Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned Tuesday that Israel is prepared for attempts by its enemies to exploit the upcoming elections, including a scenario in which Palestinian Authority security forces turn their weapons against Israel.

Speaking during a visit to the security barrier in Shomron, Netanyahu said the IDF had presented him and the defense minister with a plan to respond with overwhelming force.

“There are security alerts here, that is true. Our enemies are thinking of testing us in these days leading up to the elections,” Netanyahu said. “I warn them that we are prepared for every scenario, including what is known as a ‘turning of the guns.’”

Netanyahu was accompanied by the defense minister, the head of the National Security Council and the commander of the IDF Central Command.

Commanders from the IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police briefed him on efforts to protect communities along the security barrier, as well as counterterrorism operations in Palestinian villages. Those operations include arrests of terrorists, confiscation of weapons and measures to address security threats.

Pointing to the nearby Tulkarm refugee camp, Netanyahu praised the military’s operations there.

“Behind me is the former Tulkarm refugee camp. It was a terrorist stronghold. The IDF entered, cleared it out on our instructions, and did an excellent job, not just here,” he said.

Netanyahu also sharply challenged calls raised in Supreme Court proceedings to allow residents to return to the area.

“I heard that someone in the Supreme Court says the residents should be brought back here. These are not residents; they are terrorists,” he said.

He insisted that the IDF would retain control of the territory and rejected the deployment of an Arab military force west of the Jordan River.

“The force that will control this territory and remain here is the Israel Defense Forces,” Netanyahu declared. “There will be no Arab army west of the Jordan River.”

Highlighting the area’s proximity to Israel’s population centers, Netanyahu noted that Netanya and the Mediterranean coastline were only minutes away.

Returning to the possibility of an attack, he said the military had prepared a “powerful and forceful plan.”

“In such a case, I would not advise our enemies to test us. You will encounter a level of force here that you have never dreamed of,” he warned.

Netanyahu concluded by pledging continued security operations and pointing to the establishment of more than 104 communities and numerous farms.

“We will continue to safeguard Israel’s security here, along the seam line, everywhere,” he said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)