Netanyahu slams plan to transfer arms to PA as 'dumb'

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is incapable of providing solutions to Israel's security concerns. "No one can act as a subcontractor for our own defense," he said, slamming the initiative to transfer arms to Palestinian Authority security forces.

"The idea to trust our safety to the Palestinian Authority has failed in the past in Gaza and it will fail in Judea and Samaria as well," said Netanyahu at a conference organized by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

"The idea of us handing over weapons to the PA in its current situation and believing that those arms will be used in the protection of Israel is simply a dumb idea," said the Likud chairman. "The weapons will be turned against the IDF and far sooner than we might think. This is exactly what transpired in the Gaza Strip."

Netanyahu's comments came a short time after Abbas announced the appointment of a new commander to head the Palestinian police.

Meanwhile on Wednesday Israel approved the deployment of 600 additional Palestinian police officers to the West Bank city of Jenin.

Netanyahu also criticized the government's decision to authorize the transfer of dozens of Armored Personnel Carriers to the PA, saying that the weapons will eventually be used by Hamas against Israel.

He also concurred with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's statements claiming that Iran's influence has reached Gaza.