Palestinian Authority under pressure amid rising resistance, popularity of Iran-backed terror groups

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Palestinian Authority security forces launch operation against Iran-backed groups in Jenin

PA security forces seen during an operation against Iran-linked terror groups in Jenin. (Video: Associated Press.)

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The Palestinian Authority (PA) is facing a growing challenge in the northern West Bank city of Jenin as it launches an ongoing operation against local terror factions supported by Iran, a crackdown that has sparked violent clashes and highlighted the deepening rift between the PA and local communities.

“Iran has been funding militants to buy weapons, and now the Palestinian Authority is acting to stop that. They’ve taken measures to block the money and crack down on the factions. The PA knows Iran will keep supporting Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and this is the challenge they face. It’s the right time to confront Iran, especially after the wars in Gaza and Lebanon- public mood is not welcoming any military confrontation with Israel after what happened,” Mohammad Daraghmeh, Asharq News bureau chief in Ramallah, told Fox News Digital.

The U.S. has reportedly requested Israel’s approval to deliver urgent military assistance to the PA as it intensifies its crackdown on terror organizations in Jenin, Axios reported. The Biden administration is seeking to provide the PA security forces with ammunition, helmets, bulletproof vests, armored cars and other essential items, but needs Israel’s consent to proceed. Historically, U.S. assistance to the PA has ranged between $200 million and $300 million annually. In recent years, especially after the Biden administration took office, there has been a resumption of aid to the PA, following a freeze during the Trump administration.

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Mourners shout during the funeral of 19-year-old Rahbi Shalabi, who was killed during clashes between Palestinian security forces and militants a day earlier, in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Dec. 10, 2024. (ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

“Since October 7th, there has been an increased push from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, with significant Iranian involvement,” said Dr. Michael Milshtein, head of the Forum for Palestinian Studies at Tel Aviv University who further emphasized the shift in the situation since Oct. 7, noting the influence of Iranian-backed forces. “They’re trying to push operations in the West Bank, and there have been attempts to manufacture rockets and fire them at Israeli cities from Jenin. While it’s still in the early stages and these efforts are unsuccessful, it’s a troubling development that signals how Jenin is evolving into a central hub for terrorists.”

Last weekend, PA security forces killed Yazid Jaysa, an Islamic Jihad commander, in an operation that has intensified tensions in the region. This was the third death in Jenin within a week, following the killing of 19-year-old Rahbi Shalabi during gunfights between PA forces and local militants. The deaths have further fueled the discontent in the city, particularly among residents of the Jenin refugee camp. “The entire refugee camp is now against the PA,” said Daraghmeh.

On Sunday, reports surfaced that the PA had positioned its forces outside the refugee camp, but attempts to enter were met with resistance. The terrorists inside the camp, many of whom have vowed to fight the PA’s forces, pose a significant challenge to the PA’s plans for reasserting control.

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Palestinian Authority security forces vehicles block a road amid clashes with militants in the Jenin camp in the Israel-occupied West Bank on Dec. 15, 2024. For more than a week, the northern West Bank city of Jenin has seen intense violence, after the PA, which coordinates security matters with Israel, arrested several militants. (ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

“There’s no active fighting right now, but the PA forces are stuck. They’ve tried to enter, but failed, and now they’re stuck outside,” said Daraghmeh. “They can’t leave, but they can’t continue the operation either, because there are dozens of militants ready to confront them.”

Milshtein, the former head of Palestinian affairs in Israeli Defense Forces military intelligence, told Fox News Digital, “The PA does not have the ability to enforce control in northern Samaria and the surrounding areas. The PA has lost control of these regions, and for years, Israel has treated Jenin and the surrounding areas like Gaza- without PA control mechanisms, and essentially, there’s a real vacuum.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, and President Biden shake hands in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Friday, July 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The timing of the PA’s operation is significant, with many observers noting that it coincides with the broader regional context, including the ongoing war in Gaza and the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Milshtein believes that the events in Syria played a role in the PA’s decision to act. “People in the West Bank say that when one dictator (PA President Mahmoud Abbas) saw what happened to the other (Bashar al-Assad), he decided he would not follow the same fate,” Milshtein explained. “Mahmoud Abbas likely felt that he needed to act before the PA’s authority in the West Bank completely erodes.”

The operation, which is part of a larger crackdown in the northern West Bank, also reflects the PA’s desire to assert itself as a capable authority ahead of potential political developments in Gaza. The PA has long struggled with its ability to govern Gaza, which it lost to Hamas in 2007. Now, with the region in turmoil, it is hoping to prove that it can restore order in the West Bank, which it argues will bolster its legitimacy in any postwar political scenario for Gaza.

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A Palestinian security man fires tear gas at protesters in the center of the West Bank city of Jenin and its camp on Dec. 16, 2024. (Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“I don’t see a possibility that the PA will control Gaza,” Milshtein said, “There are two million people there. For 17 years, they have been ruled by Hamas, and 60% were born after Hamas took control. They were educated to view the PA as collaborators with Israel and enemies. Giving the PA two hours in Gaza is a known failure from the outset.”

Despite the violence in Jenin, Daraghmeh does not foresee the conflict spreading beyond. “People in Ramallah, Hebron and other cities don’t want the West Bank to turn into another Gaza,” Daraghmeh said. “The situation in Jenin is contained, but it remains a test for the PA’s ability to control its own territory.”

Efrat Lachter is an investigative reporter and war correspondent. Her work has taken her to 40 countries, including Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and Afghanistan. She is a recipient of the 2024 Knight-Wallace Fellowship for Journalism. Lachter can be followed on X @efratlachter.