07/12/2023

The Palestinian Authority is Tested in Jenin

Some analysts say it's teetering on collapse

As hundreds of Israeli soldiers illegally stormed into the Jenin refugee camp last week, Akram Rajoub, Jenin’s governor, was on vacation.

He rushed back the next day, gathering his team of 60 Palestinian Authority security commanders: "Stay in your office; do not engage with the Israeli armed forces," he recalled telling them.

He feared a confrontation between his men and Israeli soldiers could make the Palestinian Authority a military target and further erode its influence in the Jenin camp, which has descended into lawlessness over the past several years — ruled by drug dealers and gun runners, and, more recently, by loosely organized Palestinian militias that have taken up arms against Israel.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Washington Post.