Israeli servicemen respond to unrest in the West Bank (AFP).
Two members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization were killed after a shootout with Israeli Defense Forces near the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday. The skirmish was followed Sunday by the shooting death of a 14-year-old Palestinian teen who participated in a crowd throwing rocks, petrol bombs and explosive devices at IDF positions near Bethlehem. Israeli personnel responded with live fire. The latest incidents underscore a growing trend of conflict in the West Bank since the Israeli military’s “Operation Guardian of the Walls” campaign against Gaza Strip rocket fire in May, 2021. Last weekend’s deadly confrontations brought to 12 the number of dead Palestinian militants in the West Bank since the beginning of 2023.
The latest uptick in violence has centered around the growth and convergence of Islamic militant factions across the West Bank, and especially in cities where the Palestinian Authority is in charge of security, including Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem. Jihadist groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and al-Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade, have increased their cooperation and visibility in the West Bank. Hamas banners were raised on the Temple Mount near the al-Aqsa Mosque last May, showing the group’s influence in the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, while a conglomerate of militant groups known as the Lion’s Den has arisen to become the most recent threat to Israeli security.
Palestinian jihadist groups have also received an influx of firearms over the last 18 months, as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard C0rps (IRGC) maintains a land-bridge for weapons and supplies which runs from Iran through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Regular IDF raids in Nablus and Jenin encounter intense small arms fire while conducting arrest operations against suspected militants.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Security Cabinet revoked benefits from Palestinian VIP’s, halted Palestinian construction in Zone C of the West Bank, and withheld funding from the Palestinian Authority (PA). The punitive measures were in response to the PA’s support for the UN referral of Israel to the International Court of Justice for the “occupation” of the West Bank. Approximately 40 million USD was transferred from PA accounts managed by the Israeli government, which will be redistributed to Israeli victims of Palestinian terrorism. Additional funds will also be withdrawn to offset PA payments to the families of Palestinian terrorists who die in the act of killing Israelis, a program nicknamed “pay to slay.” Increased measures of enforcement will be taken against any West Bank group that promotes violence against Israelis, even under the pretext of a humanitarian relief.
We implore the Maranatha global family to continue in intercession for the people of Israel and the West Bank. We pray for God to shine a light of truth, clarity, and sobriety on a very muddled and complex conflict. We pray for wisdom to be granted to Israeli and international leaders in addressing the growing crisis, and as always, we pray that Good News of the Hope of Israel would spread throughout the Land of Promise.
Maranatha.
