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The Third Front: How the Palestinian Authority Is Preparing for Battle
(Israel Hayom) Nadav Shragai - Israel's "third front" is in Judea and Samaria. Declarations praising the Oct. 7 massacre by senior Fatah officials are an attempt to stir up feelings towards a similar horrendous act of violence against the Jewish communities there or in those adjacent to the '67 lines such as Kfar Saba or Rosh Ha'Ayin. The scenario of the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) "turning their guns" on IDF forces and/or Jewish communities is rapidly developing into actuality. The warning signs are too numerous to ignore. Dozens of terrorist attacks, attempted attacks, and shooting incidents at IDF forces or the civilian population in Judea and Samaria have been carried out since the beginning of 2023 by Palestinian policemen, members of the Preventive Security Forces, and members of other PASF units. In recent counter-terrorist activity by the IDF, dozens of Fatah men have been killed. Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades took up arms once again in 2021 and, prior to Oct. 7, appealed to its men, "What are you waiting for? Now is the time to kill the Jews." Only a few months prior to Oct. 7, Fatah published a collage of 24 photos of "martyrs," many of whom were members of the PASF who were killed in clashes with Israel. Only two weeks ago, Tawfik Tirawi, the former head of the PA General Intelligence Service, told the Palestinian channel Al-Sharq that Fatah is involved in the fighting alongside Gaza, and that it has adopted terrorist groups in Nablus and Jenin, in which joint battalions of all the factions are operating together. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Uzi Dayan, a former Deputy Chief of Staff and head of Israel's National Security Council, recommends preparing for a scenario of the PA turning its guns against us. He says, "There are tens of thousands of Palestinians who carry arms, and the potential of them carrying out a raid on some Jewish community exists at any given moment." "We must base our preparations not in accordance with our enemies' intentions but their capabilities, and since the scenario of the PA turning its guns against us is by no means far-fetched, and the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria have the capability, coupled with an orderly ideology of hostility and hatred towards us, then we really need to prepare in accordance with their capabilities, according to the potential danger." In recent weeks, clips have been posted on social media showing exercises conducted by the 45,000-strong PASF, which appear to be training for an armed conflict or war. On occasion, they resemble training carried out by the IDF's crack units. Other recent clips on social media have simulated raids on Israeli communities.