Katz tries to walk back on-air removal of top general, as opposition, allies call to oust Katz

Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday attempted to walk back his live-on-television announcement that he was removing IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth from his post, as a broad array of critics, and even allies, accused him of undermining the independence of the military for cheap political gains ahead of the Likud party primaries.

Speaking with the right-wing Channel 14 news late Sunday, Katz announced that Bluth would be removed from his post and replaced, denouncing the top West Bank general for contravening his policy by seeking to renew an administrative restraining order against a violent settler, and declaring that this was unacceptable.

Katz told the live TV studio audience, therefore, that he had decided to appoint IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief, replacing Bluth. “In any case, it was intended — there is the general, Dado Bar Kalifa, who was the commander of the 36th Division, from the generation of heroes who take the offensive, and I announced that I decided to carry out the intention and to appoint him as the general in charge of Central Command,” said Katz. “By the way, the chief of staff recommended him.”

Katz added: “In the north, the south and the center, I want an IDF that strives for decisive victory, an IDF that hurts its enemies, and protects the settlers.”

The military quickly put out a sharp statement saying Bluth would remain in his post, as the defense minister does not have the authority to unilaterally fire senior army officers. Additionally, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Monday reportedly decided to freeze senior appointments in the military to protect the army from political interference, until at least after the general election that is set for October 27.

Katz’s unprecedented pronouncement drew a torrent of harsh criticism, with opposition lawmakers, former defense chiefs and even settlement council heads calling for his ouster.

In the face of the widespread criticism, Katz tried to explain his way out of the fiasco, claiming he did not call for Bluth’s dismissal, and that any claims to the contrary were “a complete lie,” and “part of a political campaign directed against the government.”

Katz argued that Zamir had already recommended Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief, and that his comments on Channel 14 on Sunday were simply his announcement of his intention to “advance his appointment in accordance with  procedures.”

Katz cited a Channel 12 news report from April 24 which said that Zamir had recommended Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief, and added: “On July 28, Channel 14 news reported that I had accepted the chief of staff’s recommendation, and after conducting an interview with Maj. Gen. Bar Kalifa and concluding that he was the most suitable candidate, I decided to advance his appointment in accordance with the procedures.”

“In other words, months before the interview [I conducted with Bar Kalifa], the chief of staff’s recommendation had already been made, approved by me, and the appointment process was already well underway. Therefore, the attempt to portray the decision as having been made following the interview does not stand up to the facts,” Katz claimed.

In fact, the IDF had not announced that Bar Kalifa would be replacing Bluth, and neither had Katz until Sunday night. The military also said Sunday night, after Katz dropped his TV bombshell, that the attempt to appoint Bar Kalifa had not been “in accordance with procedures.”

Two former defense ministers, Blue and White head Benny Gantz and former Likud defense minister Yoav Gallant, on Monday both defended Bluth and accused Katz of politicizing the military’s ranks.

“The attempt to turn discussions on IDF postings into part of the Likud primary campaign hurts the nation’s security,” Gantz wrote on X. “The politicization of the IDF is not governance, it’s a real danger.”

Gallant, who was replaced by Katz, said that the move to remove Bluth on live TV “is a contemptible act that crosses another red line.”

“Undermining the authority of commanders shakes the foundations of the army and bringing the IDF into the political arena is a perilous game that endangers the state of Israel,” he posted on X.

Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman, another former defense minister, wrote on X that “anyone who acts solely based on the consideration of party primaries and central committee members is not fit or worthy to serve as Israel’s defense minister.”

Top election contender Gadi Eisenkot, himself a former IDF chief of staff, called Katz’s move “an unprecedented low point in relations between the political and military echelons,” and said that the current government “is not fit to safeguard the security of the state.”

Yair Golan, a former deputy IDF chief of staff who now leads the left-wing Democrats party, said Katz’s attempt to remove Bluth is a “political attack,” using a word that normally denotes terror activity.

“The ousting of a Central Command general on live TV, without the necessary processes and without [the approval of] the chief of staff, is a crossing of a red line that proves that this destructive government has lost all restraint,” Golan said.

Elazar Stern, a Yesh Atid lawmaker and retired senior officer, called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire Katz, saying the defense minister “is working for [party] primaries and not the security of Israel.”

Coalition lawmakers, meanwhile, have been mostly mum on the subject, neither defending nor criticizing Katz.

But former UN ambassador Gilad Erdan, who was once a longtime Likud member and key ally of Netanyahu, accused Katz of engaging in “petty politics at the expense of our security.”

“This time he has sunk to a new low: dismissing a dedicated IDF general live on air. This is not right-wing. This is a corrupted right-wing that shames us all,” Erdan declared in a post on X. “A real right-wing respects IDF officers, a real right-wing backs IDF officers and acts out of consideration for the good of the state and not for personal gain.”

Erdan, a former Likud politician, is rumored to be set to establish a new “Likud B” party with Likud rebel Yuli Edelstein, in an attempt to draw votes from Netanyahu’s base over to a potential Zionist opposition coalition.

Also coming out strongly against Katz were several top right-wing settlement figures, including Beit El settlement council chief Shai Alon, who called the move to oust Bluth “shameful and disgraceful,” lauding the West Bank commander for being behind the establishment of 104 Jewish settlements in the area.

The current government has formally approved the establishment and retroactive legalization of 104 settlements, while the IDF’s Central Command under Bluth’s leadership has reportedly helped coordinate the establishment of dozens of illegal settlement outposts across the West Bank.

“Minister Katz, if you are missing a few votes in the primaries, tell me and I will make them up for you,” Alon said, adding that he contacted the prime minister “to remove this disgrace.”

The Yesha Council, an umbrella body representing municipal settlement authorities in the West Bank, also expressed public support for Bluth, saying his offensive military tactics in the territory have been successful in tackling terrorism, and additionally praises his actions in “developing settlement in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.”

The Yesha Council said that the heads of settlement municipal authorities will be meeting with Katz on Monday afternoon.

Speaking to the Kan public broadcaster, Yesha chairman Yisrael Ganz tempered the criticism of Katz.

Ganz says that there is a “consensus” among heads of settlement municipal authorities that Bluth is “the best head of Central Command ever,” but adds that Katz is also “the best defense minister ever.”

Katz, like Bluth, has worked to expand the establishment of illegal settlement outposts around the West Bank, and both of them have praised illegal farming outposts for taking control over large swaths of land in the territory. This has earned them the support and praise of the settlement movement, as well as intense criticism from civil rights groups who note that the outposts are frequently the source of extreme violence and harassment against local Palestinians.

Meanwhile, according to Monday reports in Hebrew media, IDF chief Zamir has decided not to appoint any officers to senior roles until at least after the election season.

Under the IDF’s protocols for promotions of colonels and above, the IDF chief selects candidates, who then must be approved by the defense minister.

The Ynet news site reported that Zamir will freeze appointments of major generals until early 2027, after the October 2026 election season is presumed to have settled, in an apparent attempt to prevent Katz from interfering.

The move means that Bluth will likely stay in his role for three years, which is not unusual.

Most other roles in the general staff are normally three to five years, meaning that no officers will be required to stay on longer than usual if Zamir holds off on appointments until 2027.

The dispute between Katz and Bluth stems from an attempt last week to renew an administrative restraining order against a violent settler, Tal Yinon Dardik, who is suspected of a brutal March attack, where he, along with other extremist settlers, allegedly stripped a Palestinian victim, zip-tied his genitals, and paraded him around a village. Dardik, who lives on a farming outpost in Area B in the West Bank, which is under Palestinian civil control, denies taking part in the incident.

After breaching the restraining order instructing him to stay away from his outpost home, he was placed in a detention cell, where he has been on a hunger strike for weeks. In a highly unusual move, Katz met Dardik in late July in his jail cell.

A week ago, Dardik’s restraining order was repealed on a technicality, and Katz instructed Bluth not to renew it. He said Bluth and the Military Advocate General’s Corps had filed an appeal to the court against the release of Dardik, “contrary to my policy.”

“They did it against my position. It was the wrong step. [The IDF’s West Bank commander] must take my policy into account, and I will insist on this,” Katz told Channel 14 Sunday night.

Bluth has faced criticism from hard-right settlers for speaking out against settler hooliganism and “Jewish terrorism” in the West Bank. Far-right figures allege he is soft on Palestinian terror while unfairly targeting settlers.

At the same time, Bluth has also been lambasted by left-wing groups, who accuse him of a lax response to the rising scourge of settler violence.

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