The Historama
Alex Ben-Arieh
P.O.Box 32128
Tel Aviv, Israel 61321
Phone: +972-547-680-086
Fax: +972-3-546-1971


Commanders in the Israeli Military & Security Forces

MORE ON THIS PAGE:

Leaders & Personalities
Israeli Chiefs of Staff
Northern Command
Central Command
Southern Command
Air Force Commanders
Military Intelligence (Aman)
Directors of 'Mossad'
General Security Service
The Israeli Police

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This page is a brief gallery of personalities who commanded arms and services within the Israel Defence Forces, Security Forces and Police. The purpose of this section is to familiarize visitors with the names and diverse backgrounds of personalities who in most cases have lived with us far beyond their military careers.

The page will be in a state of development for some time while new elements are added and photographic biographies built up.


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Israeli Chiefs of the General Staff

1
2
3
4
Photo: Pearlman, p. 8 Photo: Pearlman, p. 10 Photo: Losin, p. 164 Photo: Allon, p. 233
Ya'akov Dori
Yigal Yadin
Mordechai Makleff
Moshe Dayan
16.6.47 - 9.11.49
9.11.49 - 7.12.52
7.12.52 - 6.12.53
6.12.53 - 29.1.58

5
6
7
8
Photo: Allon, p. 233 Photo: Landau Photo: Landau Photo: Landau
Chaim Laskov
Tzvi ("Chara") Tzur
Yitzhak Rabin
Chaim Bar-Lev
1958 - 1961
1961 - 1964
1964 - 1968
1968 - 1972

9
10
11
12
Photo: Landau Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman
David ("Dado") Elazar
Mordechai ("Motta") Gur
Rafael ("Raful") Eitan
Moshe Levy
1972 - 1974
1974 - 1978
1978 - 1983
1983 - 1987

13
14
15
16
Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman
Dan Shomron
Ehud ("Brug") Barak
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak
Shaul Mofaz
1987 - 1991
1991 - 1995
1995 - 1998
1998 - 2002

17
18
19
Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman Photo: IDF Spokesman
Moshe ("Boogie") Ya'alon
Dan Halutz
Gabi Ashkenazi
2002 - 2005
2005 - 2007
2007 -



Leaders of 'Northern Command'

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Gen. Moshe Carmel Aug. 1948 - Oct. 1949
2. Gen. Yosef Avidar Oct. 1949 - May 1952
3. Gen. Moshe Dayan June 1952 - Dec. 1952
4. Col. Asaf Simchoni Dec. 1952 - Jan. 1956
5. Gen. Moshe Tsadok Feb. 1956 - Apr. 1956
6. Gen. Yitzhak Rabin Apr. 1956 - Apr. 1959
7. Gen. Meir Zorea Apr. 1959 - June 1962
8. Gen. Avraham Yofi June 1962 - Oct. 1964
9. Gen. David ("Dado") Elazar Nov. 1964 - Dec. 1969
10. Gen. Mordechai ("Motta") Gur Dec. 1969 - June 1972
11. Gen. Yitzhak ("Chaka") Hofi June 1972 - Jan. 1974
12. Gen. Mordechai ("Motta") Gur Jan. 1974 - Apr. 1974
13. Gen. Rafael ("Raful") Eitan Apr. 1974 - Aug. 1978
14. Gen. Avigdor ("Yanush") Ben-Gal Aug. 1978 - Sept. 1981
15. Gen. Amir Drori Sept. 1981 - Oct. 1983
16. Gen. Ori Orr Oct. 1983 - June 1986
17. Gen. Yosi Peled June 1986 - Apr. 1991
18. Gen. Yitzhak Mordechai Apr. 1991 - Dec. 1994
19. Gen. Amiram Levine Dec. 1994 - July 1998
20. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi July 1998 - 2002
21. Gen. Benny Ganz 2002



Leaders of 'Central Command'

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Gen. Tsvi Ayalon 1948-52
2. Gen. Yosef Avidar 1952-53
3. Gen. Tsvi Ayalon 1954-56
4. Gen. Tsvi Tsur 1956-58 future CGS
5. Gen. Meir Amit 1958-59 formed Chief of Southern Command; future Director of the Mossad
6. Gen. Yosi Geva 1960-66
7. Gen. Uzi Narkis 1966-68
8. Gen. Rechavam ("Gandhi") Ze'evi 1968-72
9. Gen. Yona Efrat 1973-77
10. Gen. Moshe Levy 1977-81 future CGS
11. Gen. Ori Orr 1981-83
12. Gen. Amnon Lipkin-Shachak 1983-86 future CGS
13. Gen. Ehud ("Brug") Barak 1986-87 future CGS and Prime Minister; Israel's most decorated soldier
14. Gen. Amram Mitznah 1987-89 future Mayor of Haifa, leader of the Labor Party and Member of Knesset
15. Gen. Yitzhak Mordechai 1989-91
16. Gen. Danny Yatom 1991-93 future Director of the Mossad and Member of Knesset
17. Gen. Nechemia Tamari 1993-94 killed in helicopter crash
18. Gen. Danny Yatom 1994 fill-in
19. Gen. Ilan Biran 1994-95
20. Gen. Uzi Dayan 1996-98 future Deputy CGS and head of the National Security Council
21. Gen. Moshe ("Boogie") Ya'alon 1998-2000 future CGS
22. Gen. Yitzhak Eitan 2000-02
23. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky 2002-04 former military secretary to the Prime Minister; current Deputy CGS
24. Gen. Yair Naveh 2004-



Leaders of 'Southern Command'

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Gen. Yigal Alon 1948-49
2. Lt.-Col. Yitzhak Rabin 1949 fill-in
3. Gen. Moshe Dayan 1949-51 future CGS and Minister of Defense
4. Gen. Moshe Tsadok 1951-54
5. Gen. Meir Amit 1955-56 future Director of the Mossad
6. Gen. Asaf Simchoni 1956 killed in air-crash during Sinai Campaign
7. Gen. Chaim Laskov 1956-58 future CGS
8. Gen. Chaim Herzog 1958 future President of Israel
9. Gen. Avraham Yoffi 1958-62
10. Gen. Tsvi Zamir 1962-64 future Director of the Mossad
11. Gen. Yeshayahu Gavish 1965-69
12. Gen. Ariel ("Arik") Sharon 1969-73 future Prime Minister
13. Gen. Shmuel Gonen ("Gorodish") 1973
14. Lieut.-Gen. Chaim Bar-Lev 1973 former CGS temporarily in command during the war
15. Gen. Israel ("Talik") Tal 1973-74 former deputy CGS during 1973 war and father of the Merkava tank
16. Gen. Avraham ("Bren") Adan 1974
17. Gen. Yekutiel ("Kuti") Adam 1974-76 future Deputy CGS; killed in action in Lebanon
18. Gen. Hertzl Shapir 1976-78
19. Gen. Dan Shomron 1978-82 future CGS
20. Gen. Chaim Erez 1982-83
21. Gen. Moshe ("Bril") Bar-Kochba 1983-86
22. Gen. Uri Sagi 1986
23. Gen. Yitzhak Mordechai 1986-89 former Minister of Defense
24. Gen. Matan Vilna'i 1989-94
25. Gen. Shaul Mofaz 1994-96 future CGS and Minister of Defense
26. Gen. Shlomo Yannai 1996-97
27. Gen. Yom-Tov Samia 1997-2000
28. Gen. Doron Almog 2000-03
29. Gen. Dan Harel 2003-05
30. Gen. Yoav Galant 2005- former military secretary to the Prime Minister



Commanders of the Air Force

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Israel Amir Nov. 1947 - July 1948
2. Aharon Remez July 1948 - Dec. 1950
3. Shlomo Shamir Dec. 1950 - Aug. 1951
4. Chaim Laskov Aug. 1951 - May 1953 Future Chief of the General Staff
5. Dan Tolkovsky May 1953 - July 1958
6. Ezer Weizmann July 1958 - April 1966 future President of Israel
7. Mordechai ("Motti") Hod April 1966 - May 1973
8. Benny Peled May 1973 - Oct. 1977
9. David Ivri Oct. 1977 - Dec. 1982
10. Amos Lapidot Dec. 1982 - Sept. 1987
11. Aviyahu Bin-Nun Sept. 1987 - Jan. 1992
12. Herzl Bodinger Jan. 1992 - July 1996
13. Eitan Ben-Eliyahu July 1996 - April 2000
14. Dan Halutz April 2000 - April 2004 Current Chief of the General Staff
15. Eliezer Shakedi April 2004 -



Leaders of 'Military Intelligence' (Aman)

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Isser Be'eri 1948-1949
2. Col. Chaim Herzog 1949-1950
3. Col. Binyamin Gibli 1950-1955
4. Maj. Gen. Yehoshafat Harkabi 1955-1959
5. Maj. Gen. Chaim Herzog 1959-1962
6. Maj. Gen. Meir Amit 1962-1963
7. Maj. Gen. Aharon Yariv 1964-1972
8. Maj. Gen. Eliahu Zeira 1972-1974
9. Maj. Gen. Shlomo Gazit 1974-1978
10. Maj. Gen. Yehoshua Saguy 1979-1983
11. Maj. Gen. Ehud Barak 1983-1985
12. Maj. Gen. Amnon Lipkin-Shahak 1986-1991
13. Maj. Gen. Uri Saguy 1991-1995
14. Maj. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon 1995-
15. Amos Malka
16. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash
17. Amos Yadlin 2006-



Directors of 'Mossad'

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Boris Guriel 1948 - 1 Sept. 1951 Head of the Political Department of the Foreign Ministry
2. Reuven Shiloah 1 Sept. 1951 - 1952 First director of the Mossad
3. Isser Harel 1952 - 1963
4. Meir Amit 1963 - 1968 Former chief of Central and Southern Commands, and Military Intelligence
5. Zvi Zamir 1968 - 1974
6. Yitzhak ('Chaka') Hofi 1974 - 1982 Former chief of Northern Command
7. Nahum Admoni 1982 - 1990
8. Shabtai Shavit 1990 - 1996
9. Danny Yatom 1996 - 1998 Former chief of Central Command
10. Efraim Halevy 1998 - 2003
11. Meir Dagan 2003 -



Chiefs of the General Security Service ('Shin Bet' / 'Shabak')

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Iser Harel 1948 - 1952
2. Izi Dorot 1952 - 1953
3. Amos Manor 1953 - 1963
4. Yosef Harmelin 1964 - 1974
5. Avraham Achitov 1974 - 1981
6. Avraham Shalom 1981 - 1986
7. Yosef Harmelin 1986 - 1988
8. Ya'akov Peri 1988 - 1994
9. Carmi Gillon 1995 - 1996
10. Ami Ayalon 1996 - 2000
11. Avi Dichter 2000 - 2005
12. Yuval Diskin 2005 -



Commanders of the Israeli Police

# Name Dates of Command Notes
1. Yechezkel Sahar 14 May 1948 - 31 May 1958
2. Yosef Nachmias 10 June 1958 - 31 May 1964
3. Pinchas Kopel 1 June 1964 - 31 July 1972
4. Aharon Sela 1 Aug. 1972 - 23 Sept. 1972
5. Shaul Rozolio 1 Nov. 1972 - 30 Dec. 1976
6. Chaim Tavori 31 Dec. 1976 - 31 Dec. 1979
7. Herzl Shapir 1 Jan. 1980 - 31 Dec. 1980
8. Aryeh Ivtzan 5 Jan. 1981 - 31 Mar. 1985
9. David Krauss 1 Apr. 1985 - 31 Mar. 1990
10. Ya'akov Terner 1 Apr. 1990 - 31 Mar. 1993
11. Rafi Peled 1 Apr. 1993 - 30 Apr. 1994
12. Assaf Hefetz 1 May 1994 - 31 Dec. 1997
13. Yehuda Wilk 1 Jan. 1998 - 31 Dec. 2000
14. Shlomo Aharonishki 1 Jan. 2001 - 1 Aug. 2004
15. Moshe Karadi Aug. 2004 -


Sources:

Alon, Yigal; 'Shield of David'; Weidenfeld and Nicolson, London, 1970.
Cull, Brian, Shlomo Aloni and David Nicolle; 'Spitfires Over Israel'; Grub Street, London.
Deacon, Richard; 'The Israeli Secret Service'; Sphere Books Ltd., London, 1979.
Herzog, Chaim; 'The Arab-Israeli Wars'; Random House, New York, 1982.
Pearlman, Moshe; 'The Army of Israel'; Philosophical Library, New York, 1950.
Steven, Stewart; 'The Spymasters of Israel'; Ballantine Books, New York, 1980.