Israeli War Minister’s Dismissal of Central Commander Sparks Internal Conflict
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, a significant rift has emerged between Israeli War Minister Yoav Gallant and the leadership of the Israeli military, with the dispute over the dismissal of Central Command chief Avi Bluth spilling into public view.
Gallant’s abrupt announcement regarding the removal of Avi Bluth from his position as commander of the army’s Central Region ignited a wave of tension and controversy within the regime’s political and military circles.
Channel 13 of the Israeli regime reported that the army spokesperson issued a strongly worded statement against Gallant’s decision, emphasizing that the dismissal of the Central Region commander is invalid as it was made without consultation or coordination with the Chief of Staff.
In this regard, Gallant stated in an interview with Channel 14 of the Israeli regime that he is dismissing Major General Avi Bluth from the military command of the West Bank. The reason cited for this decision is Bluth’s opposition to Gallant’s policy concerning extremist settlers.
This decision comes at a time when, immediately after Gallant’s announcement, the Israeli army declared that the commander would remain in his post.
The Israeli army stated in its announcement that the Chief of Staff has no intention of dismissing Avi Bluth or replacing active commanders in sensitive positions under the current critical circumstances and continues to place full trust in him.
Channel 12 also reported that the announcement of the dismissal of the Central Region commander, who is responsible for the West Bank, live on Channel 14 has caused widespread controversy at political and military levels within the Israeli regime.
Conversely, Yoav Gallant’s office claimed that the selection of Dado Bar for the command of the Central Region was based on a prior recommendation from the Chief of Staff. According to this claim, Gallant concluded after meeting with Bar that he is the most suitable candidate to continue the army’s offensive policy in the ongoing wars.
Nevertheless, Hebrew media reported that the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army had no prior knowledge of the decision to dismiss and introduce a new commander before Gallant’s televised remarks.
Michal Shimsh, an Israeli correspondent, described the event as an unprecedented and strange move, writing that senior army commanders are appointed by the Chief of Staff with the approval of the War Minister, and perhaps even without it. However, this time, the War Minister announced the appointment of a new commander via television, and the Chief of Staff was unaware of his decision.
Amit Segal, another Israeli analyst, stated that Yoav Gallant had described Avi Bluth as the best regional commander of the army in the last 20 to 30 years on the same television program eight months ago, yet he has now announced his dismissal live.
