Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have agreed to suspend assaults on Jenin following a series of deadly raids since the beginning of the year.
The agreement will reportedly allow the PA to impose its authority in the area, which has become a bastion of fighting against Israeli occupation and saw 12 Palestinians killed in an offensive on the city this week.
Israeli Channel 14 quoted unnamed Israeli political figures who said PA control over Jenin was preferable to an alternative group more willing to confront the Israeli military and embroil the it in constant confrontation with Palestinian groups.
However, Israeli military figures told the news channel that Israel would operate in Jenin if the military felt it necessary. They also expressed doubts about the PA’s ability to exert its control over the area.
The freeze comes after PA President Mahmoud Abbas visited the city for the first time in 11 years, where he was booed by many residents. He visited along with several other senior figures from the PA.
Abbas' visit came days after a deadly Israeli raid on the city killed at least 12 Palestinians and wounded over 100. The raid has been described as the biggest assault on the West Bank since the Second Intifada during the early 2000 and included rare, for the West Bank, aerial assaults.
Whilst the largest in 20 years, the raid was the latest in a series of raids conducted by the military within the town since the beginning of the year.
According to The Palestinian Information Centre, 206 Palestinians from both Gaza and the occupied West Bank have been killed by the Israeli military and settlers since the beginning of the year.