Troops say settler soldier units undermining IDF authority in West Bank – report

Reserve soldiers and commanders who have served in the West Bank since the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught describe a growing breakdown in military authority, alleging that settler members of the Israel Defense Forces’ regional defense units, known as Hagmar, routinely act independently, intimidate troops and receive backing from senior commanders, according to an investigation by Haaretz.

The newspaper interviewed numerous active-duty and reserve soldiers, two of whom also provided testimony to the Breaking the Silence organization.

One reserve officer recounts arriving at the scene of a reported settler attack on a Palestinian family in the South Hebron Hills, only to have Israeli youths allegedly set a dog on him after he ordered them to leave. He says a man identifying himself as a member of Hagmar and owner of a nearby outpost then threatened that the youths would falsely accuse him of sexual harassment if he reported the incident.

According to the officer, the confrontation was captured on his body camera, but instead of receiving support from senior commanders, “the brigade commander called that settler to make peace with him… Afterward, my company commander and battalion commander arranged a ‘reconciliation,’ claiming that the regional defense unit was ‘doing holy work.'”

Another soldier describes troops evacuating an unauthorized settler encampment after Palestinian locals were allegedly attacked with stones, only to be confronted by armed members of a regional defense unit who arrived in a military vehicle and attempted to stop the operation, running over a soldier’s foot in the process.

“It shows how distorted the reality has become,” he says. “People in uniform carrying military weapons, driving a military vehicle, trying to prevent the army from carrying out a mission its own commanders had ordered.”

There have been numerous reports detailing allegations about Hagmar units taking part in settler attacks, or refusing to take action against them, including in The Times of Israel, but testimony from fellow troops has been rare.

Soldiers quoted in the piece allege that Hagmar members have established unauthorized checkpoints, entered military command centers and gained access to sensitive operational information, joined military operations without authorization, and in some cases participated in or shielded violent settlers.

Settlers are also accused of looting in the presence of soldiers, with one commander alleging that they stole car parts from confiscated Palestinian vehicles.

Several soldiers also question the purpose of their deployments, saying much of their time was spent responding to settler violence rather than counterterrorism operations, which is the IDF’s stated goal of its increased presence in the West Bank since October 7.

“We’re not preventing terrorism. It’s bullshit,” one reserve commander is quoted as saying. “During our entire deployment, there were maybe two arrests of people defined as Hamas terror operatives… Everything else was confronting Jews looking for provocations.”