Defense Minister Israel Katz emphasized that IDF Central Command Head Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth has not been dismissed in a meeting with heads of local authorities from the West Bank on Monday, according to a joint statement from Katz and the authority heads.
Katz stated that Bluth is performing well in his role as head of Central Command, contradicting a statement he made during a live Channel 14 interview on Sunday, in which he initially said Bluth was dismissed.
The calls for removal come after Bluth received backlash for pursuing contradictory policies and allegedly allowing Arab terrorism to intensify.
The remainder of the meeting primarily centered on plans for combating Palestinian terrorism and strengthening communities in the West Bank after violent incidents in the region saw a spike in recent weeks. It was held at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, and attended by various chairmen, council heads, and mayors.
The West Bank authorities expressed deep appreciation for Katz's security policies, particularly referencing what they called a "settlement revolution" in the West Bank. The defense minister, with the help of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has recognized 104 new communities and 160 agricultural farms in the contested area, along with returning IDF forces to the north of the region.
Defense Minister recognizes hundreds of new communities, farms in West Bank
The West Bank leaders went on to hail Katz for canceling administrative detention orders against settlers, attributing an 80% drop in terrorist incidents to the policy change.
In their joint statement, the defense minister and the West Bank leaders underscored the importance of the West Bank communities as strategic assets for Israel and the ongoing efforts to combat Palestinian terrorism.