Palestinian Authority Suspends Security Coordination With Israel

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Facts

  • The Palestinian Authority (PA) announced on Thursday that it would stop working with Israeli security forces to fight militants in the West Bank, a move it has made in previous crises with Israel but has been short-lived in the past.
  • Fully implementing this move would limit communication and intelligence sharing as well as reduce Ramallah's policing of armed groups in the area, risking a serious escalation of tensions between both sides.
  • This comes after Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians and wounded several others during a raid in the Jenin refugee camp on Thursday, reportedly carried out against an alleged Islamic Jihad "terror squad."
  • Palestinian media identified a member of the militant Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades –the 22-year-old Izz al-Din Salahat– among the dead, while Israel reportedly launched a probe into the death of the 61-year-old uninvolved civilian Magda Obaid.
  • This large-scale daytime raid is the deadliest single operation in the West Bank in two decades. Later in the day, a 22-year-old Palestinian was also shot dead in the north of Jerusalem while confronting Israeli troops.
  • So far this month, at least 29 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces during raids in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as Israel has ramped up raids since last year following a series of Palestinian attacks in Israel.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNN, Times of Israel, Washington Post, and Al Jazeera.

Narratives

  • Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israeli occupation forces carried out a planned massacre against the Palestinian people this Thursday, cutting off electricity and barring medical workers from evacuating the wounded from the refugee camp. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other calendar year since the Second Intifada, the occupation is becoming even more violent.
  • Pro-Israel narrative, as provided by Jerusalem Post. The massive three-hour-long battle that erupted was a result of Palestinians attacking Israeli forces that were simply trying to capture three terrorists and foil planned terror attacks against Israeli civilians within the Green Line. Sadly, an innocent person was accidentally killed during this extended firefight, but the death toll is actually low given the amount of fire exchanged.

Predictions