IDF Officials Warn Army Will Struggle to Defend New Israeli West Bank Settlements
Army officials say the latest settlements were established for political reasons despite lacking basic security infrastructure. They warn the move is stretching forces needed for an all-out war and putting civilians and soldiers at unnecessary risk
Israeli military officials have warned the political leadership that the IDF would struggle to defend new settlements and outposts in the northern West Bank, saying they lack basic security infrastructure and were established for political rather than security reasons.
Against this backdrop, and amid a rise in settler violence, the number of battalions deployed under Central Command will reach 26 this week – the highest number since the start of the war.
By comparison, the IDF deployed just 13 battalions in the West Bank during Operation Breakwater, which was launched in March 2022 following a wave of terror attacks and during which the IDF conducted raids in the area.
Officials within the army have warned that the roads leading to the new settlements run through Palestinian villages, many of which have no cellular coverage. This means that Israelis living in the settlements may be unable to call for help during an attack or other emergency. Each settlement has only one access road, while a single road connects the settlements. Defense officials fear that terror operatives could block these roads, delaying the arrival of reinforcements.
The areas also lack surveillance and other technological systems because there has been no permanent military or civilian presence there for the past two decades. The Central Command is therefore being forced to establish an advanced early-warning system without any prior budgetary or operational planning.
To address the security threat posed by Jewish terrorism as well, the army has been forced to permanently deploy three additional battalions in the Jenin, Nablus and Ramallah sectors. The Paratroopers and Nahal infantry brigades, as well as the Search and Rescue Brigade, are also scheduled to deploy in the area in the coming months.
Since the current government took office, at least 103 outposts and farms have been approved within Central Command's area of responsibility and in the Jordan Valley. Eighty of them are located deep inside the West Bank.
Last week, three new settlements were established, while Ganim, Kadim and Homesh were revived 21 years after they were evacuated as part of the 2005 disengagement plan from Gaza.
The method of establishing the new settlements is straightforward: A single asphalt road is paved, and trailers are placed along it. Within a short time, far-right Minister Bezalel Smotrich issues an official declaration recognizing the site as a settlement.
IDF officials describe the current security situation as "unprecedented." Its regular and reserve forces are stretched to the limit as they move between operations in the West Bank, fighting in the Gaza Strip and the northern border, while maintaining a high level of readiness for a possible resumption of military operations against Iran.
The military leadership recognizes that the IDF is obligated to carry out government decisions. But the latest warnings from the army indicate that the effort to establish facts on the ground ahead of the election is coming at a cost: It is undermining the IDF's readiness for an all-out war and exposing both civilians and soldiers to unnecessary risk.