A strike was held in Jenin, in protest of the PA's operation. Photo: QNN
Armed clashes continued on Monday between Palestinian resistance fighters and the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces, Quds News Network (QNN) reported.
These confrontations are part of an extensive operation launched by the PA in Jenin and its refugee camp, which has drawn widespread condemnation and protests from Palestinians.
A comprehensive commercial strike swept Jenin on Monday, December 16, in protest against the ongoing campaign, which has now lasted over a week.
Shops throughout the city shut their doors, while intermittent gunfire from renewed clashes echoed through the area.
The unrest has already claimed the lives of three Palestinians, including a child and a senior leader in the Jenin Battalion, all killed by PA security forces.
Palestinian Authority Clashes With Resistance Fighters in West Bank
Protests and growing resistance
The operation has sparked demonstrations not only in Jenin, but also across several areas of the West Bank, according to QNN.
Protesters have voiced solidarity with the resistance fighters and vehemently opposed the PA’s actions, which many view as targeting the backbone of Palestinian resistance.
Critics argue that labeling these fighters as “outlaws” undermines their role in defending Palestinian communities against Israeli occupation forces.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) has strongly condemned the PA’s actions, describing the operation as a dangerous crossing of red lines.
In a statement, the PFLP affirmed that the resistance’s weapons are legitimate and declared resistance fighters as protectors of the Palestinian people, not criminals. It warned that the PA’s missteps could lead to internal conflict and further destabilize the region.
For his part, Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mardawi also denounced the PA’s actions, calling its justification for the campaign “political suicide.”
Hamas mourned the death of Yazid Ja’ayseh, a prominent resistance leader, who was killed during the operation, calling him a “martyr leader” and condemning the campaign as fueling internal strife during a critical period for Palestinians.
The spokesperson for the Jenin Battalion – part of the Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement – has accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces of seeking to eliminate resistance in Jenin and its camp in the northern West Bank.
In an… pic.twitter.com/vTLtIzDqll
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2024
US, international involvement
Amid the escalating situation, reports suggest significant international involvement in the PA’s security campaign.
According to the “Israeli” news outlet Walla, the United States has urged “Israel” to approve an urgent shipment of equipment and ammunition for the PA security forces.
This shipment reportedly includes helmets, bulletproof vests, communication devices, night-vision equipment, bomb disposal suits, and armored vehicles.
The report revealed that US Security Coordinator General Mike Finzel met with PA security leaders ahead of the operation to discuss their plans.
During these discussions, the PA reportedly submitted a detailed list of its urgent needs to the US, which, in turn, sought Israel’s approval for the supplies.
Senior US officials, including Ambassador Jack Lew, have reportedly been pressing the “Israeli” government to greenlight the request.
Palestinian Authority security forces fire tear gas at a march organized by mothers of martyrs in the Jenin refugee camp. pic.twitter.com/IqWrNhyoyB
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 15, 2024
Message to Trump
Palestinian journalist and editor of the Palestine Chronicle, Ramzy Baroud, had argued in a short video earlier on Sunday that the PA’s ongoing attacks on Jenin are linked directly to Washington, namely the PA’s desire to assert itself as a reliable partner to “Israel” in the West Bank.
A few hours later, a report published by the American news website Axios confirmed that analysis, saying that the Palestinian Authority ordered the operation “to send a message to the incoming Trump administration that the Palestinian Authority is a reliable partner”.
Axios quoted a Palestinian official as saying that this is “a pivotal moment for the Palestinian Authority — either act like a state you say you are or go back to being a militant organization”.
According to the report, “The Biden administration asked Israel to approve U.S. military assistance to Palestinian Authority security forces for a wide-ranging operation the PA is conducting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.”
Additionally, Axios cited US and Palestinian officials as saying that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas “ordered the heads of the Palestinian security services to launch an operation in Jenin and take control of the refugee camp.”
“Abbas’ aides briefed the Biden administration and President-elect Trump’s advisers in advance of the operation,” the report noted, adding that “US security coordinator Gen. Mike Fenzel met with the Palestinian security chiefs ahead of the operation to go over their planning”.
