Relatives of the victims of last week’s Israeli siege on Jenin refused to attend a scheduled meeting with Mahmoud Abbas ahead of his arrival

 The Cradle News Desk JUL 12, 2023

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas is set to visit Jenin and its refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on 12 July, on his first trip to the flashpoint city in 11 years.

Abbas’s visit comes on the heels of last week’s violent siege of Jenin by the Israeli army, which left at least 12 Palestinians dead and displaced thousands.

Ahead of his arrival, the victim’s families informed local authorities of their refusal to attend a scheduled event with Abbas, as discontent with the PA continues to deepen in the West Bank due to the organization’s long-standing security collaboration with Tel Aviv.

Local reports say 1,000 security force members were deployed to Jenin ahead of Abbas’ visit.

Jenin |

Palestinian presidental guard deployed in the streets of Jenin Refugee Camp. Abbas will arrive few hours from now. He cancelled his meetings with the popular committees and factions in the camp.

His visit now will be limited to the graveyard & a short tour in the camp. pic.twitter.com/oOUyCmjtZZ

— Younis | يونس (@ytirawi) July 12, 2023

According to Palestine TV, Abbas will arrive via a helicopter at the headquarters of Jenin’s National Security Command before setting off to the martyrs’ cemetery and the Jenin camp square.

Ahead of his arrival, PA troops were spotted removing the flags of Gaza-based resistance groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), both of which enjoy great support across the West Bank.

The PA president last visited Jenin 11 years ago, in July 2012, when he went to the home of former governor Qaddoura Musa to offer condolences on his death.

Due to its deep security cooperation with Israel, discontent against the PA in the West Bank has been growing exponentially in recent years. 

Palestinians generally consider the organization a tool Israel uses to further the occupation and are also known to crack down on and apprehend resistance fighters.

“We don’t need any help from the Palestinian Authority … you have been meeting [with the enemy] under the table,” Rami, 40, a Jenin resident, told local media after last week’s siege, adding, “[Mahmoud Abbas], it’s enough. We’re a people who are tired, hopeless, and helpless. The Palestinian Authority is our occupier, not Israel.”

PA officials were also forcibly removed from last week’s mass funeral, as mourners chanted anti-PA slogans and blasted security officials for “hiding out » and failing to protect Jenin camp during the Israeli siege and even attacking camp residents following Israel’s withdrawal.

PA security vehicles and its district headquarters in Jenin were pelted with stones and empty bottles.

A March 2022 poll conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip showed that only 27 percent of people were satisfied with the performance of the PA, while “dissatisfaction” was at 70 percent.

The poll further showed that 73 percent of Palestinians want Abbas to resign, while only 23 percent want him to remain in office.

Abbas’s rare visit to Jenin comes days after the Israeli government announced plans to prevent the collapse of the PA by taking “steps to stabilize the civil situation in the Palestinian arena.”

PA president heads to Jenin with hundreds of troops in tow (thecradle.co)

PAJU NOTE:

 Abbas needs 1000+ armed mercenary troops and hundreds of paid Shin-bet/ PA informers to protect him from the wrath of his own people to simply visit Jenin in a tightly choreographed photo-op and enters and leaves via gun-ship helicopter.