Palestinian Authority accepts truce with resistance in Jenin

The Palestinian Authority was able to deploy in the camp only after agreeing to a number of demands determined by the Jenin Brigades.

January 18, 2025 by Aseel Saleh
Jenin refugee camp, April 2011. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Jenin Brigades reached an agreement on Friday, January 17. This agreement effectively puts an end to the month and a half long siege imposed by the PA security forces on Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.

The agreement was reached after a central reconciliation committee, in collaboration with local community institutions in the camp, launched an initiative on Tuesday, January 14, titled The Unity of Blood and Destiny. The initiative consists of eight terms, which call for enforcing the rule of law, and enhancing security, while urging the Palestinian leadership to review the current mechanisms for handling the situation in the camp.

As per the agreement, the PA promised to release the resistance fighters, whom it had arrested during its large-scale security campaign at the camp, which started early December. In addition, the agreement stipulates that the PA security forces should stop prosecuting the camp’s resistance fighters.

Meanwhile, both sides agreed that the PA security forces would deploy in the main square within the camp, provided that the concerned reconciliation committee and people in charge of monitoring the implementation of the initiative, would proceed in fulfilling the rest of the arrangements.

Accordingly, a joint force from the PA security forces and the Palestinian Civil Defense arrived in Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, in the evening of Friday, January 17, to regulate the traffic movement, reconnect electricity, and collect the garbage. Upon the arrival of the joint force, dozens of the camp residents gathered and chanted for the resistance.

Israeli aerial aggression exposed the PA’s “Operation Protect the Homeland”

The PA called its large-scale security campaign against Jenin refugee camp “Operation Protect the Homeland”, which provoked both ire and mockery of Palestinian grassroots, with many arguing that the PA has never been able to protect Palestinians in the West Bank from the IOF’s systematic crimes and Israeli settler violence.

On Tuesday, January 14, Israeli drones targeted a house in the camp killing at least

six Palestinians and injuring two others critically, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The aerial aggression took place while the PA security forces were attacking the camp, underlining the PA’s failure to protect its citizens, and the fact that their weapons were only pointed at resistance fighters.

Three brothers were among those killed in the onslaught and were identified as Mo’men Abu al-Hayja (28), Amir Abu al-Hayja (27) and Bahaa Abu al-Hayja (33). The other three slain Palestinians were identified as Mahmoud Gharbiyeh (15), Hussam Qanouh (34), and Ibrahim Qaneiry (23).

Eyewitnesses said that three missiles were fired from a drone in the attack, which was jointly carried out by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) and the Israeli Security Agency (known as Shin Bet).

The deadly Israeli airstrike was launched after the PA security forces had tightened its siege on the camp, as part of its large-scale security campaign. The PA’s campaign had been already widely condemned by Palestinian grassroots and organizations as it resulted in the killing of a number of children and a female journalist, as well as the destruction and damage of homes and properties.

In addition to cutting off electricity and water in the camp for over a month, the PA  recently blocked the delivery of food and medicine to its residents. According to the media committee in Jenin refugee camp, the PA’s security forces also raided hospitals in the camp, converting them into military barracks. The committee also reported that wounded Palestinian citizens were arrested by the security forces directly from operating rooms at these hospitals.

Israel’s assault on the camp coincided with the announcement on Wednesday that a Gaza ceasefire deal was reached. This news was another blow for the PA, as it seems that the deal was reached without its involvement in the talks, particularly those related to the day after the war in Gaza.

Analysts suggest that the PA’s security campaign in Jenin refugee camp provided a dual purpose of both cracking down on the resistance and showcasing to the US and Israel that it is capable of doing so, even in Gaza. As it has been apparently excluded from the Gaza ceasefire deal, the PA’s efforts to crack down on resistance in the West Bank were in vain. The campaign in Jenin also intensified its unpopularity among Palestinian grassroots.