Israeli army battalion commander Eliav Elbaz said on Saturday that the Palestinians would lose a lot if they decided to go back and fight another intifada, as happened in 2000.

Elbaz’s warning came in statements to the Israeli website Walla, which reported that these assessments are based on a secret tour the commander made in downtown Ramallah a few months ago.

He said Elbaz visited the town in civilian clothes in an effort to scout the location up close.

“A great change has taken place in Ramallah in recent years and therefore Palestinians today will suffer huge losses if they decide to repeat another Intifada,” he told the website.

In August 2021, Elbaz and the outgoing commander of the Binyamin Brigade, Col. Jonathan Steinberg, had inspected downtown Ramallah in a regular vehicle and in civilian clothes, unarmed and with no reconnaissance planes hovering in the sky.

Israeli commanders wanted to take a close look at the great change the city witnessed after the Al-Aqsa Intifada, which began in 2000 and witnessed major Israeli invasions of the West Bank.

Ramallah is the political capital of the Palestinian Authority where the office and residence of the President are located, as well as the seat of the Prime Ministry and the residences of several officials.

In recent years, the city has seen great development in trade and infrastructure and has a higher level of luxury than the rest of Palestinian cities.

In his statements to Walla, Elbaz warned that Hamas intended to change the security situation in the West Bank.

He said several Hamas cells were discovered in the area last September and would have caused great damage if they had remained operational.

Walla says Elbaz’s statements confirm that the calm in the West Bank can be shaken at any moment.

In recent weeks, the West Bank has witnessed a series of security operations, which have reinforced recent Israeli reports anticipating a major escalation in the region over the next three months.