Sharon Afek
Sharon Afek (Hebrew: שרון אפק; born August 10, 1970) is the current chief military advocate general of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), appointed in October 2015.[1]
Sharon Afek | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 August 1970 |
| Allegiance |  |
| Rank | Aluf (General officer) |
| Unit | Military Advocate General |
| Battles/wars | First Intifada Second Intifada Second Lebanon War Operation Protective Edge |
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.[2] 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's 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. [3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
References
- 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.
- Judah Ari Gross, "New military advocate general prepared for ICC fight, The Times of Israel, August 18, 2015.
- Itamar Eichner, Yoav Zitun, "A legal umbrella for IDF soldiers in face of ICC, Ynetnews, August 17, 2015.
- "Top IDF officer reveals he is gay". Jerusalem Post. 2017-05-10. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
- Afek, Sharon (December 2014). "Breaking the Rules and Changing the Game: When Cyberspace Meets International Law" (PDF). The Dado Center Journal. 3.