The Palestinian Authority (PA) faces a growing challenge in the northern territories. West Bank Jenin city as it launched an ongoing operation against Iran-backed local terrorist factions, a crackdown that sparked violent clashes and highlighted a deepening rift between the PA and local communities.
“Iran has been funding militants to buy weapons, and now the Palestinian Authority is taking action to stop it. They have taken steps to freeze money and crack down on factions. The PA knows that.” Iran will continue to support Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and this is the challenge they face, especially after the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, it is the right time to confront Iran after what happened to Israel clash with,” of Asharq News in Ramallah Bureau Chief Mohammad Daraghma told Fox News Digital.
Axios reported that the US has reportedly requested Israel’s approval to provide immediate military aid to the PA as it steps up its crackdown on terrorist organizations in Jenin. The Biden administration is seeking to supply PA security forces with ammunition, helmets, bulletproof vests, armored cars and other essential items, but needs Israeli consent to proceed. Historically, US aid to the PA has ranged from $200 million to $300 million annually. In recent years, particularly after the Biden administration took office, aid to the PA has begun to recover, following a freeze during the Trump administration.
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Mourners cry during the funeral of 19-year-old nun Shalabi, who was killed a day earlier during clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on December 10, 2024. (Zain Jafar/AFP via Getty Images)
“Since October 7, the push has been stepped up. From Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which has significant Iranian involvement,” said Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Forum for Palestine Studies at Tel Aviv University, who noted the influence of Iranian-backed forces since October 7. Emphasizes more.” They are trying to step up operations in the West Bank, and have attempted to develop rockets and launch rockets into Israeli cities. Although it is still in the early stages and these efforts are unsuccessful, this is a disturbing development that indicates how Jenin is becoming a central hub for terrorists.”
Late last week, PA security forces killed Islamic Jihad commander Yazid Jaisa in an operation that has heightened tensions in the region. It was the third death in Jenin in less than a week, after 19-year-old nun Shalabi was killed in a shootout between PA forces and local militants. The deaths have further fueled discontent in the city, particularly among residents of the Jenin refugee camp. “The whole refugee camp is now against the PA,” Durgmah said.
On Sunday, reports emerged that the PA had deployed troops outside the refugee camp, but attempts to enter were met with resistance. Terrorists inside the camp, many of whom have vowed to fight PA forces, pose a significant challenge to PA plans to re-establish control.
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Palestinian Authority security forces vehicles block a road amid clashes with militants in the Jenin camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on December 15, 2024. For more than a week, the northern West Bank city of Jenin has seen intense violence, with the PA coordinating security affairs with Israel arresting several militants. (Zain Jafar/AFP via Getty Images)
“There is no active fighting right now, but the PA forces are trapped. They tried to get in, but failed, and now they are trapped outside,” Dargmah said. “They can’t leave, but they can’t continue the operation either, because dozens of militants are ready to fight them.”
“The PA does not have the ability to impose control in northern Samaria and the surrounding areas. The PA has lost control of these areas, and For years, Israel has treated Jenin and the surrounding areas—like Gaza—without a PA control mechanism, and essentially, a real vacuum.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and President Biden shake hands Friday, July 15, 2022, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. (AP Photo/Evan Vokey)
The timing of the PA’s action is significant, with many observers noting that it coincides with the broader regional context, including the ongoing war in Gaza and the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Milshtin thinks so. Evening events played a role in the decision to operate the PA. “People in the West Bank say that when one dictator (PA President Mahmoud Abbas) saw what happened to the other (Bashar al-Assad), he decided not to follow the same fate,” Milshtin explained. Will.” “Mahmoud Abbas probably felt he needed to act before the PA’s authority in the West Bank was completely eroded.”
The operation, part of a larger crackdown in the northern West Bank, also shows the PA’s desire to present itself as a competent authority ahead of possible political developments in Gaza. The PA has long struggled with its ability to govern Gaza, which it lost to Hamas in 2007. Now, with unrest in the region, he is hoping to prove he can restore peace in the West Bank, which he says will bolster his legitimacy. In any post-war political scenario for Gaza.
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A Palestinian security official fires tear gas at protesters in the center of the West Bank city of Jenin and its camp on December 16, 2024. (Nasser Ashtih/Suppa Images/Light Rocket via Getty Images)
“I don’t see any possibility that the PA will take control of Gaza,” Milshtin said, “There are 2 million people living there. They have been ruled by Hamas for 17 years, and 60% of them are Hamas.” Born after taking control of the PA, educating the PA to see it as an ally of Israel and its enemies is a known failure from the start.”
Despite the violence in Jenin, Daraghma doesn’t foresee the conflict spreading beyond her. “The people of Ramallah, Hebron and other cities do not want the West Bank to turn into another Gaza,” Dergmah said. “The situation in Jenin is contained, but it remains a test of the PA’s ability to control its territory.”