Israeli cabinet approves new army chief

JERUSALEM - The Israeli government approved the appointment of Major General Benny Ganz as Israel’s new army chief Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet, in its weekly session, unanimously voted in favour of the appointment.

Ganz got the job after a previous candidate, Yoav Galant, was disqualified at the last minute amid a private real estate scandal.

Deputy army chief of staff Ganz, 51, served as the commander of the West Bank division during the early years of the second Palestinian uprising against Israel in 2000.

He was appointed head of the Ground Forces Command in 2005, and also served as military attache in the US.

The initial nominee, Galant, stands accused of having seized public land adjacent to his own property, prompting Israel’s attorney general to object to his appointment for “ethical” reasons.