While Israel does not agree on how to define the military operation in Jenin, among the Palestinians there are those who have already hastened to describe it as "an operation to save Abu Mazen."
The operation came against the backdrop of the weakening of the Palestinian Authority and the rise in the power of Islamic Jihad and Hamas militants in northern Samaria. Against this background, parts of the Palestinian public believe that the operation actually serves Mahmoud Abbas' interests and helps him in his struggle against his rivals, the two Islamist organizations supported by Iran.
Inside documentation: This is what the operation in Jenin looks like // Credit: IDF Spokesperson
In recent weeks, Abbas has had real cause for concern. One by one, Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders were urgently summoned to Tehran, where they were explicitly instructed to intensify their efforts to set fire to the West Bank and turn it into a center of terror. In meetings with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, they were told that Iran was not satisfied with "the quiet in the West Bank" and that they had to push for the establishment of terrorist cells in all Palestinian cities.
Mahmoud Abbas' men are following with great concern the increase in military activity of the two terrorist organizations, especially Islamic Jihad, especially in Jenin. The main concern is the strengthening of the Jenin Battalion, considered the largest and most dangerous armed militia in the Palestinian Authority. This is compounded by another issue that is of great concern to the PA leadership: fear of losing control over armed Fatah, the movement headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
The operation in Jenin: Magellan Unit fighters clash with armed terrorists // Credit: IDF Spokesperson
The Jenin Battalion, run and financed by Iran through Islamic Jihad, managed to recruit dozens of Fatah military operatives to its ranks. This was evidenced over the weekend when Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziad Nakhaleh confirmed in an interview to an Iranian newspaper that his organization provides financial and military assistance to many armed operatives in the West Bank, including members of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The PA wants to stamp out the phenomenon and prevent jihad from gaining a foothold in Fatah outposts in the West Bank, but they cannot do it alone. That's what they need Israel for.
It is true that Mahmoud Abbas has tens of thousands of police and security personnel deployed in Palestinian cities, but he refrains from ordering them to fight terror cells and militants. Even so, he is already accused by Palestinian public opinion of being an execution contractor for the Israeli security establishment, and therefore any action against the militants will put him in conflict with the street. A recent Palestinian opinion poll showed that more than 70% of Palestinians support the establishment of terrorist organizations, and 80% of the public wants Abbas to resign.
IDF soldiers fighting in Jenin, photo: IDF Spokesperson
Even if the IDF and security forces do not succeed in completely eliminating all the terrorist cells in Jenin and its environs, Abbas may in some respects be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the operation, at least in his own eyes. Israel does the "dirty work" for him, and he remains on his seat in Muqata'a. What Israel sees as curbing terrorism is perceived by him as removing a serious threat to his rule. He has not forgotten how Hamas expelled him from the Gaza Strip in a 2007 coup, and will do almost anything to prevent a repeat of this nightmare scenario in the West Bank.
That still doesn't mean the Palestinians will forgive him. Nor does it mean that his popularity will soar. Alongside profit there is also a loss price. The Israeli military presence in Judea and Samaria helps him maintain his rule, but along the way he continues to lose the trust of the Palestinian public.
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