Amnon Lipkin-Shahak

AMNON LIPKIN-SHAHAK
OFFICIAL MEDAL 2014/5774
Fourteenth in the “CHIEFS OF STAFF OF THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES" SERIES

Lieutenant General Amnon Lipkin-Shahak will be recorded in history as one of the greatest and heroic military commanders of Israel, who dedicated his life to the security of Israel. In battle under fire, he was a man of outstanding courage, while at the same time, a leader in the war for peace. Admired for his amiable character and recognized for his exceptional wisdom and honesty, he was highly trusted and the person people approached for advice.

He was born in 1944 in Tel Aviv to the Lipkin Family, who had settled in Hebron. His great-grandfather, Yitzhak Lipkin, left the family home in Hebron for Jerusalem and established some of the first Jewish neighborhoods outside the walls of the Old City.

In 1962, following completion of his studies at the Military Boarding Reali School of Haifa, Lipkin-Shahak enlisted to Brigade 35 of the Israel Defense Forces, the Paratroopers Brigade.

He fulfilled all the commanding roles in the Paratroopers Brigade, from Squad Leader to Commander of the Brigade, in 1977. He commanded the Duchifat and Nahal Airborne Paratrooper Battalions, served as Officer of the Operations Branch of the Central Command and led scores of operations beyond the borders of Israel. He took part in the Six Day War in the Golan Heights and in the Yom Kippur War in the defensive battles in Sinai and the Battle of the "Chinese Farm".

He was decorated with two Medals of Valor for his courage and leadership under fire, in the Battle of Karameh in Jordan (1968) and Operation Aviv Ne'urim" in Beirut (1973).

In 1981, Lipkin-Shahak joined the Armored Corps. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and appointed Commander of a Reservist Armored Division. In October 1982, he took command of the Regular Division and served as Commander of the IDF troops in Beirut and the Chouf Mountains in Lebanon. In September 1983, he was promoted to Major General and appointed Head of the Central Command.

In 1986, he was appointed Head of the Intelligence of the General Staff, a role which he held for five years. Following this, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff. In 1991, he planned and headed "Operation Solomon" to bring the Jews of Ethiopia to Israel. He was also appointed by the Prime Minister and Defense Minister as Chief of the Security Team in drafting the Gaza-Jericho Agreement with the Palestinians, as part of the Oslo Accords.

On January 1, 1995, Lipkin-Shahak was appointed by the late Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin as the fifteenth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. During his office as Chief of Staff, he was engaged in the ongoing security in Judah and Samaria, both along and within its borders, the advancement of women in the IDF, as well as adapting the nature of the fighting against the terrorist organizations in Lebanon.

In July 1998, he concluded his term of office and retired from the IDF, after 36 years of service.

After his retirement, he became one of the founders of the Centerist Party, officiated as Minister of Tourism and Transport in Prime Minister Ehud Barak's Government and was a member in the negotiating team for peace. In 2001, he retired from politics and turned to the private business sector, while continuing to preside over public non-profit associations. He also continued to be active in the security and welfare of the State of Israel and its citizens.

On December 19, 2012, Teveth 6, 5773, he passed away.

Obverse: On the medal face, the likeness of Lieutenant General Amnon Lipkin-Shahak.

Reverse: "Chief of Staffs of the Israel Defense Forces".

Edge: All medals have smooth edges.

Designer: Igal Gabay

Engraving: Tidhar Dagan

Mint: ICMC Mint.