Central Command Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs is "flexing his muscles" with Defense Ministry Additional Minister and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich over a dispute over the enforcement policy of illegal construction in Judea and Samaria.
IDF Spokesperson
Figures obtained by Israel Hayom indicate that in the past month there has been a drastic decline in enforcement actions against illegal Palestinian construction in Judea and Samaria, as Maj. Gen. Fuchs cut security forces on the ground during the demolition of the buildings. In fact, the general did not respond to the demand to allocate a sufficient number of forces in accordance with the enforcement policy of Smotrich, who is entrusted with the government to enforce illegal construction in Judea and Samaria. In light of this, the minister sent a letter to Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that Fuchs be instructed not to thwart enforcement policy, even hinting that the move was not made for purely operational considerations. "As far as the general is concerned, he is the sovereign in the field," Civil Administration sources explained to Israel Hayom, "He sees that Smotrich cuts back and does not enforce against illegal construction of Jews, so the general does not want to be suspected of selective enforcement and be exposed to petitions and lawsuits."
Bezalel Smotrich, Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Between 36 and 43 enforcement actions were carried out per week against illegal Palestinian construction in the West Bank in April and May of this year. However, enforcement activities declined significantly in June compared to the previous two months. In the first week in June there were 7 enforcements, in the second week 9, in the following week 11, and in the last week only 10 enforcement actions.As part of the coalition agreements, Smotrich received most of the authority over the Civil Administration, including responsibility for the supervision and enforcement unit in the Civil Administration – both Jews and Arabs.
In a letter sent by Smotrich to Galant and Netanyahu, it was written that the enforcement policy is expected to be arranged between the two of them and a minister in the Defense Ministry. Since this has not yet been settled, Smotrich formulated an enforcement policy for the interim period. He noted in his letter that Maj. Gen. Fuchs was not satisfied with his policy and therefore cut the allocation of the security forces required to carry it out.
"Improper conduct"
"Only a few hours after the discussion was held, the OC Central Command announced the cancellation of all security forces in the various brigades that had been approved in order to secure enforcement. This is done unilaterally and without any dialogue," Smotrich complained. "In my understanding, this instruction was given following the general's dissatisfaction with the conclusion of the discussion. Since then, the OC has refused to secure the enforcement actions agreed upon in the framework of the Enforcement Forum's professional discussions, and in recent weeks only minor enforcement actions have been carried out in the Arab sector."
Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs, Photo: IDF Spokesperson
He also claimed that the general was using his authority to thwart the minister's policy. "The use of security authority to thwart a political decision, whenever one political directive or another does not please the OC, may lead to a loss of confidence in the situation assessments of IDF officers. This conduct cannot be acceptable in a civilized democratic state," Smotrich concluded his letter.
The IDF Spokesperson and Minister Smotrich's office declined to comment. The Civil Administration did not receive a response.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us