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"Tomorrow's Martyrs": Inside a Palestinian Militant Cell in the West Bank

(Washington Post) Steve Hendrix - The Washington Post spent time in July at Nablus' Balata refugee camp, as well as Jenin and Askar refugee camps, which have turned into outposts of armed anarchy. Zoufi, 37, commands 15 fighters of the Balata branch of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, listed as a terrorist group by Israel and the U.S. He was active in the second intifada as a teenager and served six years in Israeli prison for shooting and wounding an Israeli. He was released in 2008 and joined a branch of the Palestinian Authority security services, but found he could make more money at building sites in Israel. He bought his M16 for $20,000 with the money he earned working construction in Tel Aviv. Israel accuses Palestinian officials of letting militants operate freely and of allowing thousands of smuggled or homemade weapons to flood the West Bank. An Israeli military official said the recent terror wave is being driven by the feebleness of the PA, social media fervor, and the availability of illegal weapons. The Israel Defense Forces have made more than 1,340 arrests there this year. The Lions' Den cell in Nablus has been all but demolished by IDF raids and arrests.
2023-08-07 00:00:00
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