To Prove It's 'Different' This Time, Israeli Army Rebrands Jenin's 'Armed Thugs' as Hamas Battalion
Despite the IDF's claims of targeting Hamas' Jenin battalion, no such unit exists. The West Bank offensive closely resembles previous missions in the Palestinian city, where most armed individuals are young criminals who fled the refugee camp
Army officials appear to have felt the need to explain what was different in this operation from prior rounds. "There's a substantial difference between this operation and the others," told Haaretz Col. A., the commander of the Menashe Brigade, whose full name cannot be disclosed according to new IDF regulations.
" In all the operations up to now, we carried out raids, but this time we want to neutralize the Jenin battalion," he said, adding that his goal is "to reshape the area" so that the army "can finish the job and confidently say that the Jenin battalion is not effective."
But even Col. A., who spoke in terms of "the Hamas battalion in the refugee camp," is well aware that there's no such thing. Until recently, senior IDF and Shin Bet security service officers disparagingly called them "armed tough guys," young criminals who had found a haven in the refugee camp and had been getting a few hundred dollars to shoot at IDF forces.
But when Col. A. was asked when Hamas created a military battalion in the refugee camp, he was quick to acknowledge: "They call themselves a battalion, [but] It's not really a battalion."
Based on his comments, it appears that the army personnel understood that Israeli politicians were demanding that a link be made between the Jenin operation and the war in the Gaza Strip.
Haaretz |
