‘Residents Must Live in Peace’: Palestinian Authority Launches Counterterrorism Operation in West Bank

Latest Developments

Palestinian Authority Forces Kill Islamic Jihad Commander in West Bank: Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces launched a counterterrorism operation in the West Bank city of Jenin on December 14, killing Yazid Jaysa, a commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s Jenin Brigades who was reportedly wanted by both the PA and Israel. Additionally, a car bomb attack against the PA’s forces was thwarted. The escalation in Jenin came after a week of PA operations against Palestinian terrorist groups in Nablus, Tulkarem, and Jericho as well as Jenin, in an extensive operation named “Homeland Protection.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Praises Counterterror Initiative Amongst Western Criticism: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa lauded the PA security forces, saying that “Jenin and other camps are symbols of national pride,” and adding that the residents of cities “must live in peace.” The recent PA counterterrorism operations come at a time when questions are being asked of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s ability to control the terrorist organizations operating within West Bank communities. A source in Abbas’s office told the Israeli news outlet Haaretz that Western officials had been saying if the PA was ‘unable to enforce order in a city like Jenin, how can you expect [them] to enforce order in the Gaza Strip and around the West Bank?'”
Palestinian Terrorist Groups Condemn Operation, Label PA Traitorous: The Iran-backed terrorist organization Hamas condemned the PA’s operation in Jenin, calling it “identical to Israel’s aggression and criminality,” while the Palestinian Islamic Jihad called for a day of protests. Palestinian terrorist groups in Tulkarem threatened the PA, saying that “no traitor is born a traitor, but it is easy to become one. You will die for your betrayal.”

FDD Expert Response

“Observers of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should take note of the efforts by the PA to crack down on Palestinian terrorist groups operating in Jenin and elsewhere in the northern West Bank. The PA may have perceived weakened Iranian regional influence as a strategic opportunity to dismantle the networks of terror that the regime supports in the territory. However, eliminating a handful of fighters will not resolve the broader issue of terrorism. The PA must take decisive action to dismantle the underlying terrorist infrastructure and establish a robust presence in the most troubled areas of the northern West Bank if they want to be successful.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

“The Palestinian Authority security forces operation to neutralize threats in Jenin is an important initiative. For years, Iran has sought to bolster the smuggling of arms to terrorist groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the West Bank. This has resulted in increasing threats from Jenin and other areas. By conducting its own operation, the Palestinian Authority is helping to confront the rising threats and showing that it can be a partner in stabilizing the West Bank.” — Seth J. Frantzman, Adjunct Fellow