Jenin and its outskirts are a tinderbox. In a new night raid by the Israeli army, two senior commanders of Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were killed after a heavy exchange of fire in the town of Wadi Burquin.
Special forces of ‘mista’aravim’ – elite soldiers dressed in civilian clothes – infiltrated during the early hours of Thursday to arrest three suspects involved in terrorism. Upon arrival at the location, a shootout broke out with Palestinian militiamen, which resulted in the death of Mohamed al Saadi, a high command of Islamic Jihad; and Naim Zubeidi, a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The latter was the cousin of Zacaria Zubeidi, a renowned militiaman responsible for multiple attacks during the Second Intifada. The two deceased served prison terms in the past in Israel.
Wassem Faiz, one of the three arrested in the operation, was planning imminent attacks against Israeli targets in the West Bank. Another of the detainees starred in recent shootings in the area, where Palestinian armed groups have increased armed actions against soldiers and Jewish settlers in recent months.
Twenty people were also injured during the raid, and a local hospital declared a “state of emergency” for locals to come to donate blood. No Israeli soldiers were injured. Hundreds of people went to the medical center, and carried the bodies of the deceased to be buried amid cries of fury and revenge.
An Islamic Jihad spokesman said that “we proudly celebrate the martyrdom of two prominent leaders during an action by Zionist special forces.” From Fatah, the faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas -whose security forces cooperate with the Israeli ones-, promoted a general strike in Jenin, and lamented “the loss of the martyrs”. The day before, Hebrew troops stormed the town of Jabad in search of a Hamas member, and another Palestinian was killed during clashes.
Yair Lapid, who is still Prime Minister until the consolidation of the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, commented that “the activity of the security forces in Jenin is a continuation of the fight against terrorism. The two dead terrorists planned and carried out attacks on Israeli territory.
Lapid added that “in these stormy days, in which irresponsible sectors try to involve the army in an extremist debate and incite and encourage soldiers to confront their commanders, I want to express my gratitude.” The still premier referred to a recent episode that occurred in Hebron, in which a soldier who insulted Israeli pacifists was sentenced to ten days in prison. Right-wing activists published on networks the photo of the commander who accused the recruit, encouraging him to escraches. Many fear that the rise of the extreme right to power will cause interference in the military command lines.
Since March, when a wave of Palestinian attacks claimed 11 Israeli victims (31 in the whole year), the army has been operating night after night throughout the West Bank to try to decimate the armed cells. Many of its members are young people in their twenties, who formed groups like ‘The Lions’ Den’ in Nablus, and who do not respond to the hierarchical structures that planned the suicide attacks of the 2000s. Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank – mostly during shootings or riots – in the bloodiest year since 2015. In the last three days, eight deaths were recorded.
More than 2,500 people were detained in the operations, which take place in the so-called “Area A” of the West Bank, under the security control of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). From Ramallah they accuse Jerusalem of damaging the legitimacy of the Palestinian forces in the area, whose low presence in Jenin or Nablus has led to the resurgence of armed groups.
Hady Amr, recently appointed as the US special representative for Palestinian affairs, urged “all parties to do everything possible to contain the violence and armed conflict.” Faced with the imminent consolidation of an Israeli government with voices calling for a stronger hand and expansion of settlements, Amr urged “work on measures that guarantee freedom, security, prosperity and justice for the Palestinian people, as well as the preservation of the solution of the two states based on the 1967 borders.
The US representative commented this week that Washington is still considering the reopening of the US consulate in Jerusalem, an entity dedicated to dealing with the Palestinians that was closed during the administration of Donald Trump.
