More than 1,000 detainees, more than 100 Palestinians killed - more than 50% of whom carry weapons. Riots suppressed by live fire to the knees, and intense activity in the Jenin and Nur a-Shams refugee camps – which in the past would have captured all public attention. This is only a partial list of what is currently happening in Judea and Samaria from an operational perspective.
Border Police Activity in the West Bank // Police Spokesperson's Office
In an attempt to control the situation, Central Command operates in both heads. On the one hand, the statement of "what was is not what will be" is as true as in Gaza here as well, and the IDF makes it clear both in official statements and to the forces on the ground that this is a war by any standard. At the same time, the IDF is trying to maintain a balance in every possible way: unequivocal deterrence on the one hand, and on the other hand an attempt not to open another front over those burning in Gaza and on the northern border.
Most of the forces in Judea and Samaria at the moment are reserves. These are dozens of battalions of fighters, which were recruited at the beginning of the war and replaced the regular forces. They are acting aggressively on the ground. In the Jenin refugee camp, forces operate almost nightly, accompanied by aircraft, which just a month ago seemed almost impossible because of the political implications that could have accompanied it.
Ruins of a mosque under which terrorists operated in Jenin after it was bombed by the Israeli Air Force, Photo: AP
Since the beginning of the campaign in Gaza, deterrence appears to have been evident on the ground. Palestinians rarely took to the roads, and even the riots in the cities ended without friction with the IDF and did not spill over into significant routes. But as time passes, deterrence erodes.
This was evident when a resident of the community of Abigail encountered dozens of rioters who dispersed only when he fired in the air, and when Palestinians attacked olive harvesters with an axe and a saw. This is also true for the other side, and there are more attacks by settlers against Palestinians – which were condemned by the Americans.
The settlers are troubled by the postwar days. That the IDF is now changing the floppy disk, but it will be replaced when the fighting ends. According to them, if the nature of the work does not change profoundly, terrorism will increase.
Commander of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Yehuda Fuchs in Huwara, photo: Report
And despite the operational determination, it turns out that there is also friction between the forces - the reservists and the regulars who manage the sectors. The former, especially those living in the settlements, believe that even more aggressive action should be taken. This creates certain conflicts on the ground. In one case this week, such a confrontation ended with the dismissal of a reserve company commander. In other cases, disagreements are resolved in more diplomatic ways.
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