Shmuel Zakai ( he, שמואל זכאי; born 1963) is an Israeli
brigadier-general who was forcibly discharged from the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in November 2004 by order of chief of staff
Moshe Yaalon
Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon ( he, משה יעלון; born Moshe Smilansky on 24 June 1950) is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, who also served as Israel's Defense Minister under Benjamin Netanyahu from 20 ...
.
Zakai resigned as commander of the IDF's
Gaza Division, a position he had held since March 2004, after failing a
polygraph
A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked ...
test during an investigation into leaks to the Israeli media during the
Days of Penitence 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, a former commander of the
Paratroopers Brigade.
Zakai's previous positions include:
*2002–2004: Commander, Edom Division
*1999–2001: Commander,
Golani 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 ( he, שאול מופז; 4 November 1948) is a retired Israeli military officer and politician. He joined the Israel Defense Forces in 1966 and served in the Paratroopers Brigade. He fought in the Six-Day War, Yom Kippur War, 1982 Le ...
, 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 (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
.
References
Living people
Israeli generals
1963 births
Tel Aviv University alumni
People from Afula
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