The State Department on Thursday evening commented on the IDF’s counterterrorism operation in Jenin, calling on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to de-escalate the situation.
“Today in Jenin, at least nine Palestinians, including militants and at least one civilian, were killed and over twenty injured during an Israeli Defense Forces counterterrorism operation against a Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell. We recognize the very real security challenges facing Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and condemn terrorist groups planning and carrying out attacks against civilians,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement.
“We mourn the loss of innocent lives as well as injuries to civilians, and are deeply concerned by the cycle of violence in the West Bank. We underscore the urgent need for all parties to de-escalate, prevent further loss of civilian life, and work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank. Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely,” he added.
US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf made similar comments in a briefing with reporters earlier on Thursday.
“A number of us have been working the phones since early this morning to get an understanding of what’s developing, what’s happened, and to urge de-escalation and coordination between Israeli and the Palestinian security forces,” Leaf said.
“We are concerned, obviously, at a couple things. One, we understand there were civilian casualties, which is quite regrettable. And then, obviously, there is the potential for things to worsen in security terms, in terms of protests or any other kind of kinetic action,” she added.
“But we’re – we are in touch, in close touch, with our diplomatic and security folks on the ground. I spoke with Ambassador Nides several times this morning and other folks in our organization out there, talked to General Mike Fenzel, who heads up our security mission, and I’ve been in touch with Israeli and Palestinian officials as well. And as I said, we are urging de-escalation and a calming of the situation.”
Following the Jenin raid, the Palestinian Authority announced it was halting security coordination with Israel.
The move was announced by the PA’s deputy cabinet leader, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, who said that “security coordination with the occupation government no longer exists as of now,” in light of the "repeated aggression against our people, and the undermining of signed agreements."
Abu Rudeineh also said that the PA intended to file another complaint with the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court over Thursday morning's raid.
Later on Thursday, terrorists fired a barrage of rockets towards southern Israel.
Shortly before midnight, sirens were sounded in the city of Ashkelon and in Kibbutz Zikim and Karmia. The IDF confirmed that two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and were intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array.
There were no initial reports of physical injuries or damages.