The NY Times has a review of the Battle of Jenin:
In the beginning, Palestinian fighters thought that the Israeli troops would do little more than push into one area and then depart, as they had done twice before this year. Israeli soldiers, most of them reservists abruptly summoned from civilian life and given three days' training, thought the Palestinian fighters would fight for a while, then do the sensible thing and surrender.
But the Palestinians chose to make a stand, and this time the Israelis meant business.
...
"We didn't expect them to use such military force against the camp," admitted one Palestinian fighter, who was badly wounded two days into the battle. Similarly, Israeli soldiers said they did not anticipate such fierce resistance. "The Palestinians were really prepared," said Sgt. Dov Rifken, 20, who manned an antiaircraft gun here.
In Rubble of a Refugee Camp, Bitter Lessons for 2 Enemies
nytimes.com |
