IDF to protect Israel ‘from the river to the sea,’ Netanyahu vows in visit to West Bank seam line

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the Tulkarm refugee camp as a “terrorist stronghold” during a Tuesday visit to the West Bank seam line, vowed that the IDF will remain in control of the area, and promised to safeguard Israeli territory “from the Jordan River to the sea.”

In a video statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office, Netanyahu referenced a Sunday High Court of Justice order for the state to provide a timeline for the return of displaced Palestinians to refugee camps in the area.

“I heard that someone at the High Court of Justice says the residents should be brought back here. These are not residents; they are terrorists,” he claimed.

During the visit to the West Bank border, IDF, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), and Border Police commanders briefed Netanyahu on security measures in the area and ongoing efforts to address threats of terrorism that may emerge from the refugee camps. 

Netanyahu praised the IDF for their efforts to clear Tulkarm of extremism through extensive counterterrorism operations, saying that troops did an “excellent job.”

“There will be no Arab army west of the Jordan River; there will be the IDF,” he continued. “The one who will control this territory and remain in it is the IDF.”

Netanyahu warns that Israel's enemies may test security ahead of elections

The prime minister emphasized Tulkarm’s proximity the the coast, describing the strip of Israeli territory between the West Bank border and the water as a “narrow waist.”

“We are safeguarding the area from the Jordan River to the sea. Our country, our control,” Netanyahu declared. “Israel’s narrow waist will no longer be narrow.”

Netanyahu also warned that Israel’s enemies may try to “test” security measures ahead of the upcoming Knesset elections. 

“We are prepared for any scenario,” he assured, adding that the IDF and Defense Minister Israel Katz have briefed him on security plans.

“I do not advise our enemies to test us. You will encounter a force here that you never dreamed of,” he said. “We will continue to safeguard the security of Israel here, at the seam line, and everywhere.”