Operation Defensive Shield in Jenin and "Jeningrad" and Samantha Power

Nadene Goldfoot                                                            

The Jenin refugee camp was created in in Judea-Samaria in 1953 within the city of Jenin's boundaries on land that the UNRWA leased from Jordan.  It was home to 13,055 Palestinian refugees.  Most of the people living there were from the Haifa area and the Carmel mountain district and had relatives inside the "Green Line."  Other residents there were from Gaza and Tulkarm who moved into the area in the 1970's, and of course there were those form Jordan who moved there when the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993 and when the PA was established.

Jenin had become a hotbed of terrorist activity.  From April 1-11, 2002, Israel had gone into this refugee camp as part of Operation Defensive Shield to halt terrorist activities and it turned into a battle referred to by some as a massacre.  About 52 Palestinians were killed of which the majority were fighters and 23 IDF soldiers.  PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat praised people of Jenin saying that their battle paved the way to the liberation of the "occupied territories."  This battle became known among the Palestinians as "Jeningrad."

Just on March 27, 2002 during Passover, a Palestinian Hamas suicide terrorist killed 30 people at the Park Hotel in Netanya and injured 140 people, one of many terrorist attacks happening in Judea and Samaria.

Israel had discovered  labs and factories that were making bombs and rockets, such as the Qassam II were within Jenin.  When the IDF troops entered, they found the Palestinians well prepared. Israel had some indications it was going to be hard-going but they weren't prepared to find how hard it really was.  Israel knew of 23 suicide bombings and 6 attempted bombings that came from Jenin.  This included the Matza restaurant suicide bombing.  They blamed the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah on these who were in Jenin.

Camp militants had taken over the authority and Israel wasn't quite aware of how bad it was because of its location compared to other camps.  In February, residents had burned 7 vehicles from the governor of Jenin and even had opened fire on the Palestinian Authority men.  Ata Abu Rumeileh became the chief security officer of the camp and oversaw the entrances, instituted roadblocks, and kept strangers away.   The camp became known as the martyrs capital.  They had about 200 armed men including members of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Tanzim, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas.  There were 28 suicide bombers sent from the camp from 2000 to 2003 during the 2nd Intifada.  Mahmoud Tawalbe was a key planner who worked in a record store while chairing the local PIJ cell.  31 militant attacks that took 124 lives came out of Jenin, more than any other city in the Judea-Samaria vicinity.

If Israel was like other countries, they could have bombed the camp of Jenin from a safe distance and starved the terrorists out.  They chose to enter and not harm civilians.  This is their way.  First they announced that the people should leave as they were coming in.  When they did enter the camp they went from house to house to avoid civilian casualties, not to inflict them.  To their disappointment, terrorists were deliberately hiding behind civilians.  Senator Joseph Biden, May 6, 2002.  

When the terrorists saw the Israel Infantry entering, they felt the fight was going to be like hunting.  One remarked that he couldn't believe it when he saw only soldiers.  They knew they could easily get killed when they entered.  It was a very hard fight because they fought at close quarters with only a few meters between the combatants.  Sometimes they fought in the same house.  Thabet Mardawi, Islamic Jihad terrorist, captured in Jenin.  

The IDF regularly puts themselves at risk in order to reduce the risks that they might pose on  civilians.  There have been very small numbers of civilian casualties despite the fierceness of the fighting.  Professor Michael Walzer, Princeton U, 2002

Evidently it was this battle that caused Samantha Power, who was influenced by Michael Ignatieff from Harvard, to proclaim that Israel needed to be invaded by American troops.

Resource:  http://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/2013/06/power-corrupts/?utm_source=Mosaic+Daily+Email&utm_campaign=d2f448e049-Mosaic_2013_6_7&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0b0517b2ab-d2f448e049-41144429
http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=118
Israel 101 from StandWithUs magazine, page30, The Battle of Jenin

Kerry's Plan A Dud With Palestinians

Nadene Goldfoot                                                               

The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, approached the Palestinian Authority (PA) with a new plan to boost their economy.  He offered to invest $4 billion in the private sector.    This plan was revealed last week at the world Economic Forum in Jordan.

Several Palestinian businessmen who attended the conference liked Kerry's economic plan and want  to meet with Israelis to talk about joint investments in Judea-Samaria.  Those who met with Israeli in the past few days are now being threatened and there  are calls out to boycott them and their companies by the mainline Palestinians.  Munib al-Masri, one of the wealthiest Palestinians in the world, has been condemned for meeting with Israelis before, during and after the conference.  He said that Abbas knew about his meetings.   Political activists against Israel from  Fatah and Hamas are also in on the boycotting and threats.

The Palestinians have rejected this plan which has resulted in threatening businessmen who want to work with Israeli counterparts.  They have condemned it thinking its a US attempt to bribe them into making political concessions to Israel. 

I lived in Haifa for 10 months in 1980.  It reminded me of Portland, Oregon in that it is a port city and is beautiful.  They even have a subway.  From my Ulpan, the school where I lived and took classes to learn  Hebrew,  I was able to have a nice walk to the beach on the Mediterranean Sea.  The Haifa Chamber of Commerce recently invited Palestinian businessmen from Jenin in Samaria to visit Haifa.  These visiting Palestinians are now targeted by the other Palestinians of the "anti-normalization" campaigners.  They are being very vocal and are growing so that the group now includes the Palestinian Writers' Union.

40% of the Palestinian economy today comes from donations.   You'd think that the chosen Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, an economist would support the businessman, but he's not.  The fact of the matter is that the Muslim Brotherhood, who Hamas is a part of, does not want to see economic prosperity in the Palestinian cities.  They want their people to live in misery and frustration in order to keep alive the fight against Israel.  They've had all sorts of opportunities to live happily ever after and they always say "NO."  The Palestinian people are simply pawns in  the chess game to take Israel.

Resource: http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3740/palestinians-threaten-businessmen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenin
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/26/john-kerry-plan-palestinian-economy

What The Colonies Are That Palestinians Complain About

Nadene Goldfoot
A gang of Palestinian Arabs protested when Obama came to visit Judea-Samaria, or as they call it, the West Bank.  They are angry because Obama didn't bring change.  They are living in colonies, they say, not their Palestine. They'd better have a talk with Abbas.

These young Arabs forget that where they are living was originally Jewish Homeland.  In fact, after WWI the British took back their promise to the Jews of their Jewish Homeland and gave away 80% of it to Jordan.  Right now Israel is about 80% Jewish and 20% Muslim with 1.4 million Arabs as citizens.  Judea-Samaria is made up of about 75% Muslims and 17% Jews and 8% Christians.  But Palestine is to be Judenrein, so they're planning  to kick out all but the Muslims.

 Where they are living and calling colonies are such cities as Ramallah  which is 6 miles from Jerusalem.  "Modern Ramallah was founded in the mid-16th century by the Haddadins, a Jordanian tribe of brothers descended from Ghassanid Christian Arabs. The Haddadins, led by Rashid Haddadin, arrived from east of the Jordan River near the Jordanian town of Shoubak. The Haddadin migration is attributed to fighting and unrest among clans in that area."

It is the capital of the Palestinian Authority.  27,092 live in this historically Christian city where the Christians are now a minority.  The British army lived here in December 1917.  It came into Jordan's hands when they attacked in 1948 until 1967.  Jordan had jailed many Palestinains.  In Israel's hands they could for the first time visit Israel and the Gaza Strip and deal in commerce.  However, they were leaders of the Intifada that started in December 1987.

 Headlines today say, " PA to impose a curfew on Ramallah during (Obama) visit;  Palestinian lawyers demand Obama's arrest for crimes US army committed. " Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the center of Ramallah on Wednesday to protest against US President Barack Obama’s planned visit to the city. "The protest was organized by the radical Islamist group Hizb ut Tahrir, which seeks the establishment of an Islamic caliphate." "

  Hebron was called Kiriath-Arba in the "Old Testament", or our Torah.  It is only 18 miles from Jerusalem.  Abraham bought a plot of land from the Hittites, the Cave of Machpelah so that he could bury his wife,  Sarah.   This is history both Jews and Muslims share.  That's where it ends.  

This ancient city was once a part of the Jewish state of Judah, a state created by the followers of King David.  It was one of the cities of refuge.  David reigned here for 7 1/2 years before moving his capital to Jerusalem. A Jewish community continued here through the Byzantine Period and under Arab rule.   It is one of 4 sacred Jewish towns;   Hebron, Tiberias, Safed and Jerusalem.  Jews lived here continuously.  By 1890 there were 1,500 Jews living there with established yeshivot and religious schools.  In 1925 the great Lithuanian yeshivah of Slobodka was brought there.

In 1929, when stocks fell in the USA, Arabs were all in an uproar and massacred many Jews of Hebron.  Survivors were forced to leave.  30 Jewish families returned in 1931.  The Arabs rioted again in 1936, when things were bad for Jews in Germany.

After the Six Day War of 1967, some Jews came back to Hebron, descendants of those who had to leave or die, and they established Kiryat Arba which is east of the main city.  3,700 lived there in 1988.

Bethlehem has been taken over by the Muslims.  It is only 5.25 miles away from Jerusalem.  This was the birthplace of King David where "the Book of Ruth" occurred.  Christians say this is where Jesus was born.  The Roman Emperor, Constantine and his mother Helena built the Church of the Nativity here in 330 CE. From 1948 to 1967 it was under Jordanian rule and came into Israel's hands from the Six Day 1967 War.  In 1948 there were 7,500 Christians living here and 2,500 Muslims.  By 1968  there were 32,000 people.

Nablus, originally called Shechem is one of today's  Palestinian "colonies".  It's so old its origins go back to the Canaanites with walls that date from about 2,000 BCE, and like others, was in Jordanian territory from 48-67 and now controlled by Israel.  It was under Egyptian control  back in their 12th dynasty.  Our biblical patriarchs camped under its walls and it was taken by Simeon and Levi (Gen. 34), 2 of the 12 sons of Jacob.  It became the territory for Ephraim, another of the 12 sons and their desendants.  It was a Levitical city and a city of refuge as well as the center of the House of Joseph.  Joseph is buried here. The Assyrians had attacked in 721 BCE and took many of the 12 tribal members, leaving Judah, Levi and some of Benjamin's descendants.   In 1967 it had 44,000 people, mostly all Muslims with a tiny Samaritan community and has for decades been a center of fanatical Arab nationalism.  A small Jewish community formerly existed here.

Jericho lies in the Jordan valley 825 ' below sea level, sort of like Death Valley in California. When we drove from Tsfat to Jerusalem we went through Jericho.   It is one of the oldest settlements in the world and its first city wall goes back to the Neolithic Period of 5,000 BCE and then destroyed by Joshua (Josh.6).  It was revived only during the reign of the Jewish King Ahab of 870 BCE by Hiel the Bethelite.  (I Kings 16:34).  When King Herod of Judea (appointed by Romans) ruled and built himself a palace there where he died.  The Romans then destroyed Jericho in 68 CE and it was later rebuilt where it is now.  It is now surrounded by orange groves and banana plantations.  3,000 lived there in 1946 and Arab refugees moved there in 1948, numbering 61,000 in 1961.  Most fled over the Jordan before Israel troops arrived during the Six Day War. and some 8,500 lived in Jericho and another 2,000 in its vicinity at the time of the 1967 census.

Jenin is mentioned as Gina in the Tel el Amarna tablets and is probably the biblical En Gannim (Joshua 19:21) , called Ginaea in Roman times and had a small Jewish community in the 17th century CE.  It was a center of Arab nationalist fanaticism in the 1930's and was part of Jordan from 1948-1967.  In 1967 there were 8,346 apart from 5,019 Arab refugees in the vicinity.

During the Six Day War, Jordan had attacked Israel despite a message sent to Hussein by PM Levi Eshkol that if she remained out of the attack she would not be attacked.  Israel's Jerusalem and border towns were heavily shelled by the Jordanians.  Later on June 5, Israeli troops began their moves against the Jordanian positions and cut off Jordanian "east"Jerusalem (including the Old City) which fell on June 7th.  The entire area west of the Jordan river, including Bethlehem, Hebron and Nablus fell to the Israeli army.

"King Hussein of Jordan signed on with Egypt to attack Israel.  He wrote:  The armies of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are poised on the borders of Israel...to face the challenge, while standing behind us are the armies of Iraq, Algeria, Kuwait, Sudan and the whole Arab nation."  They had 465,000 soldiers against Israel who won against them all in 6 days.  

According to the UN statistics of 2010, The West Bank population is 2,568,555 and East Jerusalem has 192,800.  Ramallah and al-Bireh Governorate claim 57,000.

Resource: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramallah
The New Standard Jewish Encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bank
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Palestinian_territories
http://wikitravel.org/en/Ramallah
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/67_War.html