Against the background of security tensions in Judea and Samaria and the fear of terrorist attacks on the roads and inside Jewish settlements, the IDF Central Command has radically changed its policy that’s been in place since 2005 and conducted an extensive reassessment, the main point of which is the allocation of new security measures for all the settlements in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley – including outposts that were established in violation of the law and whose status was not regulated (“the young settlements”), Israeli news media reported on Thursday. The changes are expected to be implemented in the coming days.
The IDF does not intervene in regulating settlements or outposts and concentrates on protecting the Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria by using technological means and deploying soldiers. And so, the policy change will allow the IDF to secure the “illegal” outposts that have not yet been regulated.
In seeking to protect remote outposts, the IDF will employ mobile information gathering and warning systems, mobile lighting systems, public address systems, and mobile fire extinguishing equipment.
According to the IDF, the policy change includes using the latest surveillance and other equipment, spreading these resources over a much broader area, and as a result, freeing up soldiers who would otherwise be patrolling the outposts seeking the same information.
Lt. Col. Elitzur Trabelsi, Central Command’s territorial defense officer, said that “the role of the IDF is to protect wherever the residents and citizens of the State of Israel are. This vital change will enable the strengthening of the defense circles in the area, and I welcome it. We will continue to do everything we can at the command center to continue to strengthen the elements of defense and security.”
The Young Settlements Forum issued a statement saying the IDF’s decision is “another important step on the way to full regulation. We are happy that two years after touring the Young Settlements and following our hard work and repeated appeals, Defense Minister Benny Gantz has finally decided that it is no longer acceptable to put our lives and the lives of our children in jeopardy.”
