Reports that Israel is arming the Palestinian Authority security forces are “fake news,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday. The government will review all decisions the previous one made regarding the PA, he added.
“There is no limit to the fake news,” Netanyahu said in a video message that prompted a minor political crisis between the Likud and the far-right parties in the coalition.
“Here are the facts,” he said. “Since this government was created, it has not transferred any weapons, not even one.”
Netanyahu made his remarks in response to an Army Radio report that the United States had transferred armored military vehicles and a cache of 1,500 weapons, including M-16 lasers and Kalashnikov rifles from its military bases in Jordan to PA security forces in the West Bank through the Israeli-controlled Allenby crossing.
Such a move could only have occurred with authorization from the existing government.
The PA, the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, and the US all denied arming the PA.
Netanyahu, however, did confirm that the PA had received armored vehicles to replace already existing aging ones based on a decision taken by former defense minister Benny Gantz in January 2022.
“There were no tanks or Kalashnikovs,” Netanyahu said.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir (Otzma Yehudit) cited the arms issue and hinted that he could act politically against the coalition if it proved to be true. Such a decision would be a repeat of one of the more dangerous aspects of the Oslo Accords, which allowed for an armed Palestinian security force, he said.
“If you mean to work toward an Oslo government 2.0, please update your ministers and the public, and we’ll act accordingly,” Ben-Gvir said. He has been at odds with Netanyahu for refusing to make the conditions for Palestinian security prisoners harsher.
Otzma Yehudit on Wednesday decided that it would break with coalition discipline and vote its conscience in the Knesset. Such a move could make it difficult for Netanyahu’s government to pass legislation without support from the opposition.
The uproar over potentially arming the PA broke as Netanyahu is expected to make gestures to the Palestinians in exchange for a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia, which would likely include concessions that would anger his coalition’s far-right flank.
The political uproar over the idea of transferring arms to the Palestinians served as a sharp reminder of how politically difficult it would be to secure political support for such steps.
The story also broke out as PA security forces were struggling to retain control in the West Bank against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland on Tuesday said the terrorist groups were better armed than the PA security forces.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) on Wednesday said arming the PA would be dangerous. Such a step was a ploy by Netanyahu to sway Gantz, who heads the National Unity Party, to enter his coalition.
MK Moshe Solomon (RZP) apologized to his constituents, saying: “You voted for a right-wing government. You voted for the Religious Zionist Party, Otzma Yehudit, and the Likud, and you shouldn’t have to wake up to news like this.”
Smotrich 'seething with rage' after approval
Smotrich, who was said to be “seething,” met with Netanyahu to express his anger over the matter. After the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said Netanyahu had instructed the National Security Council to provide the cabinet with all decisions taken by the past government regarding the PA.
The cabinet would review those decisions with the “aim of tightening supervision and making sure that the current government’s policy is implemented,” the PMO said.
Opposition politicians also expressed outrage over the reports.
“A government that builds conspiracy theories on the security of the nation and manages it in the media isn’t appropriate and cannot look after the security of Israel’s citizens,” the National Unity Party said in response to Netanyahu’s video message.
National Unity MK Matan Kahana said: “After Smotrich called to break up the PA, it turns out his government is working diligently to arm it with advanced weaponry and equip it with armored vehicles. I don’t have an appropriate closing sentence for the situation.”
Yesh Atid MK Ron Katz said: “This right-wing government is fake, [and] they have completely lost their governance and deterrence.”
A US Embassy spokesperson said that American “security assistance to the PA does not include the provision of weapons or ammunition to the PA security forces.
“We reiterate our continued commitment to cooperating with the Palestinian Authority, in coordination with the Government of Israel, to improve the security situation in the West Bank,” the spokesperson said.
“We remain deeply concerned by the rising levels of violence in the West Bank over the past year and reiterate our view that Palestinians and Israelis alike deserve to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and security,” the spokesperson explained.
“We continue to urge Israel and the Palestinian security forces to work together to improve the situation in the West Bank,” the spokesperson added.