Senior officers say Jewish extremist violence is diverting an overstretched IDF as illegal outpost evacuations fuel clashes and fears of renewed Palestinian terrorismThe West Bank, one of Israel’s relatively quietest fronts in recent years, is rapidly becoming a major security concern, with senior IDF officers warning that the situation is “spinning out of control” and security officials telling Israel’s political leadership that the territory is “on the verge of an explosion” amid a growing wave of violence by Jewish extremists.“There are a huge number of settlement-related missions that the IDF is carrying out,” a senior official said. “Opening roads, establishing communities and creating areas for residents in accordance with directives from the political leadership. None of that is being delayed or stopped.”Settlers stole Palestinian property in the Khirbet al-Miramiya area, near the village of Abu Falah“The IDF is stretched to the limit in the West Bank, but at the same time we are being forced to deal with these incidents, which divert attention and are becoming increasingly brazen,” the official added. “It seems no one understands what is really happening here or where this could lead.”The latest escalation began several days ago, after the IDF resumed the evacuation of dozens of outposts built illegally in the West Bank following a deadly attack in the Palestinian village of Tell. At its peak, the military was carrying out nearly two evacuations a night, angering extremist activists based on isolated hilltop outposts.Their criticism initially focused on Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, though settlement figures say he continues to enjoy broad support among many West Bank residents because of what they describe as his understanding of their security and community needs.The extremists have since turned their attention to Brig. Gen. Kobi Heller, commander of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, accusing him of being behind the evacuations.“These are extremists who will attack whoever serves as commander of the West Bank Division or head of Central Command,” a senior figure from one of the West Bank farms told ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth. “This is the best period the settlement movement has had. You can see what is happening on the ground. On the farms, we feel our needs are being addressed and that there are people listening.”A poster circulated in recent days showed Bluth and Heller in uniform saluting a man wearing a keffiyeh beneath the words: “11 evacuations in one week. Bluth and Heller, evacuation champions. Your destroyers and those who lay you waste.”Settlement officials say Heller has also helped prepare the ground for the rapid return of Israeli residents to parts of northern West Bank from which settlements were evacuated under Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan.Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth (צילום: ארגון "בעד התיישבות - נגד אלימות")At the same time, one settlement official said there had recently been a slowdown in the establishment of new farms and outposts.“There has even been something of a freeze,” the official said. “It changes according to events like these, the attack and the illegal construction, and all the political turmoil they create has an impact. Here, the issue is actually more at the political level. On the ground, Heller maintains an open dialogue and encourages ties with settlement officials and farm owners. He supports his brigade commanders maintaining contact with farmers. The attacks on him are difficult to understand, but we have seen this before.”The surge in Jewish extremist violence comes as Palestinian terrorism in the West Bank has been declining, leaving such incidents to consume an increasing share of the military’s attention.Some on the Israeli right have also criticized the IDF over its continued coordination with the Palestinian Authority, arguing that Israel has failed to take action against it. Security officials, however, note that the government sets military policy and has made no decision to dismantle the PA or end security coordination.The establishment of unauthorized Israeli outposts in areas under Palestinian civil administration and shared Israeli-Palestinian security control, known as Area B under the Oslo Accords, has also generated significant friction.The pace of violent incidents has continued to increase, as has the number of casualties.On Friday, a Palestinian was killed and another wounded in Sa’ir, near Hebron, after a group of Israeli hikers in the Gush Etzion area encountered Palestinians who threw stones at them, according to an initial account of the incident.A security officer from a nearby Israeli community arrived at the scene and fired first into the air and later toward several people. He was taken for questioning, and police opened an investigation. Three Palestinians were later arrested on suspicion of throwing stones.Police said the three, along with others who had not yet been located, were suspected of throwing stones at the hikers “and in doing so posed a real danger to the Israelis’ lives.”A Palestinian was killed and another wounded after stone-throwing near Sa’ir prompted an Israeli security officer to open fireThe hiking group had not received IDF authorization for the trip and had entered Area B. Jewish shepherds have also been attacked in several separate incidents in recent days.A security official said authorities were taking action against violent extremists but cautioned that not every confrontation should automatically be classified as ideologically motivated violence.“Many of those violent extremists will soon face indictments, but there is an equation here that has to change,” the official said. “The army carries out an evacuation, and then there are retaliatory ‘price tag’ attacks. We need a presence inside areas and villages where there is greater potential for friction. We must not play into the extremists’ hands.”The cycle is familiar to Israeli security officials. Israel is also facing significant U.S. pressure over violence by extremist settlers, pressure that grows as the number and severity of such incidents increase.“Everyone sees what is happening,” a security official said. “We are warning that things are not moving in a good direction.”The official said Israel’s various security agencies have also struggled to coordinate their response to the phenomenon.This week, families from a group seeking to reestablish the former settlement of Kadim moved into the site in the northern West Bank. Kadim was evacuated as part of Israel’s 2005 disengagement.The message now being conveyed by the IDF to Israel’s political leadership is increasingly stark: The West Bank is slipping out of control.Security officials fear that continued Jewish extremist violence and growing friction could reverse the recent decline in Palestinian terrorism and ignite a far broader escalation.