Middle East Monitor / May 16, 2020
Israeli security officials fear an outbreak of a new “violent” Intifada in the occupied West Bank due to an economic crisis that would undermine the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Despite the limited spread of the coronavirus in the occupied West Bank, it has had a tangible negative impact on the economy that might be deemed an incentive for an uprising if Israel implements the annexation plan, Israeli security officials fear.
The expected Intifada could undermine the PA and the sovereignty of Mahmoud Abbas in the occupied territories.
According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the Israeli security officials were asked to provide a security evaluation of the potential consequences of the annexation plan.
Depending on Palestinian data, Haaretz reported that Israeli security officials found that the main reason that pushed the Palestinians to carry out anti-PA measures in the last two years related to economic issues.
One of these issues is the Israeli freeze of the PA’s tax revenues under the pretext of paying the salaries of the Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel.
