A senior defense official warned on Thursday that the appointment of Religious Zionist Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich to the position of Minister of Defense may lead to a serious escalation and even the disintegration of the Palestinian Authority, Kan 11 News reported.

The source added that senior officials in the Palestinian Authority conveyed messages on the subject and said that the Palestinian Arab side fears the extensive and exclusive powers that Smotrich will have in the territories of Judea and Samaria.