Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday refuted the claim that he called for OC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth’s dismissal during a live Channel 14 interview on Sunday. The accusation is an outright lie that is part of a political campaign directed against the government, he said.
“When one of the participants [in the program] called to ‘dismiss the general [Bluth],’ I responded immediately and clearly: ‘No,’” Katz said regarding the interview on "The Patriots." “The exchange was recorded on camera and is fully documented.”
The appointment process for OC Manpower Directorate Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Khalifa to become commander of Central Command had already been underway for months, he said.
“Therefore, the attempt to suggest that any decision was made as a result of that interview does not stand up to the facts,” Katz said. “This is not a genuine controversy, but rather, a media attempt to divert attention from the real question: What would happen if [The Democrats chairman] Yair Golan, who has already threatened to dismiss [Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) Director] David Zini, were to become defense minister in a government led by [Yashar chairman] Gadi Eisenkot?”
“In such a scenario, there is concern that figures associated with the old conceptzia [preconceived notion] would once again be appointed, something that could harm the settlement enterprise and Israel’s security,” he said. “That did not happen under my watch, and it will not happen.”
Accuse Bluth of failing in his position, focusing on settlers as the enemy
Nevertheless, Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech praised Katz what she called his “decision to dismiss” Bluth.
Son Har-Melech accused Bluth of failing in his position. Rather than devoting his forces to fighting terrorism, he had treated hilltop youth and “settlement pioneers” as the enemy and repeatedly persecuted settlers while “Arab terrorism” intensified, she said.
Bluth had pursued policies that contradicted those set by the elected government, Son Har-Melech said, adding that a regional commander’s role was to implement policy, not determine it.
“Anyone who wants to determine the State of Israel’s security policy is welcome to take off his uniform and run for the Knesset,” she said. “As long as he serves in the IDF, he is bound by government policy, not by his personal worldview.”
Katz accuses Bluth of being overly harsh to settler violence, neglecting terrorism
During the interview on Channel 14, Katz said his decision had been made due to Bluth’s allegedly unsatisfactory handling of extremist settler violence in Judea and Samaria. He accused Bluth of being overly harsh in efforts to combat settler violence while neglecting the fight against Palestinian terrorism.
According to the IDF, Katz’s statement had not been coordinated with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir. Zamir does not intend to remove Bluth from his position at this time, it said.
Furthermore, if any such decision is made, it would require Zamir’s approval in accordance with the required protocols, the IDF said.
Katz’s office said Zamir had recommended that Katz appoint Bar Khalifa as the commander of Central Command as early as the end of April.
Katz had interviewed Bar Khalifa in June and deemed him a suitable candidate to take over the position at the appropriate time, his office said.
Goldie Katz contributed to this report.