In Palestine, Jenin refugee camp is a symbol of resistance and community
This week, the refugee camp of Jenin and its surrounding area in the northern West Bank faced a two-day invasion by Israeli regime forces.
In less than half a square kilometre, the densely packed camp houses over 23,000 refugees, who mostly originate from the Haifa area and were expelled during the Nakba of 1948.
Reminiscent of the invasion of the camp in 2002 during the Second Intifada, the Israeli regime’s most recent deadly invasion began with Israeli bulldozers tearing up roads - a deliberate tactic to make it difficult for people to leave.
The camp was then subjected to missile attacks and a ground force invasion. Many had to flee on foot, carrying the injured with them as ambulances couldn’t reach the wounded. Israeli soldiers even shot at the Jenin hospital.
In addition to the mass destruction of infrastructure, at least 12 Palestinians were killed, including four children, while many hundreds were injured and thousands had to flee their homes.
Jenin refugee camp, which has long been a site and symbol of resistance to Zionist colonisation, is the target of systematic attacks by the Israeli regime, but this invasion was a serious escalation.
Israeli propaganda fed a narrative to international media that the pretext for this invasion was to wipe out a “terrorist command hub” in the camp. Using this kind of language is a well rehearsed dehumanising tactic that preemptively tries to justify mass casualties and the use of lethal force.
At the very same time, Israeli army generals were publicly stating in Hebrew that this particular military assault was about cementing total Israeli control over the northern West Bank in order to make way for expanding illegal settlements and to allow Israeli settlers free reign.
