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Palestinian and American sources have suggested that the operation in Jenin reflects a "Syria effect," fearing that Islamist terrorists could overthrow the PA.
By WALLA! DECEMBER 15, 2024 20:30
A member of the Palestinian security forces aims a weapon during clashes with gunmen in Jenin in the West Bank, December 14, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/RANEEN SAWAFTA)
The United States has asked Israel to urgently approve the supply of equipment and ammunition for the Palestinian Authority's security forces amid a large-scale security operation in the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, Walla reported on Sunday, citing three Palestinian, American, and Israeli sources.
The operation in Jenin is the largest the Palestinian security forces have conducted in years, aimed at regaining control over one of the West Bank's major cities.
According to Palestinian and Israeli sources, the operation focuses on a local terror cell comprising terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, reportedly funded by Iran.
“This operation is a moment of either victory or defeat for the Palestinian Authority,” a senior Palestinian official said.
Palestinian and American sources have suggested that the operation in Jenin reflects a "Syria effect," with Palestinian leadership fearing that Islamist terrorists could overthrow the Palestinian Authority, similar to how rebels toppled the Assad regime in parts of Syria.
The security situation in Jenin has been deteriorating for months as the Palestinian Authority's control weakens. Local gunmen have taken over the Jenin refugee camp, and the PA's security forces have refrained from entering the area.
Last week, PA forces attempted to arrest several Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists who had stolen PA security vehicles and used them in an armed parade in the refugee camp. The arrest attempt failed after a shootout between the terrorists and the PA forces.
A day later, the terrorists detonated a car bomb near a police station in Jenin, wounding three Palestinian officers and two civilians.
In the past 72 hours, PA forces deployed a large number of soldiers to Jenin, surrounded the refugee camp, and raided it. At least three terrorists, including a local Islamic Jihad commander, were killed, and about 20 were wounded. Several PA security personnel were also wounded.
Videos of the armed parade by Islamic Jihad terrorists and the car bomb attack shocked the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah, according to Palestinian and American sources.
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the heads of the PA security services to launch the operation and retake control of the refugee camp. When some security chiefs expressed reservations, Abbas reportedly warned that any disobedience would result in their dismissal.
Senior Palestinian and American officials said that Abbas's aides briefed the Biden administration and incoming President-elect Donald Trump’s advisors before the operation began.
Ahead of the operation, US security coordinator General Mike Fenzel met with Palestinian security chiefs to review their plans. A Palestinian source said the security chiefs provided Fenzel with a list of urgently needed equipment that Israel would need to approve.
According to Palestinian sources, the gunmen in Jenin, allegedly funded by Iran, are better armed and equipped than the PA security forces.
“We and Israel are fighting the same enemy—Iran. If the Palestinian security forces had enough weapons, the Jenin operation would have ended by now,” a senior Palestinian official stated.
US officials ask Israel to approve equipment for PA
Fenzel, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew, and other Biden administration officials have requested that Israel approve the urgent shipment of ammunition, helmets, bulletproof vests, communication devices, night vision equipment, bomb disposal suits, and armored vehicles, according to Palestinian, American, and Israeli sources.
The sources noted that the Netanyahu government had approved this shipment last year but froze it following Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
The Biden administration has also asked Netanyahu's government to release some of the Palestinian Authority’s tax revenues, which were frozen, to pay the salaries of PA security personnel fighting in Jenin.
The US embassy in Israel and the White House have declined to comment. Meanwhile, Israel's security cabinet convened on Sunday to discuss the West Bank's security situation.
Israel has yet to respond to the American request. Supplying military equipment to the Palestinian Authority is a highly sensitive political issue for Netanyahu.
Palestinian and American sources claim that Abbas ordered the operation for two main reasons: to send a message to the incoming Trump administration that the PA is a reliable partner and to ensure that what happened in Syria does not occur in the West Bank.
“This was the Syria effect. Abbas and his advisors were concerned that what happened in Aleppo and Damascus would inspire a Palestinian Islamist group,” a Palestinian source said.
The source added that Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia support the operation in Jenin, as they do not want to see "a Muslim Brotherhood-style group or Iranian-backed takeover" of the Palestinian Authority.
“This is a defining moment for the Palestinian Authority—either act like the state you claim to be, or revert to being an armed militia,” a Palestinian source said.
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