In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian Authority security forces are reportedly now engaged in a conflict with militants from Hamas and its associates.
This conflict has the potential to significantly influence the ongoing struggle for the leadership of the Palestinian cause.
In the past 15 months, the Israeli military has repeatedly targeted Hamas in Gaza, resulting in a leadership vacuum in the region. Consequently, the conflict between Palestinian factions has become increasingly urgent.
The militant groups are profoundly rooted in Palestinian society and are supported by Iran, while the PA has support in the West.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is perceived by the Biden administration and others as the most viable alternative for the management of Gaza following the conflict.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, has opposed the notion, asserting that the Palestinian Authority is fundamentally anti-Israel.
Since the 1990s, the Palestinian Authority has maintained control over significant Palestinian population centers in the West Bank through agreements with Israel.
Demonstrating its ability to confront militants in that region could strengthen its argument for governing Gaza.
PA security forces are engaged in a conflict with militants from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an allied organization.
Analysts have asserted that the conflict, which began in December, is the most intense since Fatah, the Palestinian faction that primarily governs the Palestinian Authority, fought against Hamas in Gaza in 2007.
Ultimately, Fatah was defeated in that conflict, which resulted in Hamas’s dominance of the enclave.
The Jenin Refugee Camp, which has been regarded as a center of resistance against Israel by Palestinians and a stronghold for militants conducting terrorist assaults by Israel, is the site of the current fighting.
According to Palestinian and Israeli officials, the conflict has resulted in at least 11 fatalities and numerous arrests.
Militants stole two pickup vehicles belonging to Palestinian security forces on December 5, which sparked a series of clashes. Black-clad and masked militants paraded the vehicles through the camp’s narrow streets, which were adorned with flags of various Islamist militant groups.
The camp was encircled by PA security forces that evening, and an assault was initiated.
Security forces have thus far eliminated at least six individuals within the camp, apprehended numerous suspected militants, and neutralized numerous improvised explosive devices and booby-trapped vehicles.
The PA is perceived as corrupt and incompetent by a portion of the Palestinian population. Following the Hamas-led assaults on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, there was a significant increase in support for Hamas in the West Bank.
Al Jazeera, which has published a comprehensive report on the PA crackdown in Jenin, stated that the decision was intended to prevent the channel from reporting on the swiftly intensifying events in the occupied territories.
In May, Israel terminated Al Jazeera’s broadcast and offices in the country, alleging that it undermined state security and functioned as Hamas’ media arm.
The outlet is one of the few with a significant presence in Gaza. The primary offices of the channel in the West Bank city of Ramallah were also raided and shuttered by Israeli forces in September.
According to Israeli and Palestinian officials, Israel is not involved in the ongoing operation in Jenin.
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