The Israel Hayom Hebrew newspaper reported that political officials are concerned about a scenario in which the guns in the West Bank are turned against the Israeli occupation forces, with Palestinian Authority forces using their weapons against them. It can now be revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Israel Katz requested, during a meeting held two days ago at the Central Command headquarters, a briefing on the command’s readiness for such a scenario. The occupation army, meanwhile, requested a discussion of settler violence.
According to sources who attended the meeting, Netanyahu asked to see the war plan in the event of such a shift in the guns’ direction. He was told that the Central Command chief and the IOF chief of staff would present their plan at the next meeting, as they had attended this meeting primarily to discuss other issues on the agenda.
The data presented to Netanyahu at the Central Command meeting apparently point to one of the quietest periods in the West Bank. The concern, however, is that this calm may be a harbinger of a coming storm.
Security establishment data obtained by Israel Hayom show that in the first half of 2024, from January through June, the West Bank saw 35 attacks and 301 attempted attacks. In the second half, from July through December, there were 40 attacks and 13 attempted attacks.
In 2025, the figures declined: 15 attacks and 41 attempted attacks in the first half, followed by 12 attacks and 31 attempted attacks in the second half. While in 2026, the decline became dramatic: two attacks and five attempted attacks in the first half, followed by four attacks and two attempted attacks from July to date.
Israel Hayom learned that a senior political official warned during recent discussions on the issue: “If the guns are turned, there will not be another intifada; there will be an all-out war.” The implication is that if the Palestinian Authority or its armed personnel in the West Bank attack the Israeli enemy, the Israeli military is preparing for a war involving the air force alongside tanks, similar to wars on more distant fronts, rather than a limited confrontation.
According to the newspaper, Israeli security research institutes that examined the possibility throughout the past year presented dire scenarios involving the trained forces maintained by the Palestinian Authority for “policing” duties, which could instead turn against “Israel.”
Israel Hayom also noted that the reference scenario for which “Israel” is preparing this time is not a limited round of violence resembling previous intifadas but a war scenario. The reason is that Palestinian Authority forces possess substantial manpower, training, and capabilities that, under the Oslo Accords, were not supposed to be available to them, as Palestinian police forces were restricted to carrying light weapons.
According to information compiled by the Regavim movement and the “OCAINT Behind the Scenes” cell, the Palestinian Authority also possesses anti-armor weapons, RPG-7 launchers, which have been widely documented in training exercises in Jericho and during displays of force, as well as PKM heavy machine guns. The PKM is a belt-fed 7.62 mm machine gun used by national security forces and provides sustained and substantial firepower.
There have also been documented cases of assault rifles, including M16, M4, and AK-47 rifles, being converted into sniper rifles using long-range telescopic sights, enabling accurate fire over considerable distances. In addition, Palestinian forces possess armored vehicles, explosives, and a large number of improvised explosive devices, despite the Oslo Accords prohibiting Palestinian Authority forces from possessing or manufacturing offensive explosives.