Nearly two dozen Palestinian Authority police officers entered Israeli territory at around 4 am Thursday (Jan. 9) to chase after a Palestinian Authority Arab, whom they caught and killed, according to a report by the Hakol Hayehudi.
The incident highlights the Palestinian Authority’s increasing challenge to Israeli sovereignty in Area C, designated as Israeli territory under the failed 1993 Oslo Accords.
Palestinian Authority police — who were trained by US military forces — are not allowed to enter Area C.
In this case, 20 armed PA police officers entered the Jordan Valley to pursue and then murder an Arab man just 200 meters from the Israeli community of Mevo Jericho.
According to the family of the victim, the man owed money to the Palestinian Authority government in Ramallah – and so was “executed” by PA police.
Israeli security personnel immediately deployed to the scene after local residents reported hearing gunfire.
Confronted by Israeli security forces, the Palestinian Authority police officers initially refused to leave the area, and even tried to snatch the body of their victim to hide the evidence.
Ultimately, the PA personnel left, without the body.
Palestinian Authority terrorists frequently target Israeli communities in the post-1967 areas, hence the concern over hearing gunfire. But it is rare indeed for Palestinian Authority security forces to brazenly ignore the law and infiltrate Israeli territory in their zeal to execute their own.
Moreover, an increasing number of Palestinian Authority police officers are “going rogue” and attacking Israelis.
A full-scale war is brewing in Judea and Samaria, where more than half a million Israelis are living, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned earlier this week in a meeting with Israeli community leaders in the region.
Increased Iranian Threat to Israelis in Judea, Samaria
The rising influx of Iranian money, weapons and other ordnance into Palestinian Authority-controlled areas is intensifying military challenges for the Jewish State.
The meeting on Tuesday, led by Katz, was held to discuss the increased threats in the area emanating from “the Iranian axis and the radical Sunni Islam axis.”
“We are seeing increased efforts to promote Palestinian terrorism in Judea and Samaria through the smuggling of advanced weapons, funding and guidance from both the Iranian axis and the radical Sunni Islamic axis that is strengthening its grip on the region after the events in Syria,” Katz said.
“To our great regret, we have reached a situation where it is impossible to leave Judea and Samaria as a secondary arena,” agreed Binyamin Regional Council head Yisrael Ganz.
Palestinian Authority’s Jibril Rajoub Reveals Ramallah’s Continued Support for Terror
According to the Regavim organization, 16 Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF) personnel were killed last year while attacking Israeli civilians and soldiers. Four others were arrested during the same activities. Nine additional military funerals were held by the Palestinian Authority for 15 non-PASF terrorists.
Senior Palestinian Authority official and former PASF chief Jibril Rajoub emphasized in a recent interview that the Ramallah government is working to coordinate between the various terrorist factions to ensure all violence against Israel is conducted under official PA auspices.
“Anyone who wants to turn their weapons against Israel, we are ready for that, but only in coordination with us,” Rajoub said.
