Aluf ''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. ...

Eyal Eizenberg ( he, איל איזנברג) (born 1963) is a former general in the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

; his last position was the head of IDF

Home Front Command The Home Front Command ( he, פיקוד העורף, ''Pikud HaOref'') is an Israel Defense Forces regional Command (military formation), command, created in February 1992 in response to the lessons of the Gulf War,Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

(IDF)

Gaza Division The Israel Defense Forces Gaza Division (Territorial), is subordinate to the Southern Regional Command. Its area of operation is the Gaza Strip and the area surrounding it. The division's commander is Brigadier-General Eliezer Toledano. The Gaz ...

during the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.

Military career

Eizenberg was born in

Kfar Bialik Kfar Bialik ( he, כְּפַר בְּיַאלִיק, , Bialik Village) is a moshav in northern Israel. Located near Kiryat Bialik, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The village was f ...

in 1963. He began his military service in the Israel Defense Forces in 1981, as a cadet in the

Israel Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defense ...

(IAF) Flight School. He did not complete his pilot training, and moved to the Air Force's Shaldag commando unit, where he became a

company A company, abbreviated as co., is a Legal personality, legal entity representing an association of people, whether Natural person, natural, Legal person, legal or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common p ...

commander. He then joined the

Givati Brigade The 84th "Givati" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גִּבְעָתִי, , "Hill Brigade" or "Highland Brigade") is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Until 2005, the Brigade used to be stationed within the Gaza Strip and primarily perf ...

as commander of the Brigade's

Samson's Foxes Samson's Foxes ( he, שועלי שמשון, ''Shu'alei Shimshon'') was an Israeli commando unit of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. It was part of the 54th Battalion (commanded by Zvi Zur) of the Givati Brigade. The unit participated in various batt ...

Reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

company, and later as the commander of its Shaked

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

. He returned to the Shaldag Unit as its commander, a post he held from 1996- 1999. He was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, and commanded the Eastern

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

Lebanon Liaison Unit Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

during Israel's

withdrawal Withdrawal means "an act of taking out" and may refer to: * Anchoresis (withdrawal from the world for religious or ethical reasons) * ''Coitus interruptus'' (the withdrawal method) * Drug withdrawal * Social withdrawal * Taking of money from a ban ...

from the security zone it held in Lebanon in 2000. Subsequently he commanded a reserve

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

brigade, before returning to Givati Brigade as its commander, in 2003-2005. He led the brigade during

Operation Days of Penitence In 2004 the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation "Days of Penitence" (Hebrew: מבצע ימי תשובה), otherwise known as Operation "Days of Repentance" in the northern Gaza Strip. The operation lasted between 29 September and 16 Octob ...

, and according to

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...

, he was one of the key Israeli decision-makers in the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

during

Operation Rainbow In 2004 the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Rainbow (Hebrew language, Hebrew: ''Mivtza Keshet Be-Anan'', מבצע קשת בענן) in the southern Gaza Strip from 12–24 May 2004, involving an invasion and siege of Rafah. The o ...

in May 2004. In November 2005 he assumed command of the

98th Paratroopers Division The 98th "HaEsh" Paratroopers Division, also known as the Fire Formation ( he, עֻצְבַּת הָאֵשׁ, ''Utzbat HaEsh''), is a reserve-service infantry division in the Israel Defense Forces. It is subordinate to the Central Regional Comm ...

, and led it during the

2006 Lebanon War The 2006 Lebanon War, also called the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War and known in Lebanon as the July War ( ar, حرب تموز, ''Ḥarb Tammūz'') and in Israel as the Second Lebanon War ( he, מלחמת לבנון השנייה, ''Milhemet Leva ...

. Though the performance of his division in the war was criticized by the

Winograd Commission The Winograd Commission ( he, ועדת וינוגרד; the commission's official name is הוועדה לבדיקת ארועי המערכה בלבנון 2006 – "The commission of inquiry into the events of military engagement in Lebanon 2006") is ...

, he was the only one of the four divisional commanders that participated in the war who continued to serve in the army after the war, advancing in the ranks. His appointment as commander of the Gaza Division was harshly criticized, due to the perceived failure of the division under his command in the Lebanon war. Eizenberg replaced Moshe Tamir as commander of the Gaza Division on 19 November 2008. The handing over of command was postponed due to a surge in tensions around Gaza. Eyal Eizenberg was reprimanded on February 2, 2010 for the authorization of an artillery attack which hit a UN compound in Tel El Hawa on. During the attack on 15 January 2009 the compound was set ablaze by white phosphorus shells.Goldstone report
Goldstone report, UNHRC, para. 543 The Israel Defense Forces did not say what form of discipline Eizenberg faces, but that he was accused of "exceeding his authority in a manner that jeopardised the lives of others" during the shelling of Tel al-Hawa during the

Operation Cast Lead Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

on January 15, 2009. On June 15, 2011, Eizenberg was appointed head of the

Home Front Command The Home Front Command ( he, פיקוד העורף, ''Pikud HaOref'') is an Israel Defense Forces regional Command (military formation), command, created in February 1992 in response to the lessons of the Gulf War,moshav A moshav ( he, מוֹשָׁב, plural ', lit. ''settlement, village'') is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists between 1904 an ...

in central Israel.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eizenberg, Eyal Israeli generals Gaza Strip Gaza–Israel conflict People of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict 1963 births Living people Israeli Jews Tel Aviv University alumni