Shay Alon, head of the Beit El council, said Defense Minister Israel Katz's dismissal of a senior IDF commander who established 104 communities is a 'shame and disgrace'. Alon also offered to help Katz with votes in the Likud primaries and said he appealed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse the decision.
Beit El council head Shay Alon on Monday morning escalated the political fallout from the crisis between Defense Minister Israel Katz and the IDF command, appealing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse the decision to dismiss Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Blot and offering to help Katz with votes in the Likud primaries. Alon, whose council oversees communities in the Binyamin region of Judea and Samaria, called the live dismissal of Blot a 'shame and disgrace,' according to reports.
The crisis erupted Sunday night when Katz announced on live television that he was replacing Blot with Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, citing Blot's appeal against the administrative detention of a Jewish resident. The IDF General Staff immediately issued a rare public statement rejecting the move, saying it was not coordinated with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and that Blot would not be replaced. As The Zioneer reported at 23:20 Jerusalem, the dispute had been simmering for weeks over Katz's criticism of Blot's handling of administrative measures in Judea and Samaria.
The confrontation has drawn widespread criticism. A source told The Zioneer that Katz chose to publicly confront the chief of staff and senior command during a period of enormous security challenges, and that disagreements should be resolved behind closed doors, not on live broadcasts. The IDF has repeatedly stated that there is no intention to replace senior commanders during the current sensitive period.
Despite the IDF's firm stance, Katz's office maintains that the chief of staff had recommended Bar Kalifa's appointment in April, and that Katz interviewed him in June before deciding to approve it. The fate of Blot's position remains uncertain, and the political-military rift continues to unfold. Alon's appeal to Netanyahu adds a new political dimension, with the Beit El council head offering to mobilize support for Katz within the Likud party.
24 developments
- DevelopingArmy Radio journalists: Katz treats IDF General Staff as a 'reality show' ahead of Likud primary
- 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
Source and signal
- Open-source intake