Several Israelis enter the West Bank for hikes each week without military approval, a senior IDF Central Command officer said on Friday.
"Some [hikes] are not approved and not coordinated," the officer said. "We only learn about some of them after the fact."
The officer noted that despite the issue, dozens of hikes are conducted with IDF authorization and coordination.
His comments came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, concerns over a potential series of terrorist attacks, and increasing friction between Palestinians and Israelis in the area.
The senior officer said the IDF permits hikes throughout areas under Israeli security and civilian control as long as they undergo the required coordination process.
"The IDF today allows any hike to take place anywhere [in areas under Israeli security and civilian control], through coordination and a very orderly process, which is an operational process, full coordination of the hiking route and procedures with the regional brigade in the Judea and Samaria Division, carried out under the hike approval procedure," the officer added.
He also addressed the July 24 terrorist attack on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Tal, in the Samaria Brigade sector. Maj. Yuval Ezra, commander of a battery in the 411th Battalion, and Capt. Binyahu Malat, a reservist in the regional defense force, were killed in the attack.
Soldiers killed after arriving to assist, others injured in attack
The Havat Gilad community's security coordinator and additional civilians were also injured by stone throwing. The soldiers and the security coordinator had rushed to the scene after hikers who entered the area of Tal came under attack.
Describing what the IDF knew before the hike took place, the officer said that "according to the operations branch, there was some awareness that a hike was planned in the area, and I emphasize some, because it was nothing beyond that, during the late night hours."
The brigade subsequently attempted to obtain more information about the planned hike, according to the officer.
"There was an attempt by the brigade to clarify what was involved, which encountered a lack of cooperation in obtaining details about the organizers and the hiking route," he said. "We obviously had difficulty understanding what was being planned."
The IDF received information that same night about a separate hike planned for the southern Itamar area, the officer said.
"That hike did receive a response after we contacted the hike organizers on our own initiative, understood its route, set clear guidelines, and deployed a security force there," he noted.
Following an investigation into the terrorist attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir determined that the hike near Tell had not been coordinated with or approved by the IDF.
"The IDF today requires settlers and anyone who comes to hike in Judea and Samaria to go through an orderly process with the regional brigades and the division, in order to allow anyone who wants to hike anywhere to do so," the officer emphasized, addressing the coordination requirements.
He further pointed to the extensive security arrangements the IDF provides for coordinated prayers at Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, Solomon's Pools, and other sensitive locations throughout Judea and Samaria.
Approval process includes elements to ensure safety of hikers
Explaining the approval process, he said that "the approval includes an organized security framework, with clear definitions of what is permitted and what is prohibited, and there are dozens of these each month, both in the summer and throughout the entire year."
The senior officer then described the sequence of events leading up to the July 24 attack.
"From the moment during the night when we received the indication that a hike was supposed to take place, we were unable to close the loop on it, and it set out in the morning at around 5:30 from the community of Bracha," the officer said.
"The hike passed through Area C, entered B and A, and moved into Area B," he continued, noting that the group consisted of "a very long line of dozens of hikers, from young children to older adults."
The officer said the hike continued for nearly two hours without the IDF soldiers operating in the area being aware of it.
"Until 7:27 a.m., the hike proceeded without unusual or exceptional incidents and without the IDF soldiers operating here in the area being aware of it or being able to provide a response, but at that time an indication was received from an observation soldier in the direction of Yitzhar who identified the hike and understood that there was something unusual in the area, similar to many incidents that happen to us here on a day to day basis," he said.
The observation soldier then issued a report over the radio, the officer said, "and from that stage, the company and platoon stationed here in the area at the Sela outpost were alerted."
Following the terrorist attack, the IDF also carried out a series of arrests in the area and transferred dozens of suspects for questioning by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).