On September 12, it was revealed that American armor and weapons had been brought into the Palestinian Authority from a US base in Jordan, with Israeli approval.
Although the Palestinian side denied this news, Israel confirmed it, while experts ruled out that the deal “has any real political dimension, and that it is an implementation of agreements that guarantee the continued existence of the Palestinian Authority entity.”
Palestinian expert: It is necessary for Palestinian security to have armored vehicles, in light of the proliferation of multiple weapons among Palestinian families, clans, and outlaw groups.
Conflicting narratives
In an interview with the official Palestinian news agency “Wafa,” Talal Dweikat, spokesman for the Palestinian security services, denied the validity of the reports circulating about these American weapons, while the head of the Israeli occupation government, Benjamin Netanyahu, said that the Palestinian Authority “received” a number of fortified (armored) vehicles in order to replace them with vehicles. Old fort.
Dweikat explained, at the time, that “the promotion of this news comes in the context of the incitement campaign against the National Authority and its security services, in conjunction with the incitement campaign against President Mahmoud Abbas.”
He added: “The National Authority has the right to obtain all the necessary devices and equipment to carry out its normal work, in order to preserve the security of citizens and protect their rights and civil peace.”
He pointed out that the National Authority “cannot compromise its political positions in exchange for obtaining what is rightfully itss,” explaining that the Authority and its security services “will continue to make efforts that enable it to protect the capabilities of its people, and protect Palestinian society from chaos and chaos.”
In turn, Netanyahu acknowledged that the Palestinian Authority had received a number of fortified (armored) vehicles in order to replace them with old fortified vehicles, while he denied handing over to the Authority any modern weapons or combat equipment.
He added: “What we did was implement a decision taken by Army Minister Benny Gantz (in the Bennett-Lapid government), in January 2022, and deliver a number of fortified vehicles in order to replace them with old fortified vehicles.”
He continued: “This is what we did, no armor, no tanks, no Kalashnikov rifles, nothing, so sometimes fake news is not protected either, and it is good to expose this lie.”
Strengthening security services
For his part, Palestinian political expert Jihad Harb believed that the deal or support “comes to strengthen the security services in facing challenges in the West Bank.”
He told Anatolia: “There are large numbers of armed men in the West Bank, most of whom today are not fighters against the Israeli occupation, but rather they are the nucleus of the security chaos in a number of different areas.”
He pointed out that most of the Palestinian security weapons date back to the years 1994 and 2007, meaning that they are outdated weapons, and their ability to operate is no longer effective.
He explained that the Palestinian Authority’s agreements with Israel “stipulate the provision of such weapons, meaning that they are an essential part of aid for Palestinian security.”
In this context, the Palestinian expert pointed out that “it is necessary for the Palestinian security to have armored vehicles, in light of the proliferation of multiple weapons among Palestinian families, clans, and outlaw groups.”
But on the other hand, he ruled out the existence of any “political deal behind this aid,” referring to American efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
He added: “Israeli-Saudi normalization is going through difficult stages and faces many obstacles.”
Bisharat: Providing financial and security aid, including an arms deal, is an attempt to preserve the existence of this Palestinian entity to continue its administrative and service function.
Trying to maintain the presence of power
In turn, the director of the Yabous Center for Studies, Suleiman Bisharat, said that following the Oslo Accords, it was clear that there was an international trend led by the United States “to be liberated from the administrative and service burden on the Palestinian issue, as well as the political burden before the world.”
He explained, in an interview with Anadolu, that this trend “was one of the catalysts for the establishment of the Palestinian Authority as an entity that carries out this role.”
He added: “Providing financial and security assistance, including the arms deal being talked about, is an attempt to preserve the existence of this Palestinian entity to continue its administrative and service function and bear direct responsibility for that.”
He pointed out that this aid “comes in light of the nature of the field transformations taking place in the West Bank, the state of instability, and the beginning of the emergence of a state of force parallel to the Palestinian security force from these armed formations.”
Bisharat considered that the security tensions in the West Bank “increase Washington and Israel’s fears of a repeat of the Gaza Strip model,” stressing that if this model occurs in the West Bank “it will have major security repercussions.”
He continued: “I believe there is an attempt to strengthen the Palestinian security services to prevent the spread or expansion of the model of armed groups in the West Bank, and thus threaten the existence of the official security establishment.”
Bisharat did not rule out that this support would be “a response to Saudi demands to grant the Palestinians more rights and the foundations for establishing a Palestinian state, in order to begin a process of normalization with Israel.”
According to American and Hebrew media, Washington is leading talks between Riyadh and Tel Aviv that it hopes will lead to the normalization of relations between them.
In recent months, Israeli officials have increasingly talked about the imminent normalization of relations with Saudi Arabia, but Riyadh has confirmed on more than one occasion that this will not happen until a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is reached.
The Israeli occupation army targets 3 Hamas observation points east of Gaza
Gaza: On Friday evening, Israeli occupation army warplanes bombed 3 Hamas observation points in the eastern Gaza Strip.
Israeli aircraft and artillery bombed Hamas military observation points east of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, east of Gaza City, east of the city of Khan Yunis, south of the Gaza Strip, and east of Al-Bureij Camp (central), without immediate reports of casualties.
It is noteworthy that the Israeli raid came after demonstrations in which hundreds of young people participated near the separation fence
In turn, the occupation army announced that it had “bombed three Hamas military points in the Gaza Strip,” according to its spokesman on the “X” platform.
The spokesman stated that “a drone attacked two military points belonging to the Hamas organization.”
He added, “These military points are in places adjacent to areas where violent riots and incendiary balloons were launched near the security fence with the Gaza Strip.”
The spokesman did not clarify in his statement the third point that the Israeli planes attacked.
Earlier, the occupation army announced in a statement that it described as “preliminary,” that “the IDF is currently making changes in the Gaza Strip.”
There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the Israeli bombing
On Friday, 22 Palestinians were injured while the occupation forces dispersed demonstrations near the separation fence in eastern Gaza, according to a statement by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Strip.
It is noteworthy that hundreds of Palestinians flocked to the separation fence to participate in demonstrations called by young men calling themselves “revolutionary youth” on social media, denouncing the settlers’ storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque and the ongoing violations in the West Bank.
He stated that the young men burned used rubber tires and threw stun grenades near the separation fence.
On the other side of the fence, the occupation army deployed its forces, vehicles, and sniper units behind the nearby sand hills to disperse the demonstrations in the eastern regions of the Strip. During the past few days, similar demonstrations took place in which a Palestinian was martyred and dozens were injured and suffocated as a result of their dispersal by the occupation forces stationed on the eastern border of the Gaza Strip. 303 settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, on Sunday, on the occasion of the so-called “Hebrew New Year,” with the occupation police emptying it of worshippers, according to what the Islamic Endowments Department in Jerusalem announced, in a brief statement. The Jewish holiday period began last Friday evening, with the “Hebrew New Year” holiday, and continues until next October 8. Since last year, the West Bank has witnessed a state of extreme tension following the Israeli occupation army’s incursions into Palestinian cities and camps.
"Illegitimate" Thousands of Israelis demonstrate against Netanyahu outside the United Nations headquarters
Thousands of Israelis and American Jews demonstrated on Friday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York, raising banners that read: “Netanyahu is illegitimate” and “Shame on Netanyahu,” according to Hebrew media.
Thousands of Israelis and American Jews demonstrated on Friday against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York.
The demonstrators raised banners reading “Netanyahu is illegitimate” and “Shame on Netanyahu,” according to Hebrew media.
The demonstrators are protesting against the package of judicial amendment laws. Controversial issues pushed by the Israeli government.
For 37 weeks, Israel has witnessed protest demonstrations against these laws, which the opposition says “turn Israel into a dictatorship.”
The protests began shortly before Netanyahu arrived at the United Nations headquarters to deliver his speech before the 78th session of the General Assembly in New York.
The online version of the Hebrew newspaper "Haaretz" said: "Thousands of Israelis and American Jews are demonstrating in New York on Friday, ahead of Netanyahu's speech before the United Nations General Assembly."
She added: “A group of Netanyahu supporters organized a counter-protest. A barrier separates the two groups.”
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