Central Command (Israel)

The Central Command (פיקוד מרכז, Pikud Merkaz), often abbreviated to Pakmaz (פקמ"ז), is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the units and brigades located in the West Bank (under the West Bank Division), Jerusalem, the Sharon, Gush Dan, and the Shephelah.

The commander (Aluf) of the central command is the one who is authorized to declare new cities in the Judea and Samaria Area.

History
During the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Central Command was in-charge of the war efforts against Jordan, particularly on the road to Jerusalem, occupying the "Small Triangle" (east Sharon), Lod, and Ramla. During the Six-Day War, the Command led the occupation of the West Bank from Jordan. As of the First Intifada, the Command primarily engages in security and counter-terrorism 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.

Command organization 2024



 * PakmazLogo.svg Central Command, in Neve Yaakov
 * Utsbat ha'Esh - Ugda 98.png 98th Division "Ha-Esh"/"Fire"
 * 35th Brigade IDF.svg 35th Paratroopers Brigade "Shfifon/Flying Serpent"
 * IDF Brigade 55 Tag.svg 55th Paratroopers Brigade "Hod Ha-Hanit/Spearhead" (Reserve)
 * Komando.png 89th Commando Brigade "Oz/Courage"
 * Logo hativa 551.png 551st Paratroopers Brigade "Hetzei Ha-Esch/Fire Arrows" (Reserve)
 * Kela david.png 214th Artillery Brigade "David's Sling"
 * 99th Ha'Bazak Division Tag (cropped).png 99th Division "Ha'Bazak/Flash" (Reserve)
 * YiftachBrigade.svg 11th Commando Brigade "Yiftach" (Reserve)
 * Logo-hativa-37.png 179th Armored Brigade "Ram" (Reserve)
 * Logo hativa 900.png 900th Infantry Brigade "Kfir"
 * Hativa-646 New Logo.png 646th Paratroopers Brigade "Schualey Marom" (Reserve)
 * 340 logistika.png Division Logistic Brigade
 * 340signal.png 807th Division Signal Battalion
 * Logo ugdat eyosh.png 877th Division "Judea and Samaria"
 * 421px-YoSH h-Efraim 2.png 421st Territorial Brigade "Ephraim" – Qalqilya sector
 * 426px-YoSH h-Etzion.png 426th Territorial Brigade "Etzion" – Bethlehem sector
 * 431px-YoSH h-Menashe.png 431st Territorial Brigade "Menashe" – Jenin and Tulkarm sectors
 * 434px-YoSH h-Yehuda.png 434th Territorial Brigade "Yehuda" – Hebron sector
 * 442px-YoSH h-Shomron.png 442nd Territorial Brigade "Samaria" – Nablus sector
 * 443px-YoSH h-Beniamin.png 443rd Territorial Brigade "Benjamin" – Ramallah sector and Road 443
 * Logo-hativat-417.png 417th Territorial Brigade – Jordan Valley sector
 * 41st Border Infantry Battalion "Jordan Lions"
 * 47th Border Infantry Battalion "Valley Guards"
 * 5016th Reserve Infantry Battalion "Reim"
 * 5035th Reserve Infantry Battalion "Habokea"
 * 9992nd Reserve Infantry Battalion
 * 5025th Reserve Field Intelligence Battalion
 * 7078th Reserve Counterterrorism Unit "Yatam amakim" (Anti-Terrorism Rapid Response Unit)
 * Pakmaz signal.png Central Command Signal Battalion
 * Handasa pkmz.png Central Command Engineering Unit 802
 * ModiinMerkazNew.svg Central Command Intelligence Unit
 * Mz pkmz.png Central Command Military Police Unit 391
 * Refua pkmz.png Central Command Medical Unit
 * Yahsham650.png Central Command Maintenance Unit 650
 * Lahish.png Central Command Training Base "Lahish"
 * Almar 5004.png 5004th Logistic Unit

Commanders
All commanders of the Central Command were ranked Aluf (Major General).


 * Zvi Ayalon (1948–1952)
 * Yosef Avidar (1952–1953)
 * Zvi Ayalon (1954–1956)
 * Zvi Zur (1956–1958)
 * Meir Amit (1958–1959)
 * Yosef Geva (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 (1986–1987)
 * Amram Mitzna (1987–1989)
 * Yitzhak Mordechai (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 (1998–2000)
 * Yitzhak Eitan (2000–2002)
 * Moshe Kaplinsky (2002–2004)
 * Yair Nave (2004–2007)
 * Gadi Shamni (2007–2009)
 * Avi Mizrahi (2009–2012)
 * Nitzan Alon (2012–2015)
 * Roni Numa (2015–2018)
 * Nadav Padan (2018–2020)
 * Tamir Yadai (2020–2021)
 * Yehuda Fox (2021–)