Israel Names New Military Liaison To The Palestinians

Israel’s Defense Ministry announced that Brig. Gen. (res.) Kamil Abu Rokon will become the next army liaison to the Palestinians, heading the body officially called the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. COGAT, as it is known, is responsible for coordinating security and civilian issues between the Israeli government, the IDF, international organizations, diplomats, and the Palestinian Authority. The unit, which deals with matters ranging from infrastructure development to education to the implementation of humanitarian aid programs, is an offshoot of the mostly defunct Israeli Civil Administration which governed the West Bank and Gaza Strip between 1981 and 1994. COGAT operates primarily in Area C of the West Bank, as designated by the Oslo Accords, where all of the Jewish communities across the 1967 borders are located. Area A of the territory is under the full jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, whereas Area B comprises towns and villages administered by the PA but which remain under Israeli military control. Abu Rokon will assume the role in the first half of 2018, replacing Maj. Gen. Yoav “Poli” Mordechai.