio to Yitzhak Mordechai and allowed him to do as he pleased with the Israel Defense Forces.
Some 10 years later, with the benefit of experience, and in his second term in office, Netanyahu handed the defense portfolio to Ehud Barak - and allowed him to do as he pleased with the IDF. The outcome of that decision speaks for itself.
The interim findings of the police investigation into the so-called Galant document, which is linked to the current and future army chief of staff, haven't solved a thing. The investigation, which began with image consultant Eyal Arad's complaint of forgery, has two levels to it: criminal and civil. In this narrow context, investigators determined the complaint was justified and therefore something appropriate to make public, partly because Arad's PR firm is linked to an international corporation that demanded clarifications before continuing contacts.
But factually, and therefore publicly, this doesn't prove anything one way or the other. Was the memorandum that was reportedly drafted on Arad's stationery a forgery not only in form, but in content, or was it indeed written by parties out to get a senior defense official? Sabotage may still be lurking behind the montage.
The day is approaching when high school seniors, in filling out questionnaires prior to their army induction, will be asked if they'd like to serve with the Galant Corps, the Gantz Battalion or the Eizenkot Division. The poisonous fumes at the senior levels of the defense establishment are reminiscent of power struggles seen among the Lebanese Phalangists, Bashir Gemayel against Dany Shamoun, so far without the long knives.
And where was the prime minister during the months of quarreling between the defense minister and the chief of staff, and between the chief of staff and one of the most prominent generals? Maybe Netanyahu has yet to realize that the entire government, not this or that minister, is the supreme commander of the IDF, and that the leader of the government is not absolved from taking an interest or intervening in events at defense headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Barak did not like the direct connection - forged before his return to the defense ministry - between Netanyahu's predecessor, Ehud Olmert, and Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Netanyahu, in joining the Barak-Ashkenazi duo, took the liberty he doesn't have of retreating backstage.
Netanyahu also neglected to make skillful use of his military secretary, Maj. Gen. Yohanan Locker. A former combat navigator in the air force, and high school classmate of Tzipi Livni, Anat Atzmon and Yoram Turbowicz, Locker is both an expert in his field and a well-connected officer. One of his jobs is to be the eyes, ears and especially the sniffing nose of the prime minister within the defense establishment. The current crisis could have been avoided had Netanyahu understood what kind of advance warning he needs, and what steps to take should it arrive.
The question of forgery is of course important, but not critical. Ashkenazi believed the author of the memorandum to be a prophet whose predictions are now coming true, a kind of local Nostradamus; as if a secret forgery of Hitler's diaries was investigated, and it emerged that Hitler forged them himself. The question of relations among top defense officials, with which everyone is preoccupied, is only a piece of a much larger problem.
The problem lies with the pretension of decision-makers to know that they know. Ashkenazi believed he knew that Barak's office was working against him, and for GOC Southern Command Yoav Galant. Just like intelligence chiefs involved in previous affairs, he might have been misled by one golden intelligence item that turned out to be garbage - or not.
Mossad agent handler Yehuda Gil nearly pushed Israel and Syria into war in 1996, when his invented intelligence reports were believed. The Egyptian Ashraf Marwan, who committed suicide in 2007, might have been a double agent. Perhaps Ashkenazi has also fallen prey to a double agent, or to the fabricator of a report from the enemy's war room - or not.
But if the wise men of the defense establishment - those who wear the self-important expressions of people privy to secrets - are tripped up this way, how can their image of reality or their database actually be believed? How do they know that they know what is happening inside the second centrifuge on the left near the Tehran bazaar? How will Netanyahu, Barak and the next IDF chief of staff decide if, when and where to bomb in Iran?
http://fwd4.me/0upu
Analysis / Now is not the time for political games in the IDF
Yoav Galant. Next chief of staff
With political negotiations threatening new military developments, it is vital that Ehud Barak and his new IDF chief ensure an orderly handover.
In naming Yoav Galant as his pick for the Israel Defense Forces' 20th chief of staff, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has effectively laid a loaded pistol on the desk of his current chief. Though not set to step down until February, Gabi Ashkenazi is now expected to do the honorable thing and bring forward his retirement.
IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi (left), Defense Minister Ehud Barak (center), GOC Central Commander Yoav Galant
Ashkenazi now finds himself in the same position as his predecessor, David Elazar, the ninth IDF chief, in the wake of the Agranat Commission's report on the outbreak of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Agranat recommended that Elazar should step down. The government, despite opposition from Yitzhak Rabin, a minister and himself a former army chief, upheld the recommendation. Elazar resigned immediately. The defense minister, Moshe Dayan – like Barak a former IDF chief – named Northern Command chief Mordechai Gur as Elazar's replacement.
Just like Rabin, Moshe Ya'alon, the minister for strategic affairs and yet another former IDF chief, on Sunday objected to the appointment of Galant – a move that consigns Ashkenazi, once Ya'alon's deputy chief, to early either departure or an ignominious half-year as a lame duck.
His confidants will no doubt advise him to bow to the national interest and head for the door.
Ashkenazi's involvement in the saga of the forged 'Galant document' has taken the luster off a reputation for competence accrued in the three and a half years since he replaced Dan Halutz – once his friend, later an enemy and now, it seems, again an ally and even a mentor.
If it was Ashkenazi's intention to expose unsavory machinations within Barak's circle and damage the minister by agreeing, directly or indirectly, to pass the Galant document to the press, the result proved more of a boomerang than a bombshell. Yet even had he chosen to keep his copy locked away in his desk drawer and refused to let his associates drag him to the edge of the abyss, tensions with Barak would have continued to consume him.
Now, Ashkenazi would do best to ensure an orderly handover to Galant - presuming that a continuing police inquiry uncovers no more ugly details to make Barak's declaration of the succession seem unduly hasty.
If Galant wants to clear the air, his best course would be to approve a list of senior army appointment drawn up by Ashkenazi. His main rivals, Gadi Eisenkot and Benny Gantz, are on the way out (after voicing opposition to Galant's appointment, there is no way back for them). we can now expect a rapid succession of promotions: Yair Golan to head of Northern Command; Tal Ruso to the South, maybe even Avi Mizrahi to deputy chief. After that, Galant can implement the next stage in the army's recovery by bringing back excellent officers who were forced out, like Gal Hirsch and Shmuel Zakai.
For Ashkenazi, it is a bitter end to his time in the IDF – although not necessarily to his public service – and the timing is unfortunate, coming just as new peace talks threaten sudden military developments.
Ten years ago it was Barak who found himself in a similar situation when as prime minister he bowed to pressure from his chief of staff, Shaul Mofaz, to replace the deputy chief, Uzi Dayan, with Ya'alon and accept the resignation of Shlomo Oren, commander of the West Bank Division, after a friendly fire incident that killed three IDF troops. Gantz found himself parachuted in as Oren's untried replacement on the eve of rioting across the Palestinian territories.
Barak cannot correct his past mistakes. But now is not the time for shake-ups in the IDF.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/analysis-now-is-not-the-time-for-political-games-in-the-idf-1.309530
Barak names Galant as next chief of staff
Defense minister decides not to wait until end of investigation into 'Galant document,' informs cabinet he has chosen Southern Command chief as next chief of staff. Ministers to approve appointment next week. PM Netanyahu says decision 'wise'
Defense Minister Ehud Barak informed the cabinet meeting on Sunday that he had chosen Southern Command Chief Yoav Galant to serve as the next chief of staff.
Barak will bring the decision for authorization in the cabinet after he consults with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In doing so, Barak did not wait until the end of the police investigation into the forgery of the "Galant document."
"Because of the current state of affairs, the appointment must be made quickly in order to reinstate stability within the IDF," said Barak.
Minister Moshe Ya'alon asked Barak what the rush is, but the other ministers with a rich military past expressed their support of the decision.
Prime Minister Netanyahu praised the decision during the cabinet meeting. "This is the wise move because uncertainty exacts a high price. The situation created necessitates a speedy decision that can move forward the next round of appointments in the IDF. This is a good move that will bring back stability to the military's echelons," he said.
A statement issued by Barak's office stated, "The minister completed in recent days a round of talks with the five candidates for chief of staff, including Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz, Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Mizrahi, Northern Command Chief Gadi Eizenkot, and the military attaché in Washington Gadi Shamni. The minister expressed his esteem for each one of the candidates as asked them to remain in the IDF and continue contributing to it. He added that the decision between candidates was not easy because each of them is worthy."
Barak described Galant as "a vetern officer with diverse and rich operational experience, proven leadership qualities, and the capability to lead the IDF through the challenges facing it and the State of Israel."
Minister Ya'alon asserted that the damage caused by such an appointment outweighs its benefits.
Ya'alon, a former chief of staff himself, suggested that the decision not be brought for the cabinet's authorization next week because he believes it was made to hastily as not all the facts have come to light in the Galant document affair, especially regarding the role of various high-ranking generals, including Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
Galant document mystery still brewing
The Galant document, made public by Channel 2 news some two weeks ago, suggested Galant will best achieve his goal of becoming the next IDF chief of staff, by "presenting a negative image" of rival, Major-General Benny Gantz and current IDF Chief of Staff Ashkenazi.
The scandal has placed the entire military brass under scrutiny, including Ashkenazi himself and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Nevertheless, the police announced Thursday that both, as well as several other high-ranking military officials, were cleared.
While the police have concluded the brunt of the investigation, the question still remains who authored the document and the role of current Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. Ashkenazi apparently was in possession of the document for many weeks and did nothing with it, except notify Gantz and Eizenkot of its content.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3941460,00.html 31 oct 2010, 17:21 , Respect -
Maria 23 aug 2010
ISRAEL: A cautionary tale of officers, gentlemen and snakes
Every so often, a legendary Israeli institution falls from grace. In 1995, the Shin Bet failed to protect Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin from assassination; in 1997, the Mossad loudly bungled an attempt to assassinate Khaled Meshaal in Jordan and more recently seems to have tripped over its tennis shoe laces in Dubai. Presidents have been disgraced by financial or sexual misconduct, prime ministers by corruption allegations.
Now the army is the latest of Israel's sacred cows to be skewered by scandal.
To start from the end, the next chief of staff has been named -- Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, currently in charge of the Israel Defense Forces' southern command. He will replace Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, who ends his term in February. Galant, perceived as stubborn, reactionary and a natural if forceful leader, is the right man at the right time, commentators say. The appointment of an offensive-minded chief of staff sends a strong message to Iran, writes defense analyst Ron Ben-Yishai.
But before he deals with Iran or anything else, he'll need to clean up a small mess involving the weeks before his appointment.
A few weeks ago, Channel 2 reported the existence of a strategic campaign promoting Galant, one of a handful of candidates, for the appointment. It showed a document outlining the campaign strategy, actively building Galant as a positive brand while doing the opposite to Ashkenazi, the popular and much-admired incumbent. Ashkenazi is credited with rehabilitating the army after the second Lebanon war, but his relations with Defense Minister Ehud Barak -- not known for his people skills -- are strained.
The document bore the logo of Israel's top strategic consultancy and public relations firm, headed by Eyal Arad, whose work as campaign strategist and media advisor to politicians has made him a force to be reckoned with. Arad worked closely with Ariel Sharon. Galant had been Sharon's military secretary. On the face of it, there was a dirty political campaign in a place it didn't belong.
But Arad rejected the document as a forgery and filed a police complaint, which prompted an investigation. It's not every day that police question the country's top brass. At the end of the day, the document was deemed fake and the army's top officers declared ''not implicated'' in its production.
Still, someone had gone to the trouble of faking it, and someone to the trouble of leaking it to the media. In between those events, it had been floating around the offices of the army's general headquarters for months. When the document surfaced, top army officials felt that something between a dirty bomb and a stink bomb had gone off at headquarters, said one military commentator.
The IDF has consistently enjoyed the highest level of public trust compared with other political and national institutions in Israel, including the police, Supreme Court, parliament and presidency. The Israel Democracy Institute's 2009 index shows 79% trust of the IDF among the general public and 88% among the Jewish public. The uproar over the document reflected the alarm that this relatively untainted inner sanctum had been infiltrated by corruption and that strategist tails were wagging the country's favorite dog.
So now it's clear: The army's top officers are not demigods, they're as mortal as the next guys, and general headquarters isn't immune to byzantine intrigue. When Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon -- today minister of strategic affairs -- was pushed out a year early, he commented that he wore high boots around military headquarters because of all the snakes in the grass. The comment was ridiculed at the time, but now, writes columnist Yoel Marcus, it's obvious he was right.
The investigation isn't over and questions remain, including who forged the document -- and why, it turns out, Ashkenazi had it for some time but refused to deal with it before a friend lost patience and gave it to the media.
Once the police cleared the candidates of suspicion, Barak quickly named Galant chief of staff. The Cabinet is expected to approve the appointment next week. All eyes are now on Ashkenazi, awaiting his next move. This isn't a time for political games in the army, commentators caution. The handover is likely to be professional and civilized. Still, no one comes out of this smelling like a rose.
-- Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem
http://fwd4.me/0imC
Barak acts quickly to appoint Yoav Galant as next IDF chief
Hours after police clear top army brass of involvement in Galant affair, Defense Minister Ehud Barak surprises cabinet by announcing identity of 20th chief of staff.
GOC Central Command Yoav Galant will be the Israel Defense Forces' next chief of staff, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the cabinet on Sunday. The cabinet is due to approve the appointment next week.
Barak's announcement cut short two weeks of speculation after Channel 2 news reported that a public-relations campaign was underway to ensure Galant's success. The police later concluded that a document in the campaign, the so-called Galant document, was forged, with the media reporting that people in the current chief of staff's office was linked to the forgery and the leak of the news.
Barak's decision came only 60 hours after the police cleared the leaders of the defense establishment, including the IDF top brass, of suspicions in the affair.
Maj. Gen. Galant's appointment is expected to send shockwaves through the General Staff, with at least three major generals expected to resign.
The current chief of staff, Gabi Ashkenazi, is deliberating whether to complete the remaining six months of his term, sources have told Haaretz. Meanwhile, the police investigation of the Galant document continues.
Barak announced his decision to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and then by phone to Galant, Ashkenazi, the other four candidates for the post, President Shimon Peres and finally the cabinet. The only official voicing reservations about the decision's timing was Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon; the appointment of the IDF's 20th chief of staff is expected to be confirmed by a large majority in the cabinet.
Barak's main explanation for his quick decision was his desire to stop the speculation around the Galant document, but he is also sending a signal he's still in charge of the defense establishment. Barak appears to have expected criticism from the media on the timing and, to a lesser extent, on his choice of candidate. He does not appear to be particularly concerned.
"The people of Israel have been blessed with excellent commanders, led by Chief of Staff Ashkenazi. Maj. Gen. Galant is a brave fighter, a daring commander with varied operational and command experience. He will know how to lead the IDF forward."
Galant, 52, spent much of his career in the naval commandos, eventually commanding the unit. He is married and a father of three, including an officer in an elite unit.
After the naval commandos, Galant led the Gaza Division, was military secretary to prime minister Ariel Sharon and then GOC Southern Command. His resume is rich with combat experience but is rather short on staff posts. He never headed a department in the General Staff, partly because of disagreements between Barak and Ashkenazi on his appointment.
Galant is considered forceful, determined and hawkish on using military force. The new chief of staff's first mission will be improving the atmosphere at the General Staff. This is not going to be easy, and Galant is expected to seek to calm the generals despite any grudges against him.
The affair, Galant said in private conversations last week, was a blood libel, a Dreyfus affair over nothing. Nevertheless, he said the case would end well. Galant has maintained this optimism since last year, when Ashkenazi chose Maj. Gen. Benny Gantz as his deputy despite Barak's preference for Galant. Galant met with Barak for a private conversation and decided not to retire from the IDF.
Now Gantz, who was also a candidate for chief of staff, is expected to retire. Eizenkot, another candidate who hinted he may resign, will be pressured to remain and contest the post once more four years from now. Another major general expected to complete his term soon is the chief of military intelligence, Amos Yadlin.
Ashkenazi called Galant on Sunday, congratulated him and promised to help him take up his new position. But it seems doubtful a brief chat on the phone will dim the deep-seated hostility between the two officers.
Ashkenazi apparently remains convinced that the Galant document is not without foundation, and Galant still suspects that Ashkenazi is behind the leak. Only the naive would believe that in Ashkenazi's office, where not even a plant is moved without permission from the boss, an aide would conceive a media maneuver to undercut Galant's appointment.
In the background of the investigations and intrigues is a much weightier question - the possibility of a future Israeli strike in Iran. The alliance built up by Ashkenazi and Mosad chief Meir Dagan on the moderate end of the Israeli decision-making community has been a bulwark against such an attack.
Dagan is expected leave office in December, shortly before Ashkenazi. If his successor is a hawk on the Iranian question, this will suggest Netanyahu's and Barak's intentions on this issue.
http://fwd4.me/0imD
Suspected forger of Galant document arrested at airport
Police investigators arrest Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz as he deplanes at Ben-Gurion Airport. He is investigated on warning for hours, denies any connection to document.
The chief of staff has been chosen, but the police investigation into the Galant document continues. Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz, the main suspect of forging the Galant document, landed on Monday in Israel and was immediately arrested by the police.
The Police International Crime Investigations Unit awaited Harpaz, who landed on a flight from Italy after coordinating with the police, on the plane's ramp. Harpaz was transferred to the office of the International Crime Investigations Unit where he was investigated for hours.
The final stages of the Galant document investigation were started earlier on Monday in talks held between the police and Harpaz's lawyers in which it was agreed that he would return to Israel. Harpaz, a former Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) soldier and now a businessman in the security industry, announced that he is willing to move up his return to Israel.
During investigations and the questioning of dozens of witnesses, the police started to suspect that Harpaz forged the document. Harpaz himself even gave a testimony to the police. As the investigations unfolded, the International Crime Investigations Unit increasingly began to mark Harpaz as a potential suspect.
After he flew abroad with the knowledge of the police, he was asked via his lawyers to make his return to Israel earlier.
Harpaz: Police looking for scapegoat
The police asked Petah Tivka Magistrates' Court to extend Harpaz's remand by five days on suspicions that he may disrupt investigations.
In an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth from the US, Harpaz said over the weekend, "I saw the document, but I did not forge it and did not distribute it. If I knew how to write such a strategic document, I would change professions. They are looking for a scapegoat."
Harpaz is trusted by very high-ranking senior officials in the military establishment. He was among the first people to be investigated in the affair. The investigators even searched his house and confiscated a few items, but later returned them.
According to Harpaz, he has been aware of the document since April, but did not write nor distribute it.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3942730,00.html 25 nov 2010, 16:09 , Respect -
Maria 24 aug 2010
Galant case: Suspect 'doesn't remember' where doc came from
Boaz Harpaz maintains he had nothing to do with forged document, tells police he does not remember who he got it from. Court remands him for five days.
A case of selective memory? Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz, the prime suspect in the Galant scandal was interrogated by International Fraud Unit officers but maintained that he had nothing to do with the forged document.
Harpaz, who was on a business trip in the United States when the document, allegedly plotting Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yoav Galant's way to the chief of staff's office, was made public, was arrested upon his return to Israel.
Harpaz claimed in his investigation that while he was in possession of the document at a certain time, he had no recollection of the person who gave it to him.
The police are currently pursuing leads suggesting that not only did Harpaz compile the document, he was the one who gave it to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi's office. Police suspect he also attempted to tamper with witnesses deposed in the case.
Police on Tuesday asked the court to remand Harpaz for 10 days, citing he was a flight risk. Investigators and Harpaz' lawyers eventually agreed on a five-day remand.
Attorneys Yaron Kostelitz and Yechiel Weinroth, for Harpaz, said their client agreed to the remand in order to allow the investigators to further substantiate his version of the events.
"He has answered all of their questions and maintained that he did not forge the document nor did he know it was a forgery. He told investigators how he got it and who he gave it to. (Harpaz) returned to Israel on his own accord and he is not a flight risk," said the defense.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3943387,00.html 25 nov 2010, 16:10 , Respect -
Maria 26 aug 2010
BREAKING NEWS: B’Tselem demands investigation into Gen Gallant’s responsibility for Gaza War
The Israeli human rights organisation, B’Tselem, has expressed its objections to Israeli Security Minister, Ehud Barak’s appointment of General Yoav Gallant to the position of Chief of Staff in the Israeli army.
The organisation’s objections are based on the flawed decision to appoint Gallant prior to an investigation into the responsibility of decision makers during the Gaza war at both the political and military levels and particularly in relation to the extreme human rights violations that occurred. Operation Cast Lead was led by Gallant in his capacity as Commander of Israel’s southern region.
In a written statement, the organisation said; “Until today, no independent investigative body has been established with the authority to investigate this level [of command] and on-going current investigations focus on the lower levels of the Israeli army.” It added that the number of civilians targeted in Gaza during the campaign was unprecedented. 759 civilian non-combatants, including 318 minors were killed. According to UN data, during the conflict, more than 3,500 civilian homes were destroyed leaving approximately 20,000 people homeless.
The statement confirmed that “the conclusions of an independent investigation would have a direct impact on the possibility of making a clear assessment of General Gallant’s capability to lead the Israeli army in respect of maintaining a decent degree of morality.”
http://australiansforpalestine.com/28767?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter 25 nov 2010, 16:11 , Respect -
Maria 27 aug 2010
Suspect in 'Galant affair' links himself to forgery
Despite Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Boaz Harpaz's admission, police investigators believe document aimed at influencing IDF chief of staff race worded by several people.
A reserve officer arrested on suspicion of forging a document aimed at influencing the race for the role of Israel Defense Forces chief of staff has linked himself to the incident, but police believe he had accomplices.
Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Boaz Harpaz, has changed his version several times since being arrested by the National Unit for the Investigation of International Crimes. At first, he denied any connection to the forgery. He admitted that he had received the "Galant document," but said had no recollection of the person who gave it to him.
On Thursday, Harpaz's investigators presented him with evidence supporting the claim that he had forged the document. At a certain stage he linked himself to the incident, but the investigators believe he did not forge it on his own.
According to the police's estimate, the document was forged by a number of people and Harpaz is defending them and refusing to disclose their names. The investigators are relying on the fact that before his arrest, he allegedly tried to disrupt the investigation by influencing witnesses he knew had been summoned by the police.
Harpaz was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport earlier this week after returning from a trip abroad. His remand has been extended until Sunday. He is suspected of forging the document and delivering it to the officer of IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3944627,00.html
Report: Ex-IDF officer admits to forging Galant document
Boaz Harpaz reportedly tells police he had doctored the controversial document in response to what he saw as 'manipulations' by Defense Minister Barak against IDF chief Ashkenazi.
Boaz Harpaz, suspected of being the man behind the Galant Document, admitted to police investigators that he had forged the controversial document, Israel Radio reported on Friday.
Police suspected the retired Israel Defense Forces officer was the person behind the forgery of the document, which sought to influence the appointment of the next IDF chief of staff by purporting to outline a PR campaign for Major-General Yoav Galant.
Police also estimated he was involved in disseminating it throughout the army, including by passing one of the first copies to Col. Erez Weiner, an aide to Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, several months ago.
Investigators based these suspicions on the testimony of people with whom Harpaz discussed the document in recent months, both in the army and outside it, as well as on evidence taken from his computer and other findings.
According to the Israel Radio Friday, Harpaz reportedly told investigators he had indeed forged the document, adding, however, that he worked alone, taking sole responsibility for the act.
Hapraz also reportedly told investigators that he had forged the document following Defense Minister Ehud Barak's decision to announce the next IDF chief ahead of the scheduled date, in what Harpaz thought was a "manipulation" against incumbent Chief of Staff Ashkenazi.
Harpaz was arrested Monday upon his return from Europe and taken in for questioning. On Tuesday, police sought to remand him for 10 days, arguing that he posed a flight risk, but the court agreed to only five days.
But despite being questioned for hours by a team of investigators, he continued to say that he was not involved in the forgery and had only received the material, as many others did.
On Tuesday, Harpaz's attorney, Yaron Kostelitz, told the court that his client had answered every question he was asked, but insisted that he neither forged the document nor knew that it was a forgery.
Kostelitz added that Harpaz's return to Israel was coordinated with the police, and therefore, he argued, there is no risk that he would flee the country.
In the end, police reached a compromise with Kostelitz under which Harpaz was remanded for five days.
Police are also investigating suspicions that Harpaz did not act alone, but had partners who assisted him in forging and disseminating the document.
During questioning investigators confronted the suspect with testimony from witnesses, including that of Weiner, as well as other evidence police allege ties Harpaz to the forgery and distribution of the document.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/report-ex-idf-officer-admits-to-forging-galant-document-1.310524
opinion: Just like any large organization, IDF includes quite a few high-ranking idiots High ranks, no brains
Nahum Barnea
One day, God decided to hand out brains to the world. He kept on handing it out, until he ran out of brains to give, yet the line was still long. So what did God do? Instead of handing out brains, he gave them military ranks.
Hence, there is no point in asking what the officer who sent raw rookies to collect the personal belonging of the Gaza-bound Turkish ship was thinking. The result was an orgy of looting. Now, a month later, a few of the looters were detained. Big deal. And what did the army do to the officer who sent them there? Only the IDF knows.
Similarly, there is also no point in asking what the reserve officers who cooked up the mess mistakenly referred to as the “Galant document” were thinking. There is no point in asking what they were thinking when they drafted the document and forged its source, because they weren’t thinking.
The result was that they screwed over the person they wanted to boost, and most of all screwed over their comrade-in-arms, the army chief. More importantly, for months they drove the General Staff Headquarters crazy, and for two weeks they did the same to the whole country, in the process disgracing the army that is so dear to them.
Closing a circle
There is certainly no point in asking what the officer in charge of soldier Eden Abergil was thinking when she created a book of photographs with Palestinian detainees. The officer was probably taking his lunch break. Perhaps he was the one who clicked the camera himself.
Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi enjoyed immense public credit after it appeared – in the wake of the Second Lebanon War screw-ups – that he was rehabilitating the army and restoring the norms of fighting, discipline, seriousness, and integrity. He dismissed two brigadier-generals just because they got caught telling small lies. Their lies pale in comparison to the latest series of scandals.
Ashkenazi cannot issue brains to every IDF officer. Just like in any large establishment, in the military establishment too we have quite a few idiots who climbed up the ladder. However, the feeling we get as the end of Ashekanzi’s term in office approaches is that a circle was closed: He received the IDF in an embarrassing state, and he is handing the army over to his successor in an embarrassing state. This is not why he came back to the army.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3940506,00.html 25 nov 2010, 16:14 , Respect -
Maria 29 aug 2010
Suspect refuses to take a lie detector test over forged army document
Defense attorney claims that admissions by Harpaz were made under pressure by police interrogators.
A Petach Tikvah court on Sunday remanded Lieut. Col (Res.) Boaz Harpaz until Wednesday, on suspicion of forging the so-called 'Galant document.'
During the hearing, Harpaz's lawyer claimed that he did not forge the document, and that the admissions that were procured from him were as a result of pressure applied by interrogators to break his spirit. It was also revealed that during the investigation Harpaz refused to take a lie detector test.
Harpaz admitted on the weekend that he forged the document after he had made several contradictory claims, including that he did not remember from who he received the document, and that the received the document as a fax or in an envelope in a café.
After he admitted to forging the document, Harpaz refused to divulge who he collaborated with, although the police believe that he was aided by others. Since the document contains details that are top secret, investigators are still trying to figure out who helped Harpaz.
As a result, another person that was involved in the leak of the document, other than Gabi Siboni, is being investigated on suspicion of forging the document. The suspect has given testimony to the police and is expected to be interrogated again within days.
Investigators in the case believe that insiders involved in choosing a new Chief of Staff authored the document and added the logo of Arad Communications, in order to torpedo the nomination of Major General Yoav Galant as Chief of Staff, and to harm Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Police do not believe that Harpaz did not have a clear motive to have authored the document on his own, but that another or others involved in the forgery were motivated to prevent the nomination of Galant, hurt Defense Minister Barak, and extend the term of Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
In an unusual move, investigators granted Harpaz permission to meet with his wife Meirav, who also gave testimony to the police last week, after Harpaz had admitted authoring the document. Harpaz's attorney, Yechiel Weinroth, also visited him on Friday morning.
Police spokesperson Rafi Yafeh refused to comment on the incident on Saturday night.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/suspect-refuses-to-take-a-lie-detector-test-over-forged-army-document-1.310867
Reserve officer retracts confession in Galant affair
Harpaz. Changing stories
Boaz Harpaz, prime suspect in forgery of Galant document, refuses to take polygraph test. Attorney says he confessed after giving in to pressure during questioning
The remand of Boaz Harpaz, the prime suspect in the forgery of the Galant document, has been extended by three days after his attorneys reached an agreement with the police Sunday. Harpaz, who has provided investigators with various stories on the origin of the document, has refused to take a lie detector test, Ynet learned.
Attorney Yechiel Weinroth said in hearing at the Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court that Harpaz has retracted his confession. Weinroth said that his client had linked himself to the forgery after giving in to pressure during questioning. Police believe that Harpaz, who continuously changes his stories, is protecting others who helped him forge the document.
Police Spokesman Rafi Yaffe. No comment
A senior police officer described Harpaz and an extremely complex interrogee. "He is doing everything in order to hide the truth, he employs strange tactics but the police's recommendation is based on additional evidence linking the suspect to the forgery," he said. Israel Police Spokesman Rafi Yaffe refused to comment on the case.
Police are still trying to find additional suspects who helped forge the document and are currently in a deadlock. As a reward for cooperating during questioning, officers made an exeption and allowed Harpaz to receive two visits on Friday.
One of his visitors was his lawyer Yechiel Weinroth whom he was not allowed to see thus far. The other visitor was his wife, Meirav.
According to police evidence, others were involved in the forgery of the Galant document, including IDF officers. So far, Harpaz has failed to name names, despite being offered to turn state's evidence.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3945336,00.html