Israel threatens full-scale war against Palestinian Authority after West Bank stabbing

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has threatened a "full-scale war" against the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority following a stabbing attack on September 7, 2026, that seriously wounded a 19-year-old Israeli settler near Usarin. Israeli forces killed the assailant, 34-year-old Mahmoud Mohammed Arabi Mohsen, after a manhunt. Katz warned that any preparation for an October 7-style attack by Palestinian Authority security forces would trigger a massive military campaign involving targeted killings and permanent security zones. Palestinian officials denounced the threats as aggressive, racist, and politically motivated election-season posturing.

West Bank stabbing attack

• ▪Israeli forces shot and killed the 34-year-old Palestinian assailant, identified as Mahmoud Mohammed Arabi Mohsen, after a manhunt near the village of Idhna.
• ▪An Israeli civilian was stabbed and seriously wounded on September 7, 2026, at the Maoz Yehuda settlement farm near the village of Usarin in the northern West Bank.
• ▪Nizar Arabi Mohsen, the uncle of the West Bank stabbing assailant, stated that his nephew had been suffering from a mental illness for approximately four years.

Israeli war threat to PA

• ▪Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for a full-scale war against the Palestinian Authority.
• ▪Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz threatened a full-scale war against the Palestinian Authority if its security mechanisms initiate or prepare an October 7-style attack against Israeli forces or settlements.

Settler violence against Palestinians

• ▪A 20-year-old Palestinian man, Omar Muhammad Tubasi, was shot and killed during a clash involving Israeli settlers, Palestinian residents, and Israeli troops in the northern West Bank village of Hajja.
• ▪Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Israeli forces or settlers have killed at least 1,106 Palestinians in the West Bank, while Palestinian attacks have killed at least 48 Israelis.

Palestinian Authority response

• ▪Palestinian authorities characterized the Israeli military threats as an attempt to fuel regional conflict during the Israeli election season.
• ▪Rawhi Fattouh, president of the Palestinian National Council, denounced Israel's war threats as exposing the aggressive and racist nature of the Israeli government and seeking permanent conflict.

Proposed military operation details

• ▪The proposed Israeli military campaign against the Palestinian Authority would target senior leadership, security mechanisms, and militant infrastructure in the West Bank.
• ▪The threatened Israeli military operation would include targeted killings of senior figures, civilian evacuations from active areas, and a permanent Israeli military presence in cleared zones.

5 sources