After the IDF Central Command stated it was unaware of training by Palestinian Authority security forces in Pakistan, it has now emerged that the Shin Bet was also unaware of the findings of the investigation by HaKol HaYehudi and the Struggle for Every Dunam.
In a report on Channel 13's “HaTzinor” program, journalist Uri Heller said that the Shin Bet and the Military Intelligence were not aware of the findings by HaKol HaYehudi and are now reviewing them.
The investigation made waves among the security establishment, many of whom admitted to being surprised by the findings.
Member of Knesset Limor Son Har Melech (Otzma Yehudit) spoke on Tuesday (May 21st) from the Knesset plenum and discussed the investigation.
"I am very concerned and the only tool I have is my voice so I will not be silenced about my concern. I am concerned because under our noses, under that of the government, the Knesset, the IDF, the Shin Bet, under all of us, a professional and skilled army is being built in Judea and Samaria. This army is training in foreign countries and preparing for the right moment, where it will repeat what its brethren from Hamas did from Gaza. For those who are unaware of what I’m talking about, let me explain. There was an important investigation by HaKol HaYehudi and the Struggle for Every Dunam, which aired yesterday on Channel 14, and exposed how the Palestinian Authority has been sending its soldiers to train in Pakistan.
“They showed that over the past decade, dozens of individuals from the PA security forces have undergone a two-year joint military training program with the Pakistani army. The training included work on anti-tank weapons, sniper rifles, artillery, machine guns, and parachuting. This is an army by any metric.
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“The investigation found that many of the individuals traveling to Pakistan have expressed support for terror online and come from terror hotbeds like Jenin, Tulkarem, Ramallah, and Nablus. For example, Omar Swifta, from Tubas, expressed support for the Lion’s Den terror group, and Hofiz Salim set his profile picture to an image of Hamas terrorists conquering Jerusalem. Furthermore, the Pakistani army does not hide what it is training these people for.
“Two weeks after the Simchat Torah massacre, a tweet was posted on the official Pakistani army account congratulating six officers from the PA security forces stating highlighting that Pakistan supports Palestine not only in words but also in action. We should not forget that Pakistan is a nuclear state which is a sworn enemy of Israel. Aside from the danger posed by the training itself, these PA officers form connections with other military leaders from Israel’s enemies enabling them to communicate and coordinate.
“While the PA does not currently have many of the capabilities that these officers trained on, the Oct. 7th massacre showed the damage that can be done with shoulder-fired missiles, rifles, and grenades. Furthermore, Judea and Samaria is flooded with illegal and sophisticated weapons, much of which came from Iran. The danger of the PA security forces is quite clear and when combined with new capabilities will become a greater threat.
“Even now, just over the past few months, two sophisticated attacks took place in Judea and Samaria. In one, a Border Police officer was injured near the village of Sinjil, and in the other a terrorist who trained in Jordan carried out an attack in Gush Etzion. The danger of these training programs is also diplomatic because it provides an infrastructure for the potential unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State.
“Yet even more than all the dangers listed already, what is most worrying? It’s that the IDF Central Command, and the political echelon were not even aware of this training in Pakistan and were themselves shocked by the findings. The researchers from Struggle for Every Dunam and HaKol HaYehudi carried out tremendous work, but this is all public information that the Military Intelligence and the Shin Bet should have known about.
“However, now that the information has been exposed no one can claim they did not know. Part of uprooting the previous conception demands that the political and security echelon address this issue before tragedy strikes again. G-d forbid, there will be no need to review classified discussions of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees to investigate the IDF’s negligence because I’m discussing it right now.
“Mark my words, that they will stand as testimony to the people of Israel that any blood spilled as a result of these trainings will be on the hands of those who ignore this report.”
