IDF Evacuates Building in Tulkarm Over Knesset Member’s Relatives, Sparking Soldier Unrest

A reserve infantry unit conducting a tactical operation in Tulkarm ^[1][2] was ordered to evacuate a building after discovering that relatives of Knesset member Ahmad Tibi ^[1][2] resided there, according to reports from local sources familiar with the incident. The withdrawal order triggered visible frustration among soldiers who had entered the structure as part of a Manasseh Division operation ^[1][2].

The IDF’s public account diverges sharply from what soldiers say they were told. Reserve troops told local media outlets they were instructed to leave because family members of Tibi – a Palestinian-Israeli lawmaker and leader of the Ta’al party who has represented Arab constituencies in the Knesset since 1999 ^[3] – occupied the residence ^[1][2]. The soldiers expressed anger over the decision, given that they understood the evacuation was ordered specifically to protect individuals connected to a political figure ^[1][2].

When confronted with these accounts, an IDF spokesperson denied that any such directive had been issued to forces ^[1][2]. “Contrary to what is claimed, no instruction was given to forces to leave the building,” the military said in a statement ^[2]. “The divisional operation was carried out in full and according to plan” ^[2].

The contradiction sits at the intersection of two institutional tensions that have defined Israeli security policy for years: the military’s operational independence and political sensitivity around Arab lawmakers. Tibi, whose political status as both an Israeli legislator and vocal critic of occupation policy has made him a polarizing figure, has long occupied an awkward position in Israeli politics – simultaneously a member of parliament and a figure whose family connections can become operational complications for the IDF.

The incident also reflects deeper friction within the military itself. Reserve units, which supply much of the IDF’s manpower in routine operations, have grown increasingly vocal about perceived political interference in tactical decisions. When soldiers believe they’ve been ordered to stand down for political rather than security reasons, it erodes confidence in the chain of command and raises questions about whether operational decisions are being made on military grounds ^[1][2].

Tibi himself escalated the matter hours after the operation. He confronted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir outside Israel’s Supreme Court in Jerusalem ^[4], with the confrontation occurring during a hearing on appeals against the disqualification of Arab electoral lists from the upcoming Knesset election ^[4]. The encounter underscored how personal and institutional tensions have become entangled in Israeli politics, particularly around questions of Arab participation and representation.

The timing compounds the sensitivity. With elections looming and Ben-Gvir’s far-right National Security Ministry overseeing both domestic security and controversial detention policies, any appearance of political targeting – whether of Arab lawmakers or their families – invites scrutiny of whether security operations are being weaponized against political opponents. The IDF’s denial, paired with soldiers’ contradictory testimony, suggests either a breakdown in communication within the chain of command or a deliberate effort to obscure a politically fraught decision.

For the coalition math, the incident tests whether Ben-Gvir’s ministry can maintain operational credibility with the military while serving a government that includes ministers with explicit ideological stakes in limiting Arab political power. If soldiers increasingly perceive that their orders are being shaped by political considerations rather than security doctrine, the institutional relationship between the defense establishment and the government could fracture further.