Shtayyeh states that only Palestinians have the right to self-defense

“Yesterday, Tuesday [July 4, 2023, PA] Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said in response to a number of international statements regarding the Israeli occupation army’s invasion of Jenin (refers to 2023 Operation Home and Garden; see note below -Ed.): ‘To those who say that Israel has the right to defend itself, we say that the Israeli army is an occupation army that invaded a refugee camp, and arrested and murdered innocents. The Palestinian territories are occupied territories.’ The prime minister added: ‘The one who has the right to self-defense is the Palestinian.’”

[Official PA daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, July 5, 2023]

2023 Operation Home and Garden - an Israeli counter-terror operation in Jenin that lasted from July 3-5, 2023. The operation targeted terror infrastructure in the city, and particularly the Islamic Jihad-affiliated terror group the Jenin Brigade, after 50 terror attacks had originated from the city and 19 terrorists had fled to it since the start of 2023. Israeli soldier David Yehuda Yitzhak, 23, was killed during the operation, while at least 18 Palestinian terrorists were killed and over 300 terror suspects were arrested. During the operation, Israeli forces attacked a terror headquarters located next to a medical clinic and two schools, one of them belonging to UNRWA. Several weapons factories were discovered containing hundreds of explosives and weapons caches. Terrorists opened fire on Israeli forces from within a mosque in the Jenin refugee camp, and after gaining control of the site, the Israeli forces discovered weapons caches including explosives and entrances to underground tunnels in the mosque's basement.