IDF scales back forces in West Bank

[bemildred]

...

The military force in the West Bank has
already been reduced by some 25 percent over
the past six months and the IDF is now planing
an additional reduction, despite Sunday's
suicide bombing.

...

Now the IDF has decided, due to budgetary
constraints, to remove two more reserve
battalions from the West Bank.

Reducing the West Bank force by two more
more reserve battalions is estimated to save
NIS 60 to 70 million, which is the annual cost
of enlisting a reserve battalion. However,
despite the cutbacks, the IDF will have
difficulty fulfilling its objective to call up only
half of the reserve battalions for operational
duty this year.

...

"We cannot meet our objective," a senior
central command officer told Haaretz. "There
are simply too many tasks to be done, and this
does not facilitate releasing so many reserve
soldiers."

Haaretz