Israel ‘shooting itself in the foot’ by failing to curb Jewish extremist violence, Conricus tells i24NEWS

“The state of Israel in its weakness to actually enforce law and order is shooting itself in the foot,” Lt. Col. (res.) Jonathan Conricus told i24NEWS, criticizing the government’s handling of Jewish extremist violence in the West Bank.

Conricus, a former IDF international spokesman and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the military could crack down on those responsible but lacked clear instructions from the political leadership.

“I think, definitely the IDF could, if they had the political guidance, order, directive from the cabinet to do so,” he said. “Handle it, crack down, and deal with it. They don’t have that.”

Speaking on hills overlooking the Palestinian village of Qusra, where Jewish extremists have been besieging a Palestinian-American family’s home, Conricus described a change in the nature of extremist activity and the political environment surrounding it.

“This is a shift, and it’s clear that there is political support behind it, Israeli political support,” he said.

He linked growing friction to Jewish expansion into Area C and, occasionally, Area B, following what he described as years of unchecked Palestinian construction. He said Israeli activity ranged from government-backed initiatives to local efforts to expand communities, as well as outsiders arriving “looking for trouble.”

Asked whether the vigilantes were operating in line with the state’s interests or vision, Conricus replied: “They definitely are.” He cited remarks he attributed to Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth about coordinating hilltop activists and farms in support of security and the expansion of Jewish communities.

Conricus said individual actions were often uncontrolled, uncoordinated and unlawful, forcing the IDF to divert troops, intelligence resources and time to the resulting friction instead of fighting Palestinian terrorism.

He also criticized the lack of prosecutions and meaningful penalties. While soldiers and police intervened in confrontations, he said, too few perpetrators faced consequences.

“So far, those numbers are extremely low. They’re laughable,” he said.

Conricus said there were major intelligence gaps in identifying the extremists’ networks, funding and means of operating. He argued that intelligence efforts had been scaled back, largely for political reasons, while praising the security forces’ work against Palestinian terrorism.

Failure to enforce the law also carried international costs, he said, giving the Palestinians an advantage in the battle over Israel’s image.

“It’s handing the other side, the Palestinians, really an easy victory,” he said.

Conricus said criticism from US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, a strong supporter of Israel and its West Bank communities, should prompt the government to reconsider its approach. Huckabee described those intimidating Palestinian-Americans as "terrorists."

Conricus nevertheless rejected the suggestion that Jewish extremist violence would itself be the decisive cause of a wider eruption in the West Bank.

“To be fair, if things erupt in Judea and Samaria, it won’t be because of a few Jewish vigilantes,” he said.

In his assessment, the greater danger would be a Palestinian Authority decision to abandon its diplomatic, legal and media campaigns against Israel in favor of armed violence. He said tens of thousands of armed Palestinian security personnel could pose a significant threat if they turned their weapons against Israel.

Asked whether a different Israeli government could change the situation, Conricus said progress should be measured by police deployments, arrests, indictments and convictions.

“The state of Israel doesn’t really want to address the issue,” he said. “Another government could.”

He also called for a clear decision on Israel’s long-term intentions for the West Bank, including whether it sought to incorporate the territory into the state.

“We need to define our own strategy, and if necessary, pay the relevant international price in order to pursue our security and national goals,” he said.