From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 3, 2026
IDF said to freeze senior appointments, wary of more political meddling ahead of elections
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleEmanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has reportedly decided not to appoint any officers to senior roles until at least after the election season, following last night’s attempt by Defense Minister Israel Katz to replace the chief of the Central Command.
Under the IDF’s protocols for promotions of colonels and above, the IDF chief selects candidates, which then must be approved by the defense minister.
The Ynet news site reports that Zamir will freeze appointments of major generals until early 2027, after the October 2026 election season is presumed to have settled, in an apparent attempt to prevent Katz from interfering.
The move means that Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth will likely stay in his role for three years, which is not unusual.
Most other roles in the general staff are normally held for three to five years, meaning that no officers will be required to stay on longer than usual if Zamir holds off on appointments until 2027.
Katz’s attempt to remove Bluth, announced on live TV, has drawn widespread condemnation and accusations that it is a play for right-wing votes ahead of the Likud party’s primary. The IDF said earlier that Katz’s attempt to remove Bluth was not valid as it did not follow established procedures.
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