Israel must help Palestinian Authority survive in West Bank, former Jenin gov. says

Within the last two days, the latest IDF military operation in the northern West Bank, “Summer Camps,” has targeted the city of Jenin specifically.

As operations around the West Bank enter their seventh day, in Jenin, 85% of the population is being moved out of the camp and pushed toward the city. Jenin resident Shatha Sabagh explained what she has witnessed during the ongoing operation: “The occupation continues its siege of the refugee camp for the seventh day. The number of martyrs has risen to 18 total, of whom eight are in Jenin.” “We were forced to leave our house amid an exchange of fire and severe explosions,” she explained. 

“Many buildings were targeted, and destruction is currently visible everywhere. Most residents have been displaced, but there are no safe areas to go to.” According to Jenin’s municipality, Israeli forces have bulldozed around 70% of the streets there, as well as its water and sewage networks. Additionally, the city claims that around 80% of the refugee camp has been left without access to water, and dozens of families have been forcibly displaced from their homes because of the activity.

“The current operation in the West Bank is made in the provision of a possible scenario of bigger terrorist attacks in the future due to the empowerment of several militias and the smuggling of weapons,” Dr. Colonel (Res.) Moshe Elad, governor of Jenin from 1987 to 1991, said. 

“I must remind you that this won’t mean that the ideology will cease to exist, but Israel could reduce the number of those involved in these activities.” “Even killing a symbol like (Ismail) Haniyeh doesn’t make terrorism go away. Instead, it reinforces the determination of militants,” he noted.

Cooperation between Israel and PA

“Despite that, Israel must try to face the proxies and help the PA (Palestinian Authority) to survive in the West Bank.”

Other cities, including Tulkarm and Tubas, have also been attacked by drones and houses destroyed with bulldozers in what has been described as the largest operation in the West Bank since 2002. The IDF says that so far, 30 gunmen have been killed, among them the head of Hamas in Jenin and the head of Islamic Jihad in the Tulkarm area. Elad pointed out there is still cooperation between the IDF and Palestinian security forces, adding, “I was the first one who instituted this apparatus, but today, there are no joint patrols, but just cooperation between the two sides to face terrorist threats.”

“In fact, Israel and the PA have the same enemy: Hamas, which is gaining consensus—since October 7—in the West Bank,” he explained. “It is, in fact, a common concern, so there is currently mutual help to weaken it.” Late on Saturday, Palestinian homes in the Jabriya neighborhood of the Jenin camp were blown up, with the assaults making it difficult for paramedics to reach the site. Additionally, all nearby shops and businesses have been forced to close, making it more challenging for people to get access to essential food items. “The number of civilian casualties is unfortunately increasing every day,” Sabagh said to The Media Line.

“The victims include young children as well. The occupation forces stormed into our house a couple of days ago and detained us for several hours.”

She explained that she fears for her little brother in Jenin City since the Israeli forces are currently active in the area. This is after her brother—who she says was part of the “resistance,” a common euphemism for groups such as Hamas— was killed during an IDF operation last year. Sabagh noted a story where two children were “assassinated in Jenin City by the Israeli forces while they were returning home to bring food,” before concluding: “The occupation forces are killing anyone, those who are not using violence and those who are trying to fight back with weapons. I currently don’t see any solution to all of this. We have been at war for a long time here and are slowly losing hope.”