An officer of the Palestinian Authority prepares for a raid on militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on December 16. AP
An officer of the Palestinian Authority prepares for a raid on militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on December 16. AP
An officer of the Palestinian Authority prepares for a raid on militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on December 16. AP
An officer of the Palestinian Authority prepares for a raid on militants in the Jenin refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on December 16. AP

Inside the Palestinian Authority’s struggle to cling to power in the West Bank


Thomas Helm
  • English
  • Arabic

In the past week, the Palestinian Authority has made its most intense show of force in years. Its security forces have surrounded and are attacking the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, long centres of Palestinian resistance.

At least three militants have been killed, including commander Yazid Ja’aysa, and one civilian, while about 20 people have been injured. The people of Jenin are familiar with deadly fighting, but almost exclusively at the hands of Israelis, not Palestinians.

The operation is viewed as a test or a sign of desperation for an organisation that has fast been losing legitimacy among its people, particularly in the north of the West Bank. It faces accusations of corruption and helplessness in the face of escalating violence from the Israeli military and settlers.

The Palestinian Authority is “trying to demonstrate to the Americans that they have full control and are able to do what they were mandated to do … particularly if annexation is looming,” Tahani Mustafa, Crisis Group’s senior Palestine analyst, told The National about the latest operation. “This is more of a stunt that the PA trying to get to grips with things on the ground.”

In recent months, The National has spoken to Palestinian Authority officials who deal with security and visited their base of operations. In Nablus, a city neighbouring Jenin that is surrounded by many Israeli settlements, Palestinian Authority governor Ghassan Daghlas spoke about the increasing difficulty of keeping order in his city.

“There are 440,000 inhabitants in Nablus governorate. They suffer the most of anyone in the West Bank from Israeli violence and settler attacks,” he said.

Israeli forces recently killed four men inside a car next to a busy market in broad daylight. Mr Daghlas was still shaken by the killing. The men, former militants from a refugee camp in the city, had been in his office hours before their deaths, negotiating their surrender to the Palestinian Authority.

This was part of an arrangement that has long been in place, viewed as an effective way for the Palestinian Authority to get men away from violence. In exchange for their weapons, the Palestinian Authority gives them jobs in security and tells the Israelis that they no longer bear arms.

Palestinian mourners follow the body of Jihad Abu Salim during his funeral at the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, 12 December 2024. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry Abu Salim was killed in a raid by Israeli troops early 12 December. EPA
Palestinian mourners follow the body of Jihad Abu Salim during his funeral at the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, 12 December 2024. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry Abu Salim was killed in a raid by Israeli troops early 12 December. EPA

“The Israeli raids really weakens us as an authority and the ruling power here. The four guys that were assassinated last week – an hour before they were killed they were sitting here in my office. They were here to solve an issue. They didn’t have a single weapon on them when they were killed,” Mr Daghlas said.

“Israel is embarrassing us with their raids. Embarrassing us and weakening us. We are trying to makes achievements and Israel is destroying everything we worked on.”

From officials to officers and senior generals, all agree that the situation has never been more complex.

At Al Istiklal University in Jericho, more than 700 of the Palestinian Authority's latest generation of officers marched around a sprawling campus of parade grounds, sports facilities and living quarters. Discipline was high and cadets quickly salute senior officers.

Ali Ayaydeh, deputy chairman of the university, said the institution’s mission is to create officers who embody “peaceful resistance according to the vision of [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas”.

“What we teach here is to meet the needs and security demands of Palestine, whether in the West Bank or Gaza.”

Once the cadets leave, many will go to areas like Jenin and the rest of the north of the West Bank, where the most acute security issues are found.

“We work not on physical strength but on intelligence, how to think, to work and to see things, particularly because we are in a very sensitive situation as officers working under occupation,” Dr Ayaydeh said.

Officer cadet Riad Darraj from Ramallah agreed. “We come here to support Palestine and its society. Some young people go abroad but we say no, we’re staying here to support our land and nation,” he said.

Cadet Darraj and his many young colleagues were clear about the danger of joining an organisation that might include a role in postwar security in Gaza, likely a very dangerous task that the young recruits said they were ready to take on, as if managing the West Bank was not hard enough.

A Palestinian Authority watchtower is dotted with bullets after coming under militant fire during a raid by Palestinian security forces on the Jenin refugee camp. AP
A Palestinian Authority watchtower is dotted with bullets after coming under militant fire during a raid by Palestinian security forces on the Jenin refugee camp. AP

But despite their determination in the pristine campus, problems were clear. Brig Gen Zaher Sabah, deputy chairman for military affairs at the university, spoke at length about the difficulty of providing an education. “One of the biggest challenges is the checkpoints that face us and our students,” he said.

The general, like many Palestinian Authority employees, had been on a significantly reduced salary for months given an economic crisis and financial disputes with Israeli authorities who collect tax revenue on behalf of the body.

The far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu, in power for almost two years, has many members who would happily watch the Palestinian Authority collapse. The events of October 7 last year that cost 1,200 Israelis their lives heralded a heavy Israeli security presence in the region and spurred unprecedented settler violence.

Another challenge for the Palestinian Authority came in November, when Donald Trump won the US presidential elections. He is a staunch pro-Israel supporter with a clear determination to quickly end the war in Gaza, perhaps by permitting Israel’s annexation of the West Bank, which would lead to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is not sympathetic towards the Palestinian Authority. Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition is not sympathetic towards the Palestinian Authority. Reuters
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The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store

To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.

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Company profile

Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

RACE SCHEDULE

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm

Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm

Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League 
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

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Director: Jesse Armstrong

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

'Shakuntala Devi'

Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra

Director: Anu Menon

Rating: Three out of five stars

Company Profile

Company name: Fine Diner

Started: March, 2020

Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka

Based: Dubai

Industry: Technology and food delivery

Initial investment: Dh75,000

Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp

Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000

Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months

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Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
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Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Dubai World Cup Carnival card

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m

7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m

7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m

8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,600m

8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m

9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m

10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m

The National selections:

6.30pm - Ziyadd; 7.05pm - Barney Roy; 7.40pm - Dee Ex Bee; 8.15pm - Dubai Legacy; 8.50pm - Good Fortune; 9.25pm - Drafted; 10pm - Simsir

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2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

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Analyst: Aqib Mehboob of Saudi Fransi Capital

Top pick: National Commercial Bank

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Analyst: Shabbir Malik of EFG-Hermes

Top pick: Al Rajhi Bank

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Analyst: Chiradeep Ghosh of Sico Bank

Top pick: Arab National Bank

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'Panga'

Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta

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Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

THE BIO

BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.

ABU DHABI TRIATHLON

For more information, and to enter the race, please visit www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.

Napoleon
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Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.  

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery 

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

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Company%20profile
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Updated: December 17, 2024, 5:04 PM