A Palestinian officer was killed Monday during clashes with militants in the occupied West Bank, the security forces said, marking the second such death in as many days amid ongoing fighting in the Jenin area.
Clashes between local militants and the security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA) are uncommon, but Jenin and its adjacent refugee camp have experienced frequent gunfights for nearly two weeks, triggered by arrests earlier this month.
“The officer was killed after he was targeted by treacherous and cowardly gunfire from outlaws in the Jenin camp,” Anwar Rajab, spokesman for the PA’s security force said in a statement.
Tensions in Jenin — also a frequent target of Israeli military raids — have escalated after Palestinian security forces arrested several activists and militants.
Palestinian rivals of the Fatah party, which dominates the PA, have condemned the arrests and accused the security forces of aiding Israel.
In addition to the two security personnel, three people have been killed since the clashes began on December 5: two civilians and a field commander of the Jenin armed battalion.
Jenin, in the northern West Bank, is a stronghold of armed Palestinian factions who view themselves as a more effective resistance to the Israeli occupation, in contrast to the PA which coordinates security matters with Israel.
The PA has partial administrative authority in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967.
The clashes around Jenin have added to increasing Israeli raids and settler attacks in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip in October last year.