Netanyahu: “A big surprise” awaits the Palestinian Authority

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a “big surprise” awaits the Palestinian Authority, after he ordered the launch of a large-scale military operation following an attack targeting soldiers in the occupied West Bank.

A few days before the legislative elections, Netanyahu avoided answering directly whether he intended to dismantle the Palestinian Authority, but indicated that he preferred the method of “surprise and surprise.”

He stated: “We have changed the Middle East. “I said we will make a change, and this is what we did,” in an interview with the “I24 News” network conducted late yesterday (Friday), according to what was reported by “Agence France-Presse.” He added: “There is a very big surprise waiting for the Palestinian Authority as well.”

During the interview, Netanyahu had vowed a strong military response following the killing of two Israeli soldiers in an attack carried out by two Palestinian gunmen near the city of Hebron in the West Bank. Following the attack, one of his far-right allies called for “the dismantling and disarmament of the Palestinian Authority.”

There is no evidence indicating a link between the Palestinian Authority and the attack that occurred yesterday.

Netanyahu strongly rejects the idea of ​​establishing a Palestinian state, a position also shared by his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, a few days before Tuesday's elections.

The death toll as a result of the attack on a church in Karak Governorate, south of Amman, on Friday, rose to 8, according to a new toll announced by Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour today (Sat).

The minister said in a telephone call with Agence France-Presse: “The number of martyrs who fell in the attack on the church of the village of Al-Hamoud in Karak has risen to 8 martyrs after the death of one of the wounded who was in critical condition.” According to the minister, there are 26 injured people still receiving treatment in hospitals, including one critical condition.

Seven people were killed on Friday, in a shooting carried out by “extremist” gunmen inside and outside the Greek Orthodox Church in Karak Governorate, 118 kilometers south of Amman, according to a preliminary toll announced by the Jordanian authorities yesterday (Friday).

The official Al-Mamlaka channel broadcast a video clip showing three gunmen shooting towards the church during a funeral, before advancing towards the entrance while continuing to shoot, in a very rare event in the Kingdom of Jordan.

King Abdullah II threatened the perpetrators of the “terrorist act” with “the most severe punishments,” stressing: “We will strike with an iron fist anyone who attacks this country.” He wrote on the “X” platform: “Whoever imagines that the bullets of treachery are splitting the ranks of the Jordanians, his efforts will be defeated in the face of our solidity and unity.”

Karak Governorate, with a population of approximately 375,000, includes a significant Christian presence of clans such as the Hilsa and the Hijaz. Christian families are concentrated in certain neighborhoods, such as the “Christian Quarter” in the city center.

In 2016, Karak Governorate witnessed a series of attacks, most of which were attributed to ISIS, the most violent of which was an attack that targeted a security center and police patrols, resulting in 10 deaths, including 7 security personnel and a tourist in December. Four gunmen who barricaded themselves in Karak Castle were subsequently killed during a confrontation with security personnel.

The US Embassy in Amman said that security measures have been tightened in shopping malls, foreign embassies and other locations in Jordan, after the attack that occurred yesterday (Friday) on a church in Karak Governorate, according to Reuters news agency.

The Director of Public Security said that 7 people were killed and dozens wounded when gunmen opened fire during a funeral at the church. No party has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The authorities are still searching for the attackers, whom they described as “extremists,” adding that it is too early to determine whether they have links to known groups inside or outside Jordan.