Security operations in Jenin put spotlight on Palestinian Authority

10/1/2025 8:37

Palestinian Authority security forces are struggling to win the trust of residents of Jenin as they try to assert control over the city, a historic centre of Islamist militancy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.



The security forces entered Jenin in early December and set up checkpoints around the city and its adjacent refugee camp, hoping to strengthen the PA's position before a shakeup of Palestinian politics that is expected once the war in Gaza ends.



PA officials say the Authority wants to prevent Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants gaining the upper hand in Jenin and the wider West Bank, and establishing a rule similar to that of Hamas in Gaza which might antagonise Israel.