IDF official says illegal West Bank outposts are among army’s ‘biggest challenges’

A military official says illegal Israeli settlement outposts in the West Bank are currently among the IDF’s “biggest challenges.”

He says the more than 80 outposts in the territory are creating challenges for the military’s ability to maintain control and order in the West Bank.

“The issue of the outposts today, especially the violent ones, is one of the most challenging issues there is,” the official says on condition of anonymity.

Settler violence has surged in the West Bank in recent months, with near-daily attacks, though arrests and indictments for the violence are rare. Critics have accused the government of condoning the attacks and doing too little to stop them.

Alongside the outposts, there are also 126 settlement farms, which are also illegal under Israeli law, but have been established with full support from the government.

The officer says the farming outposts are also creating a “huge challenge” for the army’s efforts to protect them.

As a result, two weeks ago, the IDF deployed two more battalions permanently to the West Bank, bringing the total number there to 24.

Today, following a deadly clash in a Palestinian village in which two Israelis and four Palestinians were killed, the army deployed five more companies to the West Bank.