In Nablus, Jenin, and Gaza,they are preparing for war.

Officials in the Palestinian Authority fear that an Israeli invasion of PA territory will happen in a matter of days.

Their assumption is that Israel is waiting for an opportunity, like a large-scale terror attack similar to the one at the Dolphinarium, in order to recapture Palestinian territory and destroy the PA.

Commanders of Fatah and Hamas, and Palestinian army commanders as well, have already begun military preparations to frustrate an incursion of Israeli forces into PA territory. In Nablus, for example, they have begun manufacturing weapons, including mortars, and a warehouse for ammunition and weapons has been established.

According to Palestinian sources, Al-Najah University, considered a Hamas stronghold and an institution that has produced 16 suicide bombers so far, was closed after the attack at the Dolphinarium because of fear of occupation or bombardment, and only this week was it reopened. The sources also report that in Nablus, central figures in the city, including Hamas men, have been placed under heavy guard, and that the operational offices of the security organizations have been evacuated, along with civilian offices.

The main points of the operational plan in case of an Israeli invasion of PA territory were published in special Fatah and Hamas releases which were recently given to civilian leaders and commanders of the organizations, calling on them to be ready for combat.

The introduction to Fatah’s plan reads as follows: “The coming days are fateful, and we must be at a level of peak readiness in light of the possibility of an invasion by the Zionist enemy into some of the lands of the liberated homeland, in the framework of the criminal “Field of Thorns” [IDF code name] plan… The role of the fighters will be not just to stop the Israeli forces, but also to teach the enemy a different lesson than that of the children of the stones, bigger than that of the children of the RPG.”

The instructions that appear in the plan include the necessary preparations for the struggle and the rules of behavior and engagement against the Israeli army. The instructions reveal that the Palestinians are preparing for a prolonged conflict, based on the assumption that the Israeli forces will stay in Palestinian territory for a long period of time. Alongside details of the rules of combat, the plan also includes instructions on civilian matters such as medical care and food supplies. In any case, according to the directives, all activities must be carried out in full coordination with the branches of the Palestinian Authority.

Selections from the pamphlet released this week:

Operational instructions:

1. Members of Fatah and Hamas are requested to prepare “thousands of firebombs, of the ‘Molotov cocktail’ and ‘napalm’ variety with the help of experts.” Hamas instructs its people to “amass hand-grenades and firebombs and hide gas balloons and belts of explosives on roads and quality targets.” Hamas also directs its explosives experts to instruct the organization’s activists in the preparation of bombs, and calls on its people to prepare belts of explosives that will be given, when needed, “to any fighter prepared to die a martyr’s death among the enemy’s people.”

2. Preparations for blocking roads includes creating “roadblocks and obstacles by placing car wrecks, boulders, and containers on the sides of roads where tanks are expected to pass,” so that they can quickly be placed on the road when the Israeli invasion begins.

Instructions for combat:

1. Ammunition should be used sparingly. Using light weapons against tanks and APCs is forbidden; these should be attacked only with firebombs. The use of light weapons will be to attack foot patrols.

2. Strategic points should be manned by fighters and “by anyone who wants to die a martyr’s death in order to block the advance of the occupation army.”

3. An additional clause in the instructions for combat relates to planting bombs on the sides of roads.

Intelligence and security:

1. Teams of lookouts will for formed to spot movements of the Israeli army in areas where attacks are anticipated. The lookouts will report to headquarters while being wary of rumors and basing reports on eyewitnesses alone. All information should be checked with several sources, and only then should the roads be closed. [… ]

The article appeared on July 13, in Yediot Aharonot

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR