Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced this evening (Monday) the acting commander of the GLA in place of Galit Altstein: Dani Zakan, Globes’ political reporter.
Zaken is a senior journalist with extensive experience on various platforms. In recent years, he covered the political and military field in Globes, including defense industries, and also published a weekend column in the newspaper. Zaken reached the final list of candidates already in the committee that selected Or Chalkovnik, CEO of Radio 103.
With this, Galit Altstein, who served as station commander for the past year and a half in a temporary appointment, ends her term.
According to the Defense Minister’s announcement, Zaken will be appointed for six months, when in the coming weeks “an advisory committee will operate with the participation of media and public representatives that will recommend the station’s activity outline, including its location on the national communications map and defining the characteristics of the station commander’s position.”
Zaken (58) previously served in a variety of different journalistic positions on the B channel of the Voice of Israel, including the positions of reporter, editor, presenter and in managerial positions and also worked as an editor and presenter on the IDF radio. In addition, he served as the chairman of the Jerusalem Journalists’ Association, a member of the board of the International Journalists Association IFJ and currently a member of the Press Council plenary. An old man with a master’s degree in communications from the Hebrew University and a graduate of a program for outstanding journalists from the University of Michigan. In recent years, as mentioned, he worked mainly in Globes.
In his selection, the Minister of Defense chose not to follow the recommendation of the search committee to appoint Or Chalkovnik to the position. Tselkovnik was chosen by a committee, headed by Major General Amir Abulafia, whose members were also the retired judge Major General Ilan Schiff, Dr. Zohar Kadmon and the head of the ACA, Major General Yaniv Asor. As mentioned, the name of Danny Zaken came up in the committee and he even came in a very high place.