West Bank: PA forces clash with Palestinian fighters, one killed

Tensions erupted during the funeral of a Palestinian man killed in clashes between Palestinian armed resistance fighters and Palestinian Authority (PA) forces in the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday. 

The Jenin Battalion, linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), attributed the death of 19-year-old Rahbi Shalabi to ongoing strife between PA security forces and its fighters, according to a report by news agency AFP. 

His funeral saw shops closed down and gunfire erupting, as dozens of protesters took to the city’s main squares to call for the end of violence.

Chants such as “This is the voice of Jenin” and “Palestinian blood is costly” were heard from dissenters, according to the report.

Activists said that unity among Palestinians was integral amid ongoing fighting.

Last weekend, civil society representatives made similar calls as they gathered outside Jenin’s hospital which was damaged by the fighting. 

“We are here to call for justice in this city. It has no justice because it has no peace,” Father Feras Khoury, a priest in the nearby city of Al-Zababdeh, whose parish includes Jenin, said.

A Jenin resident also emphasised that “we’re here to say enough to the internal conflict between the Palestinian security (forces) and the young people in Jenin camp.”

The PIJ issued a statement on Tuesday accusing the PA’s security services in the occupied West Bank of “crossing religious, national, and familial lines.”

This comes as PA forces were said to continue operations against the group in Jenin and its refugee camp for the sixth consecutive day, resulting in the arrest of several fighters.

“With funds belonging to the families of martyrs being confiscated, the refugee camp under siege, and armoured vehicles and snipers deployed, the PA’s actions resemble those of the [Israeli] enemy in its raids,” the PIJ stated.

The movement suggested that the campaign is part of a broader strategy targeting PIJ battalions stationed in the cities and camps of the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem.

“The actions of the Ramallah Authority’s security services cross religious, national, and familial lines, showing a suspicious determination to drag the occupied West Bank into internal conflict and strife, which only serves the enemy’s interests.”

Meanwhile, a fighter quoted by AFP stated they would only relinquish their weapons to the PA if it could guarantee protection from Israeli incursions.  

He added that “every day, we’re shocked by the [Palestinian] authorities shooting at our cars, our homes, and our property. They harass us endlessly”. 

Jenin is a stronghold for armed factions in the West Bank, which position themselves as a more effective resistance to Israeli occupation, in contrast to the PA, which coordinates security matters with Israeli officials. 

Amid ongoing clashes in the Israeli-occupied territory, Israeli forces have detained at least 20 Palestinians from the West Bank, including a child and former prisoners, since Tuesday evening, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Wednesday. 

According to a joint statement by the Prisoners’ Club and the Commission of Prisoners’ Affairs and Freed Prisoners, most of the arrests occurred in the Nablus governorate, with others detained in Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm. 

The two organisations stated that the detainees were subjected to “attacks and threats” against them and their families. 

Additionally, Israeli soldiers reportedly vandalised and destroyed residents’ homes during the raids. 

The statement also highlighted that since the outbreak of Israel’s war on Gaza on 7 October 2023, the number of arrests has surged to over 12,000 across the West Bank and Jerusalem. 

The groups stressed that Israeli forces have intensified their arrest campaigns at an “unprecedented” rate, particularly since the escalation of Israel’s military offensive on the Gaza Strip. 

These developments follow the release of a report by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem last week, which detailed incidents of arbitrary detentions, abuse, and humiliation inflicted on Palestinian residents in the West Bank city of Hebron by Israeli soldiers. 

The report included testimonies from 25 Palestinians, who described being targeted by Israeli authorities despite having no involvement in violent activities or even participation in non-violent protests. 

According to B’Tselem, two individuals were arrested, taken to military facilities, and subsequently released without any charges.

The remaining 23 detainees were also taken to military facilities, where “the major abuse took place”, the group said.  

The United Nations, Palestinian and Israeli human rights organisations, as well as local and international media outlets, have repeatedly raised concerns about allegations of severe ill-treatment, torture, and rape of Palestinians in Israeli detention centres and prisons.