In a forceful and wide-ranging interview, National Missions Minister and Security Cabinet member Orit Strock argued that Israel must fundamentally overhaul its policy toward the Palestinian Authority, dismantle its armed security mechanisms, and revert to what she described as the “far safer, pre-Oslo model” of Israeli civil and security control in the West Bank.
During a recorded conversation, Strock contended that the PA has, for decades, engaged in “political and legal warfare” against Israel, while simultaneously cultivating an education system and security apparatus she says are steeped in incitement, hostility, and operational collaboration with terror groups.
“The State of Israel should have changed its attitude toward the Palestinian Authority a long, long time ago,” Strock said. “From the moment they set foot here, it was possible to see where they were heading.”
She pointed to the Palestinian legislation that mandates monthly stipends for Palestinians imprisoned or killed in attacks against Israelis – what critics call a “pay-for-slay” policy. Strock compared the law to discriminatory legislation of the 20th century, describing it as “the most openly antisemitic legal structure since the Nuremberg Laws.”
“That alone should have made it clear we were dealing with an enemy, not a partner for peace,” she said.
Strock reserved some of her sharpest criticism for the PA security forces, which Western governments – including the US – have long supported as a stabilizing partner. According to her, Israel has recently intercepted multiple terror cells composed entirely of PA security personnel, including one exposed last weekend. She argued that such cases are no longer anomalies but signs of a systemic shift.
Palestinian prisons function as 'safe havens' for terrorists
She also alleged that Palestinian prisons function not as detention facilities but as “safe havens” for terrorists seeking refuge from Israeli operations. Citing several cases, she claimed terrorists who enjoyed access to weapons inside PA jails left temporarily to conduct attacks and then returned to avoid Israeli arrest.
“It’s unheard of – terrorists doing weapons training in prison,” she said. “We are living in a fantasy while the PA runs a system that provides sanctuary and preparation for attackers.”
Strock argued that the PA’s school system remains deeply hostile to Israel despite periodic claims of reform. “They are not teaching two states; they are teaching the elimination of the State of Israel,” she said. “They educate for hatred, martyrdom, and armed struggle.”
Citing polls showing high levels of support for Hamas’s October 7 attacks among Palestinians in the West Bank, Strock argued that this was a direct product of PA educational policy: “Anyone under 45 is a product of this system.”
Pressed on what Israel should do now, she said the solution lies in replacing the PA’s national-level authority with local municipal administrations, like those that existed before 1994.
Municipalities would handle daily civilian life – “water, sewage, cleaning” – while all overarching governance and every aspect of security would return to Israel. The PA’s weapons and armored vehicles, she insisted, must be removed entirely.
“You can’t take a population that is openly hostile to you and give its armed institutions the ability to turn those weapons on you,” she argued. “No responsible country in the world would do such a thing.” She added that only Palestinians who oppose violence – “the 20% who did not support October 7” – should take part in municipal governance.
Asked whether Israel could advance such a dramatic shift in policy under a renewed Trump administration, Strock said the key lies in Israeli political will. “If we decide this is the responsible and necessary path, the prime minister knows how to present the reality to President Trump,” she said. “The international community may speak of ‘PA reforms,’ but the facts on the ground tell a completely different story.”
Strock’s remarks reflect a growing sentiment among parts of the coalition – and some in the security establishment – that the events of October 7 and the subsequent year of conflict have rendered the Oslo-era architecture untenable. Critics, including former senior defense officials, argue that dismantling the PA could destabilize the West Bank and force Israel to assume full civilian and security responsibility for millions of Palestinians.
For Strock, however, the evidence is unequivocal.
“The mask is off,” she concluded. “Anyone who wants to see can see. The time has come to end the Oslo illusion and restore direct Israeli responsibility for security and governance.”