"Israel must strive to improve Palestinians' quality of life and denounce violence such as 'price tag' acts," Major-General Eitan Dangot, who serves as coordinator of government activities in the Palestinian territories, told the Thursday's graduation class of DCO officers.
The IDF has recently stepped up its actions again "price tag" acts, which Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brigadier-General Nitzan Alon denounced as "Jewish terrorism."
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"The premise of this course is that the situation in the region could breed anything from an escalation in security to peaceful times in a short time-span," Lieutenant-Colonel Sharon Bitan, who commands the IDF's District Coordination Officers School, told Ynet.
DCO officers serve as liaisons to the Palestinian security forces, and are largely responsible for resolving day-to-day conflicts between settlers and the Palestinian population.
- Maj.-Gen. Dangot at the graduation ceremony (Photo: IDF)
The past year has seen a rise in "price tag" cases DCO officers had to address. The officers' training, said covered various security issues, as well as the cultural and communication aspects of the job, to help DCO officers handle the Palestinian civilian population better.
The officers have also been instructed to document every vandalism case thoroughly, to enable the proper investigation by the police and Shin Bet.