Matthias Inbar
i24NEWS Defense Correspondent | @MatthiasInbar
Popular discontent coincides with virtual collapse of the Palestinian Authority, according to IDF officer and defense expert
Israel is on the precipice of a major violent Palestinian uprising, a defense expert told i24NEWS.
“I believe that we are very close to a third Intifada. The word ‘Intifada’ means ‘revolt of the people’, that is to say that the people as a whole take part in the attacks, the terrorism and the struggle as they conceive it and translate it all into deeds,” Israel Defense And Security Forum Director-general Yaron Bouskila told i24NEWS‘ French channel.
“At the moment, we mainly see the terrorist organizations, whether old or new, carrying out attacks against Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers, but also against civilians, and they are trying very hard to encourage the population to descend into the street and to join them. All this against the backdrop of the collapse of the Palestinian Authority (PA),” he said, adding that “with the level of functioning of the PA at its lowest, the army fails to enter the towns and villages to restore order.”
Asked about the link between the Palestinian terrorist cells, Bouskila argued that some are “autonomous and operate independently.” According to him, the deadly terror shooting that took place Tuesday near Jericho demonstrates how the coordination with the Palestinian Authority has deteriorated. “Jericho sounds the final chord in the collapse of the PA,” he said.
“Several years ago, the Israeli army received very clear orders that it should not operate in West Bank cities except in very special cases. The PA had neither the desire nor the ability to step in. And since it didn’t deal with terrorism, all the cells were able to develop and now the IDF comes to these villages exactly as it did 20 years ago” he said.
“You have to restore order but it doesn’t happen in a month, it’s a long process.”
He also condemned the incidents in Hawara. “I am of the opinion that no one should take justice into their own hands, whether individuals or groups. At the national level, this is a serious attack on power and it is something that must be condemned at all costs,” he said.
