Beirut: Israeli soldiers who served in the occupied West Bank have reported that occupiers in army-affiliated regional defense units are increasingly acting as an 'independent force' and exerting control on the ground, as senior military commanders seek to appease them, the daily Haaretz reported.
According to Anadolu Agency, since October 2023, the Israeli army has increasingly relied on reserve units composed of local occupiers to protect illegal settlements and their surroundings in the occupied West Bank. Soldiers have disclosed that despite being formally subordinate to the army, members of these units are increasingly determining the course of events on the ground.
A reserve officer identified as G., who commanded a platoon in the South Hebron Hills in 2024, recounted incidents where occupiers from a nearby settlement outpost raided the homes of Palestinian families in surrounding villages. The officer mentioned an instance where he and his soldiers responded to a report from a Palestinian family about an occupier attack. When he ordered the occupiers to leave, they unleashed a dog that attempted to bite him.
A man accompanying the occupiers, who identified himself as a regional defense battalion member and the owner of the nearby outpost, threatened to accuse the officer of sexual harassment if he filed a complaint. Despite having recorded the incident, the officer received no support from senior commanders after reporting it. Instead, his brigade commander attempted to appease the occupier, and a reconciliation meeting was later arranged.
Haaretz reported that testimonies from other commanders and soldiers who have served in the West Bank since October 2023 indicate an increasingly blurred line between the army and regional units comprising occupiers called up for reserve duty. Soldiers, including two who testified to Breaking the Silence, an Israeli organization founded by former combat soldiers, said members of the units 'operate as an independent force.'
Army battalions tasked with commanding occupier units either struggle or are reluctant to impose limits on their conduct. Soldiers attempting to enforce military orders sometimes face threats and assault, while senior commanders prefer to appease the occupiers.
A reserve commander identified as D. questioned the purpose of his unit's deployment, noting that it made only about two arrests of Palestinians for alleged Hamas links in Hebron during its entire tour. Most of the soldiers' time was spent dealing with occupiers seeking confrontations, and troops were often caught in occupier-related incidents where their authority was disregarded.
Another soldier who served in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc stated that members of the occupier units frequently arrived at confrontation sites before regular army forces, often without reporting their movements over military radio. Instead of de-escalating situations, they were often involved in the confrontations.
According to Haaretz, since October 2023, around 5,500 West Bank occupiers have been recruited into regional units to serve as reservists inside illegal settlements and near Palestinian villages. Israeli occupiers have conducted approximately 12,500 attacks across the occupied West Bank since the Gaza war in October 2023, resulting in the deaths of 82 Palestinians, 890 fires, and the establishment of 200 illegal settlement outposts, according to the Palestinian Colonization and Wall Resistance Commission.
During the same period, attacks by the Israeli army and occupiers in the West Bank have led to the deaths of more than 1,182 Palestinians, injured approximately 13,000, and resulted in the arrest of 24,600 others, according to official Palestinian figures.