Brigadier General Avi Benayahu Photo: IDF Spokesperson

Brigadier General Avi Benayahu was born in Tel Aviv in 1959.

Positions

• 1977: Brig. Gen. Benayahu was drafted into the Israel Air Force Intelligence.
• 1982-1984: Reporter for the "Ma'ariv" daily newspaper.
• 1985-1992: Reporter and analyst for the "Al Ha'mishmar" daily newspaper.
• 1992-1995: Head of Media Branch in the IDF Spokesperson's Unit in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
• 1993: Spokesperson for the Israeli delegation to the Israel-PLO Peace Talks in Taba.
• 1995: Spokesperson for the Israeli delegation to the Israeli-Jordanian peace talks.
• 1995: Media advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Yitzhak Rabin.
• 1996: Media advisor to former Israeli Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Shimon Peres.
• 1996-1999: Media advisor to former Minister of Defense Yitzhak Mordechai.
• 1998: Member of the Israeli delegation to the peace talks with the Palestinians at Wye Plantation in the USA.
• 2000-2001: Reporter and analyst for Army Radio ("Galei Tzahal") on military and security issues; special advisor to the IDF Education and Youth Corps, in charge of special projects.
• 2001-2007: Commander and Editor-in-Chief of Army Radio ("Galei Tzahal")  in the rank of Colonel.
• August 2007- present: IDF Spokesperson in the rank of Brigadier General.

Training

• 1993: A 50 day preparation course in the field of "National and International Security- United States" as a guest of the United States.
• 1994: "National Security" course at the College of national Security as a military journalist.
• 1997: A graduate of the Mass Communications course and of English at the Bedford College in London.
• 2003: A graduate of IDF's "Mifneh" ("turning point") senior management course for leading officers in the IDF.

Brig. Gen. Benayahu holds a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from the University of Haifa.

Brig. Gen. Benayahu is a member of the Kibbutz Lehavot Haviva. He is married to Pnina and is the father of Uri, Tamar and Inbal.