Betrayal in Jenin: The PA’s Role in Suppressing Palestinian Resistance
Written by Mohammad Mustafa
The Palestinian Authority (PA), under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, operates as a dictatorship that functions to uphold the Zionist settler-colonial system, oppressing Palestinians rather than protecting their liberation. This betrayal of the Palestinian struggle is evident in its recent actions in Jenin, where the PA's violent crackdown against resistance groups has underscored its role as a subcontractor for Zionist interests.
📸: Photo by Sakir Khader @sakirkhader
In early December, the PA escalated tensions in Jenin by arresting prominent resistance leaders Ibrahim Tubasi and Imad Abu Al-Haija from the Jenin Battalion. These arrests provoked widespread anger, with resistance fighters seizing PA vehicles to pressure the release of their leaders. Rather than de-escalating, the PA declared its intent to dismantle resistance groups, confiscate their weapons, and attacked civilians and fighters in Jenin. On December 14, during its so-called “Operation Protecting the Homeland,” the PA killed Yazid Ja’ayseh, a key resistance leader. In this operation, civilians, including a 13-year-old boy named Muhammad Al-Amer, were also killed. Muhammad’s brother Louay, attempting to aid him, was shot and hospitalized.
These actions expose the PA’s complicity with the Zionist entity. Its crackdown on Jenin, cutting off electricity, surrounding hospitals, and targeting civilians mirrors the tactics of the occupier, leaving Palestinians to fend for themselves. The events in Jenin are part of a broader pattern of PA collaboration, seen earlier in Nablus and Tulkarm, where resistance groups have been similarly suppressed. This is not new: during the 2002 Battle of Jenin, the PA failed to protect the city, leaving its residents to defend against Israeli forces.
📸: Photo by Sakir Khader @sakirkhader
The PA’s security forces, heavily funded and coordinated by the U.S. and Israel, prioritize suppressing resistance over protecting Palestinian communities. This "security coordination," which Mahmoud Abbas has called "sacred," allocates significant resources to targeting resistance fighters wanted by Israel. The PA’s betrayal is further evidenced by its silence during critical moments, such as Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, settler attacks in the West Bank, and incursions into Al-Aqsa.
📸: Photo by Sakir Khader @sakirkhader
Jenin stands as a symbol of steadfast resistance alongside Nablus and Tulkarm, forming a triangle of defiance against both the occupation and its PA collaborators. As resistance leaders and communities reaffirm their commitment to liberation, they reject the PA’s betrayal, declaring that the banner of resistance will not fall. The actions of the PA have alienated the Palestinian people, who see it not as a protector but as an enforcer of the settler-colonial system, complicit in the oppression of its own people.
