Shai Alon, head of the Beit El Council, called Defense Minister Israel Katz's live dismissal of a major general who established 104 communities a 'shame and disgrace.' He appealed to the prime minister to reverse the decision, according to reports.
Shai Alon, head of the Beit El Council in Judea and Samaria, escalated his criticism of Defense Minister Israel Katz on Monday morning, calling the minister's live dismissal of Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Blot a "shame and disgrace." Alon noted that Blot was responsible for establishing 104 communities and appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse the decision.
The new statement, reported by Israeli media, follows Alon's initial call on Sunday evening for Katz to reverse the dismissal, which he had described as a "grave mistake that harms the settlement enterprise." The live dismissal itself occurred Sunday night on Channel 14, when Katz announced he was replacing Blot with Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa over a dispute regarding administrative detention policy in Judea and Samaria. The IDF General Staff immediately issued a rare public statement asserting the move was not coordinated with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and that Blot would not be replaced. Multiple IDF statements throughout the night reaffirmed that there is no intention to replace senior commanders during the current sensitive period.
The confrontation has escalated into a public political-military crisis, as The Zioneer reported, stemming from weeks of tension between Katz and Blot over the handling of administrative measures, particularly regarding the detention of a Jewish resident. Blot had filed an appeal against Katz's position, which Katz cited as the reason for the dismissal.
The outcome remains unresolved: Katz's office maintains that Zamir had recommended the appointment in April and that Katz interviewed Bar Kalifa in June before approving it, while the IDF insists the change was not authorized and Blot remains in his post.
24 developments
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- DevelopingMa'aminim movement: 'You are toppling the settlement enterprise' after Blot's dismissal
- DevelopingDefense Minister Katz to re-examine administrative measures against settlers, demands policy shift from IDF general
- StrongDefense Minister Katz eulogizes fallen 52nd Battalion commander and three soldiers in Lebanon
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