As deadly violence flared in the West Bank, Iran has asserted that Palestinians could achieve their goals in the decades-long territorial dispute with Israel only through the use of force, something Tehran would support if asked.
"Based on Iran's assessment, Palestinians cannot regain their seized rights from the Israeli regime through negotiation, as the Israeli regime only responds to force," the Iranian Mission to the United Nations told Newsweek. "Therefore, Iran supports any request for assistance from the Palestinian resistance."
Clashes erupted overnight Sunday as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducted a rare, large-scale operation using ground and air assets to target suspected armed Palestinian factions in the occupied city of Jenin, home to a sprawling refugee camp at the heart of more than a year of heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
In the latest assessment, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari counted eight Palestinians killed, all of whom were said to have been combatants, and additional injured. He told reporters Monday that the operation "to dismantle terror activities" in the camp had upturned financial and weapons infrastructure used to support militant activity.
Responding to Newsweek's question about concerns regarding Israeli archfoe Iran, which has maintained ties to a number of Palestinian factions, Hagari argued that "Iran is playing a role of negative influence" and also directly "supplying" Palestinian fighters.
"Iran has a huge motivation that there will be terror activities in the West Bank," Hagari said. "It's in the benefit of Iran. She tries to bring money and arms inside the West Bank."
Among specific Palestinian groups, Hagari said that Islamic Jihad had received "100 percent Iranian support" and that "also some of the force buildup of Hamas is based on Iranian money."
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both based in the coastal Palestinian enclave of Gaza, have cultivated support among disaffected youth in Jenin and other parts of the West Bank, Jerusalem and within Israel itself.
Reached for comment regarding Hamas' position on the current clashes, a spokesperson referred Newsweek to a series of statements issued by the group's officials Monday, including political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who urged "the Palestinian people in the West Bank to support Jenin and safeguard its citizens to foil the occupation government's schemes" and Al-Qassam Brigades commander Saleh al-Arouri, who vowed that Israeli forces would face "ambushes" if they tried to storm the camp and that fighters should attempt to capture IDF soldiers.
Islamic Jihad and its military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, also issued a number of statements Monday claiming its fighters and other resistance factions injured IDF personnel, and damaged Israeli vehicles and drones, as well.
Another independent yet increasingly active faction based in the West Bank city of Nablus and known as the Lion's Den, also said in a statement Monday that it had operatives in Jenin actively fighting against Israeli troops.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is just one front in the tense feud playing out between Iran and Israel across the Middle East.
Tehran's support for regional militias, increasingly advanced missile arsenal and its nuclear program—which Iranian officials have always denied was intended to produce a bomb—has also riled Arab countries, some of whom have moved to overcome existing feuds over the Palestinian issue to establish relations with Israel. More recently, however, Iran has begun rebuilding ties in the region, including with Saudi Arabia as part of a China-brokered deal in March, while condemnation has grown for right-wing policies pursued by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration.
President Joe Biden's administration has also occasionally criticized policies pursued by the Netanyahu administration, but the U.S. has also repeatedly affirmed its commitment to the security of Israel, which is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal of its own.
Following a meeting last Wednesday with Israeli Defense Ministry Political-Military Director Dror Shalom, U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Colin Kahl "reaffirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Israel, and underscored the U.S. commitment to deepening cooperation to address regional threats," including those related to Iran, according to the Pentagon.
"The officials discussed a series of ongoing efforts to address Iran's dangerous nuclear advances," the Pentagon readout stated, "and the shared U.S. and Israeli commitment to countering Iran's destabilizing activities across the region and beyond."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Based in his hometown of Staten Island, New York City, Tom O'Connor is an award-winning Senior Writer of Foreign Policy ... Read more
