Benny Gantz a limogé lundi soir le ministre des Communications Yoaz Hendel et le président de la commission des Affaires étrangères et de la Défense Tsvi Hauser. Dans sa lettre, Benny Gantz écrit notamment : « Hauser et Hendel ont choisi leur nouvelle maison politique et de ce fait, ils ne peuvent plus occuper de poste au nom de Bleu-Blanc ».
Le ministère des Communications sera assuré par Benny Gantz jusqu’à la nomination d’un remplaçant à Yoaz Hendel et il faudra nommer un nouveau président de la commission des Affaires étrangères et de la Défense. Yaïr Lapid a raillé les deux députés de Derekh Erets en faisant remarquer que Yoaz Hendel (1) et Tsvi Hauser ont adhéré à… leur cinquième parti successif depuis leurs entrée en politique ! « Un record israélien si ce n’est mondial », a écrit le chef de l’opposition. (lphinfo.com)
(1) Yoaz Hendel was born in Petah Tikva and raised in the Samaria settlement of Elkana. In 1993, he enlisted in the naval commando unit Shayetet 13.
Hendel completed his training in the unit and immediately went on to officers training. Upon his return to the unit, Hendel filled several positions, from team leader to combat company commander, and during his service, he took part in Operation Grapes of Wrath in southern Lebanon. Hendel was released from the army after six-and-a-half years, but he continued to fill other positions in the Israeli security establishment for several more years, until the age of 29, when he took a position in the Ministry of Defense dealing with the Second Intifada. Hendel is a unit commander in the reserves with the rank of lieutenant colonel, and he fought in the Second Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead.
Hendel received his academic degrees from Tel Aviv University’s History Department. After completing his MA studies, Hendel went on to study for a PhD in military history. His research resulted in a doctoral dissertation entitled ‘Intelligence Techniques in the Ancient World: From the Hasmonean Revolt to the Bar Kochba Revolt.’ The thesis advisors were professors Aharon Oppenheimer and Benjamin Isaac. Hendel continued his academic career as a research fellow at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University and published several studies focusing on Israeli intelligence, the Second Lebanon War, and guerrilla warfare tactics. From 2009–2013, he lectured on terrorism and guerrilla warfare at Bar-Ilan University’s Political Science Department.
Hendel started his journalistic career as a columnist at Yedioth Ahronoth, where he wrote weekly columns on politics, military, defense and society. In addition, Hendel was a military correspondent for Makor Rishon and also wrote for Maariv. Each week, he hosted two programs on Army Radio (Galey Zahal): ‘Security Zone’ and a current affairs program, ‘On the Other Hand’ with Nitzan Horowitz.
Hendel has written several books, two of which became bestsellers. His first book, Defeating Terror, was co-written with Professor Zaki Shalom. The book dealt with the Second Intifada and the war against terrorist organizations, and it won Moldovan Prize for Military Literature. Hendel then cowrote Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War with Yaakov Katz, which addressed the strategic battles and maneuvers between Israel and Iran during the Second Lebanon War. He then wrote a children’s book called Daddy Goes to Reserve Service, which seeks to introduce young children to the military component of Israeli society in an accessible manner. In addition, Hendel wrote In an Unsown Land: An Israeli Journey about Israeli society and its fault lines. Hendel’s fourth book, Israeli Hope, was cowritten with President Reuven Rivlin and addresses the controversy surrounding the president’s ‘Four Tribes’ speech.
In 2012 Hendel was awarded the title of ‘Knight of Quality Government’ by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel. A year later he received a social prize of excellence by Ometz. Hendel served as an executive member of HaShomer HaChadash, which engages in the protection of agricultural lands. He was also a member of several organizations including the public council of the Beit Hillel rabbinical association, SAHI and NATAL.
In January 2019 Hendel joined the Telem party led by former Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon. A month after it was founded, the party joined forces with Kahol Lavan (Blue and White), which was elected to the 21st Knesset as the second largest parliamentary group.
