Raviv Drucker Urges Gadi Eizenkot to Prepare Swift West Bank Policy Shift

In a column published in Haaretz, journalist Raviv Drucker calls on former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot and his political allies to prepare a comprehensive action plan ahead of potentially replacing the current Israeli government. Drucker outlines urgent steps to dismantle the influence of Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich and the settler movement in the West Bank, recommending rapid implementation before settler representatives can respond.

Drucker compares Smotrich’s strategic coalition negotiations to those of Stephen Miller, former advisor to ex-US President Donald Trump, who used a shock defeat to enact swift policy changes. He warns Eizenkot’s camp to come equally prepared and not delay reforms if they win power. Immediate measures Drucker proposes include restoring the Civil Administration to its previous form, dismantling Smotrich’s settlement authority, and ensuring that the Defense Ministry’s legal advisor and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories adopt a new policy direction.

The column also targets senior military officials, calling for the removal of the Central Command chief and urging the IDF Chief of Staff to ensure that local defense forces in the West Bank revert to protective roles rather than offensive militias. On law enforcement, Drucker demands reinstating administrative detentions against Jewish terrorists and restructuring the Judea and Samaria district police. He also stresses that the next Prime Minister must empower the Shin Bet’s Jewish Division.

Drucker concludes by emphasizing that these changes must be executed as a surprise move to neutralize the settler lobby’s political influence before it can establish channels within the new government. He asserts, "It must be done in one swift stroke, before the settler lobby finds pathways into the new government. And they always do."