Palestinian security forces began deploying in the camp on Friday [Getty/archive]
The Palestinian Authority and militants in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin camp have reached an agreement to end weeks of tensions that left over a dozen people killed.
The head of a committee that oversaw negotiations said Saturday that Palestinian security personnel entered and deployed in the camp a day earlier following the agreement.
In comments made to Anadolu Agency, Ahmad Salah said explosive devices were being dismantled and destruction was being cleared following the armed clashes, describing the negotiations to end the standoff as being difficult.
Palestinian security forces began a military operation in the flashpoint Jenin camp last month claiming that they were pursuing “outlaws”, arresting operatives from the Jenin Battalion which includes fighters affiliated with Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
This led to clashes which killed at least six security personnel and nine civilians, with being besieged.
The PA – which has limited control in the West Bank and is run by the Fatah movement – has been accused of collaborating with Israel by detaining wanted Palestinian fighters.
Salah, head of the committee, told Anadolu that there would be no handover of weapons or members of armed groups, but the agreement stipulates an end to armed demonstrations and gives PA forces permission to enter the camp.
The deal brought relief to the camp after the deadly escalations. Jenin is already often targeted by Israeli forces like many places across the West Bank, which has seen an uptick in violence since Israel’s war on Gaza started in October 2023.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, Israeli troops or settlers have killed over 800 Palestinians in the West Bank since then.
