West Bank Dispatch: PA reportedly receives arms shipment from US to combat Palestinian resistance
Key Developments (September 12-14)
Palestinians conducted a number of resistance operations across the occupied West Bank, ranging from using explosive devices to rocks and fireworks to target Israeli military and settler targets. Operations were reported in the areas of Bethlehem, Jenin, Salfit, Ramallah and Hebron, though not all actions were carried out by official resistance groups or “brigades”. In Tulkarem and Jericho, PIJ-affiliated brigades in the cities reported targeting Israeli forces with live fire and explosive devices. On the evening of Tuesday, September 12, Palestinian fighters allegedly opened fire on a vehicle carrying Israeli settlers in the town of Huwwara, reportedly injuring two settlers. According to Israeli media, the settlers were armed and got out of their vehicle to fire at the gunmen. In recent weeks, reports of Palestinians conducting operations targeting Israeli military and settler posts have been happening daily. Simultaneously, more “brigades”, or local militias, are being formed more frequently, indicating that despite Israel & the Palestinian Authority’s attempts to curb the growing wave of Palestinian armed resistance, the trend continues to proliferate across the West Bank.
The Palestinian Authority reportedly received a shipment of armored vehicles and weapons from the U.S. government as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to aid joint Israeli-Palestinian Authority efforts to quash Palestinian resistance. The Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper released a report Tuesday saying that the PA had received a shipment from the U.S., facilitated by Jordan, that will go to several branches of the PA Security Forces (PASF). The newspaper added that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had reportedly directed his security chiefs to strike Palestinian resistance groups in the northern West Bank with “an iron fist.” PA forces have been ramping up their arrest campaigns targeting Palestinian resistance groups in recent months. The PA has, in recent months, jailed dozens of Palestinian fighters, along with political dissidents, activists, journalists, and university students. Some fighters have accepted clemency and handed over their weapons willingly, but in areas like Jenin, where armed resistance groups maintain a stronghold, the PA is still struggling to “take back control” of the city, and its power in the area.
Israeli forces detained at least 38 Palestinians over three days across the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza. According to local reports, Israeli forces conducted raids across the occupied Palestinian territory, including a number of Palestinians who were arrested near the border fence with Gaza, where six Palestinians were killed on Wednesday after an explosive device was reportedly preemptively detonated as protesters attempted to place it near the border fence. Of the 38 Palestinians arrested, at least 18 were from the Bethlehem area.
Important Figures:
- Israel has killed at least 234 Palestinians since the start of the year.
- 5,100 Palestinian political prisoners are currently being held in Israeli jails, including 1,200 administrative detainees.