A major confrontation is brewing in Yitzhar between residents and the Samaria Governor over the dismissal of the town’s security coordinator. The crisis began about a month ago when the Samaria Brigade commander, Ariel Gonen, abruptly removed Yitzhar’s security coordinator—a move residents say was ordered and encouraged by the council’s security department. The decision blindsided residents, who note the coordinator has served for over a decade, responding first to every security incident and treating the wounded.
2+After the dismissal, residents asked council head Yossi Dagan to intervene and mediate between the coordinator and the brigade, and the council security department. But more than a month has passed, and Dagan hasn’t addressed the issue or said a word about it, raising serious concern among residents. After about two weeks without a security coordinator in the role, residents took action: they convened and voted that sole security authority for the town remains exclusively with the dismissed coordinator, since only he has their full trust to provide complete security.
Residents emphasize that the relationship between a security coordinator and the community must be built on complete trust, and that any other coordinator would take a long time to build that trust and common language with residents. The security coordinator serves as the main bridge between residents and the army; he’s the person they call first in any incident, and he knows every corner, street, and alley in the town.
2+In response to residents’ vote against the council and the brigade commander’s position, the council began taking steps that appear to be retaliatory. The council decided to freeze all budgets designated for paving a security road in one of the town’s neighborhoods. Additionally, the council disconnected the coordinator from all communication devices and all council security alerts, leaving the town without anyone receiving the numerous operational warnings that arrive daily. Yitzhar is surrounded by five hostile villages from which attacks originate, and on the roads below the town, rock-throwing and firebomb attacks against vehicles and civilians occur daily.
Today, the army took another unusual step against residents when the Samaria Brigade commander decided to confiscate the keys to the town’s armory. According to residents, this army step was also taken with encouragement from the council’s security department, aimed at forcing the community to submit and replace the coordinator.
2+The military decision means that all weapons in the armory cannot be taken out during a security incident, and weapons in residents’ homes cannot be stored there. There’s now serious concern in the town that the council and army will collect all weapons from the town entirely, leaving Yitzhar without security and without a functioning rapid response team.
Yitzhar residents told C14: “Yossi Dagan is choosing to abandon residents’ security, and it’s only because of petty politics. We’ve reached out to the council head countless times, but he’s ignoring us completely. Yossi can solve the crisis with one phone call, but is choosing to abandon residents’ security. This will cost lives, and it’s on his hands.”
IDF Spokesperson’s response: “Members of the Yitzhar rapid response team are armed with military weapons permanently according to operational doctrine. An immediate response is planned by a security representative who will open the armory as needed and provide security response to the settlement led by IDF forces. The town security coordinator’s appointment was canceled after repeated incidents of exceeding authority and repeated warnings on the matter. Despite repeated requests, no candidates for the security coordinator position have been selected by the town, and the security coordinator is the signatory for military weapons allocated to the town. Once a new candidate for the town security coordinator position is decided upon, in coordination with the council and brigade, all security components will be regularized.”
Yitzhar Town Secretariat’s response: “We are witnessing complete abandonment of residents’ security and an attempt to punish the town because of ego battles by the Samaria Council security department. It’s unacceptable that at this time—two and a half years after the events of October 7—dangerous steps are being taken that will harm operational readiness, weapon availability and information for security forces in the town. We demand that the council head intervene in the matter immediately, stop the deterioration, and act without delay to restore basic security to Yitzhar residents.”
Samaria Governor’s response: “The Samaria Regional Council is closely monitoring developments regarding the Yitzhar security coordinator and is working to advance a solution that will provide the best possible response to all parties.”