Netanyahu meets with senior security officials to discuss violence in Judea and Samaria, Israeli settlement
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a situational assessment in Judea and Samaria on Monday following recent violence at several flashpoints, including Kusra and Gilad Farm near Nablus, and Yatta and Sa’ir near Hebron.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned Netanyahu in recent discussions that, given the situation, “there is a risk of an explosion in Judea and Samaria,” according to reports.
Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Council head Shmuel Ben Ezra, Central Command head Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth, Military Intelligence Chief Maj.-Gen. Shlomi Binder, IDF Operations Division head Brig.-Gen. A, Judea and Samaria Division commander Brig.-Gen. Kobi Heller and other senior officials attended.
The meeting focused on regional security threats, particularly terror, and the “dramatic increase” in Israeli settlement in Judea and Samaria, Katz said. He praised security forces enforcing Israeli policy, including orders to evacuate refugee camps in northern Samaria and destroy terror infrastructure.
Bluth warned that terrorism has significantly declined over the past two years, but “nationalist crime” could set everything on fire. Palestinian terrorist attacks have dropped while Israeli violence against Palestinians has increased, though Central Command has reduced such incidents since their March peak, coinciding with the US-Israeli campaign against Iran. Zamir also warned of the situation’s volatility.
The Security Cabinet met Monday evening amid recent events in Syria, including the bombing of a Syrian Air Force base before Turkish troops and air defenses were deployed there. Ministers were expected to discuss Judea and Samaria and hear military warnings.
The IDF also announced that Paratroopers Brigade troops would move to Judea and Samaria after completing their Gaza deployment. Since June, they dismantled 13 km of tunnels, including part of the tunnel where Lt. Hadar Goldin was held for over a decade.
