US asks Israel to approve military aid to the Palestinian Authority

The aid is intended to assist the PA in an operation against a terrorist group in Jenin consisting of members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News Staff

The Biden Administration asked Israel to approve military aid to the Palestinian Authority to fight Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas in Judea and Samaria, Axios reports.

The aid is intended to assist the PA in an operation against a terrorist group in Jenin consisting of members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).

The Palestinian Authority is concerned that the terror group, inspired by the events in Syria and the toppling of the Assad regime, may want to revolt.

According to a PA official, US security coordinator Gen. Mike Fenzel met with Palestinian security chiefs and obtained a list of items the PA urgently needed. The requested equipment includes ammunition, helmets, bulletproof vests, radios, night vision gear, explosive disposal suits, and armored vehicles.

Israel must approve all military aid going to the PA. Last year, it had given its approval but rescinded it after October 7th.

On Sunday, Palestinian Authority security forces continued an unusual crackdown on terror strongholds in Jenin.

An Israeli military source told The Press Service of Israel that the raids were “the most significant Palestinian operation in recent years.”

The operation began yesterday morning and triggered a general strike throughout the area, with businesses, schools, and UNRWA offices shutting down in protest. Human rights organizations are calling on the Palestinian Authority to halt the campaign.

Dubbed “Operation Homeland Defense,” Palestinian Authority forces have seized control of four neighborhoods in the Jenin refugee camp and surrounded hospitals and carried out extensive searches in alleyways.

A source within the Palestinian Authority told TPS-IL that the raids were ordered directly by PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who instructed security forces: “Do not return until you have full control of the camp, whatever the cost…”

During the operation, PA forces killed Yazid Ja’isa, a commander in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.

Ja’isa had previously clashed with the PA. In one incident, he seized weapons from Palestinian police guarding Joseph’s Tomb and threatened to exchange them for the release of Islamic Jihad members held in Jericho.