The West Bank’s crucial moment: Israel’s gamble and the PA’s betrayal
Israeli occupation forces in the town of Ya’bad, south of Jenin
Ramzy Baroud writes in The Palestine Chronicle on 22 January 2025:
The Israeli army continued its onslaught on the Jenin refugee camp, a military campaign that began almost immediately after a Gaza ceasefire was announced.
Though the epicenter of the campaign remains in Jenin, where many Palestinians have been killed or wounded, major West Bank cities have also been raided.
Israeli raids have reached numerous villages and refugee camps, leading to the arrest of many Palestinians.
The Palestinian Authority (PA), which has long acted as a supposed vanguard of Palestinian rights, is actively participating in the Israeli campaign. In fact, the PA was involved in pacifying the Resistance in Jenin and other West Bank areas prior to Israeli attacks, seemingly setting the stage for a larger Israeli military crackdown.
PA Role
The irony is that the PA named its operation in Jenin, which extended from December 5 to January 21, “Protecting the Homeland.” Yet, the operation merely tried to pacify the “homeland,” making it easier for the Israeli military mission to follow through.
The degree of PA violence against Palestinians in the West Bank is increasingly comparable to Israeli violence, further cementing the claim that the PA is, in fact, a tool of control used by the Israeli occupation against Palestinians.