Katz pushes to install Bar Khalifa as IDF Central Command head amid West Bank concerns

Defense Minister Israel Katz told Channel 14 he intends to appoint Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Khalifa as the IDF Central Command chief to replace the current commander Bluth, citing concerns over handling West Bank settler violence; the IDF says Katz’s remarks were not coordinated with Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, who does not plan to remove Bluth at this time, and any decision would require Zamir’s approval, with Katz’s office saying Zamir had recommended Bar Khalifa and that a formal appointment would follow protocol. Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett criticized Katz, accusing him of trying to dismantle the IDF from within.