Haaretz: Army concerned Netanyahu escalating West Bank tensions before elections

Haaretz: Army concerned Netanyahu escalating West Bank tensions before elections Israeli military sources have voiced concern that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be deliberately escalating tensions in the occupied West Bank ahead of elections, Haaretz reported The report said the violence was being used to divert attention from the failures surrounding the October 7 attack. Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has questioned the government’s intentions and wants to avoid drawing the army into new crises driven by political considerations, the newspaper said. Political figures in Israel, including finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, have openly advocated a more intense campaign in the West Bank that could be used to justify military action against the Palestinian Authority.