IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth has ordered the military to stop notifying Palestinian Authority security forces before troops enter Palestinian Authority-controlled villages to carry out arrest operations, search for weapons, and conduct security sweeps, according to a report in Makor Rishon.
The decision was made following concerns raised by personnel in the field that information provided to PA security officials was being passed on to terrorists, helping them evade arrest and conceal weapons stockpiles.
According to the report, the IDF has observed an increase in the number of weapons seized during military operations since it stopped providing advance notifications to the Palestinian security forces.
The military's decision follows an Arutz Sheva report revealing that information about planned IDF operations had been reaching terrorists as a result of the coordination mechanism that remained in place until recently.
Hilltop activist Elisha Yered, a resident of Ramat Migron, warned about the procedure, which he said could endanger IDF soldiers and undermine their ability to surprise terrorists during operations in Judea and Samaria.
He described how details of planned military operations were passed to Palestinian security forces in advance and then appeared within minutes on Arabic-language Telegram channels that monitor IDF movements.
The IDF denied the allegations following the original report, but it now appears that the advance notifications, which had been provided in accordance with directives from the political leadership, have been discontinued entirely.