The Palestinian Authority (PA) has entered a lost battle with its Jenin crackdown, which will ultimately lead to its demise, analysts and an insider say.
The ongoing campaign against anti-occupation armed groups in the northern occupied West Bank city, which has at least 16 Palestinians killed so far, is doomed to fail regardless of the outcome, a senior Fatah figure told Middle East Eye.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he explained that the PA has been pressured to drop its balance between serving Israel’s security needs and maintaining legitimacy among the Palestinian people.
By attacking Jenin, they have effectively “abandoned their negative neutrality” regarding the Palestinian cause and chosen to side with the Israelis, in exchange for maintaining power, he said.
“If the PA succeeds in Jenin, it will lose its justification for existence among Palestinians, and if it fails, it will lose its justification for existence in relation to Israel,” he added.
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“Thus, it has lost the battle on both fronts.”
On 5 December, the PA launched a large-scale security campaign in Jenin, which involved besieging the city, shooting at unarmed civilians and clashing with local fighters.
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PA forces have killed at least eight Palestinian residents of the city since the launch of the operation, including a father and his son last week.
At least six members of the PA security forces have also been killed, including some in exchanges of fire with members of the armed groups.
The PA says the campaign is against “outlaws” and aims to restore “law and order”.
Anti-occupation fighters reject the labels used against them, saying their fight against Israel is legitimate.
Dangerous precedent
Though intermittent clashes have been reported, anti-occupation armed groups have repeatedly stated that they are avoiding direct battles with the PA.
However, some groups on Monday said their patience was “running out,” including Fatah-affiliated and Hamas fighters.
This is because the PA has pushed people into a new territory by making it acceptable for Palestinians to kill one another, a Nablus-based political activist told MEE.
‘I believe people in the West Bank are on the verge of explosion’
– Palestinian political activist
The activist, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals from the PA, called this a “dangerous precedent” set by the PA.
“In the past, we had political division, but it was absolutely unacceptable for a Palestinian to kill another Palestinian,” she explained.
“But now, the spilling of Palestinian blood has been legitimised, and this will have terrible consequences in the future.”
By killing fellow Palestinians, the PA is also demonstrating to the public that it is collaborating with the occupation, she added.
This is further fueling public frustration with the PA, which has seen its popularity plummet in recent years.
Combined with anger over the brutal crackdown on critics of the Jenin campaign, Palestinians will eventually reach a breaking point, she warned. (LINK)
“I believe people in the West Bank are on the verge of explosion.”
Beginning of the end
A major goal of the PA with the campaign is to prove to Israel and the US that it can take control of Gaza after the war, believes Jamal Juma, an anti-settlement activist.
Last month, Axios reported that the offensive was seen as critical for the future of the PA, with President Mahmoud Abbas eager to send a message to incoming US President Donald Trump that he is capable of managing Palestinian affairs.
So far, Israeli authorities have also welcomed the PA’s crackdown, with the Israeli channel Kan reporting that the Israeli army even encouraged the offensive.
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Quoting a senior Israeli army official, Kan said that the Israeli army had held “consultations with senior Palestinian officials in order to optimise the activity in the refugee camp.
“It’s all done under the pressure of the US and Israel,” Juma told MEE.
“The PA was pushed into a corner. If you want to play any role in Gaza after the war, we want to see what you can do first in the West Bank.”
However, according to the Fatah source, this is a mistake because the operation is likely to fail “for the simple reason that the occupation will always produce resistance.”
“The Israelis have killed around 350 people in Jenin in the last two years, and new fighters emerge every day,” he explained.
Therefore, he does not believe the situation will continue as it is in Jenin, with the operation set to fail and the PA losing its legitimacy.
“This is the beginning of the end for the PA,” he concluded.
