COGAT backs up report slamming settler violence in Yitzhar

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Major General Kamil Abu Rokon issued a statement of support for an IDF officer who authored a controversial report on the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar.The contents of the report, which criticized the IDF for expanding and providing municipal services to the settlement despite continuing violence by settlers, was first reported by Israel's public broadcaster KAN on Tuesday.In its statement, Abu Rokon said that the report, reflecting the complex reality of the settlement, was authored by an outstanding and professional officer who fulfilled her task faithfully and sought to shed light on a situation that jeopardizes the security in the area. For several months, lawbreakers have been acting violently against IDF soldiers and members of the defense establishment in the Yitzhar area in Judea and Samaria in the West Bank, the statement said. Their actions harm civilians and security in the West Bank.The statement called on settlement leaders to assist and continue to cooperate with COGAT against violation of law and violent manifestations in order to maintain stability and promote development in the region.