Israeli forces say they have completed a 48-hour military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin – the largest in two decades. Beginning on Monday, July 3, the Israel Defence Force (IDF) hit the city with drone strikes, sending in hundreds of troops and bulldozing through the narrow streets. Two days later, 12 Palestinians were reported dead and 100 injured. One Israeli soldier was killed.
In what was billed as an operation to clear Jenin of terrorists, Israeli forces arrested Palestinian militants, seized weapons and neutralised improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The operation caused widespread damage to Jenin’s crowded refugee camp, which is home to 14,000 people in less than half a square kilometre – most of whom are descendants of Palestinians dispossessed of their land and homes when Israel was created in 1948.
While the residents return to assess and repair the damage, two questions persist: why invade Jenin at all – and why now?
