Zohar Palti (born 1964) was head of the Political-Military Bureau at

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Ministry of Defense {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. He previously served as the head of the

Mossad Mossad ( , ), ; ar, الموساد, al-Mōsād, ; , short for ( he, המוסד למודיעין ולתפקידים מיוחדים, links=no), meaning 'Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations'. is the national intelligence agency ...

's intelligence directorate, as well as deputy head of the Research Division in the IDF Intelligence Corps at 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 ...

. Palti was born in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

and was raised in

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon ( he, רָמַת הַשָּׁרוֹן, ''lit.'' '' Sharon Heights'', ar, رمات هشارون) is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon t ...

, where he studied at the "Rutberg" High School. In 1982 he was drafted into the IDF Intelligence Corps. During his service, he served as an intelligence officer in the Golani Infantry Brigade, chief-of staff to then-deputy IDF chief of staff, Major General

Matan Vilnai Matan Vilnai ( he, מַתָּן וִילְנָאִי; born 20 May 1944) is an Israeli politician and a former major general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). A former Knesset member and government minister, he was appointed ambassador to Chin ...

, intelligence officer in the

Judea and Samaria Division The Israel Defense Forces 877th Judea and Samaria Division ( he, אוּגְדָּת אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן, ; also known as the West Bank Division) is a regional division in the Israeli Central Command. It is res ...

, and head of

Counter Terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...

arena in the IDF Intelligence Corps. In his final IDF posting, Palti served as deputy head of the Intelligence Corps' Research Division. In 2006, Palti began working at the Mossad intelligence agency at the request of then-director,

Meir Dagan Aluf (Major General) Meir Dagan ( he, מאיר דגן; 30 January 1945 – 17 March 2016) was an Israel Defense Forces Major General (reserve) and Director of the Mossad. Personal life and education Meir Huberman (later Dagan) was born on a tr ...

, who appointed him head of the Counter Terrorism division within the organization's intelligence branch. In 2010, he was appointed head of the Mossad's strategic research division. In 2011, he was appointed by then-director

Tamir Pardo Tamir Pardo ( he, תמיר פרדו; born 1953) is the former Director of the Mossad, taking over the role from Meir Dagan on January 1, 2011. The appointment was announced by Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 29, 2010. Biogr ...

as head of the intelligence directorate. Palti's tenure as head of the Mossad's intelligence directorate was characterized by Israel and its intelligence community facing a wave of threats and challenges including revolutions across the Arab world, the Syrian Civil War, and the

Iranian nuclear program The nuclear program of Iran is an ongoing scientific effort by Iran to research nuclear technology that can be used to make nuclear weapons. Iran has several research sites, two uranium mines, a Nuclear reactor technology, research reactor, an ...

. In 2016, Palti finished his tenure and went on to be a senior research fellow at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Belfer Center The Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, also known as the Belfer Center, is a research center located within the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, in the United States. From 2017 until his death in Oc ...

. In February 2017, a professional committee, chaired by Ministry of Defense Director General, Gen. (res.)

Udi Adam Aluf Ehud "Udi" Adam ( he, אהוד "אודי" אדם; born 22 January 1958) is a former general in the Israel Defense Forces and the former head of the Israeli Northern Command. Biography Adam was born in Tel Aviv to a Mountain Jewish family. ...

, recommended that Palti be selected to serve as head of the ministry's Political-Military Bureau. Minister of Defense

Avigdor Liberman Avigdor Lieberman (, ; russian: Эве́т Льво́вич Ли́берман, Evet Lvovich Liberman, ; born 5 June 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli politician serving as Ministry of Finance (Israel), Minister of Finance since 2021, having prev ...

approved the recommendation. Palti has BA and Executive MA in

Middle-Eastern studies Middle Eastern studies (sometimes referred to as Near Eastern studies) is a name given to a number of academic programs associated with the study of the history, culture, politics, economies, and geography of the Middle East, an area that is gene ...

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 ...

, with honorary distinction. He is a graduate of the

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

's Advanced Management program, and was a research fellow at the

Washington Institute for Near East Policy The Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP or TWI, also known simply as The Washington Institute) is a pro-Israel American think tank based in Washington, D.C., focused on the foreign policy of the United States in the Near East. WINE ...

Zohar Palti
Washington Institute for Near East Policy in Washington, DC. Palti was also a Reccanati-Kaplan senior fellow at Harvard's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Palti is married and has two children.

References

External links

* Amir Rapaport
Changes within the Ministry of Defense
Israel Defence, February 9, 2017 * Amos Harel
The Dramatic Moment When Israel Almost Struck Iran
Haaretz, March 24, 2022 {{DEFAULTSORT:Palti, Zohar 1964 births Living people Israeli Jews People of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) People of the Mossad