Assassination attempt on Islamic Jihad leader escalates tensions with Palestinian Authority
Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank Khader Adnan was subjected to an assassination attempt in Nablus, raising speculation about the possible role of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Leader of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank Khader Adnan survived an assassination attempt Feb. 26 after armed men shot him in the city of Nablus in the northern West Bank.
Adnan, who hails from the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank, is the most prominent Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank.
He has been arrested by Israeli forces eight times and is considered an icon for the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. Both local and regional media dubbed him the wager of the “battle of empty stomachs,” as he was the first Palestinian prisoner to carry out an individual hunger strike in 2012 in rejection of his administrative detention, a practice that allows Israel to detain Palestinians without charge.
On the political level, the assassination attempt against Adnan received wide reactions, as most Palestinian factions — with the exception of Fatah — issued statements condemning the incident.
