Why does Israel target Jenin, West Bank?

In the days since the ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip, Israel has turned its attention to a Palestinian city about 75 miles northeast – a city with a history of resistance. and long-term military operations.

On Wednesday, as some of its troops withdrew from Gaza, the Israeli military said is promoting an activity in Jenin, a city in the northern Israeli-occupied West Bank. The city has for decades been a hotbed for militants and a target of attacks by Israeli security forces.

Since the war in Gaza began, Hamas has grown in popularity and asserted its presence in the West Bank. Iran – which supports Hamas and other militant groups in the region – has Flood the territory with weapons. And the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank in coordination with Israel, has seen its fragile influence dwindle.

Now, Israel appears to be focusing its attention on the West Bank and Jenin in particular. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel’s latest operation was aimed at “eliminating terrorism” and that it would be “broad and significant.”

Here’s what to know about Jenin and Israel’s latest activity there.

What’s going on?

On Wednesday, an Israeli military spokesman said 10 militants were “attacked” in the operation in Jenin, without providing further details. Previously, Israel said it had killed eight militants since the start of the raid.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said 10 people had been killed in Jenin and its suburbs since the raid began. And Palestinian officials were quoted by Wafa, the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency, as saying that at least four people were injured in the city on Wednesday.

Other West Bank cities were also targeted in raids. Israeli forces have detained at least 25 Palestinians across the West Bank since Tuesday evening, the Palestinian Authority’s Committee in charge of Prisoner Affairs said.

Why is Israel targeting the West Bank?

As of October 7, 2023, The attack was led by Hamas As for Israel, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank has lost support for factions such as Hamas that support armed struggle and are actively opposing Israel, according to a poll by the Palestine Center for Policy and Survey Research.

Simultaneously, Israel’s deadly attacks And attack by Jewish settlers regarding Palestinians in the West Bank has escalated. Israeli leaders said the military strikes were aimed at fighting terrorism in the region.

Lt. Col. Herzi Halevi, the outgoing Israeli army chief of staff, said in a speech Tuesday that his forces have killed 794 militants in the West Bank since the war in Gaza began. “In most cases, we stopped the threat in advance before the terrorists could reach Israeli citizens,” he said.

Who is arming the rebels?

Iran is operating one Secret smuggling ring across the Middle EastAccording to US, Israeli and Iranian officials, they use intelligence agents, rebels and criminal gangs to supply weapons to Palestinians in the West Bank. Iranian officials say the goal is to incite unrest against Israel by flooding the territory with weapons.

Israeli security forces have launched a large-scale crackdown through the West Banksaid it was part of Israel’s counterterrorism efforts against Hamas and other armed factions.

What are Palestinian leaders doing?

The Palestinian Authority is the governing body of some areas in the occupied West Bank. In December, the country’s security forces began cracking down on militants in and around Jenin, where the government had lost control. The area is known as a stronghold of militant groups, including Hamas, which call for armed resistance against Israel.

The Palestinian Authority emerged from a peace process between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the 1990s that was supposed to lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state but never materialized.

In fact, the Israeli army – the occupying force of the territory – has security control over Palestinian cities. The Palestinian Authority handles a number of local issues, including garbage collection, education, hospitals and schools, and has its own security force that coordinates with Israeli counterparts but has limited authority.

Jenin has long been a symbol of resistance.

of the city resistance reputation began in the 1930s, when Palestinians took up arms against British rule in Palestine during the period known as Arab uprising.

Then, after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that surrounded the creation of modern Israel and the flight or expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, Jenin cemented its reputation as a city that never hour of surrender as Palestinian fighters, backed by Iraqi soldiers, repelled Israel’s attempt to take it.

The city is home to one of the original refugee camps established for Palestinians displaced by that war.

In 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank after a war with neighboring Arab countries. Jenin’s resonance today, for both Palestinians and Israelis, largely stems from the second intifada, or uprising, against Israeli occupation in the early 2000s.

Israelis recall the city as the starting point for dozens of suicide bombers sent to Israel at the time, and Palestinians remember a 10-day battle in 2002 between militants and Israeli forces that left 52 Palestinians were killed, half of whom may have been civilians. arrive United Nations.

Jenin is often the target of attacks by Israeli forces. Both Hamas, which controls Gaza, and the militant group Islamic Jihad have recruited in Jenin. And in recent years, new militias have been loosely affiliated with older groups. emerging among the younger generation that is disappointed with Palestinian leadership they view it as corrupt and facilitating the Israeli occupation.

Lara Jakes, Raja Abdulrahim, Isabel Kershner, Erika Solomon And Aaron the boxer Report contributions.