Thousands Flee Jenin Camp as Israeli Operation Continues Into Second Day

Facts

• During the second day of Israel's largest raid in two decades, thousands of civilians fled from the violence in a refugee camp in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, where at least 10 Palestinians have been killed and 100 injured. At least five of the dead were confirmed to be affiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).¹
• Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly said that Israeli forces were "completing the mission" but that their "activity in Jenin is not a one-time operation." The army said it was seizing weapons and destroying militant positions, tearing up streets inside Jenin's refugee camp. Gun battles, though less intense than Monday, were reported throughout Tuesday.²
• Businesses across the West Bank went on strike to protest the raid, with Palestinian Pres. Mahmoud Abbas calling the raid a "war crime." The US said that it respected Israel's "right to defend itself" but said civilian casualties should be avoided. Egypt's permanent representative to the Arab League said the operation would prevent reconciliation after months of escalating violence.¹
• On Tuesday, a Palestinian man injured at least seven people in a car-ramming and knife attack in Tel Aviv before he was shot dead by a civilian. The BBC reported that the attacker was from the West Bank and a "known Hamas activist," with the armed group saying that the attack was a "natural response" to the Jenin raid.³
• Israel called the operation a "brigade-level raid," including over 1K troops, armored vehicles, and drone strikes. The Israeli military reported that its soldiers had questioned over 120 Palestinian suspects, with some being released while others face further questioning.⁴
• The situation in the West Bank has deteriorated in the last year as Israel has launched regular raids in the area following a spree of Palestinian attacks last year. There has also been an increased number of attacks on Israeli settlers in the West Bank in recent months, as settler attacks against Palestinians have also increased.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²CBS, ³BBC News, ⁴The Times of Israel, and ⁵Guardian.

Narratives

• Pro-Palestine narrative, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israel is pushing the situation in the occupied West Bank to a breaking point by increasingly attacking Palestinian cities and committing war crimes. The current attack on Jenin is reminiscent of the 2002 battle of Jenin, in which Israel killed over 50 Palestinians and laid waste to the city's refugee camp. Though Israel clearly wants to continue its assault on the Palestinian people, it will have to keep in mind other fronts — such as Gaza and Lebanon — where it does not want to see an escalation.
• Pro-Israel, as provided by Jerusalem Post. Unfortunately, Israel has been forced to react to increasing Iranian interference in the West Bank and break the mindset that Jenin can be used as a springboard to launch attacks against Israeli civilians. For too long, Palestinian terrorists have been allowed to operate relatively freely in the northern West Bank — this must change. Additionally, Iran has been increasing its support to terrorists, inciting a violent situation to which Israel must respond.
• Narrative C, as provided by Guardian. The current situation in Jenin and the West Bank as a whole is the result of a new generation of Palestinians who grew up during the Second Intifada and cannot be controlled by the deeply maligned Palestinian Authority. Palestinian security forces hold little sway in cities like Jenin, which has created a ripe environment in which young Palestinians have taken up arms. Indeed, the fighting in Jenin stems from both Israel being caught off guard by local fighters' preparedness and the Israeli government sidelining the Palestinian Authority.