The Palestinian Authority received armored vehicles and arms intended to bolster its ability to confront armed groups and gangs, according to Palestinian Arabic language media reports.
Al-Quds Daily said that “Monday evening, the Palestinian Authority received via Jordan a group of armored vehicles and weapons to support the Palestinian security services, especially the ‘Preventive Security’ and ‘National Security’ services, as well as police.”
The new vehicles and arms are supposed to be used to bring increased law and order, as the PA has seen a breakdown in its ability to control areas of the West Bank, particularly Jenin and other areas such as Tulkarm. Iran-backed terrorist groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad have exploited this to increase attacks on Israel. Armed groups have also fired rockets and rolled out new explosive devices. This has led to an unprecedented level of violence over the last year. Israel has accused Iran of being behind weapons smuggling. PIJ and other groups often parade with M-4 and M-16-style rifles.
Recent escalations in the West Bank, and the US’s involvement
In July, Israel launched a two-day operation in Jenin. Israel has also used bulldozers and drones in the West Bank during the recent escalation, and the Palestinian Authority has said it wants to re-assert control. The US has encouraged the PA to crack down on the increased lawlessness.
In February, Axios reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had encouraged PA President Mahmoud Abbas “to accept and implement a security plan” drafted by US security coordinator Michael Fenzel.
The Quds media report said that “the armored vehicles were obtained by the Authority from the American side through the Jordanian mediator.” The goal is “strengthening the capabilities of the Palestinian security services in confronting the Palestinian armed cells stationed in Jenin and the city of Nablus.”
Hussein al-Sheikh, the secretary general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization was mentioned in the report. It claimed that Sheikh said that the PA is unable to confront the armed groups in Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm. “The sources indicated that the American side understood the demands of the authority in this regard and worked to provide it with the necessary equipment, whether armored vehicles or modern automatic weapons equipped with laser [sights] for use in raids and clashes with armed cells, especially in Jenin, which is considered the fiercest governorate in the confrontation, specifically the camp that includes experienced fighters.”
The report says that on Sunday, “Hussein Al-Sheikh held a meeting with the Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Minister, Ayman Al-Safadi. Sources confirmed to Al-Quds that it comes within the framework of new arrangements in the region and that Jordan is a key partner in them.”
While other Palestinian media quoted the Quds report, the Wafa Palestinian news service did not include the report as of press time.
In the past, the Palestinian Authority Security Forces were trained in Jordan – a program backed by the USSC. US General Keith Dayton played a key role in this program initially, and it has since been through several US coordinators. PA forces were trained in battalion-sized groups there and were lightly armed.
In recent years, terror groups in the West Bank have received smuggled weapons including modern M-4s with new sights and accessories that usually make them more well-armed than the PASF.
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