Haaretz: Israel’s defense establishment has ‘lost control’ of West Bank, security source says

Sources familiar with the IDF’s assessments said it is reinforcing troops across the territory, as security officials are concerned about what they call a “blitz” of coordinated settler actions, including seizures of additional land.

The coming weeks, defense sources told Haaretz, will be a test of the state’s ability to enforce the law in the West Bank, as officials acknowledge that the IDF, Shin

Bet security service and police are struggling to contain the efforts of Israeli extremists.

Defense sources describe a growing sense of helplessness in the face of settler violence, citing the rioters’ ability to operate at several locations simultaneously, while security forces are forced to rush from place to place trying to stop attacks after they have already begun.

“Anyone who tells you there’s control is lying,” said a security source familiar with events in the West Bank, adding that Israel’s defense establishment has “lost control on the ground” and that “the problem is that no real effort has been made to restore control.”

On Tuesday, a meeting on the matter convened by IDF chief Zamir with senior officials ended without any new, substantive decisions, sources told Haaretz. Officials in the IDF’s Central Command criticized the absence of representatives from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Defense Ministry and the National Security Council, stressing that the political echelon’s direct involvement is needed in order to address the threat that settler terrorism poses.

The meeting was held mainly to log the fact that an assessment of the situation had been conducted, one source said, adding that even in the absence of government representatives, those in the room have a clear understanding of the political echelon’s position on dealing with violent settlers.

Meanwhile, nine of the 10 suspects arrested over attacks on a European diplomatic delegation and Washington Post photojournalist Heidi Levine have been released from custody. One suspect, Nadav Cohen Tzemach, will remain in custody until Monday after a court found that suspicions against him had strengthened.