West Bank security situation rapidly snowballing, forces will be reinforced, military officials say

Senior military officials describe the West Bank security situation as highly volatile and extremely dangerous, leading to a decision to reinforce forces. 26 battalions are operating in the sector. A security official warned the situation is a snowball rolling downhill and will be difficult to stop. A large-scale operation is expected to be postponed until after Prime Minister Netanyahu's US visit to avoid the Palestinian issue dominating his meeting with President Trump.

Senior military officials have described the security situation in the West Bank as highly volatile and extremely dangerous, prompting a decision to reinforce forces in the area. A total of 26 battalions are now operating across the sector. A security official warned on Sunday that the situation was a snowball rolling downhill and cautioned that it will be difficult to stop. According to a senior security official's assessment, a large-scale operation targeting terrorist infrastructure and incitement is expected to be postponed until after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the United States. The aim is to avoid a scenario in which the Palestinian issue dominates his meeting with US President Donald Trump, instead of the security establishment's current priorities: Iran, Lebanon, and the Gaza Strip. For over a week, the IDF has maintained that the incident near Gilad Farm last Saturday, which led to a spike in tensions, was not an act of deliberate arson but caused by a discarded cigarette. Since then, numerous clashes have been reported between Israelis and Palestinians, along with violent attacks, during which a company commander and a member of a local security squad were killed, and an off-duty IDF soldier was moderately wounded. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has instructed commanders to prevent incidents of friction. Despite those directives, the security establishment failed to prevent several suspected nationalist crime incidents over the past 48 hours, including the arson of a mosque, buildings, and vehicles. Despite diplomatic sensitivity, the IDF has launched an operation in Nablus to arrest wanted suspects, question detainees, and locate weapons, though a broader operation is expected to be postponed until after the prime minister returns.