IDF Operation in Samaria Lacked Police Coordination, Sources Say

An Israeli military operation to return a Palestinian family to their home in the village of Jalud, in northern Samaria, was not coordinated with the Israel Police or the Shin Bet security agency, according to sources cited by Ynet on Tuesday, September 29. The sources indicated that prior notification to the police could have enabled them to prepare and prevent riots by securing strategic high ground in Area C and limiting the entry of radical settlers into the village. Riots erupted in Area B, where only the IDF and its Border Police (MAGAV) units operate, and where Israeli police lack jurisdiction for public order maintenance. Consequently, police forces were primarily stationed outside the village during the incident. The article emphasizes that any actions to counter nationalist crimes in Judea and Samaria require coordination between the IDF, police, and Shin Bet to ensure effective law enforcement from suspect apprehension to prosecution. The lack of synchronization reportedly led to approximately 100 extremists entering Jalud and hindered the return of the Tubaasi family, who had left the village in July 2026. The IDF acknowledged in an official statement that it did not achieve its objective in Jalud, implicitly validating the concerns of commanders who had stressed the need for strict coordination among all Israeli security forces in Judea and Samaria.

This incident follows a recent public dispute between the IDF and the Israel Police concerning the discovery of weapons caches in Qalqilya. On September 23, police announced they had found two tunnels under construction in the Palestinian city, located near the separation barrier, with one tunnel reaching a depth of at least 25 meters and containing a large quantity of weapons. Police stated the tunnel was approximately 400 meters from Highway 6 and 200 meters from Highway 55, but did not reach Israeli territory. The IDF later disputed this, claiming "two deep shafts" were found, and that suspicions of a tunnel connection were ruled out after examination. The military also denied the proximity of one shaft to the separation barrier. The police maintained their report was accurate and fact-based, with both agencies releasing videos to support their respective claims. Qalqilya is about 18 kilometers from Kfar Saba and other central Israeli cities. Following the October 7 Hamas attack, residents in communities near the separation barrier have heightened security concerns about potential terrorist infiltration. The mayor of Kfar Saba and head of the forum for communities near the barrier, Rafi Saar, called the tunnel discovery a "serious incident" highlighting the "real and immediate threat to residents' security."

Separately, on September 27, a military court extended the detention of two Qalqilya residents suspected of digging a 25-meter tunnel to store weapons. One suspect is reportedly an officer in the Palestinian Preventive Security Service with a rank equivalent to an Israeli police major.