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The PA's Army Threatens Millions of Israelis
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Lt.-Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch - In breach of the Oslo Accords, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) is now host to an armed force ten times larger than the number of terrorists who invaded from Gaza on Oct. 7. The Palestinian Authority (PA) security apparatuses are a trained military body that holds tens of thousands of assault weapons. Many of its members have already participated in terrorism against Israelis (12% of Palestinian security prisoners originate from its ranks), and it trains exclusively for one scenario: war against the State of Israel. Unlike the Gaza envelope, the areas adjacent to Judea and Samaria contain Israel's largest population centers. The distance from the PA town of Qalqilya in Samaria to the Mediterranean Sea is only 14 km. (9 miles). Millions of Israeli citizens in the Tel Aviv region live under direct threat. Hundreds of PA security personnel participated in the Second Intifada (2000-2005). Since then, the PA security forces in Judea and Samaria have grown by 400%, transforming from a small policing force into an army. There is no meaningful difference between the PA and Hamas. Both embrace terrorism and both seek to destroy the State of Israel. Under the Oslo Accords, the PA was supposed to have a body responsible for maintaining local public order, to combat crime and terrorist organizations. For this purpose, they were allowed a limited quantity of weapons. Originally, they were limited to 12,000 personnel in Judea and Samaria equipped with 4,000 rifles, 4,000 pistols, 120 light and heavy machine guns, and 15 armored vehicles. They now number 70,000 soldiers. Palestinian society does not suffer from unusually high crime levels that would justify such a large armed force. If Israel does not act to significantly reduce these forces to the agreed-upon dimensions, millions of Israeli citizens will remain under threat of a massacre that may dwarf the horrors of Oct. 7. Given the severity of the threat, the Israeli government must adopt a strategy of "dismantling and demilitarization." Halt all approvals for the transfer of weapons, ammunition, or armored vehicles to the PA. Demand the immediate return of any armament exceeding Oslo limits (such as heavy machine guns, RPGs, and explosive devices). Condition all aid to the PA on reducing the size of the security apparatuses to the original agreed level of 12,000. Close all facilities and training bases whose purpose is to provide "military training." Prepare the IDF operationally to protect Israelis living near the seam line with Judea and Samaria. Cease foreign training of PA security personnel abroad, including in Pakistan. The writer, former director of the Military Prosecution in Judea and Samaria, is director of the Palestinian Authority Accountability Initiative at the Jerusalem Canter.