Jenin clashes bring spotlight back on illegal weapons in West Bank

Last week Associated PressRecent clashes with Palestinians in Jenin have shed light on the illegal trade and possession of weapons that continues to fuel violence in the West Bank.

Last week, a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was killed in clashes with Israeli security forces, the Associated Press reported. The report gave his name as Adham Jabarin. “The local branch of the Islamic Jihad militant group claimed Jabarin as a fighter,” it said.

Adham Jabarin, a commander belonging to al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was reportedly killed tonight in Jenin during an Israeli security forces' operation. pic.twitter.com/wLGuMTumvf

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) January 19, 2023

A photo that circulated online showed him posting with M-16s. Photos from this week and also January 12 show more evidence of illegally obtained M-16s in the hands of terrorists.

Palestinian social media users reporting one Palestinian has been killed during Israeli operations in Jenin Thursday morning. The news is unofficial at the moment. pic.twitter.com/0j75TLBvDg

— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) January 26, 2023

The incident last week, on January 19, and then the clashes Thursday morning, January 26, show that the threat of illegal gun smuggling continues to inflame cities in the West Bank.

Border Police says troops arrested Muhammad Alawneh, a wanted Palestinian allegedly planning attacks, during the raid in Qabatiya earlier. Gun seized from an armed Palestinian who was shot. Three others also detained in the raid, police and IDF say. pic.twitter.com/VeoB6k02jw

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) January 12, 2023

Jerusalem Post's investigation

Last year, The Jerusalem Post conducted an investigation into the numerous M-16s pictured among Palestinians on social media. This open-source information includes photos of the weapons, some of them showing the manufacture and also the accessories and add-ons. We reviewed the types of gun sights, grips and other elements of the weapons.

The reports showed that some of the firearms are relatively recent acquisitions; they are not M-16s that have been sitting around for a decade and a half in places such as Jenin and Nablus. Other weapons, including pistols, also appeared to be recent models.

This means that weapons smuggling of illegal firearms is leading to the gun violence that underpins the terrorist groups and their threats. The weapons are also used in crimes and empower gangs and other groups. The recent clashes on January 26 and January 19 and other incidents earlier this month provide further evidence of the illegal gun problem.

During the operation on Thursday, “the terrorist squad opened fire toward the Israeli security forces,” the IDF said. “A crossfire was instigated, during which three terrorists were neutralized.” The suspects opened fire toward security forces, the IDF said.

As in the past, photos of the armed Palestinians involved in the clashes have been distributed online. In one, a man smiles with an M-16 that has been modified with what appears to be some kind of forward-style rubberized pistol grip. The M-16’s receiver, trigger, dust cover, and other central parts appear original to the weapon, but the rails, butt stock, magazine, and other parts appear new. These parts can be smuggled separately. Another photo shows a similar configuration of an M-16 as if it has been accessorized.

We reviewed the types of gun sights, grips, and other elements of the weapons. The reports showed that some of the firearms are relatively recent acquisitions, they are not M-16s that have been sitting around for a decade and a half in places like Jenin and Nablus. Other weapons, including pistols, also appeared to be recent models. This means that weapon smuggling of illegal firearms is leading to the gun violence that underpins terror groups and their threats. The weapons are also used in crimes and empower gangs and other groups. 

.@SecBlinken It is astonishing that after Israel killed this top Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist Farouk Salame in Jenin—whose friends this year murdered 8 Israeli civilians in attacks in Tel Aviv & nearby Bnei Brak— your message is that “Israel urgently needs to do escalate.” https://t.co/jMuqw5yqsF pic.twitter.com/xJnFF0lpId

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) November 4, 2022

The recent clashes on January 26 and January 19 and other incidents in January 2023 provide further evidence of the illegal gun problem.

The IDF says that during the January 26 operation, “the terror squad opened fire toward the Israeli security forces. A crossfire was instigated, during which three terrorists were neutralized.”

The IDF report says suspects opened fire toward security forces. As in the past, photos of the armed Palestinians involved in the clashes have been distributed online. In one image, a man smiles with an M-16 that has been modified with what appears to be some kind of forward-style rubberized pistol grip. The M-16’s receiver, trigger, dust cover, and other central parts appear original to the weapon, but the rails, butt stock, magazine, and other parts appear new. These parts can be smuggled separately. Another photo shows a similar configuration of an M-16 as if it has been accessorized.  

In another image posted online from January 12, a gun seized from a Palestinian in Kabatiya, near Jenin, has a Colt firearms logo on it and says “Property of US Govt” and “Cal 5.56” and appears to have a blurry serial number as well. These kinds of details should enable governments to track these weapons.

Of greater interest is that the photo circulated over the weekend of Jabarin appears to show him sitting in the same chair and posing with the same group of weapons as a photo of Islamic Jihad’s Farouk Salame, which was distributed in November after Salame was also killed. What this illustrates is that in some cases, all these M-16s may be partly for showing off, meaning that when several men pose with the weapons, they are sometimes the same weapons, not different weapons in each photo.

What this illustrates is that, in some cases, all these M-16s may be partly for showing off. Meaning that when several men pose with the weapons, the weapons are sometimes the same weapons.

However, the individual M-16s shown in some of the photos with the men show that they have been accessorized and also sometimes even have stickers on them or other identifications that the men clearly wanted to include. The different accessories, such as grips, may not always be added to make the weapons better. Some of them are more for looks than related to improving the weapons.

What the accessories do reveal, though, is that some of them are newly manufactured and recent acquisitions, while some of them are so new they don’t even seem to have ever been in the field. This shows that the smuggling of illegal weapons and pieces of weapons continues to underpin the threat emerging from places such as Jenin