Jericho Dispute: IDF Chief Told Settlers to Hide from Command
Newspaper reports suggest senior military leadership was aware of the planned entry into Palestinian homes but ordered silence from subordinates.
By Samantha Reed ·
A dispute over who knew what, and when, has emerged regarding the recent entry of Israeli settlers into eight homes on the outskirts of Jericho. The central question is whether the Israeli military coordinated with the settlers or simply allowed the action to proceed while keeping upper command in the dark until the families were already inside the Palestinian residences.
The Haaretz daily reported on Friday that Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the head of the IDF Central Command, met with the settlers before their Wednesday entry into the neighborhood. According to security sources cited by the newspaper, Bluth instructed the group not to inform other senior officers under his command until they had physically moved into the homes. The report added that Bluth spoke to the organizers on the eve of the entry and wished them luck. Bluth also reportedly told the group not to alert top officers until the operation was underway.
The IDF has rejected the account. A military spokesperson stated that the allegations against Bluth were false but did not provide further details. The army initially claimed the settler action was not coordinated with the forces on the ground. Channel 16 television reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz were also informed of the plan ahead of time but did not intervene to stop it.
The settlers claim they purchased the eight homes legally. However, the Palestinian neighborhood sits on state land, meaning no private owner existed to sell the property. The entry has required the IDF to divert three platoons to protect the new residents. Settlements Minister Orit Strock has visited the settlers since they took up residence. Rights groups say some Palestinian residents have fled the area out of fear of violence.
A senior IDF official told Haaretz that the situation creates a sense that the conflict is being heated up on the ground. The controversy extends to the village of Burin, where Bluth signed an order designating an area as a closed military zone. This decision blocks former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from visiting a site where Palestinians have faced repeated settler attacks. Olmert was part of a delegation of senior former officials scheduled to visit the central West Bank.
Olmert criticized Bluth on Kan public radio, accusing him of effectively aiding Jewish terrorism. Olmert said he had never taken such a harsh personal stance against an army general before. He argued that Bluth's actions contradicted the general's professional obligations and his status as the sovereign authority of the State of Israel in the territories. Olmert stated he could no longer sit silently or close his eyes to what he saw.
The IDF responded to Olmert by calling the claim of aid to terror grave, impermissible, and detached from reality. The military statement noted that Olmert's presence in the area would have required protection from the Shin Bet internal security agency. The dispute occurs as settler violence has increased in recent months, with daily attacks and harassment facing limited prosecution. On Saturday, settlers were filmed beating a Palestinian man in the Masafer Yatta region of the southern West Bank. The man lost consciousness, Palestinian media reported, and no arrests were immediately announced.
