The explosion that lifted the "tiger" in Jenin into the air did not surprise anyone, and had no combatants been injured as a result of the powerful explosion, it would have been recorded as another almost routine day of activity in the past year in the region. The writing on the wall is an understatement of what is happening in the city, which ironically means "garden city" in Hebrew, because flowers and roses are the last thing that can be said about this sector. The entire system is well aware that much more significant action is needed in the region, but it is not yet taking place, apparently for political reasons.
Even before Operation Breakwater began last April, it was clear that the Jenin area and the Jenin refugee camp were extremely problematic. In the area, which was also considered problematic during the second intifada, there was a weakening of the control of the Palestinian Authority, which encouraged young Palestinians to rise up and act against IDF forces.
In order to understand why northern Samaria, and Jenin in particular, are in focus, it is necessary to understand a little about the geography of the region. East of northern Samaria is the Tirza River area, which is the largest area in Judea and Samaria under exclusive Palestinian control, bordering the Jordan Valley, enabling weapons smuggling. Although there has been increased activity in the past year to stop smuggling, it can still be assumed that many weapons are finding their way to Nablus and Jenin. At the same time, during the disengagement, the communities of Ganim, Kadim, Sa-Nur and Homesh were evacuated, which made the IDF's entry into the area more complex and created a playground for terrorists in the area. Thus, at the beginning of Operation Breakwater, terrorists documented themselves practicing in the ruins of the community of Kadim.
The IDF, it should be clarified, generally does not refrain from activity in the area, and frequently enters Jenin and Nablus, including deep into the cities, but at the same time these are only isolated operations and not massive large-scale activity, as is being conducted in a real military operation. Senior IDF officials have previously told Israel Hayom that there is no need to bring massive forces in, as occurred in Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, because intelligence is much more accurate and can be operated surgically on the spot. However, it seems that the surgical operation does not achieve its goal, and even today it can be clearly seen how the terrorists make every effort to harm the fighters who enter the compound. The fact that most of the time there are no casualties to the IDF is due to precise activity and higher quality means on the other side, but this does not mean that the terrorists do not try to harm the forces, on the contrary.
Recently, an IDF source told Israel Hayom regarding the IEDs that there is no doubt that the terrorist organizations are trying to turn Jenin into a second Gaza. "There is no entrance to Jenin and Nablus where vehicles are not hit. There are nights when the damage is minor and there are nights when a roadside bomb is boarded and this damages the vehicle," the source told Israel Hayom. "Their boldness is gaining momentum. Their charges are stronger. We see the damage caused by the explosions. It doesn't penetrate our tools, which is great, but there's no doubt that they dare more and try to reach places of stronger and more powerful charges, and hide them in more creative places."
The source was asked whether there was a need to bring in more armored forces, using robust armored personnel carriers or APCs, and replied at the time that at the moment there was no need for this. "The enemy is trying to get there, but we're not letting that happen," he said. Now, it seems, the IDF will have to recalculate and see how to act.
Everyone understands that Jenin is a ticking time bomb. In recent months, the IDF has been talking almost openly about the need to launch an operation in northern Samaria to eradicate terrorism, and the incident Monday morning only reinforces their statements. The fact that a helicopter fired fire for the first time since the second intifada gives another signal that we are in a reality that we have not seen for many years, and that we must act firmly and decisively to end the threat, so that it will not claim more lives.
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