Defense Minister Israel Katz told ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting that the Israel Defense Forces has been instructed to prepare for the possibility of a military confrontation with the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria

Katz, who has made increasingly forceful public statements in recent weeks as Israel approaches its October 27 election, outlined what he described as the IDF’s “reference scenario” for the Judea and Samaria.

The scenario “stipulates that preparations must be made for the possibility of an attack by jihadist elements against settlers and IDF soldiers, as a lesson from the events of October 7,” Katz told the ministers.

He said the military is also preparing for the possibility that Palestinian security forces and the Tanzim organization, which is affiliated with the PA, could turn their weapons on Israeli civilians and soldiers.

Katz said that if such an attack occurred, Israel would declare war on the Palestinian Authority. He said the IDF would then carry out a broad military operation based on a detailed plan that was formulated and approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz himself.

According to Katz, the proposed campaign in Judea and Samaria “would be short and forceful and would include the use of ground and air forces and special means, the elimination and expulsion of senior officials, the destruction of weapons, and the large-scale evacuation of residents and destruction of terror infrastructure inside the cities and in all refugee camps… in accordance with the Gaza and Lebanon models, all alongside reinforcing forces and protecting Israeli communities.”

He emphasized that Israel would not allow a prolonged uprising resembling previous periods of Palestinian violence.

“There will not be an intifada lasting years as there was in the past, but rather a short and forceful war with a clear decision and a change in the reality,” he said.

Katz issued a similar warning last month, threatening “full-scale war” against the Palestinian Authority if it were to prepare an attack modeled on the Hamas-led assault of October 7.

Although members of Israel’s government have for years sharply criticized the Palestinian Authority, the country’s defense establishment has generally maintained a more cooperative position. Israeli security officials have regarded PA President Mahmoud Abbas and the authority’s security forces as significant partners in efforts to combat terrorism and maintain security in Judea and Samaria