Jenin, dubbed the Palestinian “terror capital” by observers, has been in the news for the past few months as Israel continues to carry out counter-terrorism operations in a bid to save Israeli lives and prevent the actions of those who seek to harm the Jewish state.
But while Jenin is constantly being mentioned in the media, how much do we really know about Jenin?
In this series, we will take a look at different Jenin-related topics and hopefully provide a multi-faceted understanding of the city at the center of the current rise in violence and terrorism.
This is ‘Spotlight on Jenin.’
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In this piece, we will take a look at the role that Jenin plays in both the Israeli and Palestinian psyches.
Violence, Suicide Bombings, Deadly Ambushes & Media Lies: Jenin in the Israeli Psyche
During both the First and Second Intifadas, Jenin was known to Israelis as a center of violence and anti-Israeli terrorism.
At the outset of the First Intifada (1987-1993), a number of Palestinian terror groups took root in the Jenin region and used the area as a launching pad for attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians. One particularly noteworthy group was the Black Panthers, which was responsible for attacks on Israeli soldiers and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as well as the murder of Palestinians who were accused of “collaborating” with the Jewish state.
During the Second Intifada (2000-2005), Jenin once again became a hotbed of Palestinian terror activity, with over a third of suicide bombers emanating from the region while prominent Palestinian terror groups used the city and its surrounding environs as a base for violent attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Related Reading: The Second Intifada: Israeli Society Terrorized
In response to the threat posed by the terror groups based in Jenin and other West Bank cities, Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.
During the Battle of Jenin, which took place between April 1 and 11, 1000 Israeli soldiers entered the terror enclave and engaged in brutal urban warfare with heavily armed Palestinian fighters.
One particularly scarring incident for Israelis during this time was when 13 IDF reservists were ambushed and killed by Palestinian fighters. According to one observer, this was the “biggest setback during the entire 2002 offensive.”
As the battle was winding down, some international media outlets and human rights organizations began to report the false claim that Israel had committed a “massacre” in Jenin. While these claims were ultimately proven to be untrue, they nevertheless helped perpetuate the idea that Israel was guilty of war crimes and killing innocent Palestinians.
Thus, even before Jenin began to reappear in the media over the past couple of years, the city existed in the Israeli psyche as a symbol of terrorism, the darkest days of the Second Intifada and the perceived untrustworthiness of the international media and human rights organizations when it comes to reporting on Israel.
Related Reading: Leading the Anti-Israel Pack: How Media Skew the Second Intifada (VIDEO)
The High Cost of ‘Resistance’: Jenin in the Palestinian Psyche
For Palestinians, Jenin represented one of the primary centers of resistance to Israel and the IDF during the Second Intifada. However, according to analysts of the region, the Battle of Jenin left a dark cloud over the northern West Bank city in the Palestinian psyche.
While there was a sense of pride in the fact that Jenin was one of the few Palestinian cities to effectively fight the Israeli military, the death and destruction that followed the Battle of Jenin left a bitter taste in the mouths of many Palestinians.
For many Palestinians, the return to violence in Jenin and its surroundings is effectively a reclaiming of Jenin’s violent reputation by the next generation.
Related Reading: How Did the Media Cover the Terrorist Doctor of Jenin?
Aside from its violent reputation, for many Palestinians, Jenin also represents the impotence of the current-day Palestinian Authority (PA).
Due to the popular perception that the PA is corrupt and subservient to Israel, many younger Palestinians in Jenin have allied with radical Palestinian terror groups, such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that provide them with an alternative to the PA.
Related Reading: Follow the Money: Media Absent as Palestinian Authority Fails to Meet ‘Minimum’ US Transparency Requirements
Although Jenin has only recently reappeared in the news as the center of the latest rise in West Bank violence, the city is prominent in the memories of both Israelis and Palestinians.
For Israelis, Jenin symbolizes the deadly terror that haunted the streets of the Jewish state during the Second Intifada, some of the fiercest fighting that took place between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian fighters during the same period as well as the international media’s attempt to demonize Israel while glorifying its enemies.
For Palestinians, Jenin represents the pride of effective “resistance” against Israel, the heavy price paid for this resistance as well as a symbol of the ineffectiveness of the Palestinian Authority in providing for the day-to-day needs of West Bank Palestinians.
For Part Eight: The Twin Terror Hubs of Jenin and Nablus, click here
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