Israel Sees PA War In 2016
TEL AVIV [MENL] -- Israel's defense community envisions a war with the
Palestinian Authority in 2016.
Officials said the military and intelligence community assessed
that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas might opt for a limited confrontation with
Israel this year to prevent rising unrest in the West Bank. They said the
80-year-old Abbas faced increasing pressure from within the ruling Fatah
movement to resign after more than 10 years in office.
"If you analyze all of Abu Mazen's [Abbas] statements and conduct, it
seems that he will be swept into confrontation with us in 2016 in the
diplomatic and security realm," Defense Ministry political-military division
chief Amos Gilad said.
Abbas has repeatedly threatened to quit and disband the PA in protest of
Israeli policies. But the officials said Abbas was losing his authority with
younger members of Fatah, including officers in the PA security forces.
One scenario raised by the defense community was that Abbas could order
PA security forces to suspend cooperation with Israel. Officials cited
declining PA police cooperation in stopping violent protests against Israel.
"There is the potential for that," Gilad told Israel Defense magazine.
"We are taking this possibility very seriously."
Israel has been battling a Palestinian campaign since September
2015 that included daily stabbing and shooting attacks. Officials said the
campaign was promoted by the Iranian-backed Hamas and Islamic Jihad after
they failed in numerous suicide bomb attacks in the Jewish state.
"The fact that we are succeeding lends salience to the attempted
stabbing or car-ramming attacks," Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said on Jan.
14. "We will also prevail over this phenomenon, I say, but this is a process
that takes time. Statistically, we see a decline in this."

http://www.menewsline.com/article-1173,36135-Israel-Sees-PA-War-In-2016.aspx
=