IDF admits West Bank commander met settler official, denies secret coordination of Jericho outpost

IDF sources admitted that Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth met with a regional defense officer before settlers moved to a new outpost near Jericho, but denied they discussed the move or acted behind officers' backs. The IDF called a Haaretz report alleging secret coordination false.

IDF sources admitted on Saturday night that Central Command chief Maj.-Gen. Avi Bluth met with regional defense officer Lt.-Col. Elitzur Trabelsi before settlers moved to a new outpost near Jericho, but denied they discussed the move or took any action behind the backs of Bluth's designated officers. The admission follows a Haaretz report alleging Bluth had several conversations with settler representatives and ordered his usual subordinates to be left out of the loop. IDF sources told the Post that Bluth routinely meets with West Bank settler officials on numerous standard issues, and the meetings with Trabelsi were related to such routine matters, not the controversial plot. On the record, the IDF called the entire Haaretz report false. Field tours were conducted to examine the incident site. The purchase process of the land remains unclear, and it is not known whether it received Civil Administration approval. Two Bedouin families chose to leave their temporary structures despite IDF offers of assistance. Division 98 will soon end its role as the second division in the West Bank.