The Palestinian Authority (PA) released footage Thursday evening depicting Palestinian security forces blocking IDF troops from entering the West Bank city of Hebron.
The Israeli squad veered off course during a routine patrol and were told by Palestinians to head back.
Palestinian security forces blocking IDF troops from entering the West Bank city of Hebron
Such incidents occur occasionally but may take a different meaning following PA President Mahmoud Abbas' Tuesday announcement that the Palestinian governance was cutting its ties with Israel due to the latter's intentions to apply sovereignty over West Bank lands.
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Palestinian security forces blocking IDF troops from entering the West Bank city of Hebron
The video of the incident was posted on the official Twitter account of Abbas' Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
Earlier Thursday, PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with Palestinian security officials and devise a timetable for the end of the security cooperation with Israel.
"The annexation is an existential threat to the Palestinian plan and kills the two-state solution," Shtayyeh said at the of the meeting. "Israel broke the international law and all previous agreements it signed – political, military, financial, and legal. From now on, the PA is no longer bound by these agreements."
Palestinian officials said that the ending of coordination between the two security systems does not mean the PA greenlights terror attacks against Israeli targets in the West Bank and it will crack down on those who will try to test this new state.
The Palestinians are still unsure how wide the scope of this separation will be as it may pose a problem for Palestinians wishing to cross the border with Jordan, which is only done in coordination with Israeli and Jordanian authorities.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat announced on Thursday that Palestinian security services will also no longer share information with their U.S. counterparts.
"It has been 48 hours that the American Intelligence Service has been notified that the agreement with them is no longer in force," Erekat said referring to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Security cooperation with the US no more. Security cooperation with Israel no more."
Erekat did not provide specific details on what the announcement would mean on the ground. The exact details of the information-sharing are not public but are thought to concern Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas.