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. It is responsible for the units 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. ...

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),

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, Gush Dan, 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) 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 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 Ri ...

, particularly on the road to

, occupying the "Small Triangle" (east Sharon),

Lod Lod ( he, לוד, or fully vocalized ; ar, اللد, al-Lidd or ), also known as Lydda ( grc, Λύδδα), is a city southeast of Tel Aviv and northwest of Jerusalem in the Central District of Israel. It is situated between the lower Shephe ...

, 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 ...

. 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 Palestini ...

, 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 Government, governments, law enforcement, business, and Intelligence agency, intellig ...

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

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 (1948–1952) * Yosef Avidar (1952–1953) *Zvi Ayalon (1954–1956) * Zvi Zur (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 Yosef (; also transliterated as Yossef, Josef, Yoseph Tiberian Hebrew and Aramaic ''Yôsēp̄'') is a Hebrew male name derived from the Biblical character Joseph. The name can also consist of the Hebrew yadah meaning "praise", "fame" and the word ...

(1960–1966) * Uzi Narkis (1966–1968) * Rehav'am Ze'evi (1968–1972) * Yona Efrat (1973–1977) * Moshe Levi (1977–1981) * Ori Orr (1981–1983) * Amnon Lipkin-Shahak (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 Ja ...

(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 joi ...

(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 retir ...

(1989–1991) * Danny Yatom (1991–1993) * Nehemiah Tamari (1993–1994) - KIA *Danny Yatom (1994) * Ilan Birn (1994–1995) * Uzi Dayan (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 20 ...

(1998–2000) *

Yitzhak Eitan Yitzhak( ()) is a male first name, and is Hebrew for Isaac. Yitzhak may refer to: People *Yitzhak ha-Sangari, rabbi who converted the Khazars to Judaism *Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995), Israeli politician and Prime Minister *Yitzhak Shamir (1915–2 ...

(2000–2002) * Moshe Kaplinsky (2002–2004) * Yair Nave (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 (2009–2012) * Nitzan Alon (2012–2015) * Roni Numa (2015–2018) * Nadav Padan (2018–2020) *

Tamir Yadai Tamir Yadai is an Israeli major general ( aluf) who commands the Ground Forces Command. Biography Yadai joined the IDF in 1988, and was deployed in the 51st Battalion of the Golani Brigade. He graduated the officer training course as a combat o ...

(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 ...

(2021–)

References

{{Israel Defense Forces Regional commands of Israel