Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israel’s military has been ordered to prepare for an “all-out war” against the Palestinian Authority if it deems that the internationally backed organisation is “about to launch an October 7-style terrorist attack against [Israeli soldiers] and Jewish settlements”. Mr Katz said that such a war could target “senior officials and apparatuses of the authority and the bodies associated with it”. He said it could lead to the displacement of entire cities in the occupied West Bank, “just as we did” in Gaza and southern Lebanon, where the military has razed vast areas, forcing out residents. Mr Katz’s threat against the PA is an escalation of the ultranationalist Israeli government’s rhetoric against the body. Under the Oslo Accords, the PA is supposed to control parts of the West Bank until a Palestinian state is established. Despite Israelis frequently accusing the organisation of celebrating militancy, Israel and the PA have maintained close security co-operation for years, alongside close engagement with Israel’s most important allies.Left-wing politician Gilad Kariv condemned Mr Katz’s statement, calling it “a deliberate attempt to ignite the territories and lead to a third intifada, for purely political reasons, and out of a desire to reach elections in a reality of active warfare”.Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, also warned of the risk of sparking a third Palestinian uprising and said Mr Katz's words were proof that he and Mr Netanyahu "are unfit to manage Israel's security". "This reckless policy could bring upon us a third Intifada. The price will be paid by [Israeli] soldiers and Israeli citizens," he wrote on X.The defence minister's threat underlines how weak the PA has become in recent years. It is suffering from an economic and legitimacy crisis, with many Palestinians saying it is inept, corrupt and serves only Israeli interests. Many consider it to have lost control of large parts of the area it is supposed to govern, particularly in the north of the West Bank. Israeli soldiers watch as a settler leads sheep near the Palestinian village of Al Mughayyir, in the occupied West Bank. EPAShow caption: Israeli soldiers watch as a settler leads sheep near the Pal…The warning came after a Palestinian stabbed an Israeli at a farming outpost in the West Bank on Monday morning. Israel’s military shot dead the attacker soon afterwards. The victim is in a “moderate-to-serious condition”, according to Israeli medics. Mr Katz said after the attack that Israel’s policy in the West Bank was “to vigorously pursue Palestinian terrorism, develop and strengthen Jewish settlement and maintain security stability”. The pledge to advance the settlement project comes despite growing unease from Israel's allies about the wave of settler violence and expansion in the territory. The UK is reportedly planning to announce new sanctions against Israel on Tuesday. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called for “severe consequences” for violent settlers during a visit to the West Bank at the weekend, following assaults that attracted global media coverage. Mr Netanyahu did not refer to Mr Katz's threat of a war against the PA in his response to the stabbing, but warned that "we will continue to eliminate terrorists, hunt down those who dispatch them, and destroy the terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria" – a biblical term for the occupied West Bank that is popular in Israel.The stabbing came as the Israeli outlet Haaretz reported that military officials are warning Israel's leaders that the army will struggle to defend newly established illegal outposts in the West Bank because they lack proper infrastructure, including phone coverage and road access. The report added that the number of battalions deployed in the region this week, at 26, is the highest number since the beginning of the Gaza war. Israel's military has long said it is struggling with a severe manpower shortage and reservist fatigue after years of fighting on multiple fronts.