From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 3, 2026
Former defense chiefs pan Katz for dragging IDF into primaries with general’s ouster
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Former defense heads turned politicians are joining others slamming Defense Minister Israel Katz over his decision to replace IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, which he announced during a live TV interview last night.
Blue and White head Benny Gantz and former Likud minister Yoav Gallant, both former Defense Ministers, defend Bluth and accuse Katz of politicizing the military’s ranks.
“The attempt to turn discussions on IDF postings into part of the Likud primary campaign hurts the nation’s security,” Gantz writes on X. “The politicization of the IDF is not governance, it’s a real danger.”
Gallant, who was replaced by Katz, writes that the move to remove Bluth on live TV “is a contemptible act that crosses another red line.”
“Undermining the authority of commanders shakes the foundations of the army and bringing the IDF into the political arena is a perilous game that endangers the state of Israel,” he posts on X.
Katz, appearing on the right-wing Channel 14 last night, announced he was removing Bluth, who is the top general in the West Bank, over his decision to renew an administrative restraining order against a violent settler. The move, which the IDF said was invalid, was widely seen as a play for right-wing support with Likud set to hold internal primaries in the coming weeks.
Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman, another former defense minister (though not a highly decorated military veteran like Gantz and Gallant), writes on X that “anyone who acts solely based on the consideration of party primaries and central committee members is not fit or worthy to serve as Israel’s defense minister.”
The Times of Israel Community.