The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa has been officially nominated as the next chief of the Central Command, the top military position in the West Bank — weeks after Defense Minister Israel Katz ignited a firestorm when he publicly tapped him for the role.

In a statement, the IDF said Katz approved IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir’s recommendation to appoint Bar Kalifa as Central Command chief, a role he will begin in 2027, “subject to an operational situation assessment.”

Katz publicly clashed with Zamir a month ago after announcing on live television that he would replace current Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth with Bar Kalifa. The remark came after panelists on the pro-government Channel 14 pressured him to oust Bluth.

The defense minister attempted to walk back the announcement after he faced criticism accusing him of undermining the independence of the military for cheap political gain. Katz said during the TV appearance that he was planning on replacing Bluth with Bar Kalifa since the former had contravened his policy by seeking to renew an administrative restraining order against a violent settler.

Bar Kalifa currently heads the Personnel Directorate. He previously commanded the 36th Division during months of fighting against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

It was not immediately clear if Bluth would continue in........

© The Times of Israel