With the strengthening of the Islamic State among fundamentalists in the Arab world and elsewhere in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks on Nov. 13, questions are raised in Israel about the Palestinian ability to maintain security in the eventuality of a two-state solution. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said on numerous occasions recently that in the case of a two-state solution, the Israel Defense Forces would remain in charge of West Bank security.
A senior Palestinian security official in Ramallah with much experience in the field told Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, “Netanyahu is daydreaming. With statehood we will be in charge of security in the West Bank and Gaza and we will do it better than the Israelis. Look at Israel, which, with all its superpower military might, has not succeeded in curbing terror, even today when it is sporadic; Israel is not able to fight some dozens of frustrated youths. And it has lost two wars to Hamas, according to any objective observer.”