On Sunday former Defense Minister and MK Avigdor Lieberman sharply attacked reports about the Palestinian Authority's "shadow army."
Lieberman warned that the conduct of the Palestinian forces indicates preparation for a widespread attack against Israel, similar to the events of the October 7th (2023) massacre.
"The Palestinian Authority is preparing a Trojan Horse for Israel. No one can say they were not warned," Lieberman wrote. According to him, the danger from the forces in Judea and Samaria and in the center of the country is real, and he called on the political echelon not to ignore the PA's military buildup.
"Everything we experienced on October 7 in the Gaza Envelope could be repeated in Judea and Samaria, only this time by the 'security apparatuses' of the Palestinian Authority," he wrote.
Lieberman's remarks came following an investigation by the Regavim movement into the Palestinian Authority's "shadow army," which presents a picture of the building of an offensive military force in the heart of Judea and Samaria.
According to the findings, the Authority currently has more than 60,000 terrorists - three times the number stipulated in the Oslo Accords - equipped with rocket launchers, machine guns and armored vehicles.
The investigation reveals that the fighters belonging to the PA undergo advanced military training abroad, including armor and artillery training in Pakistan, officer training in Russia and tactical parachuting in Italy and Egypt. Training bases in Jordan and Jericho are conducting infantry and combat training in built-up areas, capabilities clearly intended for offensive activity rather than civilian law enforcement.
Among the elite units exposed are the 101st Commando Unit, which has about 2,000 fighters, the SAT Unit, which is intended for deep-cover raids, and the secret intelligence "Atalef" unit. The investigation shows that in the Palestinian Authority there are 19 armed men for every thousand people, a ratio seven times higher than that existing in the Israeli police.
Regavim representatives emphasize: "This unusual figure shows that the forces do not function as a standard civilian police, but are also intended to constitute a full-fledged army, with one armed man for every 53 citizens. The clear conclusion from the findings and testimonies on the ground is that the forces have begun practical preparations for raid and occupation scenarios, similar to the events of the October 7th massacre."
The organization called on the government not to rely on the Palestinian Authority as a security partner in Judea and Samaria or in plans for the "day after" in the Gaza Strip, as this is, in their opinion, a dangerous misrepresentation that threatens the security of the state. "Israel's security must rely solely on its strength and sovereignty."