Yaakov Amidror

Yaakov Amidror (Hebrew: יעקב עמידרור‎; born 15 May 1948) is a former major general and National Security Advisor of Israel, and was also the head of the Research Department of Israeli military intelligence. Today, he is the Anne and Greg Rosshandler Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, a leading security think tank.

Yaakov Amidror in 2009

Amidror was born in Yad Eliyahu, Israel, on the day after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. His father, Leo, had enlisted in the British Army during World War II, and spent five years in German captivity after being taken prisoner in Greece. His mother, Tzila, was an Irgun member, active in the organization's finance department, who had been arrested by the British in 1941, and incarcerated at the Bethlehem Women's Prison.[1][2]

Amidror was drafted into the Israeli Defense Forces in 1966. He opposely as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade. He served as a soldier and a squad leader, and fought in the Gaza Strip during the Six-Day War.[3] He became an infantry officer after completing Officer Candidate School and returned to the Paratroopers Brigade as a platoon leader. Afterwards he transferred to the Military Intelligence Directorate and served in various positions such as a regional brigade Intelligence officer during the War of Attrition, the 162nd Division Intelligence officer during the Yom Kippur War, the Northern Command Intelligence officer, and as the head of the Research Department. Amidror was considered a candidate to lead the Military Intelligence Directorate, but he was passed over after he controversially referred to non-religious Israelis as "Hebrew-speaking gentiles". Instead, he became president of Israel's National Defense College before retiring from his military career in 2002.[1][4]

Amidror was selected to draw up the list of candidates for the Religious Zionist The Jewish Home party in the lead-up to the elections for the 18th Knesset. Amidror became enmeshed in internecine fighting within the party, and with competing right-wing factions. He clashed particularly with MK Uri Ariel, calling him a "liar" and a "cheater".[5][6]

He was appointed to lead Israel's National Security Council in May 2011[7] and held the position until November 2013.

As Israel's national security advisor, he participated in high-level talks with U.S. officials about the Iranian nuclear program and led efforts to restore relations with Turkey after the Gaza flotilla raid incident.[8][9]

Amidror is considered a hawk on security matters. He wrote an op-ed in the New York Times opposing the Geneva interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.[10] However, he has also warned privately that Israel's settlement policy was isolating it from the international community.[11]

In 2014, Amidror joined the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies. In 2017, he became the Anne and Greg Rosshandler Senior Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies.

In 2016, Amidror chaired an official panel charged with providing recommendations to improve the functioning of Israel's National Security Council and cabinet ministers during wartime.[12]

In June 2020, Amidror cautioned against Netanyahu's plan to annex portions of the West Bank.[13]

References
  1. Avi Benayahu (26 November 2013). "The Man Who's Not Afraid to Go Against the Flow". The Post (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  2. http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/history/hayom/5-2.htm
  3. Yaakov Amidror, The Risks of Foreign Peacekeeping Forces in the West Bank, the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 2014.
  4. Attila Somfalvi (9 March 2011). "Amidror new national security advisor". Ynetnews. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  5. Mordechai Gilat and Uzi Dayan (14 January 2009). "Burn the House". Israel Today (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 December 2013.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  6. Nadav Shragai (25 December 2008). "At Habayit Hayehudi, ideology is one thing - and politics is quite another". Haaretz. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  7. Barak Ravid (9 March 2011). "Netanyahu appoints new national security adviser, Ya'akov Amidror Israel News". Haaretz. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  8. Aaron Kalman (23 June 2013). "Netanyahu's top security adviser set to quit after bust-up". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  9. Michal Shmulovich (6 May 2013). "Turkey and Israel close in on reconciliation deal". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  10. Yaakov Amidror (27 November 2013). "A Most Dangerous Deal". New York Times. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  11. "Yaakov Amidror is said to be concerned over Israel's growing isolation". United Press International. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
  12. Tuchfeld, Mati (20 December 2016). "New advisory body to offer cabinet routine security briefings – Israel Hayom". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  13. "Retired IDF general raises concerns over West Bank annexation". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
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