Netanyahu warns Palestinian Authority of major surprise amid West Bank crackdown
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinian Authority will face a "big surprise" after ordering a large-scale military response to a West Bank attack that killed two Israeli soldiers.
After Palestinian militants shot dead two Israeli soldiers near Hebron, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged a sweeping military response in the West Bank. In an interview on Oct 23, he suggested the Palestinian Authority would encounter a "big surprise," while refusing to state if it would be abolished. Netanyahu stressed the use of ruses and surprise tactics, claiming Israel has already reshaped the Middle East.
The comments arrived shortly before national elections, where his main rival Gadi Eisenkot also opposes a Palestinian state. A far-right ally had called for the Authority's removal after the attack, though no evidence ties the body to the incident. Netanyahu's stance reflects his long-standing rejection of a Palestinian state, a position central to the election debate.
Why it matters
The statement signals a potential escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict just before a critical election.
How this story developed
- Sep 1 EU debates ban on settlement products as Israeli forces raze West Bank homes
- Oct 16 A settler was observed firing a gun during the latest assault.
- Oct 16 Israeli airstrikes on the cease‑fire anniversary caused new civilian fatalities.
- Oct 16 Israeli forces killed at least three Palestinians on Friday in different parts of the Gaza Strip, including a drone strike in al-Tawam and an air strike in al-Nasr.
- Oct 17 Heidi Levine was kicked, stripped of her equipment and hospitalized after being assaulted by roughly fifty young settlers.
- Oct 17 A London demonstration of roughly 250,000 participants was added to the global protest series.
- Oct 17 Settlers attacked a diplomatic convoy in Taybeh, injuring French mayor Bernard Baudoux.
- Oct 19 Israeli police have taken eight individuals into custody following a series of assaults by settlers in the West Bank, which targeted a U.S. photojournalist and several European diplomats.
- Oct 19 Police have arrested ten suspects and filed charges of violent conduct and breach of military orders.
- Oct 23 The strike that killed Akram Yassin and Dina Abu Baker was reported on Tuesday.
- Oct 23 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli army is being readied for a comprehensive lockdown of the West Bank following a shooting that wounded five Israelis.
- Oct 23 Netanyahu signalled a broader West Bank shutdown and convened an emergency security cabinet meeting.
- Oct 23 Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said troops would “act forcefully, pursue and reach all those involved in the attack”.
- Oct 24 Israeli forces began coordinated raids that demolished commercial buildings in western Hebron, entered a refugee camp south of the city, used tear‑gas in a northern village, deployed vehicles to Nablus, set up roadblocks and directed residents to leave through screened exits.
In this story
Related stories
125 in this thread