Israel Katz Responds to Uproar: “An Absolute Lie — I Did Not Call for the Removal of the Central Command Chief”

Defense Minister Israel Katz addressed the uproar this morning (Monday) following an interview he gave last night to Channel 14, in which he announced his intention to appoint Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as head of Central Command, replacing Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth. The defense minister rejected claims that he announced Maj. Gen. Bluth’s removal during the broadcast, calling them “an absolute lie” and part of “a political campaign aimed at the government.”

Katz laid out the timeline and said the process of appointing the next Central Command chief had begun well before the interview: “On April 24, News 12 reported that the IDF chief of staff had recommended appointing the head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, as head of Central Command.”

He added: “On July 28, News 14 reported that I had accepted the chief of staff’s recommendation, and after interviewing Maj. Gen. Bar Kalifa and concluding that he was the most suitable candidate, I decided to advance his appointment in accordance with procedure.”

Katz then directly addressed what was said during the interview: “During yesterday’s interview, when one participant called to ‘remove the general,’ I responded immediately and clearly: ‘No.’ The remarks were filmed and documented.”

According to Katz, “That is, months before the interview, the chief of staff’s recommendation had already been made, approved by me, and the appointment process was already underway. Therefore, the attempt to portray this as though a decision was made following the interview does not stand up to the facts.”

At the end of his statement, Katz criticized his opponents and argued that the matter was political: “This is not a real uproar, but a media attempt to divert the discussion from the real question: What will happen if Yair Golan, who has already threatened to remove Maj. Gen. David Zini, becomes defense minister in a government led by Eisenkot? In that case, there is concern that they will return to appointing people from the old conception, which could harm the settlements and Israel’s security.” He concluded his statement with the words: “It did not happen under me, and it will not happen.”