PA Forces Launch Rare Counter-Terror Op Amid Fears of Coup

JNS.org – Palestinian Authority forces are carrying out a rare operation against terrorist organizations in the Samaria city of Jenin due to fears that they could attempt a coup inspired by the rebel takedown of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria.

The operation, dubbed “Defense of the Homeland,” was launched by Ramallah following the Dec. 5 seizure by Hamas and Islamic Jihad of a P.A. “military” vehicle in the Jenin camp, a hotbed of Iranian-backed terrorism, Israel’s Channel 12 News reported on Sunday.

According to Arab media reports, two Palestinian terrorists have so far been killed by the P.A., including Yazid Jaysa, a leader in the Islamic Jihad-led Jenin Brigades who was reportedly also wanted by Israel.

In addition, at least 14 Palestinians were wounded in the clashes, and an unknown number of suspects were arrested, according to local reports.

Several explosives detonated as P.A. forces took control of four districts of the “refugee camp” over the weekend. Ramallah said its forces worked to neutralize a bomb that was to be used against “civilians and security forces as part of a criminal act that reflects the approach of ISIS.”

The operation is being carried out at the order of P.A. chief Mahmoud Abbas and is being commanded by Maj. Gen. Nidal Abu Dukhan, the head of the Palestinian Authority’s National Security Forces (NSF). P.A. Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa also visited Jenin on Saturday, where he received a security briefing from senior P.A. officials.

Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, which Israel signed with the PLO in the 1990s, the newly created P.A. was tasked with fighting terrorism in parts of Judea and Samaria.

In recent years, Iranian-backed terrorist groups have taken over cities and towns in northern Samaria, including Jenin and Tulkarem, prompting the Israel Defense Forces to carry out counter-terror raids.

IDF soldiers have not entered Jenin over the past two weeks to give the P.A. “a real opportunity to act,” according to Sunday’s Channel 12 report.

‘The regime must fall’

Hamas in recent weeks has urged Palestinians to take to the streets of Judea and Samaria and demonstrate against Ramallah’s alleged crackdown on terrorism, with Jenin residents heeding the call.

In a statement last week, the terrorist group condemned “the continued actions of the security services of the P.A. in pursuing resistance fighters and those wanted by the occupation [i.e., Israel], as well as the ongoing targeting of them in all governorates of the West Bank, especially in Jenin.”

During a Dec. 10 funeral procession in Jenin, terrorists could be heard chanting, “The regime must fall. Abbas and his entourage must fall. The people want to end the regime.” They also praised the Iranian regime.

Also last week, Palestinian media reported that Islamic Jihad terrorists from Tulkarem in western Samaria shot at the headquarters of the P.A. police in the city, lightly wounding two officers.

Israel’s defense establishment is monitoring the situation in Judea and Samaria, fearing a domino effect that could lead to the collapse of the P.A. following the events in Syria, Army Radio reported on Dec. 11.

“We are closely and vigilantly monitoring what is happening. We fear unrest, rapid deterioration and a contagion effect like we saw in Syria,” unnamed security sources told the radio station.

According to Army Radio’s sources, the P.A.’s collapse might cause “a wave of terrorism and a complete loss of stability in the area.”

On Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the IDF to raise the state of alert in Judea and Samaria and prepare for a possible uptick in terrorist attacks. Katz ordered the military to increase the protection of communities and traffic arteries due to fears that terrorists could be inspired by the rapid takeover of Syria, he noted in a statement.

Katz said in the statement, “Israel is determined to defend its borders and communities in the south, north and east against any threat—we will not allow a return to the reality of before October 7, [2023].”

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