JENIN: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas vowed on Wednesday to rebuild the Jenin refugee camp during a rare visit that came a week after a deadly Israeli raid left much of it destroyed.
Abbas described the camp as an "icon of struggle" during his first visit in over a decade to the camp in the northern West Bank city.
Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed last week in the two-day raid on Jenin, the largest in years by Israeli forces.
The raid on the camp, which Israel views as a "terrorism hub", employed hundreds of troops as well as drone strikes and army bulldozers that tore up streets and damaged scores of houses.
Several top officials of Abbas's Fatah party, including deputy chairman Mahmoud Aloul, had visited the camp soon after the raid, only to be heckled by crowds of angry residents.
On Wednesday, Abbas expressed determination to back Jenin's reconstruction and security.
He described the camp as an "icon of steadfastness and struggle", in a short address as crowds of supporters cheered.
"We have come to say that we are one authority, one state, one law," he said, warning against anyone who "tampers with the unity and security of our people".
He further vowed to oversee the reconstruction of the camp and the city to restore it "to what it was or even better".
As he concluded his visit, Abbas laid a wreath on the graves of Palestinians who lost their lives in recent Israeli raids.
A number of Arab countries have announced aid for the camp after last week's offensive.
His visit "is a strong and important message... that he stands with the Palestinian people in their resistance to the occupation," Atta Abu Rumaila said, Fatah's secretary-general in the camp.
But Abdullah, a resident of the camp who gave only his first name, appeared to cast doubt over the purpose of the visit.
"What is more important is what happens after he leaves, and whether they (the Palestinian Authority) continue caring about the camp," he said.
The Jenin camp was established in 1953 to house some of those among the 760,000 Palestinians who fled or were expelled from their homes in 1948 when Israel was created, an event Palestinians call the "Nakba" or "catastrophe". — AFP
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