Chief of the General Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Herzi Galevi Photo: IDF press service
Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Gertzi Galevi is heading to the United States on Monday for a three-day official visit, the first and only one of his tenure, The Jerusalem Post reports.
Usually, IDF leaders visit Washington more often, but Galevi took office in January 2023 and immediately faced a series of crises. First, it was judicial reform in Israel, then large-scale military operations in the Gaza Strip in May 2023 and in Jenin in July. And in October, the general found himself at the centre of the fight against the Hamas invasion and fighting on several fronts simultaneously.
The fact that this is Galevi’s first visit as head of the IDF explains its three-day duration, whereas similar trips are usually limited to one or two days.
During the visit, Halevy will meet with leading officials of the Pentagon and the US Central Command (CENTCOM), as well as representatives of American Jewish organisations. The programme does not include a meeting with US President Donald Trump.
It is worth noting that in recent months, US military officials, including the heads of CENTCOM and the US Secretary of Defence, have visited Israel and held talks with Halevi on numerous occasions, given the ongoing war.
