IDF Central District Commander Major-General Avi Mizrachi explains that the military is compelled to be prepared for any and every eventuality, and as such, troops are rehearsing the takeover of PA cities. Members of the Kfir Brigade have taken part in the first of a series of such training exercises, doing so in a Negev area base in which a mock Arab city has been built, permitting soldiers to train under real conditions, including the challenges of urban warfare.

Brigade Commander Colonel Oren Avman explains that the troops however must be prepared for much more than urban warfare, and they are constantly training for any eventuality, aware the situation in Yehuda and Shomron could easily deteriorate at any time. Avman attributes the relative calm that exists today to a decade of ongoing IDF operations in those areas, stating if not for the constant IDF presence, the situation would be a far cry from what it is today.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)