PA Chairman Abu Mazen called Defense Minister Benny Gantz during Rosh Hashanah to congratulate him for the holiday.
The two also discussed the security situation in the West Bank and the Minister of Defense encouraged him that the PA will return to fighting terrorism.
However, as of now, there is no substantial change in the conduct of the PA in regards to the armed terrorist groups in the Nablus and Jenin areas.
Museb Ishtayeh the Hamas terrorist , who was arrested by the PA’s security forces in the city of Nablus, began a hunger strike in Jericho prison and announced that he intends to continue it until he is released.
The situation in the cities of Nablus and Jenin still remains very tense and the violence could resume at any moment.
Hamas officials in the Nablus area say that just a few hours after the understandings were reached with the PA, the PA’s security forces launched an extensive wave of arrests in the city of Nablus and arrested 20 young men.
The Palestinian police said that these are young people who are suspected of taking advantage of the violence in the city to steal and loot.
PA security officials present the arrests in Nablus as a success for the PA and as the beginning of the road to regaining the PA’s security control over the city, however, the Israeli security system does not see these steps as a fundamental change in the PA’s conduct towards the war on terror and indicated that the chairman Abu Mazen did not make a strategic decision to return and fight terrorism.
Security sources say that it is quite possible that the arrest of the wanted Hamas terrorist, Mouseb Ishtayeh, in the city of Nablus by the PA was a show by Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen ahead of his speech at the United Nations General Assembly to show the international community that, contrary to Israel’s claims, he is doing his best to fight terrorism.
“The coming month of the Jewish holidays is a serious test of the PA’s intentions regarding the war on terrorism”, says a senior Israeli security official,” if PA Chairman Abu Mazen has indeed made a strategic decision to return and fight against terrorism, he should order aggressive actions by the security forces of the PA in the cities of Jenin and Nablus and in the refugee camps and villages surrounding them, including the arrest of wanted terrorists and the collection of thousands of illegal weapons”.
The arrest of the two terrorists in the city of Nablus, Mouseb Ishteyeh, last week, does not indicate a change in PA policy, especially in light of the promise to discuss his release with the Palestinian factions, he should stand trial and go to prison.
The fear in the security establishment is that Abu Mazen will adopt the “revolving door” method of Yasser Arafat, that is, the arrest of wanted terrorists only for appearance and their release after a few days, in order to please the international community and Israel.
The terrorist group “Arin al-Osoud” in the city of Nablus issued a statement in which it said that it will not .give up on the demand to release the wanted terrorist Mouseb Ishtayeh from detention
The situation in Nablus and Jenin is very explosive, the Palestinian street is full of anger and resentment towards the chairman of the PA.
A Palestinian public opinion poll published late last week shows that 71 percent of the Palestinian public is not satisfied with the performance of Abu Mazen.
The rage in the Palestinian street resulted in breaking the fear of the young generation of the PA’s security forces and the young Palestinians are not afraid of confronting the PA’s security forces with stones, Molotov cocktails and even live fire.
According to sources in Nablus, in the coming days a delegation from the city will leave for the Jericho prison to visit the terrorist Mouseb Ishtayeh and assess his medical condition.
The differences of opinion in the Fatah movement
Senior officials in the Fatah leadership oppose the arrest of those wanted by PA security officials on the grounds that Abu Mazen could get involved in a civil war because of Israel.
His associates Hussein al-Sheikh and Majed Faraj fear that the wave of terrorism coming out of Nablus and Jenin will undermine the PA’s rule and eventually lead to a major IDF operation in the northern West Bank that will present the PA chairman as powerless, therefore they believe Abu Mazen should maintain his position to continue the security coordination with Israel.
It is the chairman of the Palestinian Authority who will receive the final decision in the face of the pressures from Israel, the USA, the European Union and Egypt and Jordan.
The coming month, which is the holiday period in Israel, is an important test for the Palestinian Authority, Israel is closely monitoring its moves on the ground to see if it intends to start and seriously deal with terrorism in the northern West Bank or the recent events in Nablus and the arrest of the two wanted terrorists were really just a show for the media.
The IDF’s operation in the Gaza Strip in May 2021 deepened the penetration of ideas of “armed resistance” among the young generation in the West Bank, which obliges the PA to a double security effort to prevent terrorism.
PA chairman Abu Mazen needs to decide where he is headed and act, putting up with the terrorist activities from the West Bank may lead to his fall from power sooner than he thinks, he will become Israel’s target just as Yasser Arafat was.
