Young woman’s killing throws spotlight on West Bank power struggle

Warning: This article contains disturbing content.

Just before the New Year, 21-year-old Shatha al-Sabbagh had gone to buy chocolate for her family’s children in a shop in Jenin, in the West Bank.

The “fearless” journalism student – who wanted to highlight the suffering of the Palestinian people – was accompanied by her mother, two young nieces and a relative.

“He was laughing and saying that we will stay all night,” his mother remembers.

He was then shot in the head.

For his mother Shatha Umm al-Motassem, the pain is still raw. He stops to rest.

“Shatha’s eyes were quiet, he just looked at me lying on his back with blood coming out of his head.

“I started screaming, ‘Stop shooting! My daughter is dead. My daughter is dead.’

But the shooting took about 10 minutes. Shatha died in a pool of his own blood.

Shatha’s family is holding the Palestinian Authority (PA) soldiers responsible for his murder, claiming that their area is controlled by the PA.

“There wouldn’t be anyone else except the PA… because they have a lot of people in the neighborhood – nobody can come or go,” he told the BBC.

But the PA denounces “lawbreakers” – a term it uses for members of the Jenin Battalion, made up of fighters from militant groups including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas.

The PA is partially self-governing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

It launched a major security operation at the refugee camp in Jenin last month targeting militia groups there, which it sees as a challenge to its rule. Almost four weeks, still going.

The Jenin Battalion is accused of bombing a car in the camp and other “illegal” activities.

“We have seized a lot of weapons and explosive devices,” said Brig General Anwar Rajab of the PA.

“The aim is to clear the camp from the explosive devices that have been planted in the streets and on the various roads… These criminals have crossed all the red lines and have spread chaos.”

Gen Rajab also criticizes Iran for aiding and abetting the forces in the camp.

The Jenin Battalion denies any contact with Iran. In a recent video posted on social media, spokesman Nour al-Bitar said the PA is trying to “torture” them and “defame them”, adding that the fighters will not give up their weapons.

“To the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas, why has it come to this?” He asked as he held the remains of what he said were rocket bombs that security forces had fired at the camp.

The PA, led by President Abbas, was already unpopular among Palestinians who were dissatisfied with its refusal to fight and its security alliance with Israel.

This anger was exacerbated by the PA’s brutality against the armed forces in the camp, which was unprecedented in its severity and duration.

Israel views these groups as terrorists, but many in Jenin see them as a way to oppose the occupation.

“These are the ‘violators’ the PA is talking about – these are the guys who stand up for us when the Israeli army attacks our camp,” says Umm al-Motassem.

At least 14 people were killed in the attack, including a 14-year-old child, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Now many people in Jenin say they fear PA as much as they fear Israeli wars. The death of Shatha al-Sabbagh only added to their humiliation.

Before he was killed, Shatha shared a series of posts on social media showing the destruction of the PA operation in Jenin – and the Israeli attack on the camp last year.

Other news showed pictures of young armed men who were killed in the war, including his brother.

His killing was condemned by Hamas, which identified his brother as a slain member of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

The group described his “killing … in cold blood” as “a repressive plan targeting the Jenin camp, which has become a symbol of stability and resistance”.

Mustafa Barghouti, who heads the political party Palestinian National Initiative, sees the fighting in Jenin as a result of the division between the main Palestinian factions – Fatah, which forms the majority of the PA, and Hamas, which has been in control of Gaza since 2007.

“The last thing Palestinians need is to see Palestinians shooting each other while Israel crushes everyone,” he says.

Inside the camp, residents say daily life has come to a standstill.

Water and electricity have been cut off and families are suffering from food shortages, extreme cold and constant fighting.

Locals who spoke to us asked for their names to be changed, saying they were afraid the PA would reprimand them.

“Things are difficult here. We can’t walk freely in the camp,” says Mohamed.

“Bakeries, restaurants and shops are closed. The restaurants I work with open for one day and close for 10. When they open, no one comes.

“We need baby milk, we need bread. Some people can’t open their doors because of the constant shooting.”

The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, has called for an investigation into what it describes as human rights violations by PA soldiers.

General Rajab said some of the “terrorists” who “robbed” the Jenin camp have been arrested and others who have pending charges will be tried.

But Mohamed describes the operation of the PA – and the innocent people caught in the crossfire – as “a collective punishment”.

“If they want to go after the gang, it doesn’t mean they want to punish the whole group. We want our lives back.”

Even going to fetch food or water is dangerous, says 20-year-old Sadaf.

“When we go out, we say our last prayers, we mentally prepare ourselves to never come back.

“It is very cold. We have taken down the doors of our house to use as wood for heating.”

The BBC heard similar stories from four camp residents.

My conversation with Sadaf is interrupted by gunfire. It is not known where it is coming from or who is shooting. It starts with several stops.

“A warning shot maybe,” he says, adding that it happens sometimes when the PA power changes settings.

Sadaf goes on to describe the camp, with “garbage littering the streets and almost going into the houses”. More gunshots are heard.

Sadaf’s mother is on the phone. “Listen to this..

“We take turns sleeping now. We are afraid that they will destroy our homes. We are afraid of this operation as we are when the Israeli army is here.”

People say the security forces deliberately hit the grid and generators, leaving the camp in darkness.

The PA also criticizes “criminals” – and insists it has brought in workers to reform the group.

The army wants to “use the suffering of the people to force the PA to stop the operation,” said General Rajab. He says the security operation will continue until his goals are met.

Gen Rajab said the aim of the PA is to establish control over the Jenin camp and ensure security and stability.

He believes that disarmament would remove Israel’s reason for attacking the camp.

In late August, a The Israeli army conducted a major nine-day “counter-terrorism” operation in the city of Jenin and the camp.which caused terrible destruction.

At least 36 Palestinians were killed – 21 from the Jenin governorate – according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

Analysts say the PA is trying to reassert its control over the West Bank and signal to the US that it can play a role in the future governance of Gaza.

“What could be wrong with that?” says Gen Rajab.

“Gaza is part of the Palestinian state. Gaza and the West Bank are not separate entities. There is no Palestinian state without Gaza. President [Mahmoud Abbas] he said this and that is our way.”

But Barghouti says this approach is “tricky”. “What you need is to listen to what [Benjamin] Netanyahu says,” he adds.

Under the Israeli prime minister’s vision for Gaza after the war, Israel will rule the security forever, and Palestinians “without alliance with anti-Israel groups” – so no major Palestinian political party exists – will govern the region.

But the US, Israel’s main ally, wants the PA to control Gaza after the war. Netanyahu has previously ruled out military action after the PA’s international-sponsored war.

For the residents of the Jenin camp, there is no weakness in violence and loss.

“The PA says they are here to protect us. Where is the security when my son was killed? Where is the security with the constant shooting?” Umm al-Motassem is crying.

“They can go after the ‘terrorists’ but why did my son die? Justice will be served when I know who killed my son,” he says.