Netanyahu’s Battle for Survival: From Gaza to Jenin and Peace is Left Behind

By Elijah J. Magnier

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is intensifying operations in the Jenin camp in the West Bank amid a fragile but still holding ceasefire in Gaza. While Israel justifies such operations as necessary to combat terrorism, this attack—one of the largest in years—has far-reaching consequences for the Palestinian Authority (PA), the broader Palestinian resistance, and the increasingly eroded vision of a two-state solution.

This strategy serves as a punitive measure against Palestinians and a calculated political manoeuvre to placate his far-right coalition partners and voter base. With figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wielding significant influence, Netanyahu appears increasingly dependent on hardliners to maintain his political survival and keep the pace of war active on at least one front.

A severe hit to the Palestinian Authority

The attack on Jenin also undermines the Arab world’s long-standing position advocating for a two-state solution. Arab nations, led by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, have long called for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel based on the 1967 borders. However, Israel’s actions in Jenin and its broader annexationist policies render such aspirations increasingly implausible. 

The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, has faced declining credibility among Palestinians, and the Jenin raid further highlights its ineffectiveness. The PA’s mandate has revolved mainly around security coordination with Israel under the 1993 – 1995 Oslo Accords, a framework intended to lead to Palestinian self-determination. However, such coordination increasingly appears to many Palestinians as collaboration with an occupying power.

The PA’s inability to protect Palestinians or effectively counter Israeli military actions in the West Bank has left it increasingly isolated. For Palestinians in Jenin and beyond, the PA is seen as complicit in perpetuating the occupation rather than a legitimate body advocating for their rights.