Aluf

Aluf

Aluf is the term used for General and Admiral in the Israel Defense Forces . In addition to the Aluf rank itself, there are four other ranks which are derivatives of the word...

 Gadi Eizenkot (born May 19, 1960) is a Major-General in the Israel Defense Forces

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

.

After joining the IDF Eizenkot was assigned to the Golani Brigade

Golani Brigade

The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...

, which he himself would eventually command from 1997-8. During that time he received a B.A. in History from Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University is a public university located in Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel. With nearly 30,000 students, TAU is Israel's largest university.-History:...

 and attended the US Army and Security Studies course.

In 1999 Eizenkot was selected to be the Military Secretary for the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense under then Prime Minister Ehud Barak

Ehud Barak

Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....

. Since then he has commanded the 366th Division

366th Division (IDF)

thumb|right|320px|Structure 366th Armor Division The Israel Defense Forces 366th Armored Division, also known as the "Pillar of Fire" - Units :* 460th "Bnei Or"/"Sons of Light" Armored Training Brigade* 84th "Giv'ati" Infantry Brigade...

 and the West Bank Division

West Bank Division

The Israel Defense Forces Judea and Samaria Division is a regional division in the Israeli Central Command responsible for Israeli military activity in Judea and Samaria....

. He was promoted to head of Israeli Operations Directorate

Israeli Operations Directorate

The Israeli Operations Directorate is a branch in the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, established in 1999, and alongside the regional commands, the Air Force and Sea corps and General Staff directorates, is responsible in planning for the exercising of military force...

 in June 2005.

After Maj. Gen. Udi Adam

Udi Adam

Aluf Ehud "Udi" Adam was a General in the Israel Defense Forces and the former head of the Israeli Northern Command. Adam has received a B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Bar Ilan University and later studied at the School for War Studies in Paris, where he received a M.A. in Strategic Studies...

 resigned in October 2006 amid criticism over his conduct in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict

The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War #Other uses|Tammūz]]) and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War , was a 34-day military conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. The principal parties were Hezbollah...

, Eizenkot replaced him as head of the Northern Command.

On July 11, 2011, the position was transferred to Major-General Yair Golan

Yair Golan

Aluf Yair Golan is a general in the Israel Defense Forces and currently the head of Israeli Northern Command.-Timeline of career:*1980: enlisted in the Paratroopers Brigade...

, and Eizenkot went on vacation in order to serve as a research fellow in an Israeli think tank, to return as deputy chief of General Staff in place of Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh

Yair Naveh

Yair Naveh is a Major General in the Israel Defense Forces and is the current Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In 1975, he was drafted into the IDF where he served in all positions in the Golani Infantry Brigade from Company Commander to Brigade Commander...

. In 2014 Eizenkot and Naveh will compete to become the 21st Chief of General Staff.

Strategic vision

Eisenkot is credited with being the most prominent exponent of the Dahiya doctrine

Dahiya doctrine

The Dahiya doctrine is a military strategy put forth by the Israeli general Gadi Eizenkot that pertains to asymmetric warfare in an urban setting, in which the army deliberately targets civilian infrastructure, as a means of inducing suffering for the civilian population, thereby establishing...

 (sometimes spelled as Dahieh

Dahieh

Dahieh -2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict:On July 13, 2006, Israeli jets dropped leaflets over Dahieh warning residents to evacuate the area before carpet-bombing the neighborhood to rubble. However, not everyone managed to flee the town, and those who did escape became refugees within the mainland...

 or Dahiyeh), a defense strategy of Israel

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 under which "Israel finally realizes that Arabs should be accountable for their leaders' acts" It is named after a Hizbullah stronghold in Beirut that Israel flattened from the air in the 34-day Second Lebanon War. He expressed the doctrine's premise as follows: "What happened in the Dahiya quarter of Beirut in 2006 will happen in every village from which Israel is fired on. [...] We will apply disproportionate force on it and cause great damage and destruction there. From our standpoint, these are not civilian villages, they are military bases. [...] This is not a recommendation. This is a plan. And it has been approved. There would be no mercy shown "when it comes to hitting the national infrastructure of a state that, in practice, is controlled by Hizbullah...."