IDF Denies Secret Coordination in West Bank Outpost Case

IDF officials said Saturday night that Central Command Chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth met with regional defense officer Lt. Col. Elitzur Trabelsi before settlers moved to a new outpost near Jericho, but the military denied that the meeting involved any secret coordination over the relocation.

According to a Haaretz report published Friday, Bluth held several conversations in the days before the settlers’ entry among representatives of the Binyamin Regional Council in the West Bank, the pro-settlement Nachala movement, and Trabelsi, who was involved in coordinating the move.

The report also said that Bluth ordered his usual subordinates, who would have handled the matter, to be left out of discussions.

In contrast, IDF sources told The Jerusalem Post that Bluth regularly meets with West Bank settler officials on a wide range of routine issues. They said his meetings with Trabelsi or others concerned such matters, not the controversial move described in the Haaretz report.

IDF sources said they were asked a series of complex questions that led to misunderstandings, according to the Post.

On the record, the IDF called the entire Haaretz report false.

The Post could not independently confirm either account.

Bluth has alternately been accused by right-wingers of enforcing too strongly against illegal settler moves and by left-wingers of enforcing only when cases were unavoidable, without taking serious initiative.

IDF conducts field tours to examine incident area

Earlier on Saturday, Walla reported that commanders in the Central Command conducted field tours to examine the incident site on the border of Jericho.

According to an IDF official, the examination of citizens’ claims regarding the purchase of the land will continue over the coming week. To date, the settlers’ purchase process remains unclear. A security official said that at this stage it is not known whether the process has received approval from the Civil Administration.

An authoritative military source added that “The mission of the force located at a military outpost that previously existed in the sector is to ensure the security of all residents in the area and prevent terror and friction incidents.”

Sources note incident could potentially impact other IDF operations in area

At this stage, there is no intention to increase the military presence in the sector. However, sources said that because the force is required for an additional, unexpected mission, it could affect other operational tasks in the region.

As of Saturday night, Bluth decided that entry into and exit from the neighborhood would be carried out several times a day, accompanied by a military escort, until another decision is made on the matter.

Furthermore, checks conducted through the Civil Administration found that two families from the Bedouin community in the area chose to leave their temporary structures. The IDF contacted them and stressed that it intended to assist them so they would not be forced to evacuate; however, despite the offer, the families decided to leave.

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