Israel's military chief, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, ordered an internal inquiry on Monday into a meeting between Central Command head Maj Gen Avi Bluth and a regional defence officer linked to a new outpost near Jericho. The review will examine whether the army knew in advance of plans to establish the outpost. It comes two days after the military acknowledged the meeting had taken place.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Saturday that Maj Gen Bluth, who oversees forces in the occupied West Bank, had met Lt Col Elitzur Trabelsi, a regional defence officer. The military denied any secret coordination over the outpost, which was erected without government authorisation close to the Palestinian city of Jericho. Israeli rights group Peace Now had said the timing of the meeting raised questions about the army's role.

According to a statement from the IDF spokesperson's unit, the inquiry will be led by officers outside Central Command and will report to the chief of staff. The statement said the review would establish the content of the meeting and the army's response once the outpost appeared. It did not say whether Maj Gen Bluth would step aside while the review was carried out.

Opposition politicians said the inquiry did not go far enough. Members of the Yesh Atid and Democrats parties called for the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee to summon senior commanders.

They accused the government of tolerating a de facto alliance between the military and settler groups. Ministers from the Religious Zionism party defended the general and said contact with settler leaders was a routine part of his job.

The case adds to international pressure on Israel over settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank. The European Union and the United Nations have repeatedly said unauthorised outposts breach international law. Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah have accused the Israeli army of protecting settlers who seize land in the Jordan Valley.