13,000 troops called up in surprise West Bank drill
Massive IDF training exercise seen as preparation for possible deterioration in security situation
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In a sign of Israel Defense Forces preparations for possible destabilization of the security situation in the West Bank, the army’s Central Command called up 13,000 reservists in a surprise exercise on Sunday ordered by the new chief of staff of the IDF, Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot.
Of the troops summoned, only 3,000 will actually have to report for reserve duty on Monday, the army said in a statement. For the remainder, the exercise was limited to the surprise call-up itself.
The troops will practice riot-control techniques, responses to kidnapping attempts and the handling of improvised explosive devices, the Ynet news site reported.
The two-day call-up will see the reservists training alongside troops from the air force, active duty infantry, combat engineers, and armor and intelligence units in the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority was given advance notice ahead of the exercise by the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit, which manages the army’s contacts with Palestinian authorities. COGAT officials told their Palestinian counterparts that the IDF was preparing for the possibility of escalation in unrest.
Tensions have been high in the area as some analysts predicted the potential for major civil unrest following Jerusalem’s decision to withhold the transfer of tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority in retaliation for Ramallah’s bid to join the International Criminal Court and sue Israel for alleged war crimes.
“This is the largest operational exercise in the past few years. I do not remember anything of this scale,” a senior army officer told Ynet.
The Times of Israel Community.