Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said a full-scale war could be launched if unrest broke out in the West Bank or if institutions linked to the Palestinian Authority’s security forces were found to be preparing an attack resembling that of October 7, 2023, against Israeli forces and Jewish settlements.
Katz said that, together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they had instructed the army to prepare for a full-scale war against senior Palestinian Authority officials, its security forces and institutions linked to them. Katz said attacks in the West Bank had fallen to their lowest level in decades and stated that all necessary measures would be taken to prevent them from rising again.
Ruhi Fattuh, chairman of the Palestinian National Council, described Katz’s remarks as a dangerous escalation and incitement against senior Palestinian Authority officials and security institutions. Fattuh argued that the remarks demonstrated the aggressive and racist nature of the Israeli government.
Fattuh said this approach fueled conflict, instability and chaos instead of strengthening joint efforts to pursue peace. Warning that the remarks could provide political cover for massacres, mass killings, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement, Fattuh said targeting Palestinian Authority institutions and civilian infrastructure would constitute a serious violation of international law and international humanitarian law.
Fattuh also said that the Israeli government’s settlement policies and military practices were undermining the foundations of a two-state solution. He argued that these policies were turning the West Bank into an open arena for annexation, ethnic cleansing and settlement activity, threatening regional security.
Reference to the October 7, 2023, attack
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other Palestinian groups carried out an attack on Israeli military bases and settlements around the Gaza Strip. According to Israeli data, hundreds of soldiers and settlers were killed or taken captive in the attacks.
Fattuh calls on the international community to act
Fattuh called on the United Nations Security Council and countries party to the Geneva Conventions to fulfill their legal and political responsibilities by stopping Israel’s policy and calling on those responsible for inciting international crimes to be held accountable.
Fattuh said the international community needed to adopt a deterrent position before the threats turned into new crimes. He said Israeli ministers had previously also called for the Palestinian Authority to be overthrown. Fattuh further said that Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had described the Palestinian Authority as terrorist and called for it to be crushed.
Katz’s remarks came at a time when settler attacks and Israeli army actions in the West Bank were increasing, while the war in the Gaza Strip had continued since October 2023. According to Palestinian data, more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed, more than 12,000 injured and approximately 24,000 detained because of Israeli violations in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
