| English.news.cn 2015-03-02 03:15:27 |
JERUSALEM, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
embarked on a surprise wide-scale drill in the West Bank on Sunday,
ordering 3,000 reserve soldiers to report to their units.
Army chief Gadi Eisenkot ordered the drill, which involves overall 13,000 reserve soldiers. Out of those, 3,000 must report to their posts in the West Bank, while the remaining 10,000 were put on alert, the IDF said in a statement.
The drill, due to end on late Monday, will involve air force, intelligence and field units, and simulate different scenarios, including response to the kidnapping of Israelis.
The drill may be associated with a recent military assessment that a possible wave of violence by Palestinians might break out in the West Bank, possibly by the end of March or early April, amid the deteriorating security situation and economic hardships the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is facing, according to Israel's Haaretz daily.
However, the daily quoted a senior military source as saying that the decision to conduct the drill, which would simulate large-scale riots and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, is not officially linked to this situation assessment.
But forces "should be prepared" for such a scenario, the source added.
He also stated that the IDF contacted the Palestinian National Authority to notify the latter it is a routine drill.
Israel and the PNA resumed direct peace talks in July 2013 under the pressure of the United States. The negotiations broke down in April 2014, with both sides accusing each other of being responsible for the failure to extend the talks.
There has since been a deterioration in the relations between Israel and the PNA, with the latter resorting to unilateral diplomatic moves in order to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Israeli leaders responded harshly to those initiatives and carried on construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, where the Palestinians seek to establish their own state.
Furthermore, following the PNA's decision to join the International Criminal Court in the Hague, where it could sue Israel for war crimes, Israel withheld the transfer of tax funds collected on behalf of the Palestinians for the past two months, further crippling its economic situation.
Meanwhile, the past few months have witnessed a number of deadly attacks on Israelis by Palestinians and daily clashes, mostly in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
Army chief Gadi Eisenkot ordered the drill, which involves overall 13,000 reserve soldiers. Out of those, 3,000 must report to their posts in the West Bank, while the remaining 10,000 were put on alert, the IDF said in a statement.
The drill, due to end on late Monday, will involve air force, intelligence and field units, and simulate different scenarios, including response to the kidnapping of Israelis.
The drill may be associated with a recent military assessment that a possible wave of violence by Palestinians might break out in the West Bank, possibly by the end of March or early April, amid the deteriorating security situation and economic hardships the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is facing, according to Israel's Haaretz daily.
However, the daily quoted a senior military source as saying that the decision to conduct the drill, which would simulate large-scale riots and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces, is not officially linked to this situation assessment.
But forces "should be prepared" for such a scenario, the source added.
He also stated that the IDF contacted the Palestinian National Authority to notify the latter it is a routine drill.
Israel and the PNA resumed direct peace talks in July 2013 under the pressure of the United States. The negotiations broke down in April 2014, with both sides accusing each other of being responsible for the failure to extend the talks.
There has since been a deterioration in the relations between Israel and the PNA, with the latter resorting to unilateral diplomatic moves in order to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Israeli leaders responded harshly to those initiatives and carried on construction in Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, where the Palestinians seek to establish their own state.
Furthermore, following the PNA's decision to join the International Criminal Court in the Hague, where it could sue Israel for war crimes, Israel withheld the transfer of tax funds collected on behalf of the Palestinians for the past two months, further crippling its economic situation.
Meanwhile, the past few months have witnessed a number of deadly attacks on Israelis by Palestinians and daily clashes, mostly in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
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