Palestinian Troops Claim Victory Over IDF in Hebron; Arab MK Threatens New Intifada [WATCH]

Fatah, the ruling party in the Palestinian Authority, posted a video on their official site on Thursday evening purporting to show Palestinian security troops preventing the IDF from entering Hebron.

Though such encounters have occurred in the past, this particular engagement took on ominous tones as earlier in the week, Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas officially declared an end to the agreements and understandings signed with Israel and the United States, giving the responsibility of the occupied territories back to Israel. It should also be noted that the PA rejected the obligations they had agreed to in the Oso Accords in 1995. As a result, they began building without permits in Area C which was designated as being under Israeli control.

This announcement did seem to have some practical implications as PA security forces began a partial withdrawal from the neighborhood of Abu Dis in the eastern section of Jerusalem on Friday morning.  According to one report, the Palestinian forces withdrew from the villages of Izzariya and Abu Dis, as well as from the small villages, Yadu and Beit Iksa.  The withdrawal of forces, which was initiated by the Palestinian side, may be aimed at reducing the chances of possible friction in these areas with Israel’s security forces, in the absence of coordination between the parties.

“The Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine are absolved, as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the obligations based on these understandings and agreements, including the security ones,” the President declared at an emergency meeting for the Palestinian leadership held in Ramallah.

In addition to security and intelligence cooperation between the Israeli military and Palestinian security forces, civil ties between Israel and the PA were also set to cease. The PA also announced they would no longer be cooperating with US intelligence agencies.

Chairman of the Joint Arab List, Ayman Odeh, threatened that an intifada would result should Israel annex Judea and Samaria.

In an interview with Iranian Tasnim News, Deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri threatened Israel against annexation. In an interview with Y-Net, Odeh noted that every 10-15 years, Israel is beset by violent unrest but the prospect of annexation might trigger a full-fledged intifada.”It will come, it is a natural response to any occupation. What can you do? These are the laws of nature. ”

“Return of the resistance to the West Bank is very possible and much closer to reality than what people imagine it to be,” the Hamas official stressed. “Our people have the power of a new intifada.”

Hamas is the party elected by the Palestinians to rule in Gaza but there are many Palestinians in Judea and Samaria who are loyal to the terrorist organization, preferring it to the Palestinian Authority. The precise amount is unclear as elections have not been held since Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2005.

“We welcome the decision to cancel the agreement with the occupying regime and to suspend security coordination, but this must be done,” al-Arouri said. “We are all one nation and our problem is the same, which is to get rid of the occupying Zionist regime”.

The Fatah party is self-defined as a nationalist social-democratic political party. It is the current manifestation of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, a terrorist organization founded in 1964 with the purpose of the “liberation of Palestine” through armed struggle, with much of its violence aimed at Israeli civilians. In 1993, the PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist in peace, accepted UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338, which required them to reject violence and terrorism. In response, Israel officially recognized the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people though Fatah and the PA continue to support and incite violence against Israelis.

Source: Israel in the News