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Shmuel Zakai

 

 
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Shmuel Zakai
 
 
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Shmuel Zakai is an Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i Brigadier-General who was forcibly discharged from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in November 2004 by order of Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon.

Zakai resigned as commander of the IDF's Gaza
Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
 Division, a position he had held since March 2004 , after failing a polygraph
Polygraph

A polygraph is an instrument that measures and records several physiological responses such as blood pressure, pulse, Respiration breathing rhythms body temperature and Galvanic skin response while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions, on the theory that false answers will produce distinctive measurements....
 test during an investigation into leaks to the Israeli media during the "Days of Penitence
Operation Days of Penitence

Operation Days of Penitence was the name used by Israel to describe an Israel Defense Forces operation in the northern Gaza Strip, conducted between September 30, 2004 and October 16, 2004....
" operation in the northern Gaza Strip in October 2004 .






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Shmuel Zakai is an Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
i Brigadier-General who was forcibly discharged from the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in November 2004 by order of Chief of Staff Moshe Yaalon.

Zakai resigned as commander of the IDF's Gaza
Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Egypt on the south-west and Israel on the south, east and north....
 Division, a position he had held since March 2004 , after failing a polygraph
Polygraph

A polygraph is an instrument that measures and records several physiological responses such as blood pressure, pulse, Respiration breathing rhythms body temperature and Galvanic skin response while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions, on the theory that false answers will produce distinctive measurements....
 test during an investigation into leaks to the Israeli media during the "Days of Penitence
Operation Days of Penitence

Operation Days of Penitence was the name used by Israel to describe an Israel Defense Forces operation in the northern Gaza Strip, conducted between September 30, 2004 and October 16, 2004....
" operation in the northern Gaza Strip in October 2004 . Zakai was accused of leaking reports to the media that the IDF wanted to end the operation before the political echelon did. After resigning as head of the Gaza Division, Zakai was removed from the IDF altogether after 24 years of service, with Yaalon saying that his actions had constituted "an abandonment of a division during combat." He was replaced by Aviv Kochavi
Aviv Kochavi

Brigadier-General Aviv Kochavi is an Israel Defense Forces officer and currently the commander of the Gaza Division.In February 2006, he was due to visit United Kingdom to attend a course at the Royal College of Defence Studies, but pulled out after it was suggested that he might be charged with human rights....
, a former commander of the Paratroopers Brigade.

Zakai's brief tenure as head of the Gaza Division was marked by a dramatic increase in attacks on Palestinian areas, including "Operation Rainbow
Operation Rainbow

Operation Rainbow is a controversial military operation which began on May 18 2004 and ended on May 23 2004 in Rafah , the Gaza Strip. Israel's aim was to clear terrorism infrastructure, to find smuggling tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt, and to kill militants after the deaths of 13 Israeli soldiers in guerrilla warfare attacks....
" directed against Rafah
Rafah

File:Location Rhafa.pngRafah is a Palestinian people city in the southern Gaza Strip, but also extends into the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. Located south of Gaza, Rafah's population of 71,000 is overwhelmingly made up of Palestinian refugees....
 in southern Gaza (May 2004) and "Operation Days of Penitence" against the northern Gaza Strip (October 2004). Israeli and international observers argued that the IDF was employing 'scorched earth
Scorched earth

A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area....
' tactics in Gaza, including widespread destruction of Palestinian homes and agriculture, in preparation for the 'disengagement plan.'

Zakai's previous positions include:
  • 2002-2004: Commander, Edom (Elat) Division
  • 1999-2001: Commander, Golani
    Golani Brigade

    The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade which was formed on February 28, 1948 when the Levanoni Brigade in the upper Galilee was merged with the Carmeli Brigade to form the Golani Brigade....
     infantry brigade
  • 1998-1999: Commander, Hiram Formation (Northern Command)
  • 1995-1996: Battalion commander, IDF Officer's School
  • 1993-1994: Deputy commander, Hiram Formation
  • 1981-1994: Served various positions in Golani Brigade, up to battalion commander.


Zakai was reportedly close to Defense Minister and former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz
Shaul Mofaz

is the current Israeli Transportation Minister of Israel and a Deputy Prime Minister, and a former Defense Minister of Israel. Previously he was the 16th Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces, and was the second Israeli of a Mizrahi background to achieve that post....
, who promoted him to brigadier general before he attained a division command.

Zakai is a graduate of the IDF Staff College and has a degree in humanities from Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University

Tel Aviv University is a large, public university, located in Tel Aviv, Israel. As of 2006, the Tel Aviv University has a student population of 29,000....
.