Operation shield

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Operation shield
date March 29 - May 10, 2002
place Palestinian Territories
Casus Belli Various attacks by Palestinian groups on Israeli civilians
output Israeli victory
Parties to the conflict

Flag of Israel.svgIsrael ( Tzahal )

Fatah flag.jpg Fatah ,
Al-Aqsa Brigades and Tanzim Hamas Islamic Jihad in Palestine Palestinian Authority Security Service
Flag of Hamas.svg

Coat of arms of the Palestinian National Authority

As an operation protective shield ( Hebrew מִבְצָע חוֹמַת מָגֵן, Miwza Chomat Magen ) is a military operation by the Israeli army in the West Bank . It began on March 29, 2002 and resulted in the reoccupation of the cities under Palestinian autonomy. The aim of the operation was to prevent further Palestinian attacks. It took place during the Second Intifada .

prehistory

The talks between the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the President of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat in Camp David ended without results on July 25, 2000. As a result, in late September 2000, a violent conflict known as the Second Intifada broke out between the Palestinians and Israeli security forces. On March 27, 2002, twenty-two people were killed and 140 injured in a suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya during the seder evening , which was attended by 250 guests. Hamas took responsibility for the attack. The assassin was a Hamas member from Tulkarem wanted by Israel . On March 28, 2002, a Palestinian shot and killed a Jewish family of four in Elon Moreh in the West Bank, the next day two Israelis were stabbed in the Gaza Strip, and on the afternoon of the same day a Palestinian woman blew herself up in West Jerusalem, killing two people with her.

The night following the Netanya attack, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his security cabinet gave the green light to Operation Shield.

Beginning

In response to the attack in Netanya, the Israeli army occupied on 29 March 2002 the headquarters of Yasser Arafat between Birzeit and Ramallah . Earlier, the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had stated that Yasser Arafat was an enemy of Israel because he refused to fight terrorism. Therefore, he should be isolated, but not injured or killed. The muqataa was partially destroyed and Arafat was arrested in a fortified building. During searches in the Muqataa, weapons were found that the Palestinians were banned from under the Oslo Accords.

On March 31, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a restaurant in Haifa , killing 14 and injuring nearly 50 people. Two more suicide bombings, in Efrata on the same day and Tel Aviv the following day, resulted only in injuries. These attacks raised concerns among many Israelis that the aim was not to liberate occupied territories, but to destroy the State of Israel.

Further course

The Israeli army occupied Tulkarem and Qalqiliya on April 1, 2002 , and Bethlehem one day later . During the advance on the Church of the Nativity , she met fierce opposition. A siege of the Church of the Nativity, which ultimately lasted 39 days, began.

On April 3, 2002, the Israeli army occupied Jenin and Salfit . Only one refugee camp near Jenin could not be taken and was besieged. Nablus was reoccupied on the night of April 4, 2002. Fierce fighting broke out, especially in the winding old town and in the Balata district.

All major Palestinian cities except Hebron and Jericho were reoccupied.

During searches in the occupied autonomous territories, many wanted terrorists were arrested, including Marwan Barghuthi . Illegal explosives laboratories and weapons stores were also discovered. Temporary curfews have been imposed on the occupied territories.

Siege of the Muqataa of Ramallah

Israeli army infantry and tanks entered Ramallah on March 29, 2002 and the Muqataa , the official seat of Yasser Arafat, on April 2, 2002 . Arafat was allowed to take refuge in some rooms in the building, along with some advisers, security guards and journalists. There were also numerous Palestinian terrorists wanted by Israel, including the murderers of Israel's Minister of Tourism, Rechaw'am Ze'ewi . Arafat was diplomatically isolated and his freedom of movement restricted. The Israeli army occupied the city after several hours of street fighting in which around 30 Palestinians were killed. Ramallah was then placed under a curfew. More than 700 people were arrested during searches, including Marwan Barghuthi, the commander of the Tanzim militia in the West Bank , on April 14, 2002 . Barghuthi was later tried in Israel and sentenced to five life imprisonment. The muqataa was partially destroyed in the fighting.

Fight in Jenin

During the occupation of Jenin on April 2, 2002, violent fighting broke out in the refugee camp west of the city center, which lasted almost 11 days. The houses of the refugee camp were brought down with armored bulldozers because they were usually equipped with booby traps and mines. The attached bombs exploded and caused further destruction. Palestinian fighters later claimed they had set between 1,000 and 2,000 booby traps and bombs. During the slow advance, the ground troops were supported by helicopters. The residents were given the opportunity to leave the disputed area.

About 200 Palestinians surrendered after running out of ammunition on April 11, 2002 at 7:00 am local time.

During the fighting in Jenin, 52, according to other sources 56 Palestinians, of whom only 5 are civilians, and 23 Israeli soldiers were killed and another 50 were injured. A UN investigation into the events found that contrary to what was previously claimed, no massacre of the civilian population occurred. Human Rights Watch and the United Nations also found no evidence of a massacre.

Fight in Nablus

Paratroopers advanced on Nablus from the west, units of the Golani Brigade from the south and the Yiftach battalion from the east. The Golani Brigade was involved in heavy fighting in the old town. On April 4, 2002, the last Palestinian fighters surrendered. Some others who had escaped through the mountains to Tubas and Taluza were arrested in the coming months. An Israeli soldier, Major General Assaf Assoulin, was killed. About 70 Palestinian fighters were killed and over 100 were arrested.

On April 9, 2002, the Israeli Air Force destroyed two soap factories that were also producing illegal bombs.

Siege of the Bethlehem Church of the Nativity

During the Israeli invasion of Bethlehem on April 2, 2002, around 20 Palestinian terrorists and around 170 Palestinian police officers holed up in the Church of the Nativity . There they held about 60 Christian clergy, monks, priests and nuns. The Israeli army began to siege the Church of the Nativity.

The armed terrorists rioted in the church, stole gold items and destroyed Christian symbols inside the church. Church leaders urged Israel to exercise restraint. Out of respect for the church, the Israeli army did not storm the building.

Six terrorists were killed by Israeli army snipers during the siege. On May 10, 2002, after 39 days, the siege ended after European states agreed to accept the 13 wanted terrorists and they were not brought to justice in Israel for the murder of civilians. They were expelled via Cyprus and have since lived unmolested in six European countries, Italy, Spain, Austria, Greece, Luxembourg and Ireland.

After the siege of the Church of the Nativity ended, the Israeli army examined the church building for weapons and explosives. 40 hidden explosive charges were found in the church.

termination

When the fighting ended, the Israeli troops withdrew from all parts of the autonomous areas. Patrols and curfews should continue to calm the situation.

The withdrawal from Tulkarm and Kalkilya was completed on April 9, 2002, and the withdrawal from Jenin and Nablus began on April 18, 2002.

On August 20, 2002, after an agreement, Bethlehem and the Gaza Strip were returned to the Palestinian police.

Victim

30 Israeli soldiers were killed and 127 wounded during the fighting. According to the UN, 497 dead and 1,447 injured were on the Palestinian side . The Israeli non-governmental organization B'Tselem , on the other hand, reported 240 deaths by Israeli security forces.

Results

The Israeli army was able to destroy numerous illegal weapons workshops and explosives laboratories. Many weapons not allowed under the Oslo Treaty , including mortar shells, grenade launchers, armor-piercing weapons, automatic rifles, explosives for suicide attacks and self-made Kassem II rockets, were also confiscated.

Around 7,000 Palestinians were arrested, including 396 wanted suspects.

The terrorist attacks could be contained, but not completely stopped. A further significant reduction in the number of attacks could only be achieved with the construction of the barrier . The first construction phase, a 110 km long section between Kfar Qasim and Kfar Salem, began on June 16, 2002.

Movies

  • In April 2002, Mohammed Bakri produced the documentary Jenin, Jenin to show a Palestinian perspective on the battle of Jenin . The documentary alleges that there was a massacre of civilians in Jenin.
  • The French-Jewish filmmaker Pierre Rehov also made a documentary about the events in Jenin. His film, The Road to Jenin , challenges allegations of massacre and the allegations in Mohammed Bakri's film. After a review, Bakri cut his film by 25 minutes.
  • The documentary film Arnas Kinder by Juliano Mer-Chamis and Danniel Danniel (2004) shows the lives of some young Palestinians who grew up in Jenin and died in the fighting.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Article on www.n-tv.de
  2. ↑ Newsletter of the Israeli Embassy in Berlin [1]
  3. ↑ Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger from 30/31. March 2002 page 1 and 3
  4. ^ [2] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 16, 2018
  5. ↑ Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger from 30./31. March 2002 page 1 and 3
  6. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of April 2, 2002, page 3
  7. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of April 2, 2002, page 3
  8. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung of April 5, 2002, page 3
  9. ^ [3] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 16, 2018
  10. ↑ [4] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 16, 2018
  11. ↑ [5] in Deutschlandfunk.de of March 26, 2012, accessed on July 16, 2018
  12. ↑ [6] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 17, 2018
  13. ↑ Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger from April 11, 2002 page 7
  14. ^ [7] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 17, 2018
  15. ^ [8] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 17, 2018
  16. ^ Children to be released from the Church of the Nativity . In: CNN , April 24, 2002.  , English
  17. ^ Church of Nativity a Mess, but Suffers Little Permanent Damage . In: Fox News , May 10, 2002. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved July 15, 2018. , English @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.foxnews.com 
  18. ↑ Israeli army withdraws from Tulkarm and Kalkilya. In: Israelnetz .de. April 9, 2002, accessed October 25, 2019 .
  19. ↑ Ben-Eliezer announces withdrawal of troops - partial withdrawal has already taken place. Israelnetz.de , April 19, 2002, accessed on November 12, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger of August 21, 2002, page 7
  21. ^ [9] United Nations press release, English
  22. ↑ [10] in B'Tselem .org, English
  23. ↑ [11] in Jewish Virtual Library , English, accessed on July 16, 2018
  24. ↑ [12] Information from the UN, English
  25. ↑ [13] in Jewish Virtual Library.org, English
  26. ^ Arna's children , programm.ARD.de.
  27. ↑ Uri Avnery: The Palestinian Romeo . The Palestine Portal.