Shlomo Gazit


Shlomo Gazit is a retired Israeli military officer and academic. A former Major General in the Israel Defense Forces, he headed Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate. He later served as President of Ben-Gurion University and head of the Jewish Agency.

Biography

Shlomo Weinstein was born in Istanbul, Turkey, to a Ukrainian Jewish family which later moved to Palestine. His older brother was Mordechai Gazit.
In 1942, while still in high school, he joined the Haganah, and the Palmach in 1944. He was assigned to Company H. He was initially based in Kiryat Anavim. He passed a commander's course and was appointed a platoon leader, serving in the Ramat HaKovesh and Givat HaShlosha areas. He participated in the Night of the Bridges and the Night of the Trains.

Military career

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Gazit served in the Harel Brigade, and initially took part in fighting the Arab Legion, participating in the Battles of Latrun. He later took part in Operation Yoav.
He served as the head of the assessment department in IDF intelligence before the Six-Day War, but then took leave to study for a master's degree in history. Gazit's studies were interrupted in the summer of 1967, when he was appointed by Defense Minister Moshe Dayan to be in charge of a committee tasked with running the political, security, and later economic affairs in the newly captured territories. This group would later be renamed "The Unit for the Coordination of Operations in the Territories".
After seven years, Gazit was promoted to head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, a position he held from 1974 to 1978.

Academic career

Upon his retirement from the IDF, he served as President of the Ben Gurion University in Beersheba for two four-year terms, following Yosef Tekoah. In 1985, he was followed by President Chaim Elata. Since 1988 he is a member of the staff of Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at the Tel Aviv University.

Published works