Retired IDF brigadier general Avriel Bar-Yosef (GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday announced the appointment of Avriel Bar-Yosef as his national security adviser.
Bar-Yosef, 61, a retired IDF brigadier general, will be director of the National Security Council, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. He served as deputy director of the NSC from 2009 until last year.
He served in the IDF for 25 years, and has also held the post of director of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He’ll replace Yossi Cohen, who was appointed head of the Mossad in December and took the reins of the spy agency in January
Netanyahu praised the nominee, saying in a statement that Bar-Yosef has “long and rich security and political experience, both in the IDF and the NSC. Given the complex challenges we face, I am convinced that as head of the NSC he will be able to utilize his experience and skills to the benefit of Israel’s security.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (center) with outgoing Mossad director Tamir Pardo (right) and incoming director Yossi Cohen, at a ceremony for the newly appointed Mossad head, in Tel Aviv, on January 6, 2016. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Bar-Yosef said of his appointment: “I thank the prime minister for his confidence in me. I am mindful of the responsibilities and challenges we face. I will do whatever is necessary to succeed in my post, for the sake of the State of Israel.”
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Education Minister Naftali Bennett welcomed Bar-Yosef’s nomination, saying his experience “will be an asset for the defense establishment at this time.”
“This period is fraught with challenges that require creativity and adaptability,” Bennett said.
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