The IDF late Tuesday-early Wednesday announced the firing of an IDF reservist commander who, along with his soldiers, was caught on video praying with Jewish extremists, some of whom attacked and some of whom placed Palestinian civilians under siege in the West Bank village of Kusra, a Palestinian-controlled area.
The unit had been assigned to facilitate efforts to prevent attacks on Palestinians and to eventually remove Jewish extremists from the area.
What was described as a siege began on August 9, and some Palestinians are saying that aspects continue even now. There has, however, been stronger IDF protection for the Palestinians after the early days of the siege.
The August 10 video has sparked accusations that the IDF was working or indirectly supporting the Jewish extremist violence.
Other IDF troops were brought in to remove the illegal outpost multiple times, after the first IDF soldiers were filmed praying with the Jewish extremists. The outpost was later removed, but Palestinian residents have said that Jewish extremists continue to return to the area.
In the IDF’s statement, the military said the commander’s conduct was “contrary to what was expected of him and contrary to the instructions given to him.”
According to the IDF, he had been explicitly ordered to avoid taking any action which might be interpreted as identifying with the Jewish extremists or supporting their illegal conduct.
Commander's soldiers believed they were following legitimate orders, not punished
His soldiers who prayed with the Jewish extremists, however, were not reprimanded since they believed they were following orders that he had issued lawfully, the IDF explained.
A military source said that if the reservist wanted to continue serving in the military, he would be permitted to do so, but not in a command role.
This past weekend, some of the extremists temporarily took over one of the Palestinian houses in the village before they were forced out.
Some also attacked global media representatives who tried to cover the events.
Despite many of the Jewish extremists’ faces being caught on video, it appears that they have not been arrested and may not be, at least under the current police leadership, which follows the orders of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to mostly stay out of cases of Jews attacking Palestinians.
Last week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir announced that he was expanding the IDF forces used to maintain public order in Judea and Samaria leading into the upcoming High Holy Days.
The Jerusalem Post understands that the volume of forces will be more than double the pre-October 7 force size of around 11 battalions, which at times has grown to 15-20 battalions, but will temporarily increase even more.
Zamir warned the government that Jewish extremist violence has got out of control and that greater backing is needed from the government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others actively restraining political officials from provocative actions.
RZP MK destroys monument in West Bank Palestinian village
Religious Zionist Party (RZP) MK Zvi Sukkot entered the West Bank village of Madama near Nablus last week, during an IDF-escorted tour, and participated in destroying a monument that appeared to honor members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Palestinians killed during the Second Intifada.
According to the IDF, Sukkot requested military protection for what he told them would be an innocent tour of monuments. Soldiers were diverted from serious operational duties to provide security. The IDF stated that Sukkot double-crossed them and destroyed the monument without authorization, leading to a global uproar and condemnation of Israel for state-sanctioned destruction of monuments.
All of this has been taking place as the IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) officials say that the police, after three years under Ben-Gvir, have reached highly problematic lows in terms of arresting and helping indict Jewish extremists in the West Bank.
Accordingly, Zamir has brought in the Golani Brigade and the Paratroopers Brigade to supplement the standard forces in the area, some of which have appeared too sympathetic to Jewish extremists attacking Palestinian villages.
However, without more backing from the government, Zamir warned that even increased IDF forces would be insufficient.
Further, the IDF chief noted that moving more elite forces into Judea and Samaria risks leaving the more dangerous northern and southern borders less defended and will mean fewer soldiers get time off for the High Holy Days.