Palestinian intelligence officials would be provided with target information by Israel, and Palestinian forces would be expected to take on missions previously conducted by the Israel Defense Forces to detain those targets.
Even worse, in 2008 and ’09, when Israel’s Operation Cast Lead, which resulted in over 1,300 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, sparked protests in the West Bank, it was the Palestinian Authority Security Forces that physically stood between demonstrators and the Israel Defense Forces.
In hindsight, it was perhaps the death knell for the legitimacy of the Palestinian Authority in the eyes of its people.
The United States could also start conditioning its military assistance to Israel (as it does for many other recipients) on certain verifiable political conditions being met.
Doing so would require structuring assistance in a way that enables Palestinian society control over its own security forces.
Persons:
Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, —
Organizations:
Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority Security Forces, Palestinian Authority
Locations:
Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Ramallah, Washington, United States, U.S