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Source: https://www.newsweek.com/dangerous-new-generation-militants-rising-west-bank-opinion-1750923
A Dangerous New Generation of Militants Is Rising in the West Bank
(Newsweek) Jonathan Spyer - A new armed Palestinian political organization comprised of no more than several hundred young men is emerging in the West Bank that is only loosely associated with existing Palestinian political movements. It represents the coming of age of another generation. Committed to a broadly Islamist political outlook, and supporting a strategy of armed insurgency, it represents a fresh challenge both to Israel and to the Palestinian Authority. The Palestinian Authority has reduced its activities in the area, and its credibility is nonexistent among the younger generation. This rising generation did not witness the bitter insurgency of the Second Intifada in the 2000-2004 period, or the Israeli military campaign that crushed it. Weaponry proliferates and is readily available to clans or organized criminal groups. The writer is executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis.