Netanyahu’s hernia surgeon gets a seat on Rafael board

JERUSALEM – Israel’s defense sector is in an uproar over a surprise appointment on the board of directors of government-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, whose weapons permeate the entire ecosystem of the country’s sprawling defense apparatus.

Alon Pikarsky, head of the surgical wing and the department of general surgery at the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, will join the board after being approved by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the minister in charge of government companies, David Amsalem.

Pikarsky was entrusted with hernia surgery for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of March, and in March 2021 he managed the appendicitis surgery on Netanyahu’s wife, Sara.

His connections to Rafael’s business or to the defense industry in general are not clear, but he wouldn’t be the only board member without such credentials. Still, Pitarsky’s appointment has fueled speculation here about his personal connection to the prime minister as a driving force.

Rafael’s board of directors has 12 seats, of which only 10 are currently filled, and Pikarski will become its 11th director. At this time, it is not known of any intention from the responsible ministers to fill the 12th seat.

Rafael started as an independent unit at the Israeli Ministry of Defense in 1948 and transferred into a government company in 2002. Since thnn it has transferred the equivalent of roughly $678 million in dividends to the treasury.

Rafael’s annual revenue for 2023 stood at $3.8 billion and its net profit was $159 million for the same period. The company employs about 8,500 local workers and is defined as the largest employer in Northern Israel. It aims to recruit 2000 additional employees by the end of this year.

Pitarsky and the Israeli ministers Galant and Amsalem have declined to comment.

Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.

耶路撒冷——以色列国防部门对政府所有的拉斐尔先进防御系统公司董事会的一项出人意料的任命感到愤怒，该公司的武器渗透到该国庞大国防体系的整个生态系统中。

耶路撒冷哈达萨恩卡雷姆医院外科主任兼普通外科主任阿隆·皮卡尔斯基在获得以色列国防部长约阿夫·加兰特和主管国有企业的部长大卫·阿姆萨勒姆的批准后，将加入董事会。

3 月底，皮卡尔斯基受命为以色列总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡进行疝气手术；2021 年 3 月，他又为内塔尼亚胡的妻子萨拉进行了阑尾炎手术。

他与拉斐尔公司或整个国防工业的联系尚不明确，但并非只有他一位董事会成员具备此类资质。尽管如此，皮塔尔斯基的任命还是引发了人们的猜测，认为他与总理的私人关系是幕后推手。

拉斐尔公司董事会共有12个席位，目前仅有10个席位有人担任，皮卡尔斯基将成为第11位董事。目前尚不清楚相关部长是否有意填补第12个席位。

拉斐尔公司于 1948 年作为以色列国防部的一个独立部门成立，并于 2002 年转为国有企业。自那时以来，该公司已向国库上缴了相当于约 6.78 亿美元的股息。

拉斐尔公司2023年的年收入为38亿美元，净利润为1.59亿美元。该公司雇佣了约8500名当地员工，是以色列北部最大的雇主。该公司计划在今年年底前再招聘2000名员工。

皮塔尔斯基以及以色列部长加兰特和阿姆萨莱姆均拒绝置评。

扎利·格林伯格是《防务新闻》的以色列记者。他拥有丰富的经济事务以及国防和网络安全公司报道经验。