Israel Eliminates Three Palestinian Islamic Jihad Members in Tulkarem

Latest Developments

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out an airstrike that eliminated three Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members on September 11 in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. PIJ identified the slain terrorists as senior operatives Muhammed Attia, Imad Shehadeh, and Saleh Badou. In a separate incident earlier in the day, an Israeli airstrike killed five Palestinians in Tubas whom the IDF said were armed. The strikes follow near-daily Israeli military counterterrorism operations against Palestinian terrorist organizations that have proliferated in the northern West Bank and have engaged in acts of terrorism against Israelis.

On September 5, PIJ official Rasmi Abu Issa told the Qatar-funded broadcaster Al Jazeera that his organization had established “battalions” in every “city and town” in the West Bank. Issa’s admission bolstered Israel’s long-held claim that the West Bank has become overrun with terrorist groups backed by Iran who have emerged as the primary driver of terrorism in the territory.

Expert Analysis

“Palestinian Islamic Jihad has set up shop less than 15 miles from Netanya, one of Israel’s largest cities, and most of Israel’s population is a short drive from the West Bank. Israel has very little margin for error in combatting the terrorism emanating from this territory.” — David May, FDD Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst

“The act of ‘mowing the lawn’ — launching a broad military operation to destroy terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank — has its benefits when eliminating an active threat. However, by itself, it is unlikely to resolve the three-year-long crisis plaguing the territory. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority has demonstrated that it is unwilling to go the distance in addressing the rising threat of terrorism in the West Bank. It’s time that Israel and the Palestinian Authority put aside their differences and find common ground to resolve the growing threat of Iranian-backed actors operating there. — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal

Twenty-Eight Terrorist Groups and Affiliates Operating in the West Bank

A study conducted by FDD’s Long War Journal revealed that 28 Palestinian terrorist groups and their affiliates are currently active in the West Bank. Most of these organizations have connections to Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Specifically, the study noted that Palestinian Islamic Jihad has 10 affiliates, the Fatah-linked al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades has 11, and Hamas has three. Additionally, both the Palestinian Mujahideen Movement and the Popular Resistance Movement each have one affiliate.

Meanwhile, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine are classified as independent groups.

The study also demonstrated that Iran’s strategy to arm its proxies and clients in the West Bank is making an impact despite repeated Israeli counterterrorism operations since the surge in violence began more than three years ago.

 Related Analysis

“Interactive visual: Profiles of 28 Iran-backed terrorist groups and branches in the West Bank,” by Joe Truzman

“Mapping Terrorism in the West Bank,” by Joe Truzman

“Israel Intercepts Weapons Cache Smuggled From Jordan,” FDD Flash Brief