According to Channel 12 reporter Yaron Avraham, associates of Defense Minister Israel Katz are escalating the public confrontation with Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the Central Command appointment. They accuse Zamir of ulterior motives, directly questioning whether he initially promoted Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa to prevent Prime Minister Netanyahu from appointing him as military secretary, and only withdrew support once the PM selected a different candidate.
The public clash between Defense Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir over the leadership of Central Command escalated further Monday evening with new accusations from Katz's associates.
According to Channel 12 journalist Yaron Avraham, associates close to Katz are now directly questioning Zamir's motives regarding Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa. They suggest Zamir may have originally recommended Bar Kalifa for Central Command in April not because he wanted him in that role, but to prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from appointing Bar Kalifa as his military secretary — a position that reports have linked to Bar Kalifa in recent months. The associates charge that once Netanyahu selected a different candidate for the military secretary role, Zamir changed his stance and reportedly expressed surprise at Katz's decision to move forward with the Central Command appointment.
The new accusations mark the latest turn in a high-profile confrontation that began Sunday night, when Katz announced on live television his intention to replace current Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Blot with Bar Kalifa, citing dissatisfaction with Blot's handling of administrative measures against Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria. The IDF immediately rejected the announcement as uncoordinated, and Zamir later froze all major general appointments for the remainder of 2026.
As The Zioneer reported earlier Monday, Katz's office subsequently confirmed that the recommendation to appoint Bar Kalifa originated from Zamir himself in April. The latest accusations from the Defense Minister's camp appear aimed at reframing that support as politically motivated rather than professional.
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