Against the backdrop of Prime Minister Netanyahu's meeting on Tuesday with mayors in Judea and Samaria, additional details reveal the scenario Israel is now preparing for in the event of an escalation on a third front alongside Gaza and Lebanon: an uprising in the heart of the country against the settlers.
According to sources who participated in the assessment of the situation, in light of the fact that more than 100,<> workers from Judea and Samaria have not entered Israel since the holidays, and in addition, employees of the PA security forces will not receive their salaries following Mahmoud Abbas' refusal to accept PA funds from Israel because it deducted the amount earmarked for Gaza from this money, individuals are expected to carry out attacks on roads against Jews in exchange for occasional payments from terrorist elements.
IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police operatives detained 16 wanted Palestinians throughout Judea and Samaria // IDF Spokesperson
Thus, although there has been some decline in warnings of terrorist activity in Judea and Samaria due to the high level of military activity in the area since the massacre, as a result of which 130 terrorists were eliminated, the scenario for which the security establishment is preparing is much broader than "organized" terrorist activity. In fact, senior political figures claim that there is currently no expectation that workers from Judea and Samaria will enter Israel, meaning that the security situation in Judea and Samaria will become more tense, especially when Mahmoud Abbas prevents his officials from paying salaries after the cabinet's decision to deduct from PA funds those intended for Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Heavy exchanges of fire between IDF forces and terrorists in Tulkarm (archive), photo: Arab networks
Israel recognizes that in the West Bank there is a potential for "tangible and real danger" to two missions in which the IDF is currently concentrated – the mission in the south to eliminate Hamas and the one in the north to defend itself against Hezbollah. The development of a third front will inevitably lead to a decrease in forces in the northern and southern sectors, and the missions there, according to senior officials, will be affected. It should be noted that in Judea and Samaria there is real concern among the residents in light of the fact that many of the men have been drafted into reserve service, which inevitably leads to the residents' lack of protection these days in the face of organizing terrorist activity against them.
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