The latest crisis erupted after Emad Khurwat, a senior Fatah official in Hebron, threatened to use force to prevent PA officials from entering the city.

Gunshots at the home of Emad Khurwat, Fatah general secretary in Hebron. He accused exiled Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan of being behind the shooting. Yesterday armed men attacked the home of Dahlan Hatem Shaheen supporter / candidate in Hebron. pic.twitter.com/O0EX8y2JlS

– Khaled Abu Toameh (@KhaledAbuToameh) April 13, 2021

The threat, which was made at a public meeting of leaders of several Palestinian clans in Hebron, came as a result of lawlessness and lawlessness in the city in recent weeks.

Many clans in Hebron have thousands of members and are considered more powerful than the Palestinian Authority and its security forces. Clans administer their own legal system and often replace PA security forces and courts in upholding law and order and delivering verdicts, including in murder cases.

Khurwat and other activists in Hebron said the PA had lost control of the city, paving the way for large clans to take matters into their own hands and deploy dozens of gunmen to the streets.

They said several gunmen were involved in various criminal activities in the city, including collecting “money for protection”, vandalism and murder.

“I’m going to set up a checkpoint [at the entrance to Hebron] and prevent any Palestinian official from entering the city, ”Khurwat said at the rally. “I am responsible for every word I say. To me, Hebron is more sacred than all human beings.

Khurwat demanded that PA Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and commanders of all Palestinian security forces arrive in Hebron immediately to discuss the issues facing residents. “They are not bigger than Hebron,” he said.

He warned that if the PA did not live up to its responsibilities to Hebron, local families and Fatah members would be forced to act.

Fatah militants, Khurwat said, are ready to replace PA security forces in Hebron. “Tomorrow I will form a group of 200 armed men to protect all the small families in Hebron. In Hebron, it’s anarchy, ”he said. “Each person has a group of 50 armed men to protect their family. “

Some Fatah activists in the city have announced that they will boycott the PA government over its failure to uphold law and order in the city.

They called on the Palestinian Authority to divide the Hebron region into three separate governorates in order to facilitate the task of upholding law and order and providing better services to residents.

“The situation in the Hebron region is on the verge of explosion,” said Khalil Natsheh, another Fatah member in the city. “We have a small number of large clans who are now in charge. They have their own gunmen and do whatever they want. The Palestinian Authority is afraid of them.

Most of the criticism is directed not only against the PA leadership and government, but against members of the Fatah Central Committee, the faction’s highest decision-making body.

Two members of the committee, Jibril Rajoub and Abbas Zaki, are from the Hebron region.

Another member of the committee, Tawfiq Tirawi, visited Hebron on Wednesday as part of an effort to ease tensions in the city and prevent a Fatah mutiny.

Tirawi, a former commander of the Palestinian Authority’s General Intelligence Service in the West Bank, met with the governor of the Palestinian Authority in Hebron, Jibrin al-Bakri, and other senior Palestinian officials in the city.

During the meeting, Tirawi stressed that achieving security and safety and maintaining civil peace requires concerted efforts from all segments of society and strengthening of the rule of law and its enforcement.

A political activist in Hebron mocked Khurwat’s threats against the PA leadership and government. According to the activist, Khurwat and his “gangs” are trying to extort money and various privileges from the PA government for themselves and their families.

“They want salaries and vehicles,” the activist said, referring to disgruntled Fatah members in Hebron. “These people see themselves as the spoiled children of the Palestinian Authority. They complain about the gun chaos, but they are the ones who are walking around with guns and pistols and intimidating the locals.

The PA government is expected to hold a special meeting in Hebron on Saturday to discuss issues facing the city, according to a PA official in Ramallah.

On the eve of the meeting, a committee representing several clans in Hebron warned that “tribal fanaticism is the most dangerous thing for Hebron as it leads to attacks on property, bullying, blackmail, collecting money for protection and scenes of armed men in the streets. “

The committee said that “tribal fanaticism threatens the unity of Hebron” and urged all parties to combat the phenomenon. He further called on the PA government to enforce the law and deal firmly with criminals, especially those involved in murder and extortion.