Yoni Chetboun
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Yonatan "Yoni" Chetboun ( he, יונתן "יוני" שטבון, born 13 March 1979) is an Israeli politician and a decorated officer 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 ...
(IDF) who currently serves as a
Lt. Col. Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
( Res.). He is also author of the book "Under Fire" (Hebrew: "Tahat Esh"). Chetboun served as a member of the
Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (with ...
, where he sat on the
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee ( he, ועדת חוץ וביטחון) is a permanent Knesset committee which oversees key Foreign and Defense issues of the State of Israel, including the drafting of legislation, supervision over rel ...
. During his active-duty service, the IDF awarded him the Chief of Staff Citation for actions taken during the
Second 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 ...
. Currently, he runs Kanaf Strategy, a strategic consulting firm for companies and public organizations. He also lectures worldwide on combating terrorism and decision-making under pressure.


Biography

Yonatan ("Yoni") Chetboun was born in
Nahariya Nahariya ( he, נַהֲרִיָּה, ar, نهاريا) is the northernmost coastal city in Israel. In it had a population of . Etymology Nahariya takes its name from the stream of Ga'aton (river is ''nahar'' in Hebrew), which bisects it. Hist ...
to French-Jewish parents, soon after they immigrated to Israel. His father, Dr. Israel Chetboun, is a senior cardiologist. His parents named him after
Yonatan Netanyahu Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu ( he, יונתן נתניהו; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976) was an American-born Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer who commanded the elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal during Operation Entebbe, an operation to rescu ...
. After his birth, his family moved to
Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...
, where he grew up and attended a
Bnei Akiva Bnei Akiva ( he, בְּנֵי עֲקִיבָא, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929. History B ...
yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...
high school. He holds a BA in government diplomacy and strategy, with honors, from the
Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Reichman University ( he, אוניברסיטת רייכמן) is Israel's only private university, located in Herzliya, Tel Aviv District. It was founded in 1994 as the IDC Herzliya private college, before being rebranded in 2021. It receives no ...
, and an MBA in business management from the
Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
.Knesset Member, Yoni Chetboun
Knesset, 27.02.2016
He currently lives in
Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...
, and is married to Ma'ayan, the daughter of Australian immigrants, with 8 children.


Military career

In 1998, Chetboun was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces and joined the
Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigade ...
. Eventually, he was selected for the Egoz elite unit,Yoni Chetboun: Candidate for the Jewish Home Party
Israel National News Hezki Baruch, 22.5.2012
which specializes in anti-terror and anti-guerilla operations. During his service, he completed the prestigious infantry officer course and served as a staff commander for Egoz during various anti-terror operations in
Lebanon 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 ...
, Gaza, and the
Israeli-occupied West Bank The Israeli occupation of the West Bank began on 7 June 1967, when Israeli forces captured and occupied the territory (including East Jerusalem), then occupied by Jordan, during the Six-Day War, and continues to the present day. The status of ...
. As part of
Operation Defensive Shield Operation "Defensive Shield" ( he, מִבְצָע חוֹמַת מָגֵן, ''Mivtza Homat Magen'', literally "Operation Shield Wall") was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in 2002 during the Second Intifada ...
, his unit was tasked with surrounding the Mukata’a, the office of
Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf al-Qudwa al-Husseini (4 / 24 August 1929 – 11 November 2004), popularly known as Yasser Arafat ( , ; ar, محمد ياسر عبد الرحمن عبد الرؤوف عرفات القدوة الحسيني, Mu ...
, then Chairman of the Palestinian Authority. Later, he became a company commander. He was an operations officer for Golani Battalion 51 at the time of the Second Lebanon War and saw action at the
Battle of Bint Jbeil The Battle of Bint Jbeil was one of the main battles of the 2006 Lebanon War. Bint Jbeil (, Bint Jubayl) is a major town of some 20,000 (mainly Shia) inhabitants in Southern Lebanon. Although Brig.-Gen. Gal Hirsch announced on 25 July that the ...
. One of the casualties of Bint Jbeil was Major
Roi Klein Roi Klein ( he, רועי קליין; ; (July 10, 1975—July 26, 2006) was an Israeli major in the Golani Brigade of the Israeli Defense Forces (and one of its most highly decorated soldiers) who died during the 2006 Lebanon War. Klein was kil ...
, a friend and commander of Chetboun's, who famously jumped on a grenade to save a number of soldiers on the battlefield. During the battle, Chetboun removed Klein's body from the battlefield and replaced him as commander. Chetboun was awarded the Chief of Staff citation for actions taken during Bint Jbeil. He was discharged from active duty in 2008, but continues to actively serve in the reserves as a Lieutenant Colonel (battalion commander).


Public activism

In 2009, Chetboun organized rallies in support of the IDF and the residents of southern Israel during
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 ...
. Chetboun believed that in the Second Lebanon War, a lack of public support hurt the soldiers he led, and this encouraged him to organize the rallies. In 2010, Chetboun founded the Ra'ananim Zionist youth movement. The organization was active in strengthening
Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...
and Jewish identity among Israeli youth. At this time, Chetboun also became a speaker for the IDF as well as schools, universities, and conferences, on the topics of leadership and decision making. He also began lecturing to congressmen about Israel's security and its place in the world order. In 2012, he joined the
Jewish Home The Jewish Home ( he, הַבַּיִת הַיְהוּדִי, HaBayit HaYehudi) is an Orthodox Jewish and religious Zionist political party in Israel. It was originally formed by a merger of the National Religious Party, Moledet, and Tkuma in N ...
party and was elected to the 7th spot on the party list. The party won 12 seats in the next elections, and Chetboun became a member of the 19th Knesset. On January 15, Chetboun announced he was running for mayor of
Netanya Netanya (also known as Natanya, he, נְתַנְיָה) is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Sharon plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between Poleg stream and Wingate I ...
in the municipal elections scheduled for October 30, 2018. He garnered 26.71% of the vote in the city, coming second in the race.


Political career

In the Knesset, Chetboun served as the Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and a member of Israel's delegation to
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
. He founded the Neighborhood Forum, which promoted local grassroots leadership. In light of increased immigration from France, he started the Lobby for the Absorption of French Immigrants in Israel. He also founded the Lobby for Standing Army and Reserve Soldiers. Chetboun passed a number of laws, including: * Consumer Protection Bill: The bill made supermarket chains honor the full value of food vouchers if they were used within five years. Previously, some chains would take a percentage off of the vouchers. * Higher Education Council Bill: The bill cancelled the rights to student benefits for those who avoid military service. During the 19th Knesset, a bill was proposed to enlist
ultra-Orthodox Jews Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
into the army. Chetboun led the fight within the coalition against the bill, and provided the only opposition vote. On March 11, 2014, the day before the vote, Chetboun gave a speech to the Knesset entitled "Love Your Neighbor as Yourself". During the speech, he said: On December 14, 2014, Chetboun left the Jewish Home party, and joined
Eli Yishai Eliyahu "Eli" Yishai ( he, אליהו "אלי" ישי, born 26 December 1962) is an Israeli politician. A former leader of Shas, he represented the party in the Knesset from 1996 until 2015, also holding several ministerial posts, including bein ...
's new Yachad party. He stressed his belief in the fact that the new party could bring unity between all sectors in Israel and provide support for the periphery. He was placed second on the party's list for the
2015 Israeli legislative election Early elections for the twentieth Knesset were held in Israel on 17 March 2015. Disagreements within the governing coalition, particularly over the budget and a "Jewish state" proposal, led to the dissolution of the government in December 2 ...
, but did not receive a seat in the 20th Knesset.


Business career

In 2011, Chetboun founded Kanaf Strategy, of which he is the executive director.Kanaf Strategy
official website
He give lectures to companies and public organizations around the world about Israeli security and decision-making under pressure.


Published works

In June 2016, Chetboun published a book in Hebrew titled Under Fire (Heb.: Tahat Esh) with Yediot Sfarim Publishing, one of the biggest publishing houses in Israel. The book recounts his experiences in the army, including stories from the field and reflection on the effects of service on his family life. It gives insight into the actions of Roi Klein and how Chetboun made decisions under fire in the battlefield. It also describes his ideas regarding Israeli security. The book is being translated into English and French with Gefen Publishing.


Views and opinions

In his book and lecturers, Chetboun outlines three key security concepts: # Ground maneuvers are still key in both symmetrical and asymmetrical warfare. Modern technology should be used to support ground forces on the battlefield, but should not replace them, so that enemy forces will feel the presence of a military force. # In order to defeat terrorism, active intelligence should be combined with infantry operations. Infantry must be able to enter densely-populated areas on a consistent basis. # Countries must possess a clear ideological concept, a belief in the justness of their cause and social-national resilience. The "people's army" model, according to which Israeli civilians from all walks of life participate in compulsory service and in the reserves, is proven to be particularly effective in times of tension. Soldiers can effectively fight for their home even when the leadership is hesitant or indecisive.MK Chetboun
‘A Country that Takes a Hit Must Respond’ Interview on Channel 2
Youtube


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chetboun, Yoni 1979 births People from Netanya Reichman University alumni The Jewish Home politicians Living people Israeli Orthodox Jews Israeli military personnel Members of the 19th Knesset (2013–2015) People from Nahariya Israeli people of Moroccan-Jewish descent