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Is Violent Palestinian "Armed Struggle" Returning to West Bank?

(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - In recent months, Palestinians in the West Bank have returned to the "armed struggle" against Israel. Dozens of gunmen stay awake all night to watch out for soldiers entering their areas. In some instances, when the soldiers don't show up, the gunmen go out searching for them. The gunmen have replaced the Palestinian security forces, who often disappear just before the arrival of the soldiers. IDF soldiers who carry out nightly incursions into Palestinian villages are usually met with barrages of stones and firebombs. Nowadays, they are almost always met with heavy gunfire. "We have a popular resistance during the day and an armed resistance during the night. The number of young men carrying weapons is increasing every day," said a senior Palestinian official in Ramallah. The Palestinian Authority does not seem to be capable of - or willing - to confront the gunmen, who enjoy the support of the Palestinian public. Gunmen, especially in the Jenin and Nablus regions, are being armed and funded by Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas. Both Iranian-backed groups seek to push Palestinians in the West Bank toward an armed confrontation with Israel. Several Fatah gunmen have no problem cooperating with Islamic Jihad and Hamas as long as they are offered money and weapons. The two groups hope that an increase in shooting attacks also undermines the PA's control of the West Bank and encourages some members of the Palestinian security forces to join them in the fight against Israel. Hamas reported 44 shooting attacks in the West Bank in July and 33 more since the beginning of August.
2022-09-01 00:00:00
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