IDF Admits Delay in Evacuating 13 New Outposts

Lack of governance in the West Bank: The IDF confirmed today (Wednesday) that in recent days it has refrained from enforcement activities against activists who have established around a hundred illegal outposts throughout the West Bank, 13 of them just in the past week. The IDF states it is preparing to act in the coming days to evacuate the sites, but admits the long-term impact is minimal:

"We evacuate and after a day they go back up."

"We do not take anything for granted. Last week we did not deal with the evacuation of outposts, but in the coming days we will return to it. There are over 100 points; we evacuate some, but this greatly stretches the IDF's ability to deal with other matters, primarily the handling of Palestinian terrorism," the IDF stated.

Following the investigation into the attack at Havat Gilad, the IDF noted that a lack of coordination during hikes in Judea and Samaria endangers civilians and forces the military to reallocate resources:

"We are in the sector every week with dozens of hikes, some of which are not approved or organized. The IDF approves hikes in every location, but within an orderly operational procedure. When there is a lack of coordination regarding the details, we find it difficult to identify the nature of the activity."

The IDF emphasized that the hike at the Tel two weeks ago, in which Captain Bania Malet and Major Yuval Ezra were killed, was uncoordinated. "This hike, as the Chief of Staff determined, was unapproved. The IDF requires everyone who comes to hike to follow a closed procedure with the brigade and the division. We facilitate many entries, including to Joseph's Tomb, but everything must happen in coordination. There are dozens of these a month, throughout the year," the IDF said.