The Land of Israel Legal Forum called Thursday for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to stop a planned Russian weapons transfer to the Palestinian Authority. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Tuesday that his country would send 50 armored personnel carriers (APCs) to the PA.
If even one troop carrier were to fall into terrorist hands, it could be disastrous, warned Legal Forum Director-General Nachi Eyal.
"If just one APC were to break through a checkpoint, or through the security fence, and onto a highway... It's not hard to imagine how a terrorist attack perpetrated using an unstoppable APC would look,” he said.
Israel is risking a repeat of what happened in Gaza, where weapons given to the PA fell into the hands of Hamas, he said. “Nobody can guarantee that the infrastructure, the weapons, and the vast amount of security-related information given to the PA in Judea and Samaria won't go the same way,” he said. “Or can even [guarantee] the continued existence of the PA, and certainly not the way in which the 'loyal' PA troops will respond during the next round of bloodshed.”
Russia first offered to send APCs to the PA in 2005. The deal was temporarily postponed due to Israel's objections. However, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert later agreed to let the deal go through.