Defense Minister Israel Katz announced yesterday (Sunday), during his appearance on the “Patriots” program on Channel 14, the dismissal of Central Command Major General Avi Bluth – and announced that Major General Dado Bar Kalifa will replace him in the position.
Katz said this during the program: “Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, who was the commander of the 36th Division in the IDF maneuvers, is the hero and decisive section, and I announced that I decided to implement the intention and appoint him as the Central Command general. Incidentally, the Chief of Staff recommended him.”
Channel 14 reported about a week ago that after the Chief of Staff presented Bar Kalifa’s candidacy for the position to the Minister of Defense, Katz held a personal interview with him – and after considering the matter, decided to accept the recommendation and launch the appointment process soon.
MK Limor Son Har Melech welcomed the decision and claimed that Bluth “failed in his duty.” According to her, “instead of focusing all his forces on the war on terror, he chose to turn the people of the hilltop and the pioneers (in Judea and Samaria) into the enemy,” adding that under his command, “settlers were persecuted time and time again, while Arab terrorism grew stronger.”
On the other hand, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized the move: “A government against its soldiers.” According to him, “The October 7 government decided to dismantle the IDF from within and ensure complete chaos.” Bennett addressed the fighters and commanders and wrote: “Hold tight, reinforcements are on the way. We will soon replace them, and together we will fix it.”
The chairman of the “Yashar” party, Gadi Eisenkot, described the announcement as “an unprecedented low in relations between the political and military echelons” and called it “an inappropriate and illegal act.” According to him, “The IDF is not a tool in the primaries of politicians who have lost their way.”
Contrary to reports claiming it was a dramatic ouster, sources familiar with the details emphasized that it was a preplanned move and that the identity of Bluth’s replacement had already been discussed a few weeks ago.
According to the same sources, Minister Katz did not dismiss Bluth on live TV, but in fact made an official announcement about an appointment that was planned anyway as part of the change of positions in the Central Command. According to them, the storm that has arisen around the matter does not reflect the full picture of the situation.
At the same time, Bluth’s tenure has recently been subject to severe criticism for his handling of issues regarding Judea and Samaria. One of the main areas of criticism concerns the Tal Yinon Dardik affair. After the military court ordered the cancellation of the order issued against him, Bluth chose to appeal the decision. Voices in Judea and Samaria claimed that at this point the general could have ended the saga, had he accepted the court’s ruling and not continued with the legal process.
The criticism was also directed at some of the authority heads in Judea and Samaria. According to sources, those heads of authorities who remained silent throughout the period in which steps were taken against activists rushed to side with Bluth when the storm surrounding his future broke out. On the other hand, the Yesha Council expressed support for Major General Bluth, emphasized his contribution to security, and announced that the heads of authorities are expected to meet with the Minister of Defense.
In any case, Katz’s announcement resurfaced the tensions between the political echelon and the Central Command, and the debate within Judea and Samaria: between those who seek to emphasize Balut’s security rights, and those who claim that, ultimately, a senior IDF officer is obligated to accept the authority of the elected echelon and the decisions of the military courts.