IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth has ordered the military to stop notifying Palestinian Authority security forces before troops enter Palestinian Authority-controlled villages to carry out arrest operations, search for weapons, and conduct security sweeps, according to a report in Makor Rishon.
The decision was made following concerns raised by personnel in the field that information provided to PA security officials was being passed on to terrorists, helping them evade arrest and conceal weapons stockpiles.
According to the report, the IDF has observed an increase in the number of weapons seized during military operations since it stopped providing advance notifications to the Palestinian security forces.
AFSI Insight
The IDF’s decision to stop providing the Palestinian Authority with advance notice of arrest operations is a long-overdue acknowledgment of a dangerous reality: Israel cannot entrust its soldiers’ safety to a security apparatus that may be compromised by terrorist sympathizers or actual terrorists. Advance warnings gave terrorists opportunities to escape, hide weapons, and prepare for Israeli forces. The reported increase in weapons seizures since the practice stopped underscores the danger of misplaced trust. AFSI maintains that Israel’s security must come first. Protecting IDF soldiers and defeating terrorism in Judea and Samaria must take precedence over political considerations and security arrangements with the PA.