Iran, which has lost most of its strategic assets in the Middle East, is focused on setting Judea and Samaria ablaze with terror financing, know-how and weapons, he cautioned, while smuggling arms into the sector from Jordan.
By Yaakov Lappin, JNS
The Israel Defense Forces has conducted 110 airstrikes in Judea and Samaria since the beginning of the current conflict in October 2023, according to a statement by the IDF Spokesperson Unit on Jan. 11.
These strikes, carried out in cooperation with the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), have resulted in the elimination of at least 165 armed terrorists who posed an immediate threat to Israeli forces.
Lt. Col. (res.) Amit Yagur, former deputy head of the Palestinian arena at the IDF Planning Branch and a former naval intelligence officer, told JNS that air power is just one of multiple tools used by the IDF to boost security operations in Judea and Samaria.
Air strikes focus a “relatively large” amount of firepower in a short period, “without risking the lives of our forces on the ground,” Yagur stated. This approach is particularly effective due to its speed and precision, he said.
“We have improved greatly over the years, and the Air Force has an incredible ability to carry out pinpoint strikes in combination with intelligence. This allows us to achieve accuracy, inflict significant damage, avoid harm to uninvolved civilians, and, most importantly, avoid danger to our forces,” he said.
The use of air power also conveys a broader strategic message, he argued. “Just as we deal with our enemies outside, where our air force is decisive and prominent, here too [in Judea and Samaria] we gradually begin to do this.”
Decision makers had initially been hesitant to employ air power in Judea and Samaria, he said. This was partially motivated by a desire to keep a lower profile in the region, as well as past pressures from Washington, he explained.
However, another driver is the changing nature of terrorism in Judea and Samaria, he said, highlighting the development of terror groups into more organized and systematic entities.
Iran, which has lost most of its strategic assets in the Middle East, is focused on setting Judea and Samaria ablaze with terror financing, know-how and weapons, he cautioned, while smuggling arms into the sector from Jordan.
Yagur referred to this phenomenon as “the Gaza-ization of Judea and Samaria,” noting that areas like Jenin and Tulkarm have become breeding grounds for larger-scale terror groups, even as so-called lone-wolf attacks remain a challenge.
“What used to be small terror cells or nests of terror has become groups of terror and even battalions of terror in several places,” he told JNS.
In response, Yagur said Israel needed to weigh a combination of broader, more aggressive military operations and other civilian-political measures that extend beyond the IDF’s remit.
“Aggressive deterrent actions are essential,” he said, stressing the importance of restricting the movement of terror groups and reintroducing checkpoints in certain areas.
“I do not rule out, in extreme cases, the possibility of temporarily evacuating civilians during military operations to distinguish between the terrorists and the civilian population,” he added. “Ultimately, terror organizations depend on civilian legitimacy. When they have civilian legitimacy, they thrive.”
The Palestinian Authority, he said, must undergo an urgent reform, including a change to its education system that indoctrinates Palestinian children into viewing Israel as their enemy, thereby ensuring a new generation committed to hate and conflict.
Such a reality could easily produce a new Oct. 7-style mass murder attack from or in Judea and Samaria, he warned, adding that the military cannot solve all of these problems on its own.
Efforts to reform the P.A.’s governance and educational systems are critical to preventing terrorism, he concluded.
Col. (ret.) Moshe Elad, one of the founders of security coordination between the IDF and the Palestinian Authority and a lecturer at Western Galilee College in Acre, addressed the P.A.’s involvement in recent counter-terrorism efforts in Jenin.
“The advance of [P.A. General Intelligence Service head Majed] Faraj’s forces is not significant and appears to be more for public relations purposes,” said Eilad. He emphasized that “the main burden of counter-terrorism remains on Israel.”
“I do not recommend being impressed by the words of praise and flattery that Hamas and Fatah lavish on each other. Beneath the surface, there is deep hostility between them, which has persisted since 2007 [when Hamas carried out a coup in Gaza],” he explained.
Despite numerous reconciliation attempts—”over 30, in fact”—Elad noted that none have succeeded, underscoring the deep divisions between the two factions.
According to Elad, the P.A.’s security operations are partly motivated by a desire to signal competence to the Trump administration, with the aim of convincing it to grant the P.A. a role in post-war Gaza.
“Abu Mazen [P.A. leader Mahmoud Abbas] wants to present an image of a Palestinian Authority that is capable of overcoming terrorism, including a hint regarding the day after Gaza, as if to say, ‘We are ready to take control of the Gaza Strip.’”
However, without Israeli security measures, the P.A. would struggle to maintain any stability in Judea and Samaria, he added.
“It’s absurd: While the P.A. officially criticizes Israel and calls for its withdrawal, it depends on the IDF’s presence in Judea and Samaria, which actually saves it,” said Elad.
Ultimately, Elad said, the IDF is utilizing a range of tools to tackle terrorism, ranging from ambushes to airstrikes.
“It is not possible to plan for something that will suit all types of terrorist activities. One must apply a suite to eradicate terror for all scenarios, or series of incidents, individually. Hence, the use of air power, whether it is quadcopters, drones, a helicopter, or plane, is a function of the decision that follows a situation analysis,” he added.