Top West Bank cop and far-right politicians visit illegal hilltop outpost

The top Israeli police official in the West Bank accompanied far-right politicians on a visit to a newly erected illegal outpost in the territory yesterday, according to settler activist Elisha Yered.

Yered posts on X that he met with West Bank District Commander Moshe Pinchi alongside National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har Melech at Maale Tidhar in the southern West Bank.

Pinchi, in uniform, Ben Gvir and Son Har Melech are pictured sitting in a makeshift hut while meeting with settlers from the outpost.

The visit was part of a larger tour throughout Gush Etzion, a cluster of West Bank settlements south of Jerusalem, amid tensions between settlers and security forces in the area. The outpost was founded a month and a half ago, according to the tweet by Yered, who was arrested two years ago on suspicion of involvement in the killing of a 19-year-old Palestinian during clashes between settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.

To reach the outpost, one must “climb a rough dirt path that a four-wheel drive can barely navigate. But the national security minister, Itamar, did so today… to express his uncompromising stance in support of the hills,” Yered writes, referring to settler extremists known for violence against Palestinians and Israeli security forces.

“This is what a minister who promotes true right-wing policy and supports settlement with all his heart looks like!” Yered continues, adding that Ben Gvir promised in the meeting to address settlers’ complaints regarding “inappropriate conduct” by police, whom he oversees.

כדי להגיע לגבעת מעלה תדהר – נקודת התיישבות אסטרטגית שהוקמה לפני כחודש וחצי כדי לחבר את מזרח ומרכז גוש עציון, צריך להעפיל בשביל עפר משובש שבקושי רכב 4 על 4 צולח אותו. אבל השר לביטחון לאומי איתמר עשה זאת היום יחד עם חה"כ לימור סון הר-מלך, ואפילו הביא עמו את קציני מחוז ש"י כדי לבטא… pic.twitter.com/J5ZzPHiBLq

— אלישע ירד (@ElishaYered) August 12, 2025

Pinchi, who is known to support the interests of West Bank settlers, was appointed to his current role by Ben Gvir in September 2024, after serving as his security secretary. While still in his former role, the officer reportedly instructed police to refrain from using force against far-right rioters who broke into an IDF army base in late July.