The Central Command ( he, פיקוד מרכז, ''Pikud Merkaz''), often abbreviated to Pakmaz (פקמ"ז), is a regional

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on Apple Macintosh computer keyboards * ...

of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

. It is responsible for the

units Unit may refer to: Arts and entertainment * UNIT, a fictional military organization in the science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' * Unit of action, a discrete piece of action (or beat) in a theatrical presentation Music * Unit (album), ...

and

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

s located in the

West Bank The West Bank ( ar, الضفة الغربية, translit=aḍ-Ḍiffah al-Ġarbiyyah; he, הגדה המערבית, translit=HaGadah HaMaʽaravit, also referred to by some Israelis as ) is a landlocked territory near the coast of the Mediter ...

(under the

West Bank Division The Israel Defense Forces 877th Judea and Samaria Division ( he, אוּגְדָּת אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן, ; also known as the West Bank Division) is a regional division in the Israeli Central Command. It is res ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, the

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

Gush Dan Gush Dan ( he, גּוּשׁ דָּן, ''lit.'' "Dan bloc") or Tel Aviv metropolitan area ( he, מֶטְרוֹפּוֹלִין תֵּל אָבִיב) is a conurbation in Israel, located along the country's Mediterranean coastline. There is no sing ...

, and the

Shephelah The Shephelah or Shfela, lit. "lowlands" ( hbo, הַשְּפֵלָה ''hašŠǝfēlā'', also Modern Hebrew: , ''Šǝfēlat Yəhūda'', the "Judaean foothills"), is a transitional region of soft-sloping rolling hills in south-central Israel str ...

The commander (

Aluf ''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. ...

) of the central command is the one who is authorized to declare new cities in the

Judea and Samaria Area The Judea and Samaria Area ( he, אֵזוֹר יְהוּדָה וְשׁוֹמְרוֹן, translit=Ezor Yehuda VeShomron; ar, يهودا والسامرة, translit=Yahūda wa-s-Sāmara) is an administrative division of Israel. It encompasses th ...

History

During the

1948 Arab–Israeli War The 1948 (or First) Arab–Israeli War was the second and final stage of the 1948 Palestine war. It formally began following the end of the British Mandate for Palestine at midnight on 14 May 1948; the Israeli Declaration of Independence had ...

, the Central Command was in-charge of the war efforts against

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

, particularly on the road to

, occupying the "Small Triangle" (east

), Lod, and

Ramla Ramla or Ramle ( he, רַמְלָה, ''Ramlā''; ar, الرملة, ''ar-Ramleh'') is a city in the Central District of Israel. Today, Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with both a significant Jewish and Arab populations. The city was f ...

. During the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

, the Command led the occupation of the

from Jordan. As of the

First Intifada The First Intifada, or First Palestinian Intifada (also known simply as the intifada or intifadah),The word ''intifada'' () is an Arabic word meaning "uprising". Its strict Arabic transliteration is '. was a sustained series of Palestinian ...

, the Command primarily engages in security and

counter-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

activities, as well as more conventional military measures, in the West Bank. Towards the end of 2010 the deployment of IDF troops in and around the West Bank reached a new quantitative low with only half the number of infantry battalions serving where "dozens" were required during the first Intifada.

Units

* Central Command in

Neve Yaakov Neve Yaakov also Neve Ya'aqov, ( he, נווה יעקב; lit. Jacob's Oasis), is an Israeli settlement and neighborhood located in East Jerusalem, north of Pisgat Ze'ev and south of al-Ram. Established in 1924 during the period of the British M ...

** 98th "Ha-Esh"/"Fire" Paratroopers (Reserve) Division ** 340th "Idan" (Reserve) Division ** 877th "Judea and Samaria" (Territorial) Division ** 417th "

Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...

" (Territorial) Infantry Brigade *** 41st "Jordan Lions" Unisex Light Infantry Battalion *** 47th "Young Lions" Unisex Light Infantry Battalion ** 5004th "Central Command" Logistic Support Unit ** Central Command Signal Battalion ** Central Command Engineering Unit ** Central Command Intelligence Unit ** Central Command Military Police Unit ** Central Command Medical Unit ** 650th Maintenance Center

Commanders

All commanders of the Central Command were ranked

(

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

). *

Zvi Ayalon Tzvi Ayalon (Hebrew: ; June 15, 1911 - March 4, 1993) was a Haganah leader and a major general (Aluf) in the Israel Defense Forces, he served as the first Deputy Chief of General Staff as well as the commander of the Central Command (Israel). Af ...

(1948–1952) *

Yosef Avidar Yosef Aluf Avidar (7 May 1906 – 13 September 1995) was an Israeli statesman, Haganah commander, author and ambassador to Argentina and the Soviet Union. Early life Avidar was born on 7 May 1906 as Yosef Rochel in Kremenets in the Russian Em ...

(1952–1953) *Zvi Ayalon (1954–1956) *

Zvi Zur Tzvi Tzur ( he, צבי צור, also transliterated Zvi Tsur, 1923 – 28 December 2004) was an Israeli officer who served as the IDF's 6th Chief of Staff (1961–1963). Biography Early life Tzur was born in the Zaslav in the Soviet Union (no ...

(1956–1958) *

Meir Amit Meir Amit ( he, מאיר עמית, 17 March 1921 – 17 July 2009) was an Israeli politician and cabinet minister. He served as the Chief Director and the head of global operations for Mossad from 1963 to 1968, before entering into politics an ...

(1958–1959) * Yosef Geva (1960–1966) *

Uzi Narkis Uzi Narkiss ( he, עוזי נרקיס; January 6, 1925 – December 17, 1997) was an Israeli general. Narkiss was commander of the Israel Defense Forces units in the Central Region during the 1967 Six-Day War. Narkiss appears in the famous photog ...

(1966–1968) * Rehav'am Ze'evi (1968–1972) * Yona Efrat (1973–1977) *

Moshe Levi Moshe Levi ( he, משה לוי, extra=1936 – January 8, 2008, April 18, 1936 – January 8, 2008) was an Israeli military commander and the 12th Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He served in this position from 1983 to 1987, ...

(1977–1981) *

Ori Orr Ori Orr ( he, אורי אור, born 22 April 1939) is an Israeli retired general and politician. During his service with the Israel Defense Forces, he headed the Central and Northern Commands. Afterward, he was elected to the Knesset twice for ...

(1981–1983) *

Amnon Lipkin-Shahak Amnon Lipkin-Shahak ( he, אמנון ליפקין-שחק; March 18, 1944 – December 19, 2012) was an Israeli military officer and politician. He served as Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, as a Member of the Knesset, and as Minister o ...

(1983–1986) *

Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...

(1986–1987) *

Amram Mitzna Amram Mitzna ( he, עמרם מצנע, born 20 February 1945) is an Israeli politician and former general in the IDF. He is a former mayor of Haifa (1993–2003) and Yeruham (2005–2010) and led the Labor Party from 2002 to 2003. In 2012 he joine ...

(1987–1989) *

Yitzhak Mordechai Yitzhak "Itzik" Mordechai ( he, יצחק מרדכי, born 22 November 1944) is an Israeli former general and politician. He served as a member of the Knesset between 1996 and 2001, and as Minister of Defense and Minister of Transport. He retired ...

(1989–1991) *

Danny Yatom Danny Yatom ( he, דני יתום, born 15 March 1945) is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Labor. In 1996–1998, Yatom was head of the Mossad and between 1999 and 2001, he served as Prime Minister Ehud Barak ...

(1991–1993) *

Nehemiah Tamari Nehemiah Tamari ( he, נחמיה תמרי; November 17, 1946 – January 12, 1994) was an Israeli major general (''Aluf'') and the commander of Central Command in 1993–1994. Military service Tamari was born on kibbutz Ein Harod. After finishin ...

(1993–1994) - KIA *Danny Yatom (1994) *

Ilan Birn Ilan may refer to: Organization * ILAN, Israeli umbrella organization for the treatment of disabled children Given name * Ilan (name), a Hebrew/Israeli name * Ilan Bakhar, a retired Israeli footballer * Ilan Araújo Dall'Igna, a Brazilian footbal ...

(1994–1995) *

Uzi Dayan Aluf (Major General, res.) Uzi Dayan (, born January 4, 1948) is a former general in the Israel Defense Forces and an Israeli politician. He served as a member of the Knesset for Likud from 2020 to 2021. Biography Uzi Dayan is a nephew of Mosh ...

(1996–1998) *

Moshe Ya'alon Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon ( he, משה יעלון; born Moshe Smilansky on 24 June 1950) is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, who also served as Israel's Defense Minister under Benjamin Netanyahu from 2013 ...

(1998–2000) * Yitzhak Eitan (2000–2002) *

Moshe Kaplinsky Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky (Hebrew: משה קפלינסקי; born January 20, 1957) is an Israeli army general and businessman who served as CEO of the Israeli subsidiary of Better Place. Most recently, he was Deputy Chief of the General Staff ...

(2002–2004) *

Yair Nave Yair Naveh ( he, יאיר נוה, born 5 September 1957) is a major general in the Israel Defense Forces and a former Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In 1975, he was drafted into the IDF where he served in all positions in the Golani Infant ...

(2004–2007) *

Gadi Shamni Mr. Gadi Shamni (born 1959) is a retired general in the Israel Defense Forces and formerly Israel's military attaché in the United States, IDF central command commander and the military secretary to prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. ...

(2007–2009) *

Avi Mizrahi Aluf Avi (Abraham) Mizrahi ( he, אבי מזרחי; born 1957) is a general in the Israel Defense Forces, the Head of Israeli Central Command between October 2009 and March 2012. Military career Mizrahi was drafted by the IDF in 1975, and joined ...

(2009–2012) *

Nitzan Alon Major General Nitzan Alon ( he, ניצן אלון; born 1964) is a general in the Israel Defense Forces. In December 2011, he was named GOC Central Command and became Head of Central Command in early 2012. He became a commissioned officer after c ...

(2012–2015) *

Roni Numa Roni Numa ( he, רוני נומה; also known as Ronny Numa,born 1967) is an Israeli retired Major general (Aluf) who headed the Central Command of the Israel Defense Force from 2015 to 2018. Military service Numa was drafted into the IDF in 19 ...

(2015–2018) * Nadav Padan (2018–2020) * Tamir Yadai (2020–2021) *

Yehuda Fuchs Yehuda Fox (also Yehuda Fuchs, he, יהודה פוקס) (born 10 April 1969) is an Israeli major general who currently commands the Central Command. Previously he has commanded the Gaza Division of Israel Defense Forces. Military career Fox w ...

(2021–)

References

{{Israel Defense Forces Regional commands of Israel