Defense Minister Announces Replacement for Central Command Chief

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced this evening (Sunday) in a television interview his replacement for the position of Commander of the Central Command. Katz said it would be Major General Dado Bar Kalifa, currently the Head of the Manpower Directorate, and added that the appointment was made upon the recommendation of the IDF Chief of Staff. However, Katz's announcement regarding Avi Bluth's replacement came earlier than expected. Bluth took office in July 2024, while his predecessor, Yehuda Fuchs, served in the position for three years.

Katz's announcement did not come in a vacuum: last week, Bluth appealed a decision by the Defense Minister, who had ordered the acceptance of an appeal against a restriction order issued for Tal Yinon Dardik, who is held in detention on suspicion of abusing Palestinians and is currently on a hunger strike. This order allows for the restriction of rights due to concerns about public safety. Katz, who had visited the suspect in an unusual meeting, stated that due to "flaws in the manner of issuing the order," he had instructed not to renew it but to "deal with the problem in other ways." Central Command Chief Bluth and the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office filed an appeal to the Jerusalem District Court, demanding to keep the administrative order against Dardik in effect.

Katz's announcement, made live on Channel 14, included a clear message to other senior officers: "The Major General must take into account our policy even if the authority is his." Katz emphasized that his control over the system is absolute and labeled the actions of Bluth and the prosecution as a "wrong step."