Israeli forces storm Jenin
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic are reporting that Israeli soldiers have launched a raid on eastern neighbourhoods in the city of Jenin in the occupied West Bank. The raid comes as Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces continue to clash with armed Palestinian fighters in the Jenin refugee camp, which is located to the west of the city.
The PA, which partially governs the occupied West Bank, says it is carrying out a campaign to recover the Jenin refugee camp from “the control of outlaws”.
The city of Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp are a stronghold for armed factions, including the Jenin Brigades, who are seen as a more effective resistance to the Israeli occupation, in contrast with the PA, which coordinates security matters with Israel.
Mourners carry the body of Shatha al-Sabbagh, a Palestinian journalism student killed overnight by a bullet to the head whose family claims was fired by Palestinian security forces, during her funeral in Jenin on Sunday
Palestinian Authority’s raids on Jenin appeal to Israeli, Western interests
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is cracking down on armed groups in the Jenin refugee camp in what experts say is an attempt to restore its limited authority in the occupied West Bank and persuade incoming United States President Donald Trump that it can be a useful security partner.
However, the crackdown has earned it condemnation from many Palestinians, especially after the Saturday night killing of 21-year-old journalist Shatha Sabbagh, who had been reporting from Jenin and whose family said she was killed by PA gunfire.
Since the start of the PA raids, they have been criticised as serving the interests of Israel over supporting the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination.
“Over the past few years, the PA has lost control over the West Bank, and I imagine it is trying to claw back control to prove its worth to its handlers – Israel and the United States,” said Omar Rahman, an expert on Israel-Palestine with the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, a think tank in Doha, Qatar.
Israeli forces arrest two in occupied West Bank
The Wafa news agency is reporting that Israeli forces have arrested two Palestinians from the town of Tuqu in the occupied West Bank. The arrests of the 19-year-old and 23-year-old men follow the detention of another man from the same town near Bethlehem a day earlier.
Israeli raids were also reported in:
- The town of Bitounia, west of Ramallah
- The city of Yatta, south of Hebron
- The town of Anata, northeast of Jerusalem
- The town of Qaffin, near Tulkarem
- The city of Nablus
Israeli authorities force Palestinian to demolish own home in occupied Jerusalem
Local Palestinian platforms on Facebook released scenes today, verified by Al Jazeera, of a Palestinian family being forced to demolish their own home in the town of Jabal al-Mukabber, southeast of occupied Jerusalem.
According to local sources, six people lived in the house, including four children, who are now homeless.
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