Khaled Abu Toameh
Jerusalem Post, June 19, 2023
“A fierce and open political, security and economic war is being waged against our people. We are in the midst of a comprehensive battle on all fronts that requires the unity of our people in the face of this aggression.”
Monday’s fighting between IDF soldiers and Palestinian gunmen in Jenin is seen by Palestinians as a sign of the Israeli military’s “weakness” in confronting the armed groups that have emerged in the northern West Bank over the past 18 months.
The clashes, which lasted for more than eight hours and resulted in seven soldiers wounded and five Palestinians dead, are also seen to be an indication of the Palestinian armed groups’ success in upgrading and developing their military capabilities and warfare tactics.
These groups seem to have gained a lot of experience as a result of almost daily clashes with Israeli security forces.
A Palestinian security source on Monday put the number of gunmen in Jenin and other parts of the northern West Bank, including Nablus, at more than 1,500.
Scenes of Palestinians celebrating with parts of IDF armored vehicles damaged by explosive devices and Apache helicopters hovering over Jenin are likely to boost the popularity of the armed groups, most of which are affiliated with Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
These images create the impression that the Israeli counterterrorism operation, which began several months ago, has failed to eradicate the armed groups. They also create the impression that certain parts of the West Bank, particularly Jenin, are beginning to resemble the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, where the IDF faced similar tactics by Palestinian terror groups and Hezbollah.
Defiant Hamas and PIJ officials expressed satisfaction with the way the gunmen in Jenin engaged the soldiers. They claimed that dozens of gunmen belonging to various groups took part in the fighting.
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