Rise in tension and Palestinian reactions to the Israeli security force counterterrorism activities in the Jenin refugee camp

Overview

• On the morning of January 26, 2023 Israeli security forces entered the Jenin refugee camp to detain wanted Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operatives who had been involved in shooting at Israeli soldiers and who planned to carry out a showcase terrorist attack in the near future. During the activity the forces were attacked by massive gunfire, and returned fire. Nine Palestinians were killed, three of them PIJ terrorist operatives; a fourth died two days later. Two were al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (AAMB) operatives, one of whom was a Palestinian policeman.
• The events in Jenin received extensive Palestinian and global media coverage, especially in the Arab-Muslim countries. Most of the coverage referred to the Israeli activity as a “slaughter.” A general strike was declared in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, and Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day period of mourning, ordering the flags lowered to half-mast. Palestinians burned tires along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
• On January 27, 2023, the PIJ fired five rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip. No casualties or damage were reported. In response to the rocket fire IDF aircraft attacked a number of Hamas terrorist sites. Hamas claimed its military wing fired anti-aircraft missiles at the planes.
• The number of Palestinian casualties was unusually high. A high-ranking IDF officer stated that the number was caused by the level of the threat against the forces on the ground and not the result of a change in IDF policy.

The Events in the Jenin Refugee Camp

The Israeli security forces’ activity

• On the morning of January 26, 2023, Israeli security forces entered the Jenin refugee camp to detain wanted PIJ terrorist operatives who had been involved in shooting at IDF forces and were planning a showcase terrorist attack for the near future. Eye witnesses reported the forces entered the refugee camp in a food-delivery truck (IDF spokesman and the Israeli media, January 26, 2023).

   
Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces in the Jenin refugee camp
(al-Mayadeen TV and Palinfo, January 26, 2023).

•   The forces arrived at the building where the terrorists were hiding. As they surrounded it two of the wanted Palestinians escaped. The forces entered the building to detonate the IEDs stockpiled by the terrorists. They also attempted to detain three wanted Palestinians, who opened fire on them. Nine Palestinians, one of them a woman, were killed during the riots and exchanges of fire. Another Palestinian was wounded and died two days later. Most of the fatalities were PIJ terrorist operatives, one a policeman who was also an AAMB terrorist operative. A high-ranking IDF officer said the number of Palestinian fatalities was linked to the level of threat facing the IDF forces and not due a change in IDF policy for using force (IDF spokesman and the Israeli media, January 26, 2023).

     
The building in the Jenin refugee camp where the terrorists were hiding
(Wafa, January 26, 2023).

• The military-terrorist wings of Hamas, the PIJ and Fatah issued statements claiming their operatives had engaged in heavy exchanges of fire and had thrown IEDs at the IDF force that covertly entered the refugee camp.
• The ministry of health in Ramallah reported nine fatalities, one of them a woman, and dozens of wounded in the activity of the Israeli security forces in the Jenin refugee camp. The ministry claimed that an examination of the wounds indicated the objective of the Israeli security forces had been to kill (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook page, January 26, 2023; see Appendix A). Hamas issued a mourning notice for the Palestinians killed in Jenin and a-Ram, claiming that the response would be in accordance with the “extent of the crime” (Hamas website, January 26, 2023).
•  In the evening the ministry of health in Ramallah reported the death of another Palestinian from the town of a-Ram in east Jerusalem, who had been critically wounded in the riots that broke out between Palestinians and the Israeli security forces near the town. On January 29, 2023, the death of another Palestinian from the Jenin refugee camp was reported.

Responses on the ground

Overview

• The events in the Jenin refugee camp were extensively covered by the Palestinian Authority (PA), Hamas, PIJ, Palestinian and Arab media. Many referred to the events as a “slaughter.” A general strike was declared in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day period of mourning and ordered the flags lowered to half-mast “in memory of the nine shaheeds” (Wafa, January 26, 2023). Riots broke out between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in a number of locations, including al-Bireh, the northern entrances to Bethlehem and Jericho. Palestinians threw rocks at the forces and blocked the roads with burning tires (Wafa, January 26, 2023).  

   
Right: Violence in al-Bireh. Left: Violence at the northern entrance to Jericho
(Wafa, January 26, 2023).

   
Violence at the northern entrance to Bethlehem (Wafa, January 26, 2023).

   
General strike in the Ramallah (right) and the Tulkarm districts (left) (Wafa, January 26, 2023).

• Dozens of Palestinians burned tires near the border security fence in the Gaza Strip to protest the events in Jenin. According to “demonstrators” who participated, they burned tires to send Israel the message that the Gaza Strip would not abandon Jenin (al-Jazeera Mubasher TV website and the al-Ghad TV website, January 26, 2023).

   
Tires burn near the border security fence in the Gaza Strip (Paltoday, January 26, 2023).

• In response to the events in Jenin five rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. The leaderships of the various terrorist organizations in Gaza condemned the killing of the “activists” and called for the continuation and escalation of the “resistance” [terrorist attacks against Israel]. International sources, including in the United States, the UN and the Arab-Muslim states, condemned the events and called for both sides to restore calm (see Appendix B),

PA responses to events

• On the evening of January 26, 2023, the Palestinian leadership met for an emergency meeting chaired by Mahmoud Abbas to discuss the implications and consequences of the activity in Jenin. At a press conference held after the meeting; Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, read an announcement at a press conference held at the PA general commission for radio and television in Ramallah. According to the announcement, the Palestinian leadership had decided to end security coordination with Israel, appeal immediately to the UN Security Council to implement its resolutions regarding international protection for the Palestinians as stated in Paragraph 7 [sic]^[1] of UN Refugee Commission Resolution 45/73, stop Israel’s unilateral actions, issue an urgent appeal to the ICC to add the “Jenin slaughter” file to files previously presented, call for the immediate appointment of an international commission of the Human Rights Council to investigate the incident and turn over its findings regarding Israel’s responsibility for the events to the ICC and the Security Council, complete the PA’s acceptance into all UN and other international organizations, and carry out activity on the Arab, Islamic and international fronts [propaganda campaigns] to  support the Palestinian position (Wafa, January 26,

• As for ending security coordination with Israel, it was not the first Palestinian announcement on the subject. The most recent announcement came in May 2020 following the American “deal of the century,” which gave Israel sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. After six months during which security coordination was suspended, in November 2020 the PA announced security coordination was renewed. During those six months security coordination existed unofficially.
• Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, welcomed the announcement and called for national unity and the implementation of all political and legal measures. He claimed Hamas had never left the confrontation and “resistance to the occupation” [violence and terrorist attacks against Israel], led by the “armed resistance” [terrorist organizations]. He said the “resistance’s finger was on the trigger” and that all “legitimate” [sic] means should be used to put the Palestinian cause on the global agenda. He also claimed a campaign against Israel was not revenge but rather “justified resistance” [sic] (Shehab, January 26, 2023).
• PIJ leader Khaled al-Batash congratulated the PA on its stand to end security coordination with Israel and said they wanted it to be a new, genuine measure, after which all the “political prisoners” of the PIJ, Hamas and the other organizations would be released (Safa, January 27, 2023).
• Barbara Leaf, the American Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, in a telephone briefing to the media in advance of the visit of Anthony Blinken to the region, said the PA’s decision to end security coordination with Israel was not the correct move at the present time. She also expressed sorrow for the civilian casualties and said the United States called for the escalation to end (Reuters, January 26, 2023).

UN Security Council session

• Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian delegate to the UN, announced that the UN Security Council would hold a session behind closed doors to discuss what he called “Israel’s escalation against the Palestinian people, as it occurred in Jenin” (Wafa, January 26, 2023). Interviewed by the Voice of Palestine Radio, he said Mahmoud Abbas had instructed him to prepare a memorandum of understandings regarding “Israeli escalation,” adding that the PA had contacted the UAE, which represents the Arabs in the Security Council, to formally ask for a Council session on behalf of the Palestinians, and that so far China also supported the request.
• Following the events in Jenin and the Palestinian request, the UAE, China and France called for an immediate Security Council session behind closed doors to discuss the “recent developments in Jenin.” The UAE also wanted to hear an evaluation from the UN envoy to the Middle East, Tor Wennesland (UAE delegation to the UN, January 25, 2023).

Rocket fire from the Gaza Strip

• After the events in Jenin and given concern over a possible reaction from the Gaza Strip, according to reports Egypt held direct contacts with the head of the organizations in the Gaza Strip and simultaneously with the Israeli leadership to prevent a further escalation. According to reports, pressure was exerted on the PIJ not to fire rockets at Israel (Sada News, January 26, 2023).
• Despite Egyptian efforts, on the night of January 27, 2023, five rockets were fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip. Three were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system, one fell in an open area and one in the Gaza Strip.
• At around midnight two rockets were fired and sirens were sounded in the coastal city of Ashqelon and two kibbutzim, Zikim and Carmia. The rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No casualties or damage were reported.
• In response to the rocket fire IDF aircraft attacked terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip, including an underground site for the manufacture of rockets and a Hamas military-terrorist base designated by the IDF as one of the organization’s most important terrorist centers (IDF spokesman, January 27, 2023). The Palestinian media reported the Israeli Air Force had attacked a number of posts belonging to Hamas military wing, including one east of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip, one in the eastern part of Gaza City and one in the al-Maghazi refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. No Palestinian casualties were reported, but the attack on the al-Maghazi refugee camp damaged the central Gaza Strip’s power grid (Safa, January 27, 2023).
• The Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, claimed it had fired anti-aircraft missiles at the IDF planes which attacked the Gaza Strip (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades Telegram channel, January 27, 2023). Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem stated the “resistance” [terrorist organizations] would continue to meet its obligation to “defend the Palestinian people, and Palestinians have the right to use every means at their disposal to defend themselves” (Shehab, January 27, 2023).

     
Right: Attack on the Hamas Karish post in the western part of Gaza City (Twitter account of photojournalist Hassan Aslih, January 27, 2023). Left: Israeli Air Force attacks the Gaza Strip (Wafa, January 27, 2023).

   
Right: The Hamas military-terrorist complex attacked in the northern Gaza Strip. Left: The Hamas military-terrorist facility for the manufacture of rockets located in the midst of residential buildings of uninvolved civilians (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, January 27, 2023).

• A few minutes after the attack at 3:30 in the morning, three additional rocket launches from the Gaza Strip were identified. One rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system, another fell in an open area and the third fell inside the Gaza Strip, No casualties or damage were reported.

• On January 27, 2023, the PIJ organized marches in the Gaza Strip in support of Jenin, during which the organization’s leadership said its Jerusalem Brigades were responsible for the rocket fire attacking Israel. PIJ leader Khaled al-Batash, who attended the march in the northern Gaza Strip, said the PIJ’s military wing had responded to the “slaughter” in Jenin by firing rockets at Israel, while Hamas’ military-terrorist had fired anti-aircraft missiles at the Israeli planes attacking sites in the Gaza Strip. He claimed the attacks demonstrated the “unity of the arenas” in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, as had been determined in Operation Breaking Dawn (PIJ website, January 27, 2023).
• PIJ figure Darwish al-Ghrabli, who attended the march in Khan Yunis, said Jenin, the Jenin Battalion and its “resistance” [terrorist operatives] would not be broken and the “sword of the Jerusalem Brigades” and the “resistance” [terrorist organizations] in the Gaza Strip would continue to be wielded in defense of the Palestinians in Jenin, Jerusalem and all the cities of the “occupied West Bank.” He added that Israel had to fully understand the message [rocket fire] sent by the Jerusalem Brigades on the night of January 26, 2023, because the “resistance” would not agree to the isolation of Palestinians in any location and would not hesitate to undertake a confrontation which would express the “unity of the fronts” (PIJ website, January 27, 2023).
• PIJ figure Khader Habib said that the marches held in support of Jenin were a warning to Israel that the Palestinians were running out of patience and the continuation of Israel’s “crimes” would burn the ground under its feet. He said that even if thousands of Palestinians were killed, they would continue to “resist” [attack] Israel, even hundreds of years from now, until the “occupation” disappeared (PIJ website, January 27, 2023).
•  PIJ spokesman Tareq Salami praised the rocket fire, saying the PIJ warned Israel (“the Zionist enemy”) the resistance would not hesitate to “struggle” [continue attacking]. He said the rockets were part of the same message and Israel had to know that Palestinian spilling blood was not without consequence, and Jenin and Jerusalem were receiving support. He also claimed the “unity of the Palestinian people and of the resistance” were a strong pillar, and Jerusalem, Jenin, Gaza, Nablus, Hebron, Safed, the Negev and Nazareth and all the “cities of Palestine” [sic] were one arena for activity and “struggle” (Jerusalem Brigades website, January 27, 2023).

   
PIJ marches in the Gaza Strip with the slogan “Jenin! The response is coming; the resistance is our path.” Right: March in the northern Gaza Strip (qudsnet.com, January 27, 2023). Left: Darwish al-Ghrabli in Khan Yunis (PIJ website, January 27, 2023).

     
Demonstrators step on pictures of Itamar Ben-Gvir Israel’s minister of national security, and of Defense Minister Yoav Galant, apparently in a march in the central Gaza Strip (PIJ website, January 27, 2023).

Appendix A

Palestinian fatalities in Jenin

• Ten Palestinians were killed in Jenin. An examination of their names revealed that four were PIJ terrorist operatives, two were AAMB terrorist operatives (one a Palestinian policeman), and two had used their Facebook pages to express solidarity with the shaheeds. The Palestinian killed in the riot in a-Ram was a Hamas terrorist operative (who was also claimed by Fatah):
  • Muhammad Ghanim, 28 years old, and his brother Nur Ghanim, 25 years old, from the village of Burqin, were both PIJ terrorist operatives who barricaded themselves in a building in the Jenin refugee camp and belonged to the Burqin squads of the Jenin Battalion (Jerusalem Brigades’ Jenin Battalion Telegram channel, January 26, 2023). Their father, Sami Muhammad Ghanim, is a colonel in the PA security services. He was imprisoned in Israel for five years and detained again on January 17, 2023, to exert pressure on his sons to surrender (al-Jazeera Mubasher TV website, January 227, 2023; the Facebook page of the Palestinian prisoners’ club in the PA Jerusalem district, January 26, 2023).

• Muhammad Mahmoud Sabah, 30 years old, was a PIJ terrorist operative, former prisoner and the brother of Yazen Sabah, who has been imprisoned since 2018 and is serving a term of seven years. (Facebook page of the Palestinian prisoners’ club in the PA Jenin district, January 26, 2023). He barricaded himself in the building in the Jenin refugee camp and was an operative in the Burqin squads of the Jerusalem Brigades’ Jenin Battalion (Jerusalem Brigades’ Jenin Battalion Telegram channel, January 26, 2023).

• Izz al-Din Yassin Salahat, 21 years old, from the Jenin refugee camp, was a policeman in the Palestinian police force in the Nablus district (Facebook page of the Palestinian police, January 26, 2023), and an AAMB operative in Jenin (AAMB Telegram channel, January 26, 2023). His father, Yassin Jumaa Salahat, was a soccer referee and a colonel in the “presidential guard,” where he was responsible for sports activities (Facebook page of Amr Ayasa of the “presidential guard, January 26, 2023; Facebook page of sports commentator Qusay Abu Sharkh, January 26, 2023; Facebook page of Yassin Salah, February 19, 2014).

    
Right: Izz al-Din Salahat in his police uniform, standing next to his father (Facebook page of Amr Ayasa of the “presidential guard, January 26, 2023). Left: Izz al-Din Salahat (Facebook page of his father, Yassin Salahat, January 27, 2023).

   
Right: Mourning notice issued by the Palestinian police force for the death of Izz al-Din Salahat (Facebook page of the Palestinian police, January 26, 2023). Left: Condolences sent to his father from the “presidential guard” (“presidential guard” Facebook page, January 26, 2023).

• Mu’tassem Abu al-Hassan, 40 years old, from Yamoun (al-Quds, January 26, 2023), a terrorist operative in the AAMB in Jenin (AAMB Telegram channel, January 26, 2023).

   
Right: Mourning notice issued by the AAMB for the deaths of Mu’tassem Abu al-Hassan and Izz al-Din Salahat (AAMB Telegram channel, January 26, 2023). Left: The body of Mu’tassem Abu al-Hassan wrapped for burial in an AAMB flag (Ahrar Jenin Telegram channel, January 26, 2023).

• Saeb Issam Mahmoud Zraiqi, 24 years old, was from Jenin (al-Quds, January 26, 2023). His Facebook page profile picture was of Jerusalem Brigades terrorist prisoner Sayid al-Tubasi and his brothers, Islam and Ahmed al-Tubasi, who died in Israeli security force targeted killings (Facebook page of Saeb Zraiqi, February 2, 2020). He posted memorials on the anniversaries of the al-Tubasi brothers’ detentions and deaths, as well as memorials for other shaheeds from Jenin.

    
Right: Saeb Zraiqi (Sabe Zraiqi’s Facebook page, October 27, 2022). Left The body of Saeb Zraiqi wrapped for burial in a Palestinian flag (Facebook page of his sister, Areej Zraiqi, January 27, 2023).

• Abdallah Marwan al-Ghoul, 18 years old, was from the Jenin refugee camp. According to his Facebook page he wanted to become a shaheed, writing, “We will fight to the death; either we will meet our dream or we will meet Allah” (Facebook page of Abdallah al-Ghoul, March 21, 2022). He also posted, “Wishing to die the death of a martyr [shahada] is not the result of despair with life, rather the desire for paradise” (Facebook page of Abdallah al-Ghoul, July 13, 2022).

• Wassim Amjad ‘Aref al-Jumas, 22 years old, was from the Jenin refugee camp (al-Quds, January 26,2023).

• Majda Ubeid, 61 years old, was from the Jenin refugee camp (al-Quds, January 26, 2023). Her daughters said she looked out the window and was wounded by the massive exchange of fire taking place at the time [and did not blame the IDF for her death] (Safa, January 28, 2023).

• On January 29, 2023, the ministry of health in Ramallah announced the death of Omar Tareq Ali al-Sa’adi, 24 years old, who was wounded in an exchange of fire in the Jenin refugee camp (Wafa, January 29, 2023). The PIJ claimed him as an operative in the Jerusalem Brigades’ Jenin Battalion (PIJ website, January 29, 2023).

  
Right: Omar Tareq Ali al-Sa’adi (Wafa, January 29, 2023). Left: Mourning notice issued by the PIJ and the Jerusalem Brigades for his death (Daffa_media Telegram channel, January 29, 2023).

• A Palestinian was killed in a-Ram during a Jenin-related clash with Israeli security forces. The ministry of health in Ramallah reported the death of Yusuf Yahya Abd al-Karim Muheisen, 22 years old (Wafa, January 26, 2023). Hamas and Fatah issued mourning notices for his death (Hamas website Telegram channel, January 26, 2023; Fatah branch in the PA Jerusalem district, January 26, 2023). Both organizations claimed him as an operative in their ranks. Hamas-affiliated news outlets reported his body was wrapped for burial in a Hamas flag and his forehead was adorned with an Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades headband (Palestine Online, January 27, 2023).

   
Right: Mourning notice issued by Hamas for the death of Yusuf Muheisen calling him one of its shaheeds (@ar2aan Twitter account, January 26, 2023). Left: Mourning notice issued by Fatah in a-Ram for the death of Yusuf Muheisen calling him one of its shaheeds (Facebook page of the Fatah branch in the PA Jerusalem district, January 26, 2023).

Appendix B

Palestinian statements and condemnations.

•   The events in Jenin received extensive media coverage. The PA, Hamas, the PIJ and the other organizations referred to them as a “slaughter.” The Palestinian and Arab media outlets referred to them in the same way. A general strike was declared in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem and Mahmoud Abbas declared a three-day mourning period, ordering the flags lowered to half-mast “in memory of the nine shaheeds.” Palestinians burned tires along the eastern Gaza Strip border and marches were held in support of Jenin.

   
Palestinians step on pictures of Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the minister of national security (palsawa Twitter account, January 27, 2023).

• Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, claimed that while the world slept Israel carried out a “slaughter” in Jenin. He claimed the Palestinian people were strong and would not give up Jerusalem and the holy sites, and the “crimes of the occupation” would not stop them (Wafa, January 26, 2023).
• PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called on the UN and all the international human rights organizations to intervene urgently to provide protection for the Palestinian and stop the “bloodshed” (Dunia al-Watan, January 26, 2023). He claimed the response to the events would be a united national stance of all the forces and organizations, and that such “aggression” would not deter the Palestinians from continuing their “legitimate struggle” [terrorist attacks] to achieve their rights, which were recognized by international legitimacy [sic]. He also said the events reminded him of the “aggression” the Jenin refugee camp was subject to in 2002 [Operation Defensive Shield] when there were “executions in the streets,” houses were demolished, the wounded were trapped inside their houses because medical services were [allegedly] prevented from reaching them and hospitals were shot at. He called on the Red Cross and all the international human rights organizations to take urgent action to make it possible for ambulances to evacuate the dead and wounded from besieged buildings (Wafa, January 26, 2023).
• The PA foreign ministry issued a harsh condemnation of the “bloody, barbaric invasion” on Jenin and its refugee camp, which “ignored all human values and principles.” It showed, according to the PA foreign ministry, the determination of Israel (“the occupation”) to escalate the situation in the arena of confrontation, threatening to completely explode it [sic] (PA foreign ministry website, January 26, 2023).
• Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, said more was happening in Judea and Samaria than what met the eye. The “strategy” of the “resistance” [terrorist] organizations was trending upward, he claimed, and the conflict with Israel was about to “explode” in Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip or Jerusalem (al-Jazeera TV, January 26, 2023).
• Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, claimed Israel (“the occupation”) would pay a price for the “slaughter” it had carried out in Jenin, and the response of the “resistance” [terrorist organizations] would not be long in coming. He added that Jenin, the West Bank and their people and “resistance” would never be broken, and “aggression” would only increase their strength and determination to challenge it. He called on the “resistance” to react and clash with Israel (“the occupation”) throughout the West Bank and on all the occupied lands, and called on the Palestinians for a broad conflict with the Israeli security forces (“occupation forces”) with all means at their disposal (Hamas website, January 26, 2023).
• Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua condemned “Israel’s aggression” and claimed the ongoing clashes in Jenin were proof of the escalation of the Palestinian revolution, which would not stop until Israel (“the occupation”) left the Palestinian territories and stopped its “crimes” (Dunia al-Watan, January 26, 2023).
• Palestinian political commentator Mustafa al-Sawaf, who has ties with the Hamas leadership, wrote that the cold-blooded “slaughter” in Jenin would not go without a response, and one was necessary that would “shake Israel to its foundations.” He claimed the suicide bombing attacks carried out in the past had “deterred the enemy,” adding that Israel should prepare itself for [Palestinian] revenge and a [fitting] response, because the statements made in the Gaza Strip hinted that the “resistance” fighters [terrorist operatives] had been given instructions to respond in every location (Shehab, January 26, 2023).
• PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah said in a statement that the “aggression” against the Palestinians in Jenin and the West Bank would not stop the “resistance,” whose “brave fighters” [terrorist operatives] would remain in the field in a state of continuous confrontation with the enemy. He added they would not be broken or retreat despite the “pain,” their flags would continue flying and their weapons were prepared to fight and defend the Palestinians and their “sacred objectives” (PIJ website, January 26, 2023).
• PIJ spokesman Tareq Salami claimed the “resistance” was everywhere and prepared for the coming confrontation, adding that the Palestinian people were a strong body in battle and the Jenin Battalion would lead it in “resistance and unity” (PIJ Telegram channel, January 26, 2023).

Foreign reactions

• The deaths of the Palestinians in Jenin were also condemned around the world. Ned Price, spokesman for the American Department of State, said that when Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah next week, he would stress the need for both sides to take measures to reduce the tension and end the cycle of violence, which took the lives of innocent victims (Sky News, January 26, 2023).
• Tor Wennesland, special UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, said he was concerned by the ongoing cycle of violence in the “occupied West Bank.” He said the death of the nine Palestinians, among them “activists [sic] and a woman,” during an Israeli detention activity in Jenin, was a terrible example. He called on the Israeli and Palestinian authorities to reduce tensions, restore calm and prevent further clashes, claiming the UN was in contact with both sides (Tor Wennesland’s Telegram channel, January 26, 2023).
• The Arab-Muslim world also condemned the events:
  • Egypt condemned the “assault” of IDF forces on the Jenin refugee camp and called for an immediate end to the “attacks” on the Palestinian cities, which threatened to make it impossible to control the security situation in Judea and Samaria. The Egyptian announcement added that such actions increased tension and the Palestinian people’s sense of injustice, and undermined efforts to renew the peace process (Facebook page of the Egyptian foreign ministry, January 26, 2023).
  • The Jordanian foreign ministry condemned Israel’s “ongoing invasions” of occupied Palestinian cities and the repeated attacks, the most recent of which was in Jenin. Sanan al-Majali, spokesman for the Jordanian foreign ministry, claimed “Israel’s military escalation” was liable to lead to an “explosion” which would have serious consequences. He added that violence begat only more violence and that Israel’s activity endangered regional security and stability, destroying the hope of peace (Jordanian foreign ministry Twitter account, January 26, 2023).
  • Qatar’s foreign ministry condemned “Israel’s harsh aggression” in Jenin, which had killed and wounded Palestinians. It claimed Israel’s “exemption from punishment” made it easy for it to continue committing “crimes against the Palestinian people.” The announcement added that international and humanitarian laws could not be obeyed in one place and violated in another (Telegram channel of Qatar’s foreign ministry, January 26, 2023).
  • The Turkish foreign ministry expressed “deep concern” over the increasing tension and loss of life in Judea and Samaria, and strongly condemned the aggression that led to the killing of [Palestinian] civilians. The ministry called on the Israeli authorities to take the steps necessary to prevent escalation (Turkish foreign ministry Twitter account, January 26, 2023).
  • Hezbollah condemned the “aggression” against the Jenin refugee camp, stating the organization strongly denounced the “terrorist activity” carried out by Israel (“the occupation forces”), which violated all moral and human laws (Telegram channel of Hezbollah’s combat information wing, January 26, 2023).
  • Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, called on the Islamic states to take action against Israel (“the Zionist entity”) for the sake of the Palestinians (Iranian foreign ministry Telegram channel, January 26, 2023).
  • The foreign ministries of the UAE, Kuwait and Oman used their Twitter accounts to condemn “the aggression of the Israeli occupation forces” against the city of Jenin, which had led to dead and wounded. The Saudi Arabian foreign ministry also issued a condemnation.

^[1] “…paragraph 7C does not accord UNHCR an explicit mandate to provide international protection for Palestinian refugees..." Badil_docs/bulletins-and-briefs/Brief-No.7.pdf. ↑

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