IDF Central Command chief reportedly told settlers not to tip off other commanders before Jericho entry

IDF Central Command Chief Avi Bluth was notified in advance of a plan by Israeli settlers to illegally enter eight homes on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Jericho, Haaretz reveals, after the army claimed that the action by settlers was not coordinated.

Citing security sources familiar with the matter, Haaretz says Bluth even met with the settlers in advance of their illicit entry into Jericho on Wednesday and instructed them not to tip off top officers under his command until they had moved into the Palestinian homes.

Bluth also spoke to organizers of the settler action in Jericho and wished them luck on the eve of their illegal entry.

Responding to the Haaretz report, the IDF says that the allegations against Bluth are false, without elaborating.

The settlers have claimed to have legally purchased the homes, but the Palestinian neighborhood in question is located on state land, so there is no private owner from whom the homes could have been acquired.

The settler entry has forced the IDF to divert three platoons in order to protect the settlers.

In addition to Bluth, Channel 16 reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz were also tipped off ahead of time, but did not act to stop the settlers.

Settlements Minister Orit Strock has also visited the squatting settlers since their move-in.

Rights groups reported that some of the Palestinians living in the neighborhood have fled their homes due to fear of violence from the invading settlers.

“There is a sense that something is about to happen and that someone is trying to heat up the situation on the ground,” a senior IDF official tells Haaretz.