New reports suggest that Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, the head of the IDF Central Command, was aware of a plan by Israeli settlers to enter eight homes on the outskirts of Jericho before the action took place. The Haaretz daily newspaper reported on Friday that Bluth met with the settlers in advance of their entry on Wednesday. According to security sources cited by the paper, he instructed the group not to inform other senior officers under his command until they had already moved into the Palestinian residences.
The settlers, who have claimed to have legally purchased the properties, entered the neighborhood on Wednesday. However, the area is located on state land, meaning there is no private owner from whom the homes could have been officially acquired. Following the entry, the IDF deployed three platoons to protect the settlers. Bluth was also reported to have spoken with the organizers on the eve of the move, wishing them luck.
In response to the allegations, the IDF stated that the claims against Bluth were false, though the military did not provide further details. Channel 16 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz were also tipped off ahead of time but did not take steps to stop the settlers. Since the move, Settlements Minister Orit Strock has visited the occupants of the homes.
Rights groups have noted that fear of violence from the incoming settlers has caused some Palestinian residents in the neighborhood to flee. A senior IDF official told Haaretz that there is a sense that someone is trying to heat up the situation on the ground. This incident adds to a broader context of surging settler violence in recent months, which has led to widespread international backlash and few perpetrators being charged or convicted.
Separately, Haaretz reported that Bluth approved an order turning an area near the West Bank village of Burin into a closed military zone. This decision was made to prevent former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert from visiting a site where Palestinians have faced repeated settler attacks. Olmert was scheduled to join a delegation of senior former Israeli officials in the central West Bank in the coming days, a visit that would have required protection from the Shin Bet internal security agency.
Olmert reacted strongly to the military decision, accusing Bluth of effectively aiding Jewish terrorism. He stated that the actions contradict the general's professional obligations and his status as the sovereign authority in the territories. Olmert told Kan public radio that he has never taken such a harsh personal stance against a general in the army before but could no longer remain silent. He added, “I can’t close my eyes, I can’t ignore what I see with my eyes.”
The IDF rejected Olmert’s claims in a statement, describing the allegation that Bluth provides aid to terror as grave, impermissible, and detached from reality. The military response came as tensions continued to rise in the West Bank, where settlers have been increasingly active in recent weeks.
In a related incident early Saturday, Israeli settlers were filmed beating a Palestinian man during an overnight attack on a hamlet in the Masafer Yatta region of the southern West Bank. Palestinian media reported that the man lost consciousness during the assault. There were no immediate reports of arrests, and the IDF did not comment on the specific incident right away.
These events highlight the ongoing friction between the military, political leadership, and settler groups in the West Bank. The coordination, or lack thereof, between senior officials and settler actions remains a point of contention, with critics arguing that the military is not doing enough to prevent unauthorized entries and subsequent violence.
As the situation in Jericho and Burin develops, observers will be watching for further statements from the IDF and political leaders. The coming days may see increased activity as former officials and ministers continue to engage with the communities affected by these recent moves.
