Fatah blames Iran as intra-Palestinian violence rocks West Bank

The West Bank city of Tulkarm has become a flashpoint for intra-Palestinian tensions and violence recently, and the leading faction in the Palestinian Authority (PA) is accusing Iran of stoking unrest in the territory.

What happened: Palestinian and Arabic-language media reported on Saturday that clashes broke out between PA security forces and the Tulkarm brigade of Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. The clashes reportedly began after the security forces attempted to detain a local Saraya al-Quds commander named Abu Shija.

Al Jazeera Arabic reported on Sunday that Saraya al-Quds’ Qafin brigade warned that “any attempt to arrest our fighters from Tulkarm to Jenin will be met with a severe and direct response.”

The outlet reported renewed clashes between PA security forces and “resistance fighters” on Tuesday in Tulkarm’s Nur Shams refugee camp.