Michael R. Fenzel | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Born | 29 July 1967 |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1989–present |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment |
| Battles / wars | Gulf War War in Afghanistan Iraq War |
| Awards | Legion of Merit (2) Bronze Star Medal (3) |
Michael R. Fenzel is a United States Army lieutenant general who serves as the United States Security Coordinator of the Israel-Palestinian Authority since November 2021. He most recently served as the vice director for strategy, plans, and policy of the Joint Staff. Prior to serving in that position, he was the senior military advisor to the Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation in the United States Department of State. [1] [2] [3] During the attacks on 11 September 2001, Fenzel, as a major, was on a White House Fellowship serving under Richard Clarke. He was tasked to join Vice President Dick Cheney in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center and liaise with Clarke. [4]
In July 2021, Fenzel was nominated for promotion to lieutenant general and assignment as the United States Security Coordinator for the Israel-Palestinian Authority, replacing Mark C. Schwartz. [5] [6]
In 2024, Tablet Magazine accused Fenzel of pro-Palestinian bias, which allegedly resulted in President Joe Biden issuing an Executive Order regarding the West Bank. [7] [8] [9]
In 2025, his former Chief of Staff Colonel Steve Gabavics accused Fenzel of suppressing investigative findings regarding the slain Palestinian reporter Shireen Abu Akleh. Gabavics, a retired U.S. Army colonel, formerly a military policeman, who was part of the U.S. government’s internal review or investigative team over Abu Akleh’s death, asserts that his team’s evidence led him to conclude “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the Israeli sniper knew she was a journalist, and that the shot was deliberate. He asserts that Fenzel buried the investigation details. Gabavics is publicly calling for a reexamination, more transparent or independent investigation, and for the U.S. to hold Israel accountable, rather than quietly closing or minimizing the matter. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/world/middleeast/shooting-palestinian-american-journalist.html https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-nyt-expose-on-biden-cover-up-of-shireen-abu-aklehs-murder-calls-for-trump-to-hold-israel-accountable-for-killing-american/
He earned degrees from Johns Hopkins University (BA), U.S. Naval War College (MA), Harvard University (MA), and Naval Postgraduate School (PhD). [10]
