Hamas calls to escalate civil war in Palestinian Authority as US pushes to beef up PA force

Gaza-based terror group looks to enlist support of other organizations as internecine battle between Palestinian factions continues in Jenin, while the US urges Israel to allow upgrading of Palestinian Authority’s paramilitary force.

By World Israel News Staff

The Gaza-based terror organization Hamas is attempting to escalate an ongoing internecine conflict within the Fatah-ruled Palestinian Authority, calling on additional terror groups to join a battle for control of the city of Jenin in Samaria.

In a statement issued Tuesday morning, Hamas urged “all movements, factions, tribal gatherings, and human rights organizations to mobilize massively” and unite behind a terrorist alliance in Jenin currently battling the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority.

Hamas framed the ongoing conflict between Jenin terrorists and the Palestinian Authority as part of the broader conflict against Israel, accusing the PA of serving Israeli interests.

“We emphasize that the continuation of the PA’s security operation indicates that it is turning a deaf ear to all Palestinian voices calling for its cessation and for the protection of the resistance,” Hamas claimed, saying the PA crackdown “serves only the occupation army and its futile dreams of ending the resistance in the West Bank.”

Beginning earlier this month, the Palestinian Authority’s paramilitary force, the Palestinian National Security Forces, has engaged in a running battle against Hamas forces in Jenin, as well as the so-called Jenin Brigades – a new terrorist faction centered in northern Samaria established by a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

Both Hamas and the Jenin Brigades joined in clashes with PA forces during an uprising in late July which was ultimately put down by the PNSF.

Starting on December 5^th, PA forces entered Jenin, challenging the Jenin Brigades for control of the city after Jenin terrorists stole PNSF security vehicles.

The rogue group, which has consolidated support within the city from terrorists affiliated with a number of other terror organizations, usurped control of Jenin from the PA in 2022, becoming the de facto ruling force in the city.

The Biden administration is urging Israel to allow the U.S. to upgrade the PNSF’s arsenal, in the hopes of bolster the PA in its conflict with the Jenin Brigades.

PNSF forces claimed Monday evening to have moved deeper into Jenin, making headway against the Jenin Brigades, with almost half of the Jenin refugee camp under PA control.