Smotrich Seeks to Cede West Bank Construction Enforcement From Israeli Army to Settler Confidant - Israel News - Haaretz.com
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wants to appoint a confidant as deputy head of the Civil Administration, Israel's governing body in the West Bank, and give him authority over enforcing building regulations in settlements and outposts.
Smotrich is demanding that district brigade commanders in the West Bank be required to explain any decision they make to demolish illegal construction to the Civil Administration deputy head. Currently, such decisions are under the authority of the head of the IDF Central Command. Demolition for security reasons requires the defense minister's approval.
- Smotrich's plan to subjugate the Palestinians goes ahead
- Israel's approves construction of 3,476 housing units in West Bank settlements
- The illegal settlement enterprise is eroding Israel's legitimacy
Senior officials in the defense establishment say that implementing Smotrich's plan would make high-ranking military officers subordinate to civilians who were appointed for political reasons. One official said that the shift would give local government heads in the settlements a significant pressure lever over the brigade commanders, who will hesitate before ordering a demolition.
"The brigade's work with the communities and residents is daily and very intimate. They depend on each other, unlike the head of a command, who has no obligations to them and whose promotion is not necessarily influenced by the positions" of settlers, that official said.
A newly built settler outpost near Tkoa, the West Bank, last month.
Knowledgeable sources said that Smotrich's candidate for Civil Administration deputy head is Hillel Roth, a resident of the Yitzhar settlement who was treasurer of the Samaria Regional Council when Yossi Dagan was chair. Roth is the deputy CEO and head of the budget division of Bnei Akiva, an organization with great influence over Smotrich's Religious Zionism party.
Senior defense officials added that Smotrich has been waging a campaign against Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi and other top defense officials to allow the appointment and the reassignment of authorities.
In a response, Smotrich's office said: "We could not have received better justification for our opposition to the round of IDF appointments by the General Staff that failed on October 7 than the fact that the defense minister and the chief of staff also recognize that they have no serious argument on the merits and have moved to the provinces of unfounded accusations pulled from thin air. Those who failed will not shape the security doctrine, the building of the force and the next high command of the IDF. Period."