Without a strong and respected Palestinian Authority, Israel won’t accomplish its ambitious diplomatic goals or restore security.

As the PA has become weaker, a vacuum has developed in the West Bank—and Iran, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad have rushed to fill it with money, arms, and explosives. The current Israeli operation is unlikely to change this reality in the West Bank; even leaders of the Israeli security establishment acknowledge that without the PA security forces reasserting themselves, the most that this operation will buy is a few months.

The deeper problem is the weakening of the Palestinian Authority, which lacks popular legitimacy for many reasons, including widespread corruption, poor governance, the unwillingness to hold elections, a sclerotic political system that blocks any advance of younger potential leaders, and the absence of any real political vision or achievements vis-à-vis the Israelis.

Israeli operations such as this one weaken it further, highlighting its irrelevancy. But if the PA won’t, or can’t, act to limit the development of terrorist infrastructure or attacks against Israelis, Israel will continue to carry out such operations, increasing the chances of widespread instability and even the collapse of the Palestinian Authority. In addition to the harm this situation causes Palestinians and Israelis, the evolving climate will likely undermine the Biden administration’s main objective in the Middle East right now: a breakthrough between Saudi Arabia and Israel.