Palestinian Authority police active near Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria

On Saturday evening, nearly 20 heavily armed Palestinian Authority security personnel arrived in their vehicles near the Jewish community of Adam, just north of Jerusalem and in the Binyamin region of Samaria, in pursuit of a wanted Arab criminal.

Uniformed P.A. policemen do not have the jurisdiction to carry out armed patrols or pursuits in Area C, under full Israeli military and municipal control, without prior coordination with the relevant IDF bodies, an Israeli security chief from one of the largest blocs of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (whose identity cannot be disclosed) explained to JNS.

The security official added that nevertheless, these types of incidents occur from time to time throughout Area C of Judea and Samaria, and that it’s a major problem. “Within seconds, they can turn their guns on us,” he said.

Israel Ganz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, told JNS the event was extremely serious.

He said that upon receiving reports, he contacted the IDF Central Command’s general and brigade commander, demanding clarification and assurances that such an incident will not happen again.

Ganz added, “Time and again, we have seen how ‘policemen’ of the Palestinian Authority have carried out serious terror attacks, and we will not accept a situation in which armed men roam within the council area, near Israeli communities.”

The IDF spokesperson shared a statement with JNS saying that on Saturday, the Palestinian Security Services entered the area near Adam with the coordination of the Israeli security establishment.

However, it was suggested that the activity of Palestinian Security Services in the area in question was prohibited, and that the coordination was approved in error.

According to the statement, IDF troops were dispatched to escort the P.A. forces out of the area.

The IDF said after the P.A. officers left the scene, several Palestinians hurled rocks at the IDF troops, who responded with warning shots fired into the air. There were no reported injuries.

“The coordination error is being reviewed, and the lessons learned will be implemented,” said the IDF.

Yisrael Medad, veteran resettlement activist and political commentator from nearby Shiloh, told JNS he believed there was no clear agreement concerning the entry of armed P.A. police and security personnel into Area C or even into Jerusalem.

He cited a 2015 incident in which Israel lifted a ban and allowed 90 armed, uniformed officers to deploy in four Jerusalem-area Arab communities — Abu Dis, Azariya (aka Bethany), al-Ram and Biddu.

Referring to Israeli approvals of P.A. deployments, Medad said, “It’s all a matter of a whim, which is typical Israeli policy behavior, unfortunately. It is dangerous as much as it is nonsensical.”

No jurisdiction

However, Maurice Hirsch, director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, and the former director of the Military Prosecution for Judea and Samaria, confirmed to JNS that under the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority, including its police forces, has no jurisdiction whatsoever in Area C.

He added, however, that in certain instances, Israel could waive jurisdiction and allow the P.A. police forces to deal with offenses committed by Palestinians against other Palestinians in Area C.

Hirsch said, though, that there are no circumstances under which P.A. personnel, including its police, are allowed to carry weapons in the region.

He added that according to the Oslo Accords, the P.A. is only allowed to have a defined and limited number of weapons in Area A, but it has never adhered to this limitation.

Hirsch said that since its creation in 1994, the P.A., in complete breach of the Oslo Accords, has built a huge terror army, disguised as the “P.A. security forces” and funded and trained by the United States, the Europeans and others.

Over the years, hundreds of members of the P.A. have actively taken part in terrorism, murdering Israelis, he said.

The P.A. security forces frequently break the law with impunity, as Israel does not hold them to account and fails to arrest those who break the law, Hirsch said.

“Greater than the threat posed by Hamas, at any stage the P.A. security forces will turn their weapons against Israel and Israelis, and the October 7 massacre will pale in comparison. Israel must stop turning a blind eye,” he said.

He added that if Israel wishes to avoid the next massacre, it must act immediately to dismantle the P.A., starting with its “terror army.”

The unnamed security official further commented on the phenomena of armed P.A. forces members operating close to Jewish communities.

“The P.A. police often travel without permission. The day before the Oslo agreement, he was a terrorist with a Kalashnikov; the next day, he was a policeman,” the official said.

“It’s a problem, but then again, you have Palestinians who aren’t in the police force, who have guns and try to enter our communities to kill us,” he said.