IDF Central Command chief cautions of escalation in Judea and Samaria amid statehood debate and holidays

Dozens of IDF battalions have been placed on high alert ahead of the High Holidays and ahead of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s scheduled address at the UN General Assembly on Thursday.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The head of the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command, Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, cautioned that the Jewish holiday season could bring heightened violence in Judea and Samaria, as political tensions and other factors converge.

Speaking at a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the Border Police’s undercover unit in Judea and Samaria, Bluth cited what he called “many challenges before us.”

He pointed to ongoing fighting in Gaza City, security threats from the north, and the “constant struggle against terror in Judea and Samaria.” He added that the current environment has been further inflamed by international “political declarations,” the holiday calendar, the olive harvest, incitement from abroad, and the “inspiration and contagion of the lone perpetrator.”

“These are not reasons for optimism,” Bluth told the officers in attendance, “but I am full of hope, because I believe in you.”

The political factors included recent recognition of a Palestinian state by several Western nations and a planned video speech by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after the United States denied him a visa.

Israeli security services are concerned these developments could serve as a catalyst for violence.

In preparation, dozens of IDF battalions have been placed on high alert ahead of the High Holidays and ahead of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s scheduled address at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Military officials fear that his speech could be followed by a spike in terror activity.

Following a multi-front security assessment, the IDF has reinforced combat forces across the country — on land, at sea, and in the air. Additional troops have been deployed to protect shopping centers, roads, junctions, bus stops, hitchhiking posts, and communities in Judea and Samaria.

Bluth emphasized that despite the threats, the IDF remains ready. “The many challenges before us … have recently converged with political statements, the holidays, and the olive harvest, foreign incitement, and lone-wolf inspiration. All these are not reasons for optimism, but I am full of hope,” he said.