A much overlooked piece of history is that, at the end of the day, often the fate of nations and the world is determined not just by a long list of complex geopolitical factors, but simply by people.
Possibly the most critical person at this tipping point in the history of Israel and the Middle East as a whole is newly knighted IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir.
His long résumé is impressive and has been discussed ad nauseam for the past six weeks. But what really makes him tick? The Jerusalem Post did some digging and spoke to two longtime close associates of Zamir – both former officers who worked with him in his beloved Armored Corps – to try to get some answers.
What will determine whether, when the weight of the entire country and the eyes of the entire world are fixed on him, he turns Right or Left? Falters or holds true to whatever mission he is pursuing? Defeats Hamas in a way that Israel has not fully done to date after 18 months of war, or gets Hamas to cut a deal returning the rest of the hostages – or somehow both, though those goals seem increasingly at odds – or gets bogged down in many of the same highly complicated challenges of leverage and legitimacy, domestically and globally, which have held back a knockout win until now? And will he be turned into a political tool, collide with the political class for not being “loyal” enough, or find a way to bridge the gaping divide between the mission of a general and a prime minister?
'We have always backed each other up'
Roni Marom is currently the head of the Mitzpe Ramon Local Council and has reached the rank of colonel in the Artillery Corps, serving for 24 years. He has been friends with Zamir for 59 years – meaning since their parents met when they were infants.
The Post spoke to Marom soon after Zamir was sworn in as the IDF chief on March 5. He said the two had spoken on March 3 and were in fairly regular touch.
“We have always backed each other up, standing shoulder to shoulder” in all situations, he said.
He said that Zamir has faced many challenges, but he always “held true to his values. No one could confuse him into turning the wrong way in this direction or another direction. He is not influenced by social pressure or this or that kind of populism” associated with politics.
“By holding true to his values, without doubt, he never brings into account personal bias or political calculations,” stated Marom.
“Eyal was not desperate to get the role of IDF chief. He is doing it because he was “called to serve the flag [the country], not to wield power. He understands his responsibility and the necessity of the hour."
In support of this proposition, the Post noted that Zamir was ready to move aside from his cushy post as director-general of the Defense Ministry when Israel Katz replaced Yoav Gallant as defense minister in early November 2024.
Marom responded, recounting that behind the scenes Zamir said to Katz: “Replace me and feel free to make your own personal appointment. I have finished this chapter of my life.” Katz ended up urging Zamir to stay on.
One reason that Marom and Zamir have kept in touch beyond their long history together is that Zamir loves to visit Mitzpe Ramon, where Marom lives.
He said Zamir “loves the quiet desert and being in nature, and combining the two.” The two periodically take hikes together.
A few years ago, the two hiked Mount Ardon, one of the hardest hikes in the canyon, even for younger adults, for around five hours.
He said that Zamir also loves camping and sleeping out in nature with a campfire, as well as other simple life pleasures.
Questioned about Zamir taking a political risk in weighing in on demanding haredim serve in the IDF soon and in real numbers in his inaugural speech, despite that not being the accepted policy of the government, Marom noted that both former IDF chief Herzi Halevi and Zamir articulated that message.
Marom said that what Halevi said at the March 5 IDF chief changeover ceremony was “respectful, fitting, and I loved it,” adding he also “loved what Eyal said.”
He agreed that “it was not trivial” that Zamir dared to broach the subject openly, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sitting next to where he was speaking.
“When it comes to carrying the burden of military service equally, he [Zamir] doesn’t make political calculations. He believes it is right [to integrate haredim into the IDF], and this is what he will do,” according to Marom.
Marom confirmed that if there was a return to war, he believed Zamir would be “more aggressive on the attack” than the IDF was under Halevi. “There will be major moves, which are lessons from October 7.”
Next, Marom was pressed that maybe someone apolitical like Zamir could not survive today’s polarized politics, where the political class no longer respects defense officials who get in their way, even if the defense official’s sole arguments relate to national security.
Responding, he stated, “Only someone who is not political can succeed” in the context of today’s polarized politics, and only “someone who is not political, who is a substantive and professional leader, can save Israeli society from” the spiraling problems it faces.
'A true leader'
YADIN YESHURUN served under Zamir in 1988 as a tank company commander for Brigade 500, which was absorbed into other units in 2003.
Zamir and Yeshurun worked together during two rounds of combat in Lebanon, with some altercations involving a nighttime ambush.
In one instance, they encountered enemy Lebanese fighters associated with Hezbollah, but in another instance, it was a different Lebanese faction. This was before Hezbollah had become the dominant military force in Lebanon.
According to Yeshurun, despite the high-level deadly pressure, “Eyal was a true leader in all of these situations. He always pressed to confront the enemy and with a professional strategic approach.
“All of the soldiers in the company loved him, and he always made sure to account for their needs,” he said.
Next, Yeshurun said that part of what set Zamir aside compared to other leaders was that he was always meticulous about “the small things, including discipline, presentation before the unit, upkeep of all of the tanks and other equipment, and alertness” for battle.
In Zamir’s view of the world, “there was no such thing as good enough. You were either at a stellar high level, or you weren’t” and couldn’t cut it in his system.
The whole IDF is now living in this system, with Zamir having sprung an unprecedented number of surprise drills on full commands around the country, including on outgoing OC Southern Command Yaron Finkelman days before he was to step down from his post.
Zamir also canceled a decades-long policy of “demama” (going to sleep) over the Jewish holidays in which most of the military would operate on holidays at half of its normal complement or less. Not so incidentally, this lack of forces was central to the IDF’s failure to block Hamas’s invasion on October 7.
Yeshrun said their unit did not lose, but, rather, inflicted losses on the enemy or destroyed the enemy.
Asked how Zamir liked to deliver his last-minute pre-operation instructions – a standard part of military combat life – he said Zamir was “very didactic, logical, and calm, never showing that he felt under pressure or worried, and always showing lots of confidence in his soldiers.
“This is who this man is – truly confident.”
Yeshurun said the two first met briefly when he was a more junior tank platoon commander (commanding three tanks), but that really they got to know each other more closely when he was promoted to be a tank company commander (commanding 11 tanks).
Their last contact was after Zamir was approved as the new IDF chief in mid-February and Yeshurun congratulated him, with the two exchanging text messages.
He said that the two really enjoyed reminiscing about the years, operations, and people they served together with in the Armored Corps.
How will Zamir handle politics? “For the jobs we did, politics wasn’t part of it. His only goals were always professionalism, completing the mission, and moving decisively to confront the enemy.”
Yeshurun granted that dealing with the political echelon as IDF chief is a whole new kind of challenge, but that “I trust him that he will always do the right thing.”
As Zamir confronts some of the messiest, deadliest, and fateful dilemmas in the latest showdown with Hamas, he will need all of the character, strategy, and confidence he can muster, while maintaining the government’s political support, to help Israel to move into being in a better place.
