Khaled Abu Toameh
Jerusalem Post, Apr. 10, 2022
“Unlike other places in the West Bank, the Fatah activists in the Jenin area worked closely with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which continues to have a strong presence there, especially in the refugee camp. Hamas, on the other hand, was never known to have a strong following in the camp.”
Many Palestinians have long been proudly referring to Jenin as “the factory of men and the lion’s den” because of its role in the “armed resistance” against Israel, especially since the beginning of the First Intifada in 1987.
Then, the city and its surrounding villages and towns saw the emergence of various armed groups, most of which were affiliated with the ruling Fatah faction.
The most notorious group was the Black Panther, whose members were mostly based in the town of Kabatiya and the villages of Arrabe, Kafr Rai and Silat al-Harithiya, as well as the Jenin refugee camp.
The Black Panther gunmen were responsible for a series of attacks against soldiers and settlers. Additionally, they took it upon themselves to murder Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel.
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