Avigdor Kahalani

Tat Aluf Avigdor Kahalani
Kahalani receiving the Medal of Valor (1975)
Minister of Internal Security
In office 18 June 1996 – 6 July 1999
Prime Minister	Benjamin Netanyahu
Preceded by	Moshe Shahal
Succeeded by	Shlomo Ben-Ami
Member of theKnesset
In office 23 June 1992 – 17 May 1999
Personal details
Born	(1944-06-16)16 June 1944 Ness Ziona,israel
Political party	Third Way
Military service
Allegiance	Israel
Years of service	1962–1992
Rank	Brigadier General
Commands	77 Battalion 7th Armored Brigade 36th Division
Battles/wars	Six-Day War Yom Kippur War
Awards	Medal of Valor Distinguished Service Medal President's Medal

Tat Aluf(Brigadier General)Avigdor Kahalani(Hebrew:אביגדור קהלני,born 16 June 1944) is a former Israeli soldier and politician.

Early life

Avigdor Kahalani was born inNess Zionaduring theMandate era.His parents, Moshe and Sarah Kahalani, wereYemenite-Jewishimmigrants originally fromSana'a.

Kahalani studied mechanics at theORT SchoolinJaffa.He gained aB.A.in History fromTel Aviv Universityand anM.A.in Political Science fromHaifa University.He also attended theCommand and General Staff CollegeatFort Leavenworth,Kansas,and graduated from Israel's National Defense College.

Military career

Kahalani during the Yom Kippur War

Kahalani was conscripted into theIsrael Defense Forces(IDF) in 1962, and joined the7th Brigadeof theIDF Armored Corps.He started as a regular soldier, but later completed a tank commander's course with honors. He then completed an officer's course with honors atBahad 1,and became a career officer in the IDF. In 1964, he was part of an IDF delegation toWest Germanyto receive the IDF's firstM48 Pattontanks.

During theSix-Day War,Kahalani commanded a company of Patton tanks from the 79th Battalion. He was awarded theMedal of Distinguished Servicefor his service during the war, where he was badly wounded when his M-48 Patton caught fire.

When theYom Kippur Warbroke out in 1973, Kahalani was a 29-year-oldlieutenant coloneland battalion commander. He served as commander of theCenturion-equipped 77th Armored Battalion of the 7th Brigade on theGolan Heights.Kahalani's battalion – along with other elements of the 7th Armored Brigade – engaged in fierce defensive fighting against a vastly superiorSyrianmechanizedforce of more than 50,000 men and 1,200tanks.The battle proved to be one of the turning points of the war. After the war, the valley where it took place was littered with hundreds of destroyed and abandoned Syrian tanks and was renamed "Emek Ha-Bacha" ( "Valley of Tears"). For his actions, Kahalani was awarded the highest Israeli military decoration, theMedal of Valor.

Political career

After leaving the IDF, Kahalani made his way into politics. He served as Deputy Mayor ofTel Aviv,and was elected to the Knesset as a member of theLabor Partyin the1992 election.He served on the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense and the Education and Culture Committees. He was active in the Committee for the Rescue of Jews from Yemen and Chairman of the Golan Lobby in the Knesset, and was chairman of the Friends of LIBI Foundation and president of the Israeli Association for Drug Rehabilitation. He was a candidate in the1993 Tel Aviv mayoral election,finishing second toRoni Milowith 42.5% of the vote.

During the Knesset session, Kahalani broke away from the Labor Party and foundedThe Third WaywithEmanuel Zisman.The new party won four seats in the1996 elections,and joinedBenjamin Netanyahu's coalition, with Kahalani madeMinister of Internal Security.However, in the1999 electionsthe party failed to cross theelectoral thresholdand Kahalani lost his seat.

He later joinedLikud,and was placed 43rd on the party's list for the2003 elections,but missed out on a seat when the party won only 38.

From 2007 to 2015, Kahalani served as chairman of theAssociation for Wellbeing of Israeli Soldiers.

In 2023 he was chosen to light atorchat the beacon lighting ceremony onMount Herzlon the occasion of the 75th year of the State of Israel.

Published works

• The Heights of Courage: A Tank Leader's War on the Golan(1975)
• A Warrior's Way(1989)

External links

• Avigdor Kahalanion the Knesset website