IDF chief puts military on heightened alert, nixes soldiers' leave ahead of next week's election

IDF put on raised alert, soldiers’ leave nixed ahead of election; West Bank forces boosted, but seen unlikely to thwart settler violence

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has ordered the military to raise its level of alert ahead of next week’s election and cancel soldiers’ leave.

Zamir held an assessment this morning with senior officers, during which he “stressed that the IDF’s mission is to enable the democratic elections to take place on schedule and safely,” according to a statement.

The election is set to be held on October 27.

Zamir also said the military is “on the highest state of alert and will continue to maintain a high level of vigilance and readiness across all fronts” in the coming period.

He ordered a leave freeze across IDF units starting Thursday, requiring soldiers to remain on base instead of taking planned leave, “subject to ongoing situational assessments.”

He also instructed the military to increase the presence of senior officers in command centers “to ensure operational readiness and capability.”

Meanwhile, the Central Command, which is responsible for the West Bank, will be reinforced with forces from the Paratroopers Brigade headquarters and additional units “to strengthen the deployment in the area and increase the presence on the ground,” Zamir said.

The Paratroopers Brigade headquarters will serve as a dedicated task force headquarters in the area between the Samaria and Binyamin regional brigades, according to the military, amid increased violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

The military had already significantly bolstered the West Bank with additional troops and still failed to crack down on settler violence. The latest move is unlikely to boost those efforts, as Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the military to hand over all responsibilities for settler violence to the police.

Additionally, Zamir ordered that more forces be allocated to other fronts “according to operational needs, in the air, at sea and on land.”

The IDF is set to begin deploying at least 850 polling stations tomorrow at military bases and outposts across the country and beyond Israel’s borders. The stations will remain open through October 27, when the rest of the country votes.

The Times of Israel Community.