Prof. Kobi Michael: The PA security apparatus has not succeeded in taking control over the refugee camp which represents the heart of the problem.
Israel has an interest in seeing the PA succeed in Jenin because it would then mimic that experience in other parts of the West Bank. But it could not do that without support from the Israeli army.
Without the IDF support, the PA wouldn’t have succeeded in surviving in the West Bank. More broadly, however, the PA’s success in Jenin would not automatically give it the credibility it is seeking to run the Gaza Strip once a ceasefire is reached there.
The Palestinian Authority needs to be reformed and revitalised and there are other conditions that should be realised in order to enable the PA to run the Gaza Strip. While Israel is “pro” alternative governance to Hamas in Gaza, it is also seeking a “reliable, effective and responsible” PA to govern.
Not the current one. I believe that we’re too far from the realisation of that option.
Palestinian Authority fails to secure Jenin camp after attacks on Israeli checkpoint.
Published in The National News, January 7, 2025.
