Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today (Wednesday) instructed the National Security Council to submit to the Cabinet all decisions passed by the previous government regarding the Palestinian Authority, in order to increase oversight and ensure that the policy of the current government is being carried out.
The decision was made following Netanyahu's meeting with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who strongly criticized Israel's authorization of the transfer of American armored vehicles and arms to the Palestinian Authority.
Netanyahu earlier said in response to the controversy surrounding the decision: "There is no limit to the fake news, so here are the facts: since the government was established, it did not transfer any weapons, no even one, to the Palestinian Authority. What was indeed done is a decision that was made by Defense Minister Benny Gantz (during the Bennett-Lapid government) in January 2022 to transfer several armored vehicles to replace old armored vehicles."
He continued: "That is what was done, not tanks, not Kalashnikovs, nothing, so sometimes the fake news is also not armored, and it's good that we puncture this lie."
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant added: "Since I took office, the transfer of lethal weapons or weapons to the Authority has not been approved."