Overview
- On Sunday Defense Minister Israel Katz said on live television that he would appoint Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa to replace Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and sharply criticized Bluth's handling of a restraining-order appeal.
- The IDF spokesperson said Katz’s statement was not coordinated with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, that the chief of staff does not intend to change key commanders during sensitive times, and that Bluth continues to command Central Command.
- Katz framed his action around the case of settler Tal Yinon Dardik and has argued for ending administrative detention for Jews while keeping it for Palestinians, a stance that helped trigger the public dispute over legal handling of settler suspects.
- The announcement provoked swift backlash from military officials, opposition politicians and settlement leaders, and Katz later issued a clarification saying Bluth was not dismissed and that there is no disagreement between them.
- The episode raises questions about who sets personnel policy in wartime, could reshape how the army balances legal and political priorities in the West Bank, and leaves the formal appointment process and its timing unclear.