Udi Dekel
INSS Insight No. 1651, Oct. 19, 2022
“Not only are these young groups exacting a price by attacking Israeli soldiers and citizens, but they are also further weakening the Palestinian Authority and undermining its ability to impose law and order and stability in its territories.”
Recent activity in the Nablus area is tied to an association of terror elements, including dozens of armed activists that are not affiliated with Hamas, Fatah/al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, or Islamic Jihad. Most of their members are young Palestinians – some former members of Fatah, Tanzim, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad – and some are sons of fathers serving in the Palestinian Authority security apparatuses. Most of the shooting incidents in the West Bank in recent weeks are attributed to this group, which is the main element responsible for the escalating terror in the area. September saw more than 34 shooting incidents in the West Bank – the highest number for over a decade – and they included firing from afar at settlements, shooting at vehicles on the roads, shooting at IDF positions and bases, and above all, live fire clashes with IDF forces operating in Palestinian cities and villages.
Most of the organization’s activity is concentrated in the West Bank, although in at least one case a link was found with a terrorist who reached Jaffa, armed with an improvised weapon and explosive devices, and thanks to luck and alertness, was captured by the security forces before he could execute his plan.
The main motives driving the new organizational dynamic are developments on the ground – determined action by the IDF and the ISA in the northern West Bank in the framework of Operation Break the Wave; the weakness of the Palestinian Authority; and increasing internal struggles among the Palestinians as the day after Abbas approaches. These are compounded by the helplessness and lack of motivation on the part of the Palestinian security apparatuses to prevent attacks; the severe economic situation of young Palestinians who are not working in Israel; and the easy availability and wide distribution of weapons and ammunition.
The group has branded itself the Lion’s Den (Arin al-Usud) and has adopted new symbols – a black uniform, a logo representing two crossed M-16 rifles above the Dome of the Rock, and red lapel ribbons (to indicate that unlike the security apparatuses, their weapons are not directed toward their own people). Their openly declared purpose – “Following in the footsteps of the martyrs” – is to confront IDF forces operating in Palestinian cities and villages, disrupt the lives of the settlement residents and their access to Joseph’s Tomb for prayer, and arouse the Palestinian public to a broad popular uprising. … SOURCE
