TEHRAN- Israel’s largest military assault in the occupied West Bank in more than two decades has laid bare the impotence of the Palestinian Authority in countering the regime’s acts of aggression.

On Wednesday, Israel launched coordinated raids across four areas in the northern West Bank namely Jenin, Nablus, Tubas, and Tulkarem. 

Jenin, which has been a hotbed of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, remains the focus of the Israeli army’s raids. 

More than 20 people including children have been killed since the start of the offensive. 

Israeli army bulldozers have plunged into critical infrastructure, cutting off communications and resources from Palestinian cities, towns, and refugee camps. 

The regime has prevented ambulances from reaching those who have been wounded. 

The Palestinian Authority and President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the organization for nearly two decades, have frequently condemned Israeli raids in the West Bank but have fallen short of taking any practical action to bring an end to such attacks.  

The PA has adopted an aggressive approach toward Palestinians who have challenged its leadership but remains totally inactive in the face of Israeli aggression. 

The Palestinian Authority’s security forces have previously attacked protesters in the West Bank angry at the policies adopted by Abbas toward Palestine and the Gaza war. 

The PA is also accused of providing intelligence to Israel to crack down on Palestinians who have played an active role against the regime’s occupation of their lands.

The Palestinian Authority’s lack of decisive action has emboldened Israel to continue incursions into the West Bank. Israel views the organization as a paper tiger, incapable of defending its own interests and people. 

Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has been under mounting pressure over his position toward Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise military operation carried out by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7. 

In mid-October, Abbas said, “Hamas's policies and actions do not represent the Palestinian people, and the policies, programs, and decisions of the (Palestine Liberation Organization) represent the Palestinian people as their sole legitimate representative."

Abu Mazen’s statements infuriated Palestinians who have been subjected to decades of Israeli crimes. The comments also showed he is detached from reality as revelations by the US and Israeli intelligence communities have indicated that Hamas has become more popular since conducting the Al-Aqsa Storm Operation. 

Palestinians also consider the Western-backed Ramallah organization as a toothless body in the face of its inaction amid Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza as well as a surge in the regime’s deadly attacks and settler violence in the West Bank. 

Israel has massacred around 40,700 people in Gaza in a bid to pit Palestinians against Hamas. But its plot has backfired amid rising support for resistance. 
Israel has painted a similar scenario in the West Bank which will prove futile.

Presently, Palestinians have woken up to the fact that only resistance, national unity and resilience will contribute to bringing an end to Israel’s decades-long occupation and atrocious crimes.