IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Thursday he had ordered a major bolstering of troops in the West Bank in light of escalating tensions in the territory, and is demanding that the treasury supply the military with additional funds.
“Many challenges lie ahead of us. We are advancing battle procedures on all fronts, from Iran and Lebanon to Gaza, and are on high alert in the face of multi-front volatility,” Zamir told the army’s top brass during a closed assessment.
He ordered the headquarters of a standing army division – normally tens of thousands of troops – to be put on standby to reinforce the West Bank through the Jewish-holiday period. The territory normally has two divisions: the Judea and Samaria Division, responsible for most of the area, and the 96th “Gilad” Division, tasked with the Jordan border. “Beyond that, preparations must be made for the immediate deployment of units and battalions to reinforce the area,” he said.
Settler violence the trigger
Violence in the West Bank has escalated sharply in recent months, mostly involving settler attacks on Palestinians, though there have also been several attacks by Palestinian assailants on Israelis. Critics accuse the IDF and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of condoning or even encouraging settler violence. The most senior IDF officer in the West Bank reportedly warned on Monday that mounting settler violence could ignite a broader escalation.
On Tuesday, far-right MK Zvi Sukkot smashed a monument to Palestinian “martyrs” in a West Bank village while accompanied by IDF troops.
Budget fight
Zamir said the IDF is “engaged in a battle over the budget” and that the military’s “empty coffers” are harming readiness. The Finance Ministry’s response was pointed: it is “fully committed to the military effort and has funded all of the military’s operations on all fronts, amounting to hundreds of billions,” and urged the defense establishment to use the money “efficiently and with responsible management.”
Source: The Times of Israel, 29 August 2026.