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Sharon Afek

Sharon Afek
שרון אפק‎
Born (1970-08-10) 10 August 1970 (age 54)
AllegianceIsrael Israel
RankAluf (General officer)
UnitMilitary Advocate General
Battles / warsFirst Intifada
Second Intifada
Second Lebanon War
Operation Protective Edge

Sharon Afek (Hebrew: שרון אפק; born August 10, 1970) is the Deputy Attorney General (Director of Legal Counsel and Legislative Affairs) in the Israel's Ministry of Justice.[1] Previously, Afek was the chief military advocate general of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 2015–2021.[2]

Military career

After receiving his law degree from Tel Aviv University School of Law, Afek joined the Military Advocate General Corps, beginning his career in the International Law Department of the unit.[3] He then fulfilled various senior positions in the Military Advocate General Corps, including the deputy head of the International Law Department, the Air Force District Attorney, the legal advisor for Judea and Samaria Area and the deputy military advocate general.

Afterwards, he served as the commander of the interservice “Afek” course of the IDF Staff and Command College.

On October 22, 2015, Afek was promoted to the rank of Aluf (general officer) and appointed chief military advocate general. On July 12, 2018, Afek was promoted to the rank of major general from IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.[4]

As Military Advocate General, Afek functioned as both a legal adviser to the military an as a military attorney general, responsible for law enforcement and military prosecution.[5]

During his tenure in office, Afek dealt with a number of high-profile cases, most notably the fallout from a 2016 incident in which soldier Elor Azaria shot to death a subdued Palestinian attacker in Hebron. The soldier was subsequently convicted of manslaughter. In an interview with the Israeli Bar Association, Afek referred to the case as a legal and moral landmark in the history of military law.[5]

As a Military Advocate General Afek led a series of reforms in the IDF's law enforcement policies, including amendments to the drug enforcement regime, allowing soldiers using cannabis for the first time on civilian circumstances to emerge the legal proceedings with an unscathed record and no jail time, by receiving treatment, being put on probation and undergoing drug tests.[6]

Afek graduated cum laude with an LLB degree from Tel Aviv University and completed his master's degree in law, summa cum laude, at Tel Aviv University. Afek also holds a master's degree, cum laude, in national security studies from Haifa University (as a joint program with the IDF's National Security College). Additionally, he attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University.[7]

On September 1, 2021, Afek was succeeded as Chief Military Advocate General by Major General Yifat Tomer Yerushalmi.[8]

Deputy Attorney General

After retiring from the IDF, Affek was named in the candidates list for the Supreme Court of Israel.[9]

In September 2022, the Israeli Minister of Justice, Gideon Sa'ar announced that he will recommend Afek for the role of Deputy Attorney General.

Afek's nomination was unanimously approved by a selection panel headed by the Attorney General of Israel, Gali Baharav-Miara.[1]

Private life

In an interview to Israel Bar association official magazine, Sharon Afek revealed he is gay, making him the first member of high command and the most senior Israeli military officer to come out.[10] The First Lady of Israel, Michal Herzog, is his paternal cousin.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Toi Staff (15 June 2022). "Sa'ar taps former military advocate general Afek as deputy AG". Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  2. ^ Ben Porat, Ido (22 October 2015). הפרקליט החדש: צה"ל ינצח בלי לוותר על החוק [The new attorney: IDF will prevail without giving up on the law]. Arutz Sheva (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  3. ^ Judah Ari Gross, "New military advocate general prepared for ICC fight, The Times of Israel, August 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "IDF promotes its first openly gay major general, Sharon Afek". The Times of Israel.
  5. ^ a b Gross, Judah Ari (10 May 2017). "Israel's military advocate general defends trial of Hebron shooter". Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  6. ^ Bob, Yonah Jeremy (22 April 2017). "Rule of Law: The quiet transformer". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  7. ^ Itamar Eichner, Yoav Zitun, "A legal umbrella for IDF soldiers in face of ICC, Ynetnews, August 17, 2015.
  8. ^ "האישה הראשונה בתפקיד: יפעת תומר-ירושלמי מונתה לפרקליטה הצבאית הראשית". www.maariv.co.il. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  9. ^ Bob, Yonah Jeremy (30 September 2021). "List of candidates to fill 4 High Court spots unveiled". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Top IDF officer reveals he is gay". Jerusalem Post. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
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