The Israeli army general responsible for the West Bank said Wednesday that illegal farming outposts in the West Bank — which have been linked to widespread violence against Palestinians — “greatly strengthen security” in the territory.

Speaking at a conference organized by the so-called Farm Union, Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth said that the settlement farms “align well with the security concept. It does not contradict it.”

The remarks demonstrate the extent to which the IDF — particularly since Bluth took over the Central Command in 2024 — is aligned with the settlement movement, despite mounting concerns by critics of the ties that the farming outposts in particular have had to violence against neighboring Palestinian communities.

Bluth, however, insisted that the farming outposts are “integrated” into the IDF’s security framework, so long as they maintain “ethical conduct, and operate in accordance with the law.”

Given that all farming outposts are built without the necessary permits and approvals, it’s unclear how Bluth determines which of them are nevertheless deemed to be operating “in accordance with the law.”

But his stance does appear to be an extension of the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline government, which has either turned a blind eye to the establishment of over 150 illegal outposts or actively funded them, while also working to retroactively legalize them.

אבי בלוט בפורם הביטחון של איגוד החוות"אנחנו משנים תפיסה: החוות החקלאיות הן חלק מתפיסת הביטחון של פיקוד המרכז. הן מחזקות את הביטחון במרחב. אני מאמין באנשי החוות, מעריך את עשייתם ורואה בהם שותפים משמעותיים לביטחון." pic.twitter.com/YC89zqVtc3 — ינון מגל Yinon Magal (@YinonMagal) July 15,........

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