Herzog visits IDF Judea and Samaria Division, vows vigilantes will face trial

Israeli President Isaac Herzog toured the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Judea and Samaria Division on September 30, 2026, following what his office described as recent incidents of violence in the area. According to a statement issued by the President's Spokesperson and published on the Israeli government's website, Herzog met the division's commander, Brigadier General Kobi Heller, and was briefed on the operational situation in the sector.

Speaking to the media in English during the visit, Herzog condemned what he called efforts by vigilantes to undermine the rule of law, and said Israel would do "whatever it takes" so that those responsible are arrested and put on trial. He described the events as "severe and totally unacceptable." He also used the occasion to address a separate incident he called a terror attack on a plane.

What the Judea and Samaria Division is

Judea and Samaria is the term used in Israeli official language for the territory widely known internationally as the West Bank. The IDF Judea and Samaria Division is the army formation responsible for military operations in that area. Its commander holds the rank of brigadier general, abbreviated in the release as BG.

Herzog said he had come to support soldiers and commanders serving in the region, as well as their colleagues in the Israel Police and other bodies working there. He said the main task of the forces on the ground was to prevent terror, and he thanked the IDF both for fighting terror and for enforcing the law and honouring court judgments.

The role of Israel's president

Israel's president is the head of state. The office is largely ceremonial and does not direct the army or the police, which answer to the government. Visits such as this one are typically a public signal of backing for the security forces and a platform for the president to speak on matters of national concern, rather than an operational intervention.

Herzog's message on the rule of law

The centre of Herzog's remarks was a statement about law enforcement. "We are a nation of the rule of law," he said, adding that Israel, as a democracy, ensures that the law applies in the area. He said that he, and the country, condemned any attempt by vigilantes to undermine this, and pledged that such people would be detained and brought before the courts.

The release does not say who the vigilantes are, what specific acts they are accused of, or against whom any violence was directed. It refers only to recent incidents of violence in the area, and the government page files the item under the topic of terrorism.

Remarks on an attack involving a plane

Herzog opened his media statement by referring to what he described as a very challenging few hours and a frightening and worrying terror attack on a plane. In the remarks published by his office, he said that everybody was being rescued, thanked people he called the heroes on the plane, and said he hoped Israelis flying from Saudi Arabia would reach home soon.

He also thanked Israel's partners and friends, singling out the United Arab Emirates, which he said was fighting terror alongside Israel and other nations in the region. "We must not allow terror to destabilize the region," he said, adding that efforts to undermine stability and peace in the region had to be prevented.

The release does not describe this incident further. It does not say where the plane was, which airline or route was involved, how many people were on board, or how the incident unfolded. Herzog's comments are the only account of it in the material available to us, and they are presented here as his description.

What the reports do not say

This article is based on a single source: an official statement from the President's Spokesperson. No independent news report of the visit was available. Several basic questions remain unanswered by that statement:

• What the recent incidents of violence in the area were, where exactly they took place, and whether anyone was hurt.
• Who the vigilantes referred to by Herzog are, and whether anyone has been arrested or charged.
• What Brigadier General Heller told the president in his briefing on the operational situation.
• The details of the attack on a plane that Herzog mentioned, including where it happened, who was on board and what the outcome was.
• Why Israelis were flying from Saudi Arabia and what role, if any, the United Arab Emirates played in the incident.

Israel.com will update this report if further verified information becomes available.