Israel studies possibility of PA collapse due to security pressures

Israel is studying the possible scenarios that may arise should the Palestinian Authority collapse as a result of the pressures imposed by security concerns, local media is reporting.

According to Haaretz, “The diplomatic-security cabinet held marathon discussions over the last two days about the possibility that the Palestinian Authority will collapse and how Israel would deal with such a development, especially after John Kerry’s failed visit to the country.” Quoting anonymous sources who attended the meeting, Haaretz revealed that “several ministers argued that the PA’s collapse could serve Israeli interests, so Israel shouldn’t try to prevent it.”

Senior Israel Defence Forces and Shin Bet security agency officers, however, are very worried by the possibility of the PA collapsing. They warned the ministers of the consequences for both security and civilian affairs.

“Netanyahu convened the meeting,” one official told Haaretz, “because information had reached Jerusalem that the Palestinian Authority was planning new steps against Israel in the international arena, in light of Kerry’s failure to obtain any Israeli concessions.”

The newspaper added that the information that reached the Israelis indicated the possibility of the PA considering a resolution in either the UN Security Council or the General Assembly (where the US has no veto), demanding international protection for Palestinians in “the occupied State of Palestine.”

“The concern wasn’t that PA President Mahmoud Abbas might dismantle the authority,” added the official, “as that’s not something he is seriously considering. Rather, the discussion focused on the possibility that Israeli military pressure, the economic crisis and Abbas’s eroding legitimacy among Palestinians could combine to cause the PA’s collapse.”

Abbas holds Israel responsible for the deterioration of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories due to its role in the failure of the peace process.