By World Israel News Staff
The Palestinian Authority has massively expanded the size of its internal security apparatus, a new report warns, forming a de facto standing army in violation of the PA’s agreements with Israel.
According to an investigation published by the Regavim movement, the PA has developed what the report calls a “shadow army,” including more than 60,000 armed personnel—far exceeding the roughly 18,000 permitted under the Oslo Accords.
The authors of the report added that aside from the swelling ranks of the Palestinian Security Services, the PSS no longer behaves as a conventional policing body but rather has engaged in training more suited to a military force.
The PSS has also undergone a significant expansion in weaponry, both quantitatively and qualitatively, further violating limits imposed by the Oslo Accords.
While the Oslo framework limited PA forces to light arms for policing purposes, PSS units now possess heavier weapons, including machine guns, grenade launchers, and armored vehicles.
The Regavim report also states that PA personnel have undergone advanced military training abroad, including officer training in Russia, armored and artillery instruction in Pakistan, and tactical parachute training in Egypt and Italy.
In addition, training exercises conducted in Jordan and Jericho reportedly include urban warfare, mobile shooting drills, and breaching operations—activities that analysts cited in the report say are characteristic of offensive combat preparation rather than civilian law enforcement.
The report also identifies several elite units within the PA security apparatus, including a commando force of approximately 2,000 troops, a rapid-deployment unit trained for deep raids, and a covert intelligence unit tasked with gathering operational targeting information.
Israeli officials have increasingly warned that reliance on the Palestinian Authority as a stabilizing security actor may carry growing risks if its capabilities continue to evolve.
Regavim concluded that the scale and structure of the PA’s forces place it closer in size to a standing army than a police force, noting that the ratio of armed personnel to population in PA-controlled areas is significantly higher than in Israel. Israel has three police officers per 1,000 residents, compared to 19 officers per 1,000 residents in the PA.
“This exceptional figure shows that these forces do not function as a standard civilian police force but are also intended to serve as a full-fledged army, with one armed individual for every 53 civilians,” the report warns.
“The clear conclusion from the findings and field evidence is that these forces have begun practical preparations for raid and territorial takeover scenarios, similar to the events of October 7. Public statements by Palestinian Authority figures about their intention to ‘return’ to cities such as Haifa, Jaffa, and Tiberias indicate that the ‘moderate’ image the PA has built for itself is a dangerous illusion.”
“Relying on the Palestinian Authority as a security partner and as a ‘contractor’ in Judea and Samaria, as well as in discussions about the ‘day after’ in the Gaza Strip, paves the way for a threat. Israel’s security must rely solely on its own strength and sovereignty.”
