Maj. Gen. Mordechai (Motta) Gur was named Israel’s new Chief of Staff today, effective at midnight. He was simultaneously promoted to the rank of Lt. Gen. The 44-year-old Jerusalem-born career army officer was serving as Israel’s military attache in Washington when the Yom Kippur War broke out last Oct. 6 and headed the Israeli delegation at the opening of the Middle East peace talks in Geneva last Dec. He has since been commander of the northern front covering the borders with Syria and Lebanon.
Gur was recommended for Chief of Staff by Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and was approved by the care-taker Cabinet at its session today. He succeeds Lt. Gen. David Elazar who resigned following release of the Agranat Committee’s partial report which held him responsible for Israel’s lack of preparedness on the eve of the war.
Cabinet Secretary Michael Arnon Indicated that approval of Gur was preceded by a lengthy debate but would give no details. He said that part of the weekly Cabinet session was classified as a ministerial security committee, meeting and therefore secret. Gen. Yitzhak Hofi. who has been serving as Acting Chief of Staff since Elazar resigned two weeks ago, is expected to resume his former post as chief of operations at general headquarters.
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