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December 2024 Palestinian Authority operation in Jenin

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Operation Protect the Homeland
Part of the Palestinian Authority–West Bank militias conflict
Date5 December 2024 – present
LocationJenin, West Bank, Palestine
Belligerents
State of Palestine Palestinian Authority
Supported by:
 Israel
 United States		  Palestinian Islamic Jihad
 Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Hamas
Supported by:
State of Palestine Civilian protestors
 Iran
Commanders and leaders
State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas
State of Palestine Nidal Abu Dukhan		 Yazid Jaayseh †
Qais al Saa’di
Units involved

Palestinian National Security Forces

  • 101st Unit
Palestinian Civil Police Force
Palestinian Presidential Guard		 Jenin Brigades
Strength
~300 officers Unknown
Casualties and losses
2 security officers killed
Several security officers injured
3 police officers injured
1 presidential guard killed		 At least 3 militants killed
20+ militants injured
At least 2 civilians killed
20+ civilians injured

On 5 December 2024, the Palestinian National Security Forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA) began a large-scale operation into the West Bank city of Jenin against the Jenin Brigades, a local Palestinian militia. The PA has called it "Operation Protect the Homeland" and says it was launched in order to "eradicate sedition and chaos" in the West Bank, portraying militants as agents of instability and collaborators with the Israeli far-right, which has sought to weaken the PA. Notably, the operation marks the first time in several years that Palestinian Authority security forces have entered the Jenin refugee camp, which is under the de facto control of militants.

Background

Since 2022, there has been an ongoing armed conflict between the Palestinian Authority and local anti-Israel militias, which has escalated during the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. The Palestinian Authority, which autonomously governs the Palestinian enclaves of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has been frequently characterized as a partner of Israel and complicit in the occupation.

The PA, widely perceived as ineffective, has been also been seeking to bolster its credibility as an administration capable of strong governance and suppressing militants. Similar aims motivated the PA during its earlier operation into Tubas in October 2024.

Jenin has historically been a hotbed of conflict between Palestinian militants and Israel, and the city's refugee camp has especially been a militant stronghold. The Jenin Brigades formed in the city in 2021 and has engaged in confrontations with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The semi-autonomous Brigades operate simultaneously under three militant factions: Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and Hamas.

Timeline of events

5 December

Clashes broke out between the PA security forces and militants in Jenin after the former arrested several wanted militants in the city. During the clashes, militants seized two vehicles belonging to the security forces, which were later seen paraded around Jenin.

6 December

Militants detonated a car bomb near a police station, wounding three Palestinian policemen and two civilians. Following the bombing, PA president Mahmoud Abbas reportedly ordered security forces to take control of the Jenin refugee camp and threatened to fire reluctant security officials. The PA also contacted the United States, briefing the Joe Biden administration and advisers of American president-elect Donald Trump about their plans and requesting military assistance.

9 December

PA security forces launched an incursion into the Jenin refugee camp for the first time in several years, seizing and dismantling IEDs and detaining several militants.

19-year old Rahbi Shalabi, a local civilian, was killed during the fighting, with the PA initially claiming militants were responsible. Later, the PA admitted "full responsibility" for Shalabi's killing.

10 December

Mahmoud Abu-Talal, a local militant commander, was seen leading a demonstration calling for the overthrow of the Palestinian Authority.

12 December

Israeli media reported that Abbas ordered security forces not to leave Jenin until they "resolve the situation", and that Israel warned the Palestinian Authority that the operation was "proceeding too slowly and on too small a scale".

14 December

Brigadier General Anwar Rajab, a spokesman for the PA security forces, formally announced the operation and vowed that the PA would regain control of the Jenin refugee camp. Rajab also compared local militants to ISIS.

Security forces operating in the Jenin camp killed Yazid Jaayseh, a commander of the Jenin Brigades. Security forces also set up checkpoints, besieged the Jenin Government Hospital, stormed Ibn Sina Hospital, and were detaining and searching ambulances. PA snipers were deployed on some buildings in the camp.

That night, civilians demonstrated in favor of the Jenin Brigades, and security forces stationed near the city's Shifa Hospital opened fire on the crowd, causing injuries.

UNRWA announced the suspension of its services in the Jenin camp on account of the fighting.

15 December

The United States asked Israel to urgently approve a supply of equipment and ammunition for the PA forces operating in Jenin.

16 December

The Palestinian Authority claimed its security forces had made significant advances in the Jenin refugee camp, and that half the camp was now under operational control.

The residents of Jenin also undertook a general strike in protest of the operation.

18 December

An unnamed commander of the Jenin Brigades reported that attempted negotiations with the security forces ended in failure.

20 December

PA security forces forcibly removed protestors who were demonstrating against the operation.

UNRWA reported that it no longer had control over its Jenin health center due to the presence of "Palestinian armed actors".

Humanitarian impact

The operation has left the Jenin refugee camp under siege, with no movement in or out, cuts to electricity and water, and ambulances unable to enter or exit. Palestinian Authority forces have also turned several homes into military outposts, forcibly displacing their residents.

Reactions

Palestinian militant organizations

Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees all condemned the Palestinian Authority's operation, including the killing of Jaayseh. Hamas official Abdul-Rahman Shadeed said that the PA must "strengthen the national cause" instead of suppressing anti-Israel militancy.

Clashes between militants and security forces in response to the events in Jenin were also reported in Nablus and Tulkarm on 10 December.

Israel

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was reported to have "expressed satisfaction" with the course of the Jenin operation, and the Israeli security cabinet directed the IDF to bolster collaboration with the PA security forces on the recommendation of the Central Command.

An Israeli security source told Haaretz:

Jenin is now a microcosmos of the whole West Bank. If the PA sputters there, its control in the entire region is in danger. All told, the units have legitimization to act at the moment, despite the criticism of the Abu Mazen government. If they're successful in Jenin, it's likely that they will try to extend their activity to additional refugee camps in the north part of the West Bank. If they fail, or if we kick them out of there, that could signal the beginning of the end of their rule.

Notes

  1. Like most of the other Palestinian militias in the West Bank, the Jenin Brigades are semi-autonomous and "cross-factional", simultaneously shared among PIJ, Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, and Hamas.
  2. Arabic: عملية حماية الوطن

References

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