Committee approves IDF chief appointment
Tirkel Committee, body that authorizes appointments to public service, finds no fault with Gabi Ashkenazi becoming next chief of staff. Next stop on way to being appointed: High Court petition and Cabinet vote
The Tirkel Committee authorized Monday the appointment of Gabi Ashkenazi to IDF chief of staff.
Now, after the committee concluded its work, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will bring Ashkenazi's appointment before the Cabinet to be authorized.
At this juncture, Ashkenazi's appointment can be brought before the Cabinet for authorization.
The committee is made up of four members, and Justice Tirkel gets the final say in the case of a tie. Before the appointment, Justice Tirkel said that the committee "will thoroughly examine Ashkenazi's candidacy."
Except for the High Court's decision, which is likely to delay appointment of the chief of staff, it seems as though the appointment has been approved.
Supreme Court President Dorit Beinish, Justice Ayala Prokachia, and Vice President Eliezer Rivlin are slated to decide whether the decision to appoint a chief of staff before the publication of the Winograd Commission's interim report is a reasonable decision.
Estimates are that the High Court will avoid deciding on this issue, and the appointment will be authorized.
The Tirkel Committee, which convened Sunday and Monday, held two meetings during which Ashkenazi's past was surveyed, and it was examined whether the appointment damages integrity.
During the two meetings, the committee also ensured that there is no conflict of interests in Ashkenazi's appointment. The committee decided not to delay the appointment until after the Winograd Commission's interim report is published.
