Alwaght- Israeli Regime has launched its largest military aggression on Jenin and its refugee camp in two decades, and so far, killing and injuring dozens of Palestinians and destructing the city's infrastructure. The Israeli army in its Jenin operation, focused on forcing the Palestinian resistance fighters out of their hideouts and clashing with them without any pre-set goals.
The hardliners in the Israeli cabinet deem the Palestinian resistance’s power gain in the West Bank as a threat to the security of settlers and with Jenin offensive, they want to restore the deterrence balance in their favor. However, given the readiness of the resistance groups in the West Bank and Gaza and dealing blows to their Israeli enemy over the past two days, this short-term Israeli adventure can spiral into a massive one in the forthcoming days.
For more precise information on the aspects of Jenin developments, Alwaght has arranged an interview with Saadullah Zaree, an expert of West Asian affairs.
Alwaght: What is the driver of the Jenin offensive in the current conditions? Does it have to do with the internal Israeli developments?
Zaree: Israeli offensive in Jenin is motivated by extreme fear of Tel Aviv about the security situation in the West Bank. The West Bank situation is, indeed, the Achilles heel of Israel, and over the past two years, it upgraded to taking up arms against the occupation forces amid extensive Palestinian resistance activities, and this is a source of serious worries to Israelis.
The resistance groups active in the West Bank and Gaza are among the most distant groups from the Palestinian Authority, but they have so far managed to take this region out of control of the Palestinian Authority, and this is what makes the Israelis terrified.
Over the past year, nearly 70 percent of the Israeli army, namely more than 300,000 military personnel, were engaged in controlling the security situation in the West Bank, and this issue has exhausted its energy. Besides, within the army, the treason of some soldiers and the escape of others from the barracks, as well as the weapons falling into the hands of the Palestinians, have been terrifying Tel Aviv authorities.
So, the Israeli regime thinks that if it eliminates core of the West Bank, namely Jenin, it can beat the crisis. This thought is the driving force behind the current adventure in Jenin. Palestinian groups have vowed a response, and the Palestinian people are expecting the resistance reaction in the forthcoming days.
Alwaght: Some think that by attacking the Palestinians, Netanyahu seeks to show off his power to the home opponents? Do you agree?
Zaree: No, this is not correct. Netanyahu is not seeking power show-off at all. Rather, he is seeking to settle or alleviate the security crisis in the West Bank, and this operation has nothing to do with the Israeli political crisis.
Alwaght: What is your assessment of the two days of Jenin clashes?
Zaree: Clashes in Jenin have been so serious, and so far 11 people have been killed and tens of others have been injured, and many others have been displaced. Therefore, the Palestinian groups can stop the enemy with a powerful muscle-flexing. If the Israeli plan in Jenin succeeds, it will be implemented in the whole West Bank. So, the Palestinians should nip in the bud this Israeli scheme, and prevent it from embroiling the whole West Bank in a crisis.
Alwaght: What effects will Jenin offensive leave on the future of resistance groups in the city and also West Bank and also the future of Israeli settlers? Will it enhance Israeli security?
Zaree: This issue depends on the performance of the Palestinians. If they resolutely counter Israel, they will force-stop the Israeli plan, and if they walk back and show weakness, the resistance grows shaky and we will see its power decline. In other words, it depends the prospective decisions of the resistance and how it will react to the Israeli enemy.
Alwaght: How long has the Joint Operation Room decided to keep the clashes limited to Jenin? Given the warnings by resistance groups, will the range of confrontation widen to other regions of the West Bank, and even Gaza?
Zaree: Now, the situation in the West Bank is significant and Gaza is not topical now. The important issue is not the Joint Operation Room, but the type of reaction. There should be a large-scale operation against Israel and all are expecting it. The time of the big strike may be decided by the Palestinians, and they may not want to take action against the Israeli regime in the current situation, but they should give a proportionate response to this dangerous aggression in the West Bank shortly after the offensive.
Alwaght: How will Jenin offensive affect Tel Aviv relations with the Palestinian Authority?
Zaree: The Palestinian Authority has almost no place in the West Bank and Jenin, and the resistance groups do not care if Mahmoud Abbas suspends or not the cooperation with the Israeli regime. Actually, the suspension of cooperation with Tel Aviv is an action with trivial effects and we should see what the resistance will do on the ground.
Alwaght: As a final question, what do you think about upcoming Palestinian developments?
Zaree: Currently, the Palestinians are not facing a surprising situation, but they are facing a sinister intention existing from the past, and they should make a right decision given the sensitivity of the issue, because if Jenin developments become habitual, they will spill over to the whole West Bank and aggravate the Palestinian conditions. The resistance groups should be careful about this issue.
