Defense Minister Israel Katz told the weekly cabinet meeting on Tuesday that the IDF is preparing for a scenario in which Palestinian Authority security forces turn their weapons on Israel in Judea and Samaria. Katz warned that such an act would trigger an immediate declaration of war and a full-scale offensive by the IDF, following the earlier directive reported at 14:28 ordering the military to ready for this contingency.
Defense Minister Israel Katz escalated the government's public posture toward the Palestinian Authority on Tuesday, telling ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting that any instance in which PA security forces or the Tanzim organization turn their weapons on Israeli residents or troops in Judea and Samaria will be met with a declaration of war and a full-scale IDF offensive.
This explicit trigger warning follows an earlier bulletin at 14:28 Jerusalem, in which The Zioneer reported that Katz had ordered the IDF to prepare for a war scenario against the PA — a directive he described as a 'short and forceful' campaign modeled on operations in Gaza and Lebanon. Today's statement adds the precise condition that would activate that plan.
The remarks come against a backdrop of repeated warnings from Katz over recent months. On September 7, he stated that any move by PA security forces to attack Israel would trigger a full-scale war. The PA has not publicly responded, and no change in operational status has been announced. The IDF continues routine deployments in Judea and Samaria.
6 developments
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- DevelopingIsrael's Katz: Campaign against Iran far from over; IDF ready to strike Iran with great force
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