Herzi Halevy is a settler of Russian origin who heads the staff of the Israeli army. He rose through the military ranks since 1985, and held several sensitive military and security positions.
Close circles describe him as stoic and isolated, and that he is deep-thinking. He prefers to stand on the margins of conflict arenas and not in the middle of them. He is also very hostile to Iran and the Palestinians, and has no mercy in dealing with the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.