Israeli army decides to allow settlers to remain in 8 Jericho homes without providing protection

The Israeli military has decided not to evacuate a group of settlers who moved into eight homes in Jericho, in the occupied West Bank’s Area C, a week ago, despite their move taking place without prior coordination with the army.

The Israeli army on Wednesday disclosed the findings of a security assessment conducted by its Central Command into the settlers’ move. According to Israeli Channel 13, the assessment, carried out over the past few days, concluded that there was no genuine security obstacle, from the army’s perspective, to the settlers remaining in the homes at this stage.

However, the army decided not to provide security protection for the settlers at the site, unlike the arrangements in place at other Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Instead, it decided to reinforce military forces at a nearby settlement outpost, increasing the number of troops there from platoon to company strength.

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Meanwhile, the Israeli Civil Administration continues to examine issues relating to ownership of the land on which the homes were built and the possibility of purchasing it.

The army said the buildings had been constructed illegally and were subject to demolition orders, like thousands of other buildings in the West Bank.

However, the demolition orders are not expected to be enforced in the near future, as legal proceedings concerning the land and buildings are ongoing. This means the settlers are expected to remain in the homes for now, pending the completion of legal and administrative reviews, according to the Israeli channel’s report.

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