At the peak of tension in Judea and Samaria: Delays in key appointments
The situation in Judea and Samaria is described as highly volatile. Military sources report that IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir is delaying the appointment of the head of the Civil Administration and the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division due to fears of political interference.
During the most explosive period in a year, where assessments say the situation in Judea and Samaria has become an "unstoppable snowball" due to a number of negative processes and could explode into a series of terror attacks, military sources claim that IDF Chief of Staff Rav-Aluf Eyal Zamir is delaying two important appointments. These are the positions of the head of the Civil Administration in the COGAT office and the commander of the Judea and Samaria Division.
Head of the Civil Administration
The head of the Civil Administration, Tat-Aluf Hisham Ibrahim, who is highly regarded, finished his role unexpectedly and was appointed as the military secretary to Defense Minister Israel Katz upon the recommendation of Chief of Staff Zamir. Despite several discussions, the Chief of Staff's office has not reached an agreement on a candidate for the position.
Military sources emphasized that this is a very sensitive position whose purpose is coordination between government policy and the Palestinian Authority. Sources indicate that the Chief of Staff's office fears political interference in the appointment, which has caused the delay. The name of Tat-Aluf (res.) Fares Atila, a respected officer who faced major challenges during his previous tenure, was raised to return to the position, but there has been no progress on the matter.
It should be noted that, according to military sources in the Central Command, on Sunday, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, Aluf Yoram Halevi, was present in the Beit El area to hold talks and situational assessments as part of building a comprehensive picture in the region and calming the area.
Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division
A few weeks ago, a staffing discussion was held at the General Staff, during which they were expected to decide on the appointment of the next commander of the Judea and Samaria Division. It has been revealed that the General Staff did not reach an agreement and decided to postpone the issue until the selection of the next Central Command commander.
Military sources criticized the "dragging of feet." They note that although Tat-Aluf Kobi Heller is performing well despite the complex period, it is necessary to start an orderly process for one of the most sensitive positions in the IDF. In this case as well, military sources claim that the General Staff fears interference from the political echelon in choosing the next candidate.
Against the backdrop of the escalation, it was decided to reinforce the forces in the sector, with 26 battalions currently operating in the area. According to the assessment of a senior security official, a large-scale operation against terror infrastructure is expected to be delayed until after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the USA.
