Mahmoud Abbas in Jenin on rare visit a week after Israeli military operation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Jenin on Wednesday in his first visit to the city and its refugee camp in over ten years. The visit comes after an extensive Israeli military operation last week that resulted in the killing of 12 Palestinians, one Israeli soldier, and widespread destruction in the camp.

It is rare for the Palestinian president to leave his residence in Ramallah for internal visits.

The Israeli operation, which lasted for 48 hours, caused significant damage to camp buildings, roads, and infrastructure.

Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesperson for the Palestinian presidency, announced that Abbas would visit Jenin and the camp "to observe the progress of its reconstruction" following the Israeli operation.

Abbas's visit to the camp, which is home to 18,000 people, comes after camp residents expressed their anger during the funerals of those killed in the military operation.

The angry mourners forced senior officials from the Fatah movement, led by Abbas, to leave the camp, including Deputy Head of the Movement and prominent leader Mahmoud al-Aloul. This move sparked controversy and Fatah accused the Islamic Hamas movement of being behind it.

Prior to Abbas's visit, a reporter from Agence France-Presse witnessed hundreds of Palestinian presidential guards roaming the camp's streets.

Abbas traveled to Jenin aboard a Jordanian helicopter that took off from the Palestinian presidency headquarters in Ramallah, according to a source in his office.

Following the Israeli operation, the Palestinian Authority announced the severing of all forms of communication with the Israeli side. This means that Abbas's visit to Jenin did not undergo security coordination between the two sides.

A Palestinian security official, who preferred not to reveal his identity to Agence France-Presse, said that Abbas's visit "will be complicated from a security perspective."

The official did not confirm whether there was any security coordination with Israel or not.

According to Kamal Abu al-Rub, the Deputy Governor of Jenin, during the visit, which he described as "meaningful to the residents of the area," the Palestinian president will meet with various parties from the camp and the city.

Fatah announced that Abbas will meet with the camp's residents in the main square there.

Jenin camp was established in 1953 to shelter Palestinians who were expelled or fled from their homes during the Palestinian Nakba and the establishment of Israel in 1948.

Israel has occupied the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967.




AFP