Following media reports that the government had approved the delivery of US-made armored personnel carriers and weapons to the Palestinian Authority, right-wing members of the Israeli cabinet reacted angrily.
Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister and a member of the Religious Zionism party, is “boiling over with rage,” according to officials close to him. They claim he was unaware of the transfer.
According to Smotrich, the recent effort to arm the PA and efforts to achieve an agreement on judicial reform are attempts to “pay Benny Gantz to create a unity government that will revive the Oslo accords.” It’s dreadful, said MK Tzvi Succot of Smotrich’s party in response to the findings.
If it’s real, I’m not sure how I can handle it. We didn’t come here to have fun.
Amichai Chikli and Yoav Kisch, two other Likud ministers, also objected that the action had not been approved in a cabinet meeting.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Jewish Forces’ minister of national security, drew a warning against Netanyahu, saying: “Mr. There will be repercussions, Prime Minister, if you don’t state unequivocally that the claims of an arm transfer to the Palestinian Authority are false.
Please inform your ministers and the public if you plan to campaign for a second Oslo government so that we can take appropriate action.
According to a statement from Yoav Gallant’s office on Wednesday, “Despite the misleading impression that comes from numerous media outlets, no exports of weaponry to the Palestinian Authority have been allowed since Defense Minister Yoav Gallant entered the position.
The Coordinator of Government Activity in the Territories (COGAT) also refuted the reports, calling any attempt to portray events in a different light dishonest and false.
However, the ministry did not refute the accusations that this week, in an effort to bolster the PA’s security apparatus, armored personnel carriers were reportedly brought from the US over the Allenby Bridge.
According to the Al-Quds daily, the Israeli government had approved the delivery of weaponry to the PA as well.
The transfer included at least 1,500 firearms, including laser-guided M-16 and Kalashnikov assault rifles, according to PA security officials.
Israel imposed a number of requirements for the employment of the weapons, according to a report by Israel’s Army Radio: 1. They cannot be used against criminals, only against terrorism. Only the police, general security, and counterintelligence are allowed to use firearms.
Security officers for the PA claimed that more than a year ago, the PA asked Israel for the weapons and equipment, but Israel refused. After speaking with COGAT, the go-ahead was given in light of the summits between Israel and its Arab neighbors that were held in Aqaba and Sharem al-Shiekh.
According to Israeli security sources, this is only one of several actions being taken to assist the PA.
The success of the PA’s operations against terrorists in Judea and Samaria and the restoration of the security cooperation that Abu Mazen forcibly halted at the beginning of 2023 will determine the following steps:
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