The Albany Gazette - One dead as Palestinian security, militants clash in West Bank

Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas condemned the actions of the security forces in Jenin, where they have been embroiled over the past week in clashes with militants, particularly in the city's refugee camp.

Hamas is a political rival to the Fatah party that dominates the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative authority in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Hamas said it was the Palestinian security forces that attacked the two men.

The conflict comes after Hamas and Fatah agreed last week to create a committee to jointly administer post-war Gaza, where Hamas is at war with Israel.

General Anwar Rajab, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said in a statement that Rahbi Shalabi, 19, died from wounds sustained in "a vicious attack carried out by a group of lawbreakers while he was passing by on his motorcycle".

In a statement, Hamas condemned "the continued actions of the security services of the Palestinian Authority in pursuing resistance fighters and those wanted by the occupation, as well as the ongoing targeting of them in all governorates of the West Bank, especially in Jenin".

It said it mourned Shalabi's death "by the fire of the security services in Jenin camp", and said there was a need to avoid "internal conflicts" among Palestinians.

An AFP journalist in Jenin on Monday saw the Palestinian Civil Defence agency extinguishing tyres set on fire on a road during the clashes.

Since Thursday morning, Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have been on edge after armed men seized two official vehicles from the Palestinian Authority (PA) and paraded through the camp waving flags of the Islamic Jihad group, which is allied to Hamas in Gaza.

- 'We want unity' -

Gunfire could be heard on Monday, despite efforts by authorities to calm the situation, the AFP journalist in Jenin reported.

Hassan Abu Zaid, a spokesman for the families of those injured in the Jenin camp, lamented the violence.

"We call on everyone to exercise restraint, and we urge everyone to respect the property and people of the Jenin camp", he said, adding "We want unity".

Addressing the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian people, he said "enough bloodshed. We do not want blood. We only seek reform as much as we can."

Palestinian security officials convened a meeting on Sunday at the Jenin governorate headquarters, with the PA interior minister present, in an attempt to defuse tensions, said Rajab, the security forces spokesman.

There was significant damage from the gun battles, with AFPTV footage showing smashed windows and fire damage at the local hospital Saturday night.

Jenin is a stronghold for armed factions in the West Bank who present themselves as a more effective resistance to Israeli occupation in contrast to the PA, which coordinates security matters with Israeli officials.

Tensions with the PA have been heightened recently due to a number of arrests by the security forces.

Violence in the West Bank, already increasing, surged after the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

Israel has occupied the territory since 1967.

(W.Williams--TAG)