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SvennoJ 2 days ago
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What is happening in the occupied West Bank?

We have been reporting on two separate incidents in the occupied West Bank today. Here is a summary of what we know so far:

  • In Tulkarem, in the north of the occupied West Bank, four Palestinians were killed in an air strike that targeted a vehicle.
  • The Tulkarem Brigade, an umbrella group representing different Palestinian factions, said the four killed were its fighters.
  • The Israeli military confirmed it had carried out a joint operation with the Shin Bet – the internal intelligence service – in Tulkarem but gave no other details.
  • Separately, two Palestinians, including an 80-year-old woman, were killed when they were fired on by Israeli troops carrying out a raid in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus.


The Israeli military supports a stronger PA as Jenin raid continues: Report

The Times of Israel is reporting that the Israeli army is considering strengthening the Palestinian Authority (PA) after its security forces began carrying out operations against Palestinian fighters in the Jenin refugee camp on December 14, following a 10-day siege.

The Israeli media outlet said the army’s efforts to strengthen the PA were “not a rogue move, but a directive from the Israeli government”. The Jenin Brigades, the main target of the PA, has ties to the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), but also has members affiliated with other Palestinian groups.


Palestinian Authority refuses to back down in fight with Jenin fighters

Nahida al-Sabbagh has endured the battles in the Jenin refugee camp, where she lives, since Saturday. The fighting between local Palestinian armed fighters from the Jenin Brigades and security forces continues near her home around the clock.

But it is the identity of the security forces clashing with those fighters that is most shocking to Nahida. They’re not Israeli. They’re Palestinian and represent the Palestinian Authority (PA).

“We never imagined that the security forces would treat the camp like this,” the 52-year-old Palestinian woman said.

The clashes around the al-Sabbagh family’s home in the camp’s al-Mahyoub neighbourhood are the result of an ongoing campaign launched by the PA’s security apparatus under the name “Protecting the Homeland”.