Israel preparing for possible attack on Palestinian Authority in West Bank, Netanyahu says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is preparing for the possibility of war with the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the West Bank, Israeli media reported Tuesday.

Asked at a closed meeting of the Foreign and Security Committee about what Israel would do if PA forces were to collaborate with Hamas and attack Israeli forces that occupy the West Bank, Netanyahu said an attack on PA forces was "on the table".

"We are discussing it. And we want to reach a situation where if such an event happens, then within a few minutes there will be helicopters in the air to respond," the Israeli PM reportedly said.

Netanyahu reportedly told meeting attendees that Hamas and the PA share the same goals when it comes to Israel, but differ in approach.

"The difference between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority is that Hamas wants to destroy us here and now, and the Palestinian Authority wants to do it in stages. We cooperate with them against Hamas when it serves their interests and our interests to a certain extent," Netanyahu was quoted as saying.

President Abbas's Fatah movement, which dominates the Palestinian Authority, lost control of the Gaza Strip  to Hamas in 2007 after a bitter conflict. 

Israel and the PA collaborate on security, including on armed groups in the West Bank that have launched attacks on Israelis. 

Israel says that the PA has not done enough to crush or contain these groups.Israeli forces regularly raid refugee camps in the West Bank. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed in such raids on the Palestinian territory this year.

Israel has insisted that Gaza will be put under Israeli military control after its indiscriminate war on the territory ends.

More than 18,000 people, mostly women and children have died in the Israeli air and ground assault on the territory and entire districts have been flattened.

Israel's position on the future governance of Gaza has put it at odds with allies including the US, who say that they want to see the PA run both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Since coming to power early this year, Netanyahu's government has accelerated approval for settlement units and increased assistance for the hundreds of thousands of settlers in the West Bank. 

Members of the far-right government have said that they want Israel to annex the occupied territory.