Fatah threatens further escalation following another deadly clash with IDF in West Bank

Violent clashes took place between the Israel Defense Forces and Palestinians on Saturday morning in the West Bank resulting in the death of a 17-year-old Palestinian.

During the clashes Palestinians hurled Molotov cocktails and other explosive devices at Israeli soldiers.

Amjad al-Fayed was a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the terrorist organization, which confirmed that Fayed took part in the fighting against the Israeli soldiers in the village of Kafr Dan, about 8 kilometers northwest of Jenin in the West Bank.

Shami al-Shami, a Fatah leader in Jenin, told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that if continuous incursions on the Jenin refugee camp by the IDF continue without change in the near future, “The situation will escalate and we will see more killings and destruction.”

As a former member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, al-Shami has close connections with various Palestinian terrorist groups, especially those based in the refugee camp, according to the Post.

“It seems that the Israeli army has a plan to drain out the fighters in the Jenin camp through continuous incursions,” al-Shami said. “We expect the army to lay siege to Jenin and the refugee camp, but only after completely wearing out the resistance fighters.”

The gunmen in the camp, he said, belong to “national and Islamic factions, and most of them are very young people.”

The Fatah leader cautioned that calm would only return to Jenin and the surrounding areas if Israel stops its military incursions and works toward peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

“The position of Fatah is that it’s a duty to resist the occupation,” al-Shami stated. “Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades are part of the struggle; they have lost some of their members, while others have been imprisoned [by Israel]. We are not terrorists. Resistance is a legitimate right guaranteed by international conventions.”

“Those who are carrying out killings and demolitions are the terrorists,” he added. “For every action, there is an opposite reaction.”

Al-Shami also said that, “The tensions and absence of peace talks don’t serve the interests of both Israelis and Palestinians” and “Everyone wants to live in peace and security,” despite his continued threats of escalation in the West Bank

Senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, shared his own sentiments on Sunday when he threatened escalation in Jerusalem if the “Flag March” goes ahead as scheduled next week on May 29. The march takes place annually on Jerusalem Day, a celebration which marks Israel’s victory and conquest of the Old City of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War.

“I want to clearly warn the enemy against committing these crimes and these steps,” Haniyeh cautioned. “The Palestinian people, led by the resistance — especially those in the West Bank and Jerusalem — will not permit this Jewish, Talmudic rubbish to go unanswered. Our decision is clear and unhesitating… We will resist with all our capabilities, and we will not permit the violation of the al-Aqsa Mosque or thuggery in the streets of Jerusalem.”

Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev stated that the Jerusalem Day March will be held just as it has been in previous years, however, he has yet to obtain the necessary approval from the Israeli Cabinet.

The “Flag March” is scheduled to walk along Jaffa Street to Damascus Gate, into the Old City through Haggai Street in the Muslim Quarter and finally finish at the Western Wall.

Left-wing Knesset members have voiced their displeasure with the decision to let the march take place, saying it will create an escalation with Palestinian terrorist groups, who view the march as a provocation.

At last year’s march, Hamas fired 45 missiles into Israel. Six of them were fired into Jerusalem, and one missile hit a house on the outskirts of the city. No one was injured.