Jenin under attack: What's behind the latest Israeli incursion?

"Right before they entered Jenin there was no attack on Israelis. They entered, [and] bombed a community theatre called the 'freedom community theatre' that was sheltering women and children. They said it was a mistake. 

They shot and maimed children. They are saying they can not differentiate between an adult and a child. They are one of the top five armies in the world and this is the excuse they are giving to the international community? That their army can't differentiate between freedom fighters, women and children. It's a lie," Tamam Quran, Advocacy and Communication Officer at the Center for Continuing Education at Birzeit University, Ramallah, Palestine, told The Business Standard. 

In the early hours of Monday morning, the Israel Defense Forces launched an operation against Palestinian "militants" in the West Bank city of Jenin.

Even though nighttime raids have become routine in the West Bank over the past year, this one was unprecedented. Airstrikes were conducted prior to the deployment of ground troops for the second time in as many weeks, and only the second time since 2005.

An arrest operation involving some 2,000 Israeli soldiers is currently underway in the city, and the army has warned that it could last for several days.

An escalating assault on the West Bank not only brings to mind the bloody days of the second intifada but also portends the beginning of an even bloodier era in the northern West Bank.

As of now, 2023 is on track to be the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the United Nations began keeping track in 2005 after the second intifada (Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip that lasted from September 2000 to February 2005) ended. 

"The tension is transcending Jenin, wherever there are checkpoints and crossing points for illegal settlers, young Palestinians are fighting back. And fighting back means throwing rocks for us, because we don't have an army, we don't have weapons." Tamam Quran, Advocacy and Communication Officer, Center for Continuing Education at Birzeit University Palestine

In the period spanning from 1 January to mid-June, a total of 114 Palestinians have lost their lives as a result of encounters with Israeli forces, as reported by the United Nations.

And now, the military attack on Jenin has been going on for more than 12 hours, and there are no signs that it will end soon. Sources close to the Israeli military have reportedly stated this assault could potentially end in a couple more hours or even as long as a few weeks.

Local journalists and people who were there say that the situation on the ground is one of the worst they have seen since the invasion in 2002.

Why is Jenin being targeted?

Since coming to power in December, Israel's far-right government has made it a top priority to crack down on the Jenin refugee camp, which it says is hiding fighters who have attacked Israel or are planning to do so. 

According to the Israel Defence Forces, at least 50 attacks on Israeli citizens were launched from Jenin in the past few months, and 19 of the people who took part in those attacks ran away to the camp afterwards.

Sources close to the Israeli military reportedly have stated this assault could potentially end in a couple more hours or even as long as a few weeks. Photo: Reuters

The military then used helicopter gunships to help the troops and vehicles on the ground. This was the first time in 20 years that this had happened in the occupied West Bank.

Monday's raid marked a huge escalation in Israeli operations in Jenin. About 1,000 Israeli soldiers stormed the city with the help of drones. The Palestinian Health Ministry says that at least eight people were killed and 80 more were hurt.

In the last year, as Israel has increased its raids in the occupied West Bank, more and more Palestinian fighters have moved into the Jenin refugee camp.

"Firstly, Israel is terrified of the notion of Palestinians unifying under the banner of just being Palestinians instead of a political party. Because of the systems of occupation, colonisation, and apartheid, the idea is to divide and conquer the people. Secondly, these types of attacks increase whenever elections are around. The Israeli politicians want to please the illegal settlers and get their votes," said Tamam Quran.

Faced with more Israeli military operations and attempts to build more illegal settlements in the West Bank, more and younger Palestinians are taking up arms against Israel. Jenin has joined Gaza as a major symbol of the Palestinian resistance. 

Hundreds of the fighters are part of a new group called the Jenin Brigades. This group is made up of fighters from different armed groups. Experts believe fighters from Fatah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are also active there.

The Jenin Brigades are just one of the new groups that have formed in response to growing dissatisfaction with the Palestinian authority and anger at Israel's continued occupation.

"The youth are losing any sort of faith in any political party, be it Hamas, Fatah, PLO or Jabhah. Because they had years to make a change, but nothing happened. It is not that new political parties are coming up, rather it is this collective of freedom fighters who say, 'Hey, we don't belong to any political party, but we are just a group of young Palestinians who seek to take things into our own hands and free Palestine'," explained Tamam.

As part of an operation called "Break the Wave," one of the main goals of Israel's raids in the West Bank over the past two years has been to crush the new groups.

The Israeli military said that in its most recent attack on Jenin, it hit a place where weapons were made and explosives were stored. Its troops also took an improvised rocket launcher.

A spokesperson for the Israeli army told members of the press in Israel that Monday's operation was meant to "break the safe haven mentality of the camp, which has turned into a hornets' nest."

According to the spokesperson, the Israeli military think-tank believes that the operations' expanding scope "will minimise friction" and hinted that similar strategies may be used going forward as Israeli forces encounter more and more resistance on the ground.

During the raid on Jenin last month, several Israeli soldiers were hurt and army vehicles were badly damaged by improvised explosives, which showed that the military was caught off guard.

"Because of social media, the narrative of Palestine is reaching the globe [far and wide] more honestly; without the intermediaries, news outlets owned by huge corporations who have their own agendas. This not only makes Israel terrified, but I believe they are losing their footing, " Tamam added.

What's next?

Israeli officials said they were going after a militant "operational command centre," but they didn't say when the raid would end. This has been typical of Israeli military campaigns in Gaza in the past.

International analysts believe that the current escalation in Jenin could be part of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to appease far-right ministers in his own government. Netanyahu is still facing pressure at home from the country's opposition, so he may be trying to appease his far-right ministers.

"I have lived here for my whole life. Even if things were to deescalate for a month, they will escalate again. Even if we lose 10-20 people in a day or a week, we take a break and continue our fight. So, I think things will escalate," opined Tamam.

The UN has asked Israel to stop making these plans and to stop using violence. The UN has criticised Israel for using "advanced military weaponry" and warned that violence in occupied territories "risks spiralling out of control."

Since there are no signs that the tensions are going away, the events could go on and maybe even spread to other cities.

"The tension is already spreading. At one of the entrances to the city I live in [Al Bireh], there is a border control outpost, attached because of an Israeli settlement that is right next door. Yesterday night, there was a confrontation there. Palestinian young men were fighting back. There were throwing rocks at tanks and armoured vehicles," said Tamam.

"So yes the tension is transcending Jenin, wherever there are checkpoints and crossing points for illegal settlers, young Palestinians are fighting back. And fighting back means throwing rocks for us, because we don't have an army, we don't have weapons," she added.