Mondoweiss’s Palestine Bureau discusses Israel’s massive invasion of Jenin and the ramifications for Palestinians, Israel, and the international community.
After failing to eliminate the Palestinian resistance in Jenin despite repeated invasions, the Israeli army has now launched its largest attack on the city in over 20 years, including over 150 armored vehicles and 1,000 ground troops.
Jerusalem has emerged as a second front in Israel’s counterinsurgency strategy, prompting Itamar Ben-Gvir to ramp up the Israeli state’s never-ending war on the city and its people.
As Palestinian resistance continues to spread, Operation Break the Wave is reaching a dead end, pushing some Israeli politicians to call for a repeat of 2002, or an “Operation Defensive Shield 2.”
After a car-ramming operation in Jerusalem, Itamar Ben-Gvir is calling for the re-invasion of the West Bank, while Israel’s usual policy of collective punishment and retribution continues.
Mondoweiss Managing Editor Faris Giacaman shares the evolution of Palestinian armed resistance over the past 25 years, and how it set the stage for the latest Israeli attack on Gaza.
From approximately April 3-17, 2002 Israeli military forces stormed the Jenin refugee camp, killing more than 50 Palestinians and making 13,000 people homeless. Jennifer Loewenstein remembers touring camp in the aftermath, and the media’s indifference to the onslaught.
Michael Merryman-Lotze remembers Israel’s siege on the West Bank city of Ramallah during Operation Defensive Shield: “The night of April 2 was one that I won’t forget. That was the night that the Israeli military took over the Preventative Security Office in Betunia. They surrounded the building with tanks and forced out the Palestinian police inside, arresting many. They searched the prison, releasing criminals and detaining others. They then proceeded to destroy the compound, firing tanks and missiles into the buildings throughout the night.”