Hundreds of Palestinians, chanting Allahu Akbar! (God is [the] greatest), took to the streets of the city of Jenin and its refugee camp late Tuesday to celebrate after Israeli security forces completed their withdrawal from the area.
Flashing V-for-Victory signs with their hands, the Palestinians also chanted slogans in support of the local armed groups, specifically the Jenin Battalion, a militia said to be directed and funded by the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Most of the commanders of the Jenin Battalion had fled the Jenin Refugee Camp shortly before the start of the large-scale Israeli security operation.
“We swear to God to protect the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the soil of the camp,” some of the young men chanted, pledging to “follow in the path of the martyrs.”
“We taught them an unforgivable lesson,” said 23-year-old Ahmed Rashid, referring to the Israeli soldiers. “They were forced to pull out less than two days after the invasion because they failed to achieve most of their goals. Thank God, most of the fighters have not been harmed.”
Palestinian sources said 12 Palestinians were killed and at least 120 injured, 30 of them seriously, during the Israeli operation. Almost all those killed were identified as gunmen.
Shortly after the Israeli withdrawal, dozens of Palestinians attacked the local headquarters of the Palestinian security forces in Jenin with stones and explosive devices. The protesters accused the Palestinian security forces of “hiding” during the Israeli operation and failing to “defend” the Palestinians against the “aggression.” No one was hurt as Palestinian security officers responded with tear-gas to disperse the assailants.
The attack on the PA headquarters was not the first of its kind. On a number of occasions over the past two years, gunmen have opened fire at the compound, largely in response to the arrest of some of their friends by the Palestinian security forces.
In the past 48 hours, several Palestinians took to social media to voice outrage against the PA and its security forces for their alleged “collusion” with Israel.
Some pointed out that, according to reports in the Israeli media, Israel notified the PA in advance of its intention to launch a massive operation against terrorists in the Jenin Refugee Camp. They said this was proof of the ongoing “collaboration” between Israel and the PA.
On Monday night, the PA leadership, after holding an emergency meeting in Ramallah, decided to halt all contacts and meetings with Israel, as well as security coordination between the two sides.
“No one believes the Palestinian leadership,” said Murad Awad, 28, a resident of the camp. “They did nothing to help the people during the [Israeli] invasion. They ordered the [Palestinian] security forces to stay away. We didn’t see one security officer on the streets. This proves that the security coordination has not been suspended.”
A senior Palestinian security official dismissed the charges as “lies.” He claimed that the security coordination, which was suspended earlier this year after an Israeli security raid on Jenin, has not been resumed since then. He pointed out that at least 23 members of the Palestinian security forces have been killed by the Israeli army over the past few months in different parts of the West Bank.
“The main goal of the operation was to end the phenomenon of resistance in Jenin,” said Mu’taz Khalil, a 35-year-old political activist from Nablus. “But it’s clear that this goal was not achieved. There are hundreds of gunmen in the camp. This operation, on the other hand, showed that all the armed groups are united in the field. There is no difference between Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad when it comes to confronting the aggression.”
On Wednesday morning, Palestinian activists called on Palestinians to head to the Jenin Refugee Camp to help the local residents, especially those who left their homes and sought shelter in the city.
PIJ Secretary-General Ziyad al-Nakhaleh said in a statement after the Israeli pullout that “the Palestinian people scored a great victory by defeating the aggression against Jenin and its camp.”
Nakhaleh said that the “Jenin Battalion and its fighters bravely and heroically led this great victory, and the Palestinian people proved with their unity and rallying around the mujahideen (warriors) that they can defeat the enemy in every confrontation.”
The PIJ leader, who recently visited Tehran and met with Iranian leaders to discuss ways of increasing terror attacks in the West Bank, called for “national solidarity in order to strengthen the steadfastness of the Jenin camp so that it remains an inspiring address for revolution, defiance, jihad and resistance.”
After his visit to Iran, Nakhaleh revealed that his organization was arming terror groups in the West Bank, including those belonging to the ruling Fatah faction headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas also claimed “victory” after the Israeli withdrawal.
Message from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who is based in Qatar, said the Palestinian “resistance taught the enemy a harsh lesson and made it suffer heavy losses.”
In a statement early Wednesday, Haniyeh said that the coming days “will expose the size of the violent blow the resistance dealt to the enemy.” He added that “the resistance is the strategic choice of the Palestinians to respond to the aggression and expel the occupation from our Palestinian lands.”
Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, praised the Jenin camp and its “resistance and victory over the Zionist enemy army.” He added: “Jenin has once again defeated the occupation army. We announced from the beginning that the occupation will fail to achieve its goals. Jenin camp will remain a fortress of resistance and a thorn in the side of the occupation, and the revolution in the Arab West Bank will continue to escalate until the goals of our people are achieved.”