The Jenin refugee camp is the subject of a new battle. But this time, it takes place between Palestinians. The operation, called “Protect the Homeland,” began on December 4 in this West Bank city. It involves the security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA), notably the elite unit 101, made up of 2,000 men trained by American and Canadian soldiers. This deployment, which is still ongoing, aims to dismantle cells of fighters from radical Palestinian movements such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as the armed wing of Fatah. Seven civilians were killed in the operation, as well as six members of the Palestinian security forces and an armed militant, according to OCHA, the UN humanitarian affairs office. “It’s a huge gamble. It is the largest operation in the history of Palestinian security forces. Now is the time to prove what they are capable of.”estimates a Western diplomat in Jerusalem.
This bet is indeed that of the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, who, at 89 years old, wishes to attract the favors of the next American president, Donald Trump, whose entourage includes several promoters of an expansion of colonization Israeli in the occupied West Bank, starting with the next ambassador to Jerusalem, Mike Huckabee. The latter declared in 2008: “Palestinian doesn’t exist. » According to Hani Al-Masri, director of the Palestinian think tank Masarat in Ramallah, Mr. Abbas would even ready to accept the “deal of the century”which he had roundly refused in 2020. This peace plan, presented by Donald Trump, divided the West Bank into several parts, while Jerusalem was left under the almost complete control of the Israelis.
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