Israeli defense minister backtracks on West Bank commander's dismissal amid army row

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz sought to walk back his announcement that the army’s Central Command chief would be replaced, insisting on Monday that the move had been initiated months earlier on the recommendation of Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir.

According to Israel’s Channel 15, associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contacted Katz after his televised interview on Sunday to seek clarification over the circumstances surrounding the appointment.

Katz was quoted as telling Netanyahu’s associates that the uproar was “a storm in a teacup.”

“I didn’t dismiss him. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir requested the appointment of Dado Bar Kalifa as his successor, and now he’s turning against me,” Katz said, according to the broadcaster.

Katz later issued a statement calling reports that he announced the dismissal of Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth “an absolute lie,” saying the process of appointing Bar Kalifa had begun months earlier based on Zamir’s recommendation.

The Israeli army, however, reiterated that Katz’s remarks had not been coordinated with the chief of staff and stressed that Bluth continued to enjoy Zamir’s “full confidence.”

The military said Zamir had no intention of replacing commanders in key positions during the current sensitive period.

The dispute erupted after Katz announced in televised interview that Bar Kalifa would replace Bluth as head of the Central Command, which oversees the occupied West Bank.

Bluth has served as Central Command chief since July 2024. His reported replacement sparked a political and military backlash after Katz linked the move to disagreements over the release of an extremist occupier accused of attacking Palestinians in the West Bank.