JERUSALEM, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said during a tour of the occupied West Bank on Tuesday that Israel would not allow the Palestinian Authority to control the territory.
Katz was accompanied by Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said Israel was "here to stay."
"Just as we're crushing terrorism in the camps of Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams, we will prevent any attempt by the Palestinian Authority to take control of areas in Judea and Samaria and harm Jewish settlements," Katz said. Judea and Samaria is an administrative division used by Israel to refer to the entire West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority is an internationally recognized body that exerts governance in parts of the West Bank, a Palestinian territory Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel has controlled the territory ever since, despite international criticism.
Since late January, Israeli forces have launched a large-scale military operation in the West Bank. The Israeli military frequently describes such operations as counter-terrorism measures aimed at militants. ■
