Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Palestinians against attacks on his country during a visit to the occupied West Bank just two weeks before the parliamentary election in Israel.
"We are prepared for every scenario," he said in a video, filmed outside in the West Bank and released by his office on Tuesday. He said Israel was also prepared for a so-called "weapons turnaround."
Israeli media interpreted the remarks as a warning that security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the West Bank, could move against Israeli soldiers. The Times of Israel stressed that such attacks were rare, noting that "PA security forces have long coordinated on West Bank security with Israel."
The conflict with the Palestinians is a key campaign issue in Israel ahead of the elections on October 27. Right-wing politicians are seeking to win over voters by promising a tough response to Palestinian violence, while largely ignoring the growing attacks by radical Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank. Polls suggest it could be difficult for Netanyahu's camp to secure a majority.
Netanyahu also said Israeli troops would remain in the Tulkarem refugee district in the northern West Bank, referring to the area's residents as "terrorists." On Monday, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the Defence Ministry and army to present a timetable for the return of Palestinians displaced from the area, among other locations.
At the start of last year, the Israeli military launched its largest offensive in years against militant Palestinians in the northern West Bank. The operation killed numerous people, displaced tens of thousands and caused massive destruction in residential areas, drawing criticism from the United Nations and the European Union. Before the offensive, there had been repeated attacks on Israelis in the West Bank.
At the same time, violence by radical Israeli settlers against Palestinians has also increased sharply. The Israeli military has repeatedly been accused of failing to act decisively against such attacks, or even of cooperating with the settlers. Observers are already warning of a new Palestinian uprising as a result of settler violence.
