A month into a crackdown by Palestinian security forces on militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the streets of Jenin refugee camp are deserted, except for a few residents briefly checking on their homes.

Shops are closed, and militants have erected metal barricades to block Palestinian forces, in the area where Israeli army raids are more common.

Black military vehicles from the Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited control over the West Bank, are stationed beyond roadblocks at the camp's entrances.

"I only came back to check on my house," said Muayyad al-Saadi, a 53-year-old resident of Jenin camp, riding a bicycle down roads stripped of pavement.

Saadi, one of around 17,000 Palestinians who live in the camp, fled when clashes began in early December, citing a lack of electricity and running water.

The fighting, triggered by the arrests of several militants, has involved Palestinian militant factions affiliated with opponents of the PA's leadership.

One of these factions, the Jenin........

© Al Monitor