TPC Staff
The Palestine Chronicle / December 21, 2024
Violent confrontations have resumed between Resistance groups and the PA security forces in Jenin camp, with the clashes also impacting Ramallah.
Renewed clashes erupted on Saturday between Palestinian Authority (PA) security forces and Resistance fighters in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank, Al-Jazeera reported.
Citing eyewitnesses, Al-Jazeera reported that violent confrontations have resumed between Resistance groups and the PA security forces in Jenin camp, with the clashes also impacting Ramallah.
In response, Palestinian political groups organized a public demonstration in the center of Jenin city. Protesters voiced their opposition to the security campaign that has been ongoing in the Jenin camp for several days.
Participants carried slogans emphasizing the importance of national unity, calling for dialogue among Palestinian political groups, and rejecting security-based solutions to the crisis.
The unrest in the Jenin camp began after the PA security forces launched a campaign targeting individuals they described as outlaws, aiming to disarm them and reassert control over the area.
The clashes resulted in the deaths of three Palestinians, including a field commander of the Jenin Battalion, and injuries to others, including members of the PA security forces.
The city of Jenin and its refugee camp are widely recognized as strongholds for Palestinian resistance factions within the occupied West Bank.
Earlier this week, Major General Anwar Rajab, spokesperson for the PA security forces, claimed that the security campaign includes new measures aimed at preserving civil peace, upholding the rule of law, and combating disorder in the Jenin camp.
He described the initiative as an effort to eliminate sedition and chaos, stating that its primary goal is to restore control over the camp from what he referred to as outlaws who have disrupted the lives of residents.
Joint statement
Meanwhile, Hamas, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad issued a statement on Saturday, to address “the escalating situation in Jenin with care and resolve to preserve Palestinian lives, safeguard the resistance, and uphold the unity of our people.”
In the statement, they described the latest developments in Jenin as “deeply concerning”.
“These actions threaten civil peace, undermine national unity, and serve the interests of the Zionist occupation,” the groups said.
The statement reiterated that “the resistance, in all its forms, remains dedicated to defending our people against the war of extermination in Gaza, as well as the repeated incursions and violent attacks by the Zionist occupation and settler militias in the West Bank”.
The groups demanded “the immediate cessation of the PA’s security campaign in Jenin, which only serves the Zionist enemy”.
“The withdrawal of security forces from the city and camp, along with the lifting of the siege, is critical to restoring calm,” they said.
They also called for “the formation of a higher national committee that includes representatives from all factions and societal components to address the crisis, prevent its spread to other areas, and protect civil peace.”
