IDF spokesperson responded to the State Comptroller's report which concluded that the army did not fulfil all defence missions in Judea and Samaria: "The findings of the report refer to data from before the war until September 2023, and do not reflect the current situation on the ground."
Earlier, a report published by Metanyahu Englman noted a 330% increase in shooting events aimed at Judea and Samaria's roadways between January 2022 and June 2023 - compared to 2019-2021. In addition, 3,780 terrorist events were recorded in the West Bank in 2022. Also, the number of shooting events aimed at IDF forces that entered Palestinian cities in 2022 rose more than five times (138 shooting events compared to 25 in 2021).
The auditor found that despite the strengthening of forces in the West Bank, the IDF did not fulfil all the defence missions it had set for itself, and that additional troop reinforcements, mostly after terrorist incidents, were not enough to create the required security in a consistent and systematic manner.
It was also noted that about 14% -57% of the defence missions in the three Brigade headquarters examined (Samaria, Benjamin, and Etzion) were not performed according to plan, including the placement of observation posts, foot and vehicular patrols, ambush placements, temporary roadblocks, and checkpoint security.
It also states in the report that most of the attackers in the shooting events between 2019 and 2023 came from the cities of Jenin (145 attacks), Nablus (104 attacks), and Ramallah (72 attacks). There was an increase in the number of incidents that began in Jenin in 2023, compared to the decline in their numbers in other cities. These cities do not have permanent checkpoints.
Criticism was also raised that the IDF's policy regarding the effectiveness of permanent checkpoints as a defence measure is coordinated between the brigade, command, and general staff (through the operations division). According to the head of the Operations Division in the IDF, this policy includes providing operational responses through the placement of opportunistic checkpoints and the removal of existing checkpoints, and is continuously reviewed through situation assessments. However, it is unclear whether the fact that a significant portion of the checkpoints in the West Bank are open is known to the Chief of Staff and the National Security Cabinet Committee.
In conclusion, the auditor told the IDF that it must examine the ability of the Central Command to comply with the defence missions and the policy of placing permanent checkpoints in the West Bank.
The IDF responded by saying: "The IDF sees importance in the critique and learns from its findings. The findings of the report refer to data from before the war until September 2023 and do not reflect the current situation. The deployment of forces and checkpoints in the Judea and Samaria area is determined according to the situation assessment and is presented to the political level."
