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Katz says IDF told to prepare for possible conflict with Palestinian Authority
En breve
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the army has been instructed to prepare for a possible conflict with Palestinian National Authority forces in the West Bank, describing a planned campaign as “short and powerful”. Katz said the scenario envisages PNA security forces and the Fatah-linked Tanzim turning their weapons on Israeli settlers and soldiers, in which case Israel would declare war on the Palestinian Authority. Some Israeli military circles have long viewed the PNA and its security forces as allies against extremism in the West Bank, according to The Times of Israel.
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Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that the Israel Defense Forces have been tasked with preparing for a possible conflict with the forces of the Palestinian National Authority in the West Bank, according to Tass, Interfax and Vedomosti. Katz said at a government meeting that the army is rehearsing a scenario in which PNA security forces and the Fatah-linked organization Tanzim turn their weapons against Israeli settlers and soldiers, Vedomosti and Interfax reported, both citing The Times of Israel. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Katz described the potential campaign as “short and powerful”. According to Interfax, he said it would include the killing or expulsion of senior officials of the hostile authorities, the destruction of arsenals, large-scale evacuation of civilians and the destruction of enemy infrastructure in cities and refugee camps, acting on a model already tried in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Vedomosti reported that Israel would declare war on the Palestinian Administration in such a case and that the army would begin a large-scale offensive under a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz, possibly using ground and air forces, and that Israel does not intend to allow a multi-year intifada. [ 2 , 3 ]
Katz said the military must draw lessons from the Hamas attack on Israel of October 7, 2023, and take into account the possibility of a new attack on settlers and the IDF, Interfax reported. [ 2 ]
Vedomosti placed the statement alongside earlier Israeli measures: on September 8 Israel ended Britain's participation in training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank, part of retaliatory measures over British sanctions that included a ban on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank. On September 22, Katz threatened to evacuate about 1 million residents of Gaza City southward if Hamas captured an Israeli soldier or civilian, and spoke of the possibility of destroying urban infrastructure. [ 3 ]
Interfax, citing The Times of Israel, reported disagreement inside Israel over the Palestinian Authority: part of the Israeli leadership has long criticized it, while military circles consider PNA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and its security forces an important ally in fighting extremism in the West Bank. The same outlet said Katz has been making such statements more frequently ahead of parliamentary elections on 27 October 2023. [ 2 ]
Por qué importa
The statement raises the prospect of an Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian Authority's own forces in the West Bank, an authority whose security bodies Israel's military establishment has treated as a partner against extremism, according to The Times of Israel. It also comes alongside earlier Israeli measures affecting Palestinian security training and the Gaza Strip, described by Vedomosti. Because the operation remains a preparation scenario rather than a decision, the practical consequences depend on whether the conditions Katz described arise.
Datos clave
- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the Israel Defense Forces have been tasked with preparing for a possible conflict with Palestinian National Authority forces in the West Bank. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Katz described the potential campaign as “short and powerful”. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Katz said the army is rehearsing a scenario in which PNA security forces and the Fatah-linked organization Tanzim turn their weapons against Israeli settlers and soldiers. [ 2 , 3 ]
- According to Katz, Israel would declare war on the Palestinian Authority and launch a large-scale offensive under a plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz himself. [ 3 ]
- Katz said the operation could include killing or expelling senior officials of the hostile authorities, destroying arsenals, large-scale evacuation of civilians and destruction of infrastructure in cities and refugee camps, following a model tried in Gaza and Lebanon. [ 2 ]
- Katz said the military must draw lessons from the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023 and consider the possibility of a new attack on settlers and the IDF. [ 2 ]
- On September 8 Israel ended Britain's participation in training Palestinian Authority forces in the West Bank, part of retaliatory measures over British sanctions, according to Vedomosti. [ 3 ]
- On September 22 Katz threatened to evacuate about 1 million residents of Gaza City southward if Hamas captured an Israeli soldier or civilian. [ 3 ]
Confirmado por varias fuentes
Aún sin aclarar
- Whether the preparation scenario will become an actual operation, and under what conditions beyond Katz's stated trigger. Katz described the campaign conditionally, for a scenario in which PNA forces and Tanzim turn their weapons against settlers and the IDF; no document reports a decision to launch it.
- No document presents evidence that PNA forces or Tanzim are preparing such an attack. The claim comes from Katz as reported by Interfax and Vedomosti; Interfax also cites The Times of Israel saying Israeli military circles regard PNA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his security forces as an important ally against extremism in the West Bank.
- When and where the Israeli government meeting at which Katz spoke took place. Vedomosti says Katz spoke at a government meeting but gives no date or location beyond the report's own Tuesday publication date.
- Interfax, citing The Times of Israel, says Katz made such statements more frequently ahead of parliamentary elections on 27 October 2023, a date that precedes these reports by three years. Single-source detail with an apparent date inconsistency; the documents do not resolve it.
Qué dicen los medios locales
Cronología, hora local
- Tass reports Katz's statement that Israel is preparing for combat action against the Palestinian National Authority and his description of the campaign as “short and powerful”. [ 1 ]
- Interfax reports that the IDF has been tasked with preparing for a potential conflict with PNA forces in the West Bank, citing The Times of Israel. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reports Katz's remarks at a government meeting, including that Israel would declare war on the Palestinian Authority and launch a large-scale offensive under a plan approved by Netanyahu and Katz. [ 3 ]