Senior Israeli officials on Monday told The Jerusalem Post that Palestinian threats to unilaterally declare independence are a bluff, since the Palestinians know full well they couldn't last a day without Israeli support.

One Israeli army official said that the Palestinian Authority had made some progress in its management of civilian affair, but pointed to its inability to adequately manage and allocate water resources as an example of why it couldn't possibly go independent.

"The Palestinian Water Authority wouldn't last a day on its own," the source said. "We allocated them a piece of land on the coast to build a desalination plant and they have decided not to build it."

Another official noted that any time Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas moved outside Ramallah, Israeli security agencies had to ensure his safety since he can't trust enough of his own people.

"When Abbas travels it is like a military operation. Everyone is involved since the PA forces cannot yet completely ensure his security."

The Palestinian Authority's inability to stand on its own two feet has been pointed out by some as the major folly of the Middle East peace process, which would essentially create a welfare state indefinitely dependent on major handouts from the international community and infrastructure maintenance by Israel.