The average IDF pension is NIS 10,774 a month. The pensions of former chiefs of staff are much higher. Lt.-Gen. (res.) Ehud Barak, who left the IDF in January 1995, aged 53, is now a 71-year old businessman, after serving as foreign minister, prime minister, and lastly as defense minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to cross-referencing by "Globes", which includes his retirement age from the IDF and his current age, his pension is NIS 56,926 a month, putting him in fourth place in the IDF pensioners.
Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi retired from the IDF in 2011, aged 59. His monthly pension is NIS 48,651, putting him in 17th place in the IDF pensioners. Barak's successor as minister of defense, Lt.-Gen. (res.) Moshe Ya'alon (63), who retired from the IDF in 2005 when he was 55, has a monthly pension of NIS 44,555, putting him in 14th place in the IDF pensioners. Ya'alon was drafted in 1968.
The top IDF pensioner is an 82 year-old combat soldier who retired from the IDF at the age of 54: his monthly pension is NIS 63,686. Another former combat soldier is in second place, with a monthly pension of NIS 61,306. He is Lt.-Gen. (res.) Shaul Mofaz, now an MK for Kadima. He declined to comment on the report.
The "Globes" investigation also found that Maj.-Gen. (res.) Matan Vilnai (69), who after retiring from the IDF in 1998 at the age of 54 went on to serve as deputy defense minister and minister of homeland defense, and is now ambassador to China, has a monthly pension of NIS 45,879.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on March 23, 2014
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