Palestinian Authority building army that could threaten Israel, general warns

Palestinian Authority forces conduct three-day military training exercise, practicing infiltrating towns and attacks using RPGs and advanced weapons – raising concerns the PA’s security apparatus could be preparing for a future war with Israel.

By World Israel News Staff

Recent activities by the Palestinian Authority’s security forces have raised concerns in Israel that Ramallah may be preparing for more than just internal unrest, with the use of heavy weapons and advanced equipment leaving some residents of Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria increasingly alarmed.

Last year, the Palestinian Authority’s paramilitary National Security Forces conducted advanced military training in Pakistan, where they gained experience using armored vehicles, heavy weapons, and artillery.

The training mission in Pakistan, which came less than a year after the Hamas invasion of Israel in October 2023, was ostensibly part of international efforts to stabilize the Palestinian Authority and enhance the NSF’s ability to combat terrorist elements in Judea and Samaria, including Hamas.

However, some security experts in Israel warn that the weapons and tactics employed during the Pakistan exercises, such as rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), do not fit with a narrow, counter-terror mission.

“We are growing here an enemy army inside the State of Israel, and this is very serious,” warned IDF Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi during an interview with Arutz Sheva.

Recently, the NSF concluded a three-day military exercise inside the Palestinian Authority, during which officers practiced town infiltrations and the use of RPGs.

Avivi said it appears that the PA’s security forces are evolving beyond police functions into a force that could turn against Israel, noting attacks by PA officers on Israelis as far back as 1996.

He lamented that the situation in Judea and Samaria is increasingly dangerous, saying that while the IDF has reduced threats from groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the PA’s growing arsenal and the presence of former prisoners and terrorists within its ranks constitute a significant risk.

Avivi argued that in the event of internal conflict after PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’s eventual departure, these armed forces could be redirected against Israel.

“The greatest threat in Judea and Samaria is the gun barrels being turned on us — meaning that at a certain moment, those same [PA] policemen will turn and launch an attack against us.”