Increased Israeli pressure on the Palestinian Authority since October 7 for security coordination

A report by the French newspaper Le Monde revealed that Israeli pressure on the Palestinian Authority has increased since October 7, to force it into security coordination in the West Bank.

The French newspaper Le Monde said that members of the Palestinian forces in the occupied territories are obligated to coordinate with their Israeli counterparts, which fuels doubts about the nature of this cooperation and undermines the legitimacy of their Palestinian Authority.

The newspaper pointed out that, on November 18, an Israeli bombing targeted the headquarters of Mahmoud Zufi, commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), in Balata Camp, the largest in Nablus.

The raid resulted in the death of 5 Palestinians, including Al-Zoufi, who is very popular and feared by Israel.

An Israeli army spokesman said that this was the first time that an aircraft had struck a target in Nablus since the second intifada in 2000.

The spokesman noted that the attack launched by Hamas on October 7 had changed the situation, and Israel did not want a second internal front in the West Bank, supported by other armed Palestinian groups, while the war against Gaza raged.

Although the spokesman did not mention anything about the human intelligence needed to carry out the operation, Le Monde considered this a central question. According to the United Nations, 24,000 people live in Balata camp, which constitutes a dense population in the middle of a maze of narrow streets, meaning it is an ideal terrain for keeping the Israeli army under control.

The newspaper concludes that there is no opportunity to uncover the secrets of this environment without local help. Palestinian Authority forces do not even venture into this enclave, which some camp residents described as “the living heart of the revolution in Palestine.”

The Yemeni Houthi group said that it targeted a Norwegian oil ship named "Strinda" heading to Israel with a missile, while the US Central Command reported that the tanker was attacked by an anti-ship cruise missile, which resulted in "damage that caused a fire on board."

The Yemeni Houthi group announced on Tuesday that it had targeted a Norwegian oil ship near Bab al-Mandab off the coast of Yemen, which was on its way to Israel via the Red Sea, “after its crew rejected all warning calls.”

The group said it targeted the Norwegian ship Strinda, which was loaded with oil, with a naval missile.

The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation revealed on Tuesday that the Norwegian ship whose course in the Red Sea was intercepted by the Houthi group "was scheduled to arrive at the port of Ashdod, early next January."

The authority said: “The Norwegian ship Strinda, which was hit by a missile fired by the Houthis off the coast of Yemen, was supposed to enter the port of Ashdod on January 4.”

The Hebrew newspaper "Yedioth Ahronoth" reported that the ship Astrinda was carrying chemicals and was heading to the port of Ashdod, "and was supposed to dock there on the fourth of January."

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Tuesday: “The naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation against the Norwegian ship Astrinda, which was loaded with oil and headed to the Israeli entity. It was targeted with a suitable naval missile.”

He added that the Houthi forces "succeeded during the past two days in preventing the passage of several ships that responded to the warnings of the Yemeni naval forces, and did not resort to targeting the Norwegian ship loaded with oil until its crew rejected all warning calls."

Saree pointed out that the Houthi operations come as "a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people, who are currently being subjected to killing, destruction and siege in the Gaza Strip, and in response to the calls of the free people of our great Yemeni people and the people of our nation."

He reiterated his assertion that "our forces continue to prevent all ships of all nationalities heading to Israeli ports from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas until they bring in what our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip need in terms of food and medicine."

Missile attack

The British Maritime Agency said after the Houthi announcement that it “was informed of an incident where a ship was subjected to a missile attack” near Bab al-Mandab off the coast of Yemen.

She added in a brief statement through her account on the X platform that “the military authorities are providing assistance to the damaged ship,” and that “the ship and all its crew members are safe.”

The US Central Command (Centcom) announced on Tuesday morning that at 4 pm EST (21:00 GMT) on December 11, a tanker named Strinda was “attacked by an anti-ship cruise missile, launched from an area It is controlled by the Houthis in Yemen as it passes through Bab al-Mandab.

The US command explained that the ship reported "damage that caused a fire on board, but no casualties were reported."

She confirmed that "there were no American ships in the area at the time of the attack," noting that the American ship USS Mason "responded to Strinda's distress call to provide assistance."

The Houthi group has repeatedly vowed to target ships owned or operated by Israeli companies, "in solidarity with Palestine," and called on countries to withdraw their citizens working on the crews of these ships.

After these attacks were repeated, on December 5, Washington revealed discussions to establish an international “naval task force” against Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, indicating that the force would be an alliance that included 38 countries.