IDF Reallocates Troops for Nationalist Crime Fight Amid Inter-Agency Criticism
Translated & summarized from Hamal by baba
The IDF's Central Command is deploying the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters and a combat battalion to the Benjamin region to combat nationalist crime, following criticism of a personnel shortage. This comes after the IDF withdrew its soldiers from a joint command with the police and Shin Bet, which had reportedly doubled arrests for such offenses. Critics question the conflicting decisions and suggest inter-agency rivalries may be a factor, noting that effective crime fighting requires integrated intelligence and law enforcement capabilities.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Maj. Gen. Avi Blout ordered the Paratroopers Brigade and a combat battalion to address nationalist crime in Benjamin.
- The IDF previously withdrew its soldiers from a joint command with police and Shin Bet fighting the same issue.
- The joint command reportedly doubled arrests and indictments for nationalist crime before its dissolution.
- Critics question the conflicting decisions, citing potential inter-agency rivalries.
- Effective crime fighting requires integrated intelligence and law enforcement, not just military presence.
A week after the IDF criticized the Israel Police for a lack of personnel to combat nationalist crime in the West Bank, the Commander of the Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Blout, has ordered the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters and a combat battalion to deploy to the Benjamin region. According to military sources, this new mission will focus on addressing nationalist crime.
This decision comes just one week after the IDF withdrew all its soldiers from a joint command center with the police and Shin Bet that had been effectively combating the same issue. The Central Command had begun reducing its personnel in this multi-agency command, which integrated IDF, Shin Bet, and Israel Police forces, leading to the complete withdrawal of soldiers and the removal of the military component.
At the time of the withdrawal, IDF officials stated that the soldiers' involvement in the joint command was negatively impacting the army's priorities. However, information obtained by Walla indicates that the joint command was highly effective, leading to a 100% increase in arrests and indictments related to nationalist crime. Despite these results, the Central Command decided to pull out its soldiers, only to now allocate a separate military force for a similar task.
The discrepancy between these two decisions has sparked sharp criticism of Maj. Gen. Blout's conduct and the reasoning behind the moves. While the army cited operational priorities for withdrawing from the joint command, it has now found personnel for a brigade headquarters and a combat battalion for the same mission. Critics question whether control issues and inter-agency ego battles influenced this decision.
While the Central Command is responsible for security in the area, combating nationalist crime requires intelligence, investigative, and law enforcement capabilities. The previous joint framework effectively consolidated these abilities. The deployment of the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters and a combat battalion may increase military presence in Benjamin and help prevent violence, but without close cooperation with the Israel Police, the new force's ability to bring perpetrators to justice will be limited, as effective action requires evidence gathering, suspect interrogation, and building cases for indictment, not just responding to riots.
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