Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Subcommittee for Judea and Samaria, MK Tzvi Succot, wrote to Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, calling on him to halt plans to disband regional defense battalions in Judea and Samaria.
Succot warned that the move could lead to serious security gaps. He said this risk is particularly acute at a time when the level of security threats is increasing.
Succot emphasized that comprehensive measures to stop terrorist cells operating in Judea and Samaria have not yet been taken. He wrote that since the outbreak of the war, thousands of civilians were mobilized under emergency orders to reinforce defense in the communities, and those reserve forces played a central role in protecting residents.
According to the figures Succot forwarded to the Chief of Staff, in the coming weeks there is expected to be a reduction of about 30% in regional defense forces, and subsequently even a complete cessation of their operations, without providing an alternative. "This situation leaves many towns with a lower defense posture than they had before the war and places them in real danger," Succot warned.
He added that the solution proposed by some IDF officials-the implementation of an order that places the security responsibility on the residents themselves-is not feasible. "Small communities cannot fund the required security needs, and it is not justified to require such high payments from the state's citizens for their personal security," he said.
At the end of his letter, MK Succot called on the Chief of Staff to immediately reverse the planned demobilization. He requested that any change occur only after a solution is found that will ensure the security of all Judea and Samaria communities.