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armed resistance

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Palestinian youth and resistance fighters in Nablus continue to resist settler-colonial encroachment and pay the price for it. Two Palestinians died during recent clashes with the Israeli army near Joseph’s tomb, while a resistance fighter succumbed to wounds sustained last summer within the same 24 hours.

Members of the Lions' Den hold their weapons next to a flag flying the Lions' Den logo during a memorial service of Mohammed al-Azizi and Abdul Rahman Sobh who were killed by Israeli forces, in the West Bank city of Nablus on September 2, 2022. (Photo: Shadi Jarar'ah/ APA Images)

The Lions’ Den was relatively unknown outside of Nablus until a few months ago but today they have gained hero-like status across Palestine — for leading a revival of armed resistance against Israeli colonialism. This is their story.

A mourner holding a weapon at the funeral of Salah al-Buraiki, 19, who was killed in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank city of Jenin, on October 21, 2022. The weapon bears a sticker with the logo of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade. (Photo: Ahmed Ibrahim/APA Images)

While Americans and Europeans chat and debate with each other about the nuances of Israeli politics and come up with all sorts of fanciful solutions to “the conflict,” the Israeli government tightens its grip on Palestinians and Palestinians become ever more frustrated, eager for action, and impatient with their leadership and with a world that keeps telling them the time is not yet “ripe” for their rights to be realized. 

Perhaps that is why we are seeing such widespread support for armed resistance. Perhaps it’s simply a response to Israel escalating an already violent policy of apartheid. In any case, armed action seems to be moving into a more prominent role in Palestinian resistance and it will be important for supporters of Palestinian rights to be ready to defend those actions wherever we can.

Udai Tamimi, the Palestinian resistance fighter responsible for killing an Israeli soldier at Shu’fat military checkpoint, conducted yet another shooting operation against Israeli troops before being shot and killed at the entrance of the illegal Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, after ten days on the run and evading capture by Israeli forces.

The West Bank and Jerusalem are “on fire.” 

It’s a term we’re seeing used more and more across social media, the news, and opinion pieces talking about the current events in the occupied Palestinian territory. But what exactly is unfolding in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem right now, and why? What makes it different from what we’ve seen in recent history, and what does it mean for the future of Palestinian resistance to Israeli occupation and settler-colonialism?

We are currently seeing an unprecedented moment of Palestinian resistance across the West Bank. It’s too early to tell where events will lead — whether it’s the historic turning point or the last gasp of protest before something even worse — but what’s certain is that Palestinians are on the precipice of returning to a state of refusal, if not full-fledged resistance, to the settler-colonial reality some would have them ignore. The current moment will ultimately be decided by militant mass support and the expansion of resistance activity to the rest of the West Bank.

An Israeli siege of Shu’fat refugee camp in the West Bank is entering its third day as Israel conducts a manhunt to capture a Palestinian resistance fighter who killed an Israeli soldier this past weekend. Residents of the camp are running low on basic needs and supplies, including necessary medical resources, while the death toll across Palestine continues to rise. In response, the Nablus-based armed resistance group Areen al-Usud has called for strikes across the West Bank in solidarity with Shu’fat and nearby Anata, which is also facing restrictions.