A new study warns that the Palestinian Authority has built a heavily armed security force far larger and more capable than permitted under the Oslo Accords.
The Palestinian Authority’s security forces now reportedly number approximately 70,000 personnel, equipped with weapons, armored vehicles and military training that go far beyond the restrictions imposed by previous agreements.
Lt. Col. (res.) Maurice Hirsch, a senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, warns that Israel has spent years treating these forces as partners in maintaining stability and fighting terrorism—without adequately preparing for the possibility that they could turn their weapons against Israel.
The most alarming scenario is a coordinated mass assault similar to the October 7 massacre. Hirsch asks what would prevent tens of thousands of armed Palestinians from moving toward Israeli communities, including cities such as Afula, if the Palestinian Authority collapsed or ordered its forces to attack.