IDF Chief of Staff Disputes Netanyahu, Defense Minister on West Bank Threat

The Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Aviv Kochavi, and the commander of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Blot, have publicly contradicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz regarding the threat of a "turning of the guns" scenario in the West Bank. Kochavi stated in a security discussion that there is "no intelligence information warning of a turning of the guns in Judea and Samaria," according to a report Tuesday. Maj. Gen. Blot added that the discourse surrounding such a scenario is "inciting."

This comes after Netanyahu and Katz announced last week, following a stabbing attack in Samaria that injured a 19-year-old, that they had "instructed the IDF to launch a comprehensive war against the Palestinian Authority." This directive followed a statement by Katz that if the Palestinian Authority's security mechanisms were to initiate a large-scale terror attack, similar to October 7th, against Israeli forces and settlements, the IDF would be ordered to wage a full-scale war against PA officials, its infrastructure, and all terror elements in the West Bank.

Senior IDF officials have previously criticized such statements, with one telling Channel 13 News that the minister's announcement was "dangerous and could fuel the flames in the territories." The official noted that the "turning of the guns" scenario has been practiced since the end of the Second Intifada and that the minister's announcement was unnecessary.

Katz had previously asserted that Israeli policy in the West Bank is to "powerfully pursue Palestinian terror, develop and strengthen Jewish settlement, and maintain security stability," claiming that terror levels in the region are at their lowest in decades. He vowed to take all necessary steps to prevent terror from resurging. Katz further elaborated that the IDF would be prepared to launch a comprehensive campaign, including targeted assassinations, evacuation of residents from areas of terror activity, destruction of terror infrastructure, and prolonged IDF presence, similar to operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Jenin.