The Occupation Continues Its Aggression on Jenin and Tulkarm and Insists on Conditions for Withdrawal

Sada News - The aggression of the Israeli occupation continues against the city of Jenin and its camp, as well as against the city of Tulkarm and its camps (Tulkarm Camp and Nur Shams Camp), for the seventh consecutive month. The occupation has razed the streets and camps of both cities over long days, leading to extensive destruction of electricity networks, water pipes, and sewage systems.

The occupation continues to infringe upon the property of citizens, controlling homes and buildings and turning them into military barracks, in addition to the demolition and burning of a significant number of houses, either completely or partially, after displacing at least 40,000 Palestinians from the two cities.

The two cities are witnessing a dangerous escalation in the violations of the "Israeli" occupation, manifested in wide incursions and arrests, in addition to the continuation of demolition operations.

Media sources reported hearing an explosion as the occupation continued its incursion into the town of Kufrdan, west of Jenin, this morning.

The occupation had set fire to a house in the town last night, belonging to citizen Mustafa Abed Abu Sultan.

In this context, the occupation imposed three conditions for its withdrawal from the camps, the most prominent of which is the prohibition on the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in a move that tightens the noose around the refugees and exacerbates humanitarian conditions, alongside conditions preventing any political activity and the establishment of Palestinian police stations within the camps.

According to a political source, the conditions received the approval of official Palestinian authorities, and the Israeli Minister of War, Israel Katz, announced that the occupation forces would remain deployed in the refugee camps in northern the West Bank until at least the end of this year, claiming that "the residents of the camps have been evacuated, militants killed, and infrastructure used by armed groups destroyed," according to his statement.

Read also: "Refugee Affairs" and the Executive Office of Popular Committees: We reject the conditions for the return of the displaced to the northern West Bank camps

For their part, the Department of Refugee Affairs and the Executive Office of the Popular Committees in the camps firmly rejected any "Israeli" attempts aimed at changing the geographical and demographic reality of the camps or imposing a security sweep on their residents, considering this a violation of fundamental rights and an attempt to impose security guardianship.

During a press interview, Jenin Governor Kamal Abu al-Rub commented on the occupation's statements regarding remaining in the Jenin Camp until the end of the year, stating that this "increases their determination and strength to stand by the grieving displaced citizens, to support their resilience on their land."

He expressed his concern regarding the announcement about the return of settlers to settlements that were evacuated many years ago.

The continuation of this aggression has caused an economic paralysis that has cast a shadow over citizens and their livelihoods, leading to a significant increase in poverty and unemployment rates.

Mustafa Al-Qunairi, Vice President of the Jenin Chamber of Commerce, stated: "The economic situation worsens day by day," adding, "The biggest problem we face in the city's economy being paralyzed is the closure of the Jalameh checkpoint, which is the main artery for the Jenin governorate... and it is closed without any justification. "

Meanwhile, Abdullah Kmeil, Governor of Tulkarm, stated: "The conditions presented by Israel regarding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) or other matters, concerning the return of our displaced people to the Tulkarm and Nur Shams camps, are completely rejected," stressing that UNRWA was established by an international resolution, and any attack on it means targeting the right of return and Palestinian refugees.

He continued: "The occupation has been trying from the beginning to tighten its grip on UNRWA in preparation for its complete erasure, noting that the accusations directed against the agency after October 7 were proven untrue, as it became clear that only three individuals were involved according to official statements."

He added: "What is being proposed through liaison channels or via the Americans has faced absolute Palestinian rejection, emphasizing that the American security coordinator did not show any negative stance toward the Palestinian position supporting UNRWA, while the occupation continues to impose its conditions with the mentality of the victor."

He stressed that "the camps, cities, and villages are the sole responsibility of the Palestinian National Authority, and the occupation has no relation to them, and the entry of the Israeli army into them is a blatant violation of international agreements signed before the international community under guarantees and assurances. International," noting that the occupation is trying through its interventions to redesign the camps as if they were neighborhoods belonging to the cities, and impose new realities through a policy of systematic destruction, which the Palestinian people and their leadership categorically reject.

He pointed out that the occupation has repeatedly announced its intention to withdraw from the camps, adding: "They first said the withdrawal would be on 31/8, then extended it to 31/10, then the occupation's Minister of War Israel Katz stated that the withdrawal would be by the end of the year, confirming that the occupation acts like a brutal force and imposes realities unilaterally."

He clarified: "The occupation is trying to drag Palestinians into a confrontation with UNRWA and to separate it from the camps; every house in the camp has a prisoner or martyr, and it is unacceptable to say that there are those without a political background among our people."

Regarding the issue of paving the streets of the camps, Kmeil emphasized that "the Authority will work according to the old structural plan for those streets and not according to the new Israeli plan, explaining that the goal of the Israeli proposal is to create a gap between the people and the Authority and weaken it, stressing: "We reject any Israeli intervention in this regard, and welcome any Arab or international support, provided it is free from any political conditions."

"The occupation had destroyed a large part of the infrastructure in the camps during previous incursions, including UNRWA's office in Nur Shams camp, while the National Authority undertook at that time to rebuild the roads, water and sewage networks, and infrastructures destroyed by the occupation, including the main road linking Tulkarm to Anabta," according to Kmeil.

He concluded: "What is happening is an Israeli process of exhausting the Palestinian people, nonetheless, the Authority cannot abandon our people at any stage, emphasizing that the Palestinian people will remain committed to their legitimate national rights, foremost of which is ending the occupation, establishing our independent Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem, stopping settlement expansion, and guaranteeing the right of return, rejecting all conspiracies aimed at UNRWA and the Palestinian cause.