During a closed-door meeting held by Katz with Israeli military commanders, according to Channel 14, "the defense minister instructed the Israeli military to prepare a decisive plan in the West Bank in the event of an extreme scenario in the region," he said.
Katz was quoted as saying during the meeting: "Our goal is to maintain stability, but if the PA's security apparatus turns against us and turns its weapons against us, we will wage a decisive war, and we will not allow a new intifada."
"Our response will be firm and completely different, unlike what was," Katz added, referring to previous uprisings in the West Bank, including the "unity intifada" of May 2021.
Channel 14 reported, "Against the backdrop of events in Gaza, preparations are underway for extreme scenarios in Judea and Samaria." It continued, "In such a scenario, the Israeli army would be forced to use massive force to prevent a deterioration in the situation that could lead the Palestinian Authority to engage in a confrontation with Israel."
In a related development, Palestine called on UNESCO on Wednesday to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque in the city of Hebron, south of the occupied West Bank, from "systematic" Israeli violations.
This came in a statement by Ali Zeidan Abu Zuhri, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee and head of the Palestinian National Committee for Tangible and Intangible Heritage, seen by Anadolu Agency, following the participation of Israeli government officials in a conference held in the mosque's courtyards.
Abu Zuhri called on the international community, particularly UNESCO, to "take urgent and immediate action with practical steps on the ground to protect the Ibrahimi Mosque and other Islamic and Christian holy sites."
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He also called for "an end to the hemorrhaging violations" against the cultural and heritage components of the Palestinian people, and for "deterrent measures to be imposed against the colonial system and its leadership, especially since the sanctuary is registered on the organization's World Heritage List."
The Palestinian official said that holding the settlement conference within the courtyards of the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron constitutes a "blatant violation of the cultural and religious heritage of the Palestinian people and a provocation to the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world."
He stressed that "these repeated violations, which are carried out with the participation of occupation ministers, are part of a systematic policy to Judaize holy sites and obliterate the Palestinian historical identity."
Abu Zuhri held the Israeli government "fully responsible for the repercussions of this dangerous escalation, which aims to transform the conflict into an open religious one." He added, "Palestinian tangible and intangible heritage is an integral part of global human identity and requires serious international protection to put an end to the occupation's attempts to erase history and distort the collective memory of the Palestinian people."
Earlier on Wednesday, settlers, including hardline Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Settlement Minister Orit Strook, and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, held a conference to commemorate the founding of the extremist colonialist Gush Emunim movement.
In July 2017, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee declared the Ibrahimi Mosque a Palestinian heritage site. The mosque is located in the Old City of Hebron, which is under Israeli control and is home to approximately 400 settlers guarded by approximately 1,500 Israeli soldiers.
In 1994, Israel divided the Ibrahimi Mosque into 63% for Jews, including the call to prayer room, and 37% for Muslims, following a massacre committed by a Jewish settler that resulted in the deaths of 29 Palestinian worshippers.
