Eisenkot warns West Bank nearing ‘chaos’ under Netanyahu government policies

Israeli opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar! party and a former military chief, warned on Monday that the occupied West Bank is approaching “chaos” because of what he described as a loss of Israeli security control.

Speaking at a national security conference organised by Yedioth Ahronoth in cooperation with the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Eisenkot criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its management of the West Bank.

He accused the government of weakening the administrative framework that had previously overseen the territory, arguing that political considerations linked to the governing coalition had undermined the role of the Israeli military.

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Eisenkot said the transfer of powers from the Civil Administration to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, together with assigning expanded policing responsibilities to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, had resulted in what he described as a “complete loss of control.”

According to Eisenkot, these changes have weakened Israel’s ability to combat militant activity and have contributed to a deterioration in law and order across the West Bank.

He warned that Israel faces “very difficult days” unless urgent steps are taken to address the current security situation.

The occupied West Bank has experienced a significant rise in violence since the outbreak of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023, with frequent Israeli military attacks and violence involving Israeli settlers against Palestinians.

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