July 2024 West Bank unrest

Last updated

July 2024 West Bank unrest
Part of the Palestinian Authority–West Bank militias conflict and the West Bank spillover of the Israel-Hamas war
Date26–31 July 2024
Location
West Bank, Palestine
Caused by
Methods
  • Marches
  • Rioting
  • Armed fighting
Resulted inInconclusive outcome
  • End of large-scale unrest
  • Relations between the PA and West Bank militants remain hostile
Parties

Flag of Palestine.svg Anti-PA groups:

Supported by:
Casualties
InjuriesUnknown
ArrestedAt least 3

In late July 2024, a significant escalation of violence [2] between the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian militants and protesters erupted in various areas in the West Bank. The unrest began after the Tulkarm confrontations, in which Palestinian Authority security forces encircled the Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm, West Bank, on 26 July and allegedly attempted to arrest the militant leader Abu Shujaa, who was hospitalized inside. [3]

Contents

Background

The Palestinian Authority, which sometimes coordinates security with Israel, [4] is deeply unpopular among most Palestinians, [5] [6] who largely view it as ineffective and subjugated to the Israeli occupation [7] [8] and instead lend more support to the various militias present in each West Bank city. [9] [10] As a result, there has been an armed conflict between the Palestinian Authority and West Bank militias since 2022, with earlier sporadic clashes occurring before the escalation in July 2024.

The escalation took place amidst the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war and the related Israeli incursions into the West Bank.

Unrest

26 July

Mohammed Jaber aka "Abu Shujaa", the leader of the Tulkarm Brigade, was hospitalized at the Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm on 26 July after being injured by an explosive device. [11] [12] Palestinian Authority security forces arrived at the hospital and encircled it after learning of Abu Shujaa's hospitalization, leading to armed clashes between the Tulkarm Brigade and the security forces in the area. [12] The Brigade and other Palestinian militias declared a state of high alert, and targeted the local headquarters of the security forces with heavy gunfire. [3]

The Tulkarm Brigade, together with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, issued statements calling for the local population to mobilize and head to the hospital to lift the siege and prevent the arrest of Abu Shujaa. [3] [12] [13] A large crowd of Palestinian civilians arrived at the hospital in response, determined to obstruct the arrest operation. [3] [14] The Palestine Chronicle published a video from inside the hospital showing protestors confronting security forces, which reportedly deployed tear gas and fired on them, resulting in several wounded. [15] Ultimately, the security forces withdrew from the hospital, and the crowd retrieved Abu Shujaa and escorted him to the Nour Shams refugee camp in Tulkarm. [3]

The Jenin Brigades issued a statement condemning and threatening the security forces, stating "if anyone attacks us, we will attack them in kind". [16] Gunmen from the Brigades attacked the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Jenin. [17] [18] [19]

Hours after the end of the alleged siege in Tulkarm, security forces in Tubas attempted to detain a member of the Tubas Brigade, and shot at him. They detained the militant's brother, who was released after an hour. The Tubas Brigade condemned this as an "assassination attempt" and referred to the security forces as puppets of the Shin Bet. [20]

Later that day, a crowd of young protestors blocked roads in Tubas and began clashing with security forces, chanting slogans against them. The Tubas Brigade targeted the local headquarters of the security forces with gunfire. [20]

A protest march also broke out in Bethlehem against the Palestinian Authority's actions in Tulkarm. [2] [20] Protestors clashed with security forces and set fire to the gates of their local headquarters. [20]

28 July

In Bethlehem, it was reported that the security forces beat and arrested a boy who was protesting. [21]

29 July

After the security forces arrested the militant Tariq Balidi, the Tulkarm Brigade demanded that he be released by 10 PM, and accused the Palestinian Authority of wanting to start a civil war. Demonstrations began at the entrance to the Tulkarm refugee camp. [22] After the deadline passed, the Brigade targeted the government headquarters in Tulkarm with explosives. [23]

30 July

Clashes continued between protestors and security forces in Bethlehem. The security forces stormed various homes of local Fatah members as well as those of unidentified "gunmen" in the city, resulting in exchanges of fire. Bethlehemi politicians belonging to Fatah, which is the party that controls the Palestinian Authority, threatened to resign en masse in protest over the actions of the security forces.

There was also infighting within the security forces, with several personnel arrested, a move sharply criticized by the local Fatah politicians. Also, dozens of Fatah-aligned gunmen who apparently defected from the security forces appeared on the streets of Bethlehem and were seen shooting wildly into the air. These gunmen, who began clashing with security forces, threatened Fatah politicians and demanded their resignations. [24]

31 July

Clashes with security forces erupted in Jenin and Nablus. In Bethlehem, security forces attempted to arrest militants and were met with protests outside their local headquarters. [8]

Aftermath

By August, the unrest had been "contained", according to Tulkarm officials. [17]

On 3 August, a political committee in Hebron associated with the security forces was reported to have published a declaration condemning West Bank militants and warning that continued animosity towards the Palestinian Authority could result in a violent internal conflict similar to the 2007 Battle of Gaza between Fatah and Hamas. [25]

On 15 August, Hamas condemned the Palestinian Authority for constantly targeting militants, confiscating weapons, dismantling explosives, and interfering with ambushes during Israeli incursions. [26] [27]

Other sporadic clashes between militants and security forces have broken out since August.

Related Research Articles

Note: This compilation includes only those attacks that resulted in casualties. Attacks which did not kill or wound are not included.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palestinian National Security Forces</span> PNA paramilitary security forces

The Palestinian National Security Forces are the paramilitary security forces of the Palestinian National Authority. The name may either refer to all National Security Forces, including some special services but not including the Interior Security Forces, the Presidential Guard and General Intelligence, or refer to the main force within the National Security Forces. Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, these forces operate in areas controlled by the PNA. In 2003, the organizations were merged into the Palestinian Security Services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades</span> Coalition of Palestinian militant groups

The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are a Fatah-aligned coalition of Palestinian armed groups in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital</span> Hospital in Tulkarm, West Bank, Palestine

Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital or Tulkarm Governmental Hospital is a government hospital in Tulkarm, West Bank, Palestine. It is under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It was built in 2004 and has 158 medical beds. It employs 317 staff, including a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physiotherapist, laboratory technician, radiologist and others.

The Jenin Brigades, or Jenin Battalion, is a Palestinian militant group in the West Bank. It was founded in Jenin in 2021 by Jamil Al-Amouri, a militant of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). The organization is based in the Jenin refugee camp in the North of the West Bank. Like most other West Bank militias, the Jenin Brigades are an umbrella formation affiliated with PIJ, Hamas, and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli incursions in the West Bank (2023–present)</span> Series of Israeli military engagements in the occupied West Bank

During the Israel–Hamas war, Israeli forces have carried out multiple ground incursions, occasionally accompanied by airstrikes, into several Palestinian cities and refugee camps in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including Jenin and Tulkarm. The Israeli incursions have led to clashes with Palestinian militants. Over 600 West Bank Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the conflict began, including 75 children. The United Nations recorded more than 800 Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians between October 2023 and May 2024. Israel has arrested an estimated 10,000 West Bank Palestinians between 7 October 2023 and August 2024. On 15 December, Doctors Without Borders reported 2023 was the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank in recorded history.

Jihad Maharaj Ibrahim Abdul Wahab Shehadeh was a Palestinian military commander and co-founder of the Tulkarm Battalion. He was one of Israel's most wanted, as he was accused of directing and carrying out a series of shootings at IDF forces at Israeli military checkpoints.

Events in the year 2024 in Palestine.

Amir Imad Amin Abu Khadijeh was a Palestinian militant and former leader of the Tulkarm Brigade. He was from the city of Tulkarm. According to Israeli sources, Khadijeh, who was involved in multiple shooting incidents towards civilians in the area and security forces operating at the Tanim checkpoint, was located and targeted by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), Border Police Anti-Terrorism units, following intelligence gathered by the Shin Bet. The operation took place in a village near Tulkarm. As the forces surrounded the house where Abu Khadijeh was hiding, he attempted to shoot at undercover Border Police officers from a window but was shot and wounded. The forces entered the apartment, and Abu Khadijeh, attempting to shoot again, was killed.

The Tulkarm Brigade or Tulkarm Battalion is a Palestinian militant group in the West Bank which is affiliated with various Palestinian political factions. The Tulkarm Brigade appeared first in March 2022 in the Palestinian city of Tulkarm in the West Bank, and is based in the city of Tulkarm and its camps. The battalion was established in late 2021 as a group for the Al-Quds Brigades, although it became independent in March 2022 with its founder Saif Abu Labdeh. Many fighters from Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades joined this group, and in early 2023 many Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members joined the battalion under the name "Rapid Response Group" founded by Amir Abu Khadijeh.

On 26 July 2024, the security forces of the Palestinian Authority encircled the Martyr Dr. Thabet Thabet Governmental Hospital in Tulkarm, West Bank, allegedly attempting to arrest Abu Shujaa, the leader of the Tulkarm Brigade who was hospitalized inside. Clashes between the security forces and West Bank militias broke out in Tulkarm as a crowd of Palestinian civilians arrived at the hospital aiming to break the alleged siege, marking a significant escalation of the typically more muted conflict between the Palestinian Authority and local militant groups. The confrontations, which sparked further unrest across the West Bank, took place amidst the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and its spillover into the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Israeli incursions in Tulkarm</span> Periodic military invasions into West Bank territory

The Israeli incursions in Tulkarm are a series of ongoing Israeli military invasions and operations on the West Bank city of Tulkarm and the city's two camps in 2023 and 2024, in part due to the city being the stronghold of the Tulkarm Brigade. The invasions of the city took place before and during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel that erupted on October 7, 2023. The Israeli invasion of Tulkarm was met with Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and international condemnation. One of the largest incursions occurred on October 19, 2023, which lasted for about thirty continuous hours, leaving thirteen Palestinians dead and more than thirty wounded, as well as causing extensive destruction to homes, streets and infrastructure. The incursion on January 3, 2024, which lasted for about 40 hours, was also significant. Additional prominent incursion include the incursion on January 17, 2024, which lasted for about 45 continuous hours, leaving eight Palestinians dead and causing massive destruction, while the incursion of April 18, 2024 lasted for more than 60 continuous hours, leaving a large number of Palestinian citizens dead and causing immense destruction. The continuous incursion on Tulkarm represented the largest, longest, most extensive, and most destructive invasions on the West Bank since the Second Intifada.

Alaa Adeeb Abdel-Jabbar Shreiteh was a Palestinian militant. Born and raised in Tulkarm, he was the head of the Al-Qassam Brigades in the West Bank until his death. Having been imprisoned by Israel for 14 years until his release in 2016, he led the planning of several Palestinian offensive operations against Israeli forces during the Israel–Hamas war, one of the most notable being the attack on Route 557 in the Tulkarm Governorate, which caused several Israeli casualties and was the first recorded Palestinian operation in the West Bank in 20 years, leading to him becoming one of Israel's most wanted until his death in a gunfight in an Israeli raid on Deir al-Ghusun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Israeli military operation in the West Bank</span>

Since 28 August 2024, Israel has launched a large-scale military operation in the occupied West Bank.

Mohammed Samer Mahmoud Jaber, better known by his nom de guerreAbu Shujaa, was a Palestinian militant from the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A popular and well-known figure among many Palestinians, he served as the leader of the Tulkarm Brigade from April 2022 until he was killed in an IDF raid in August 2024.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, various local Palestinian militias have been engaged in armed clashes with the Palestinian Authority (PA), the self-governing administration of the region's Palestinian enclaves. The conflict is a result of the widespread unpopularity of the PA among Palestinians and the common perception that it is a collaborationist body subservient to Israel, the occupying power. In turn, the PA accuses militants of being "bandits" and agents of instability.

In October 2024, the National Security Forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA) began an operation against the Tubas Brigade, a Palestinian militia affiliated with Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the city of Tubas. The operation is part of the ongoing inter-Palestinian conflict between the PA and local militias in the Israeli-occupied West Bank that began in 2022 and escalated during the Israel-Hamas war (2023–present) and its spillover into the region.

Palestinian internal political violence has existed throughout the course of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, notwithstanding the fact that the vast majority of Palestinian political violence has been directed against Israeli targets. Some analysts have referred to this type of violence as "intrafada", a play on "intifada".

A variety of local Palestinian militias have been formed in the West Bank to fight against Israel, which has occupied the region since 1967. These militias have taken on primarily defensive roles, engaging the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during its raids into the West Bank's Palestinian enclaves, while also occasionally conducting offensive operations against Israeli military outposts, checkpoints, and settlers.

On 5 December 2024, the Palestinian National Security Forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA) began a large-scale operation into the West Bank city of Jenin against the Jenin Brigades, a local Palestinian militia. The PA has called it "Operation Protect the Homeland" and says it was launched in order to "eradicate sedition and chaos" in the West Bank, portraying militants as agents of instability that are indirectly aiding the Israeli far-right, which has sought to weaken the PA.

References

  1. ↑ "Palestinian crowd stops PA security forces' arrest of Tulkarm Battalion commander". 27 July 2024.
  2. 1 2 "اشتباكات بين مسلحين وأجهزة أمن السلطة الفلسطينية في الضفة الغربية .. بذور حرب أهلية؟". مونت كارلو الدولية / MCD (in Arabic). 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Palestinian crowd stops PA security forces' arrest of Tulkarm Battalion commander". Middle East Monitor. 27 July 2024.
  4. ↑ "Palestinian security force kills Islamic Jihad gunman in rare internal clash". The Times of Israel. 2 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Ackerman, Daniel (2024-03-06). "10 Things to Know About the Palestinian Authority". FDD. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  6. ↑ "The Palestinian Authority is promising change. Many Palestinians say it's not enough". NPR. 28 February 2024.
  7. ↑ "Who Governs the Palestinians? | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  8. 1 2 "ثورة الضفة تعلن موت السلطة" (in Arabic). 2024-07-31. Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  9. ↑ "Poll: 72% of Palestinians support terror groups like Lions' Den". JNS. 2022-12-14.
  10. ↑ "The Resurgence of Armed Groups in the West Bank and Their Connections to Gaza". ACLED. 2023-12-14. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  11. ↑ "Tulkarm Governor clarifies incident between Palestinian security forces and resistance". Roya News. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  12. 1 2 3 "Palestinian security forces surround brigades at Tulkarm hospital". Roya News. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  13. ↑ "شاهد.. استقبال حافل "لأبو شجاع" بعد فك الحصار عنه". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-07-31.
  14. ↑ "Hamas: PA apparatus behavior in pursuing resisters has reached its most dangerous stage". www.saba.ye. 2024-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  15. ↑ admin (2024-07-26). "In Dramatic Scene - Palestinians Free Fighter Besieged by PA Police in West Bank (VIDEOS)". Palestine Chronicle. Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  16. ↑ "Palestinian fighters threaten PA security services after Tulkarm hospital incident". The New Arab. 27 July 2024.
  17. 1 2 Adler, Jonathan (2024-08-14). "In Jenin and Tulkarem, Israel's war on Palestinian armed resistance is failing". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 2024-08-16.
  18. ↑ "بعد محاصرته من الأجهزة الأمنية.. أهالي طولكرم يحررون القيادي أبو شجاع". Al Araby. 26 July 2024.
  19. ↑ Khoury, Jack (26 July 2024). "Palestinian Authority Fails to Arrest Top Islamic Jihad Official in West Bank". Haaretz.
  20. 1 2 3 4 "آخرهم أبو شجاع.. قصص السلطة مع مقاومين تطاردهم إسرائيل". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 2024-07-28.
  21. ↑ "أمن السلطة يقمع مسيرة ببيت لحم ضد ملاحقة مقاومي الضفة" (in Arabic). 2024-07-28. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  22. ↑ "شبكة قدس الإخبارية | كتيبة طولكرم تمهل السلطة الفلسطينية للإفراج عن أحد مقاوميها". موقع نبض. Retrieved 2024-07-29.
  23. ↑ "إلقاء قنابل محلية الصنع تجاه مقر المقاطعة في طولكرم؛ بعد انتهاء مهلة كتيبة مخيم طولكرم للسلطة الفلسطينية بالإفراج عن المطارد طارق البليدي عقب اعتقاله والاستيلاء على سلاحه". Mourasel News. 29 July 2024.
  24. ↑ "اشتباكات عنيفة بين فتح بيت لحم وأمن السلطة والإقليم يهدد بالاستقالة" (in Arabic). 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-07-30.
  25. ↑ "تحريض ودعوة للحرب الأهلية.. هيئة التوجيه في الخليل تدعو عناصر الأمن لقتل المقاومين" (in Arabic). 2024-08-03. Retrieved 2024-08-04.
  26. ↑ "Hamas blasts PA for blocking attack on Israeli troops in West Bank". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  27. ↑ Pacchiani, Gianluca (15 August 2024). "Hamas blasts PA after its forces allegedly detonated explosive device before it could blow up IDF troops in Jenin". The Times of Israel.
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