Major General Pavel Kolář of the Czech Republic assumed command of the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai from Major General Evan Williams of New Zealand on 5 March 2023, during a Change of Command ceremony held at South Camp in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

The ceremony was presided over by the MFO’s Director General, Ms. Elizabeth L. Dibble, with dignitaries in attendance from Egypt and Israel, the Parties to the Treaty of Peace, the Czech Republic and New Zealand as well as other MFO Supporting States.

During the Change of Command ceremony, Ms. Dibble thanked Major General Williams for his distinguished service to the MFO since December 2019 and presented him with the MFO’s Distinguished Service for Peace Award, the MFO’s highest honor. Major General Williams was recognized for his achievements in leading the MFO through the COVID-19 pandemic in the Sinai, strengthening the MFO relationships with the Treaty Parties and Supporting States, and improving processes and infrastructures across MFO Sinai’s area of operations over the last three and a half years of his term as Force Commander.

The MFO warmly welcomed Major General Kolář to the MFO as its fourteenth Force Commander and the first from the Czech Republic.

In addition to New Zealand and now the Czech Republic, previous MFO Force Commanders have come from Australia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, and Norway.