Our guest today had a unique perspective on Israel’s challenges. He is retired Lieutenant General Dani Haloutz, the first and still only Air Force pilot to serve as the Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff, or Ramatkal, a command position usually set aside for Army generals.
Israel was born in battle, had to repulse an invasion on all fronts threatening to extinguish the young nation and relied on Infantry and Armor officers to be in over-all charge of its Air and Naval forces, too, rather than operate co-equal branches.
Haloutz, which is Hebrew for both pioneer and a football striker, was the first Air Force chief to be born in the new State of Israel, along with Air Force itself, in the summer of 1948. He flew F-4 Phantoms in the Wars of Attrition, Yom Kippur and Lebanon, in the process shooting down three Egyptian and Syrian Migs. General Haloutz, an innovative officer who also took part in the aborted “Lavie” fighter plane, was in charge of the IDF during almost back to back challenges, the withdrawal from Gaza and the Second Lebanon War. He was particularly close to Ariel Sharon and after retirement joined the center party Kadima Sharon formed when he left Likud, which he earlier helped estabish.
TV7 Israel Watchmen Talk
“I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, [which] shall never hold their peace day nor night” (Isaiah 62:6)
They are the men and women who have stood guard over Israel. When their countrymen slept, these Watchmen could be counted on to fight for Israel and its capital, Jerusalem, on its numerous fronts. Now, one by one, they are coming to TV7’s Jerusalem studio for in-depth interviews by TV7 Analyst and Host Amir Oren, a veteran observer of the Israeli - and global - defense and government scenes.
They will share their stories, insights and some revelations in a way sure to enlighten our viewers who are encouraged to keep these topics in prayer ~ Psalm 122.
