Katz sought to appease the right - and discovered that the move against Bluth backfired on him
After months of a political battle waged against him by MK Tali Gottlieb, the Defense Minister tried to create an achievement for himself in the eyes of the right-wing camp. However, the attack on Central Command Chief Avi Bluth, considered a darling of the settlement movement, quickly turned into a trap - and Katz was forced to retreat, exposing the price of political intervention in the security leadership.
This is what happened to Defense Minister Israel Katz on the program 'The Patriots'. Israel Katz has been under constant attack by Knesset member Tali Gottlieb since he, by virtue of his position, signed a confidentiality certificate in the Gottlieb affair, removing the legal obstacle and paving the way for an indictment against her in the case of exposing the name of a Shin Bet agent. Gottlieb, to the surprise of many, is a very popular figure among Likud members and did not forgive Katz. Since he signed the confidentiality certificate, she has been waging a real battle against him, tailing him at every opportunity, attacking him over every decision, tweeting against him, publishing videos, and successfully causing him damage among the party members.
The latest campaign by Gottlieb against Katz was conducted over the arrest of Tal Yinon Dardik, an administrative detainee, a resident of the Tarfon farm in Binyamin. Dardik is suspected of an act of violence against Palestinians and sexual abuse of a Palestinian. In an incident in March in Khumsa in the Jordan Valley, Palestinians were attacked with clubs and bound, among them women and children. Dardik was arrested after being suspected of violating an administrative order by the Central Command Chief, Avi Bluth, who ordered him to stay under house arrest at his mother-in-law's house. Dardik was arrested and, according to his family, began a 29-day hunger strike in protest of his detention. According to reports from his family and the Honenu organization, his medical condition deteriorated, although the Israel Prison Service (IPS) testified that he did not actually go on a hunger strike.
Either way, his arrest sparked protests from Knesset members, right-wing activists, and various rabbis, and Gottlieb did not stop attacking Katz on the matter. All of them blamed Central Command Chief Avi Bluth for his situation, and Minister Katz, who himself went to visit him in detention, picked up on the voices. This is the reason for the dismissal of General Bluth live on the 'The Patriots' program. Only Minister Katz made a serious mistake from his perspective. General Bluth, a kippah-wearer who studied at the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli, is a favorite of the settlers, the most right-wing general in the General Staff. Minister Bezalel Smotrich said of him that he is the best Central Command Chief in the last 20 years.
The dismissal of Bluth backfired on Katz from all directions. It would be one thing if only Yair Golan, Bennett, and Eisenkot were attacking him; that would be excellent for him and would help him a lot in the Likud. The issue is that most of the heads of the settlements in Judea and Samaria and people like Ofer Winter attacked Minister Katz, causing him damage on the right, and probably in the Likud as well. Therefore, Katz realized he had to fix it. He rushed to convene a meeting last night (Monday) in his office on the 14th floor of the Kirya building in Tel Aviv, attended by the heads of the councils from Judea and Samaria. After the meeting, Katz and all the participants published a joint statement: 'The Defense Minister emphasized that General Avi Bluth is performing his duties well and also received praise from him for his activities.' A magnificent U-turn.
And a word about the meaning of the Defense Minister's words in the 'The Patriots' studio. If it is possible to replace a general who, according to the Defense Minister, does not align with the minister, what does this say about the future of the heads of the security organizations, if and when a government changes in Israel? Because Minister Katz, without intending to, gave legitimacy to the next prime minister, if it is not Benjamin Netanyahu, to fire, for example, the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini. Perhaps to fire the head of the Mossad, Roman Gofman, two who are directly subordinate to him. And perhaps this will give legitimacy to any minister to fire any head of an organization appointed by the Netanyahu government? This is essentially the meaning of the Defense Minister's words. Whoever does not align with the political echelon is destined to be dismissed from the position.
