IDF Central Command chief: Smotrich completely undermines crackdown on illegal settler construction

The head of the IDF’s Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fox, accused far-right minister Bezalel Smotrich of completely undermining Israeli law enforcement efforts to clamp down on illegal Israeli construction in the West Bank, an internal document uncovered by The New York Times reveals.

Enforcement on illegal construction has dwindled “to the point where it has disappeared,” Fox writes, highlighting the role of Smotrich, who serves as a minister within the Defense Ministry in charge of settlement affairs.

Fox says Smotrich and his allies have been blocking measures the government had promised Israeli courts it would implement, to crack down on illegal construction in the West Bank.

The document is part of a damning NYT report showing how far-right extremists have managed to capture the halls of power in Israel.