Violence Erupts in Israel’s West Bank

Israel conducted its largest military operation in the West Bank in more than 20 years this week. The operation, carried out from July 3 to 4, was aimed at destroying weapons storage facilities, explosives workshops and other terrorist infrastructure in the Jenin area. The campaign comes in response to a string of deadly attacks carried out in recent months against Israel by terrorists based in Jenin.

Jenin has become a city of refuge for terrorists, with an emphasis on the refugee camp, and we are stopping this in the operation. Thanks to the fact that we hit the terrorists, we arrested many and destroyed the weapons infrastructure; it is these weapons that harm both Israeli citizens and [Israel Defense Forces] idf soldiers.
—Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Israel’s chief of the General Staff

• More than 1,000 idf troops took part in the counterterrorism campaign.
• Many of the idf’s specific targets were connected to the militant branch of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the al-Quds Brigades.
• The al-Quds Brigades is armed and funded primarily by Iran.
• The Palestinian Ministry of Health said 13 Palestinians were killed in the operations and dozens more wounded.
• The idf said all slain Palestinians were involved in clashes against them, but some noncombatants were among the injured.
• One Israeli soldier was killed during the clashes.

In response to the operations, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired five rockets toward Sderot and adjacent communities on July 4. All of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, but falling debris still damaged at least one residence in Sderot.

Another Palestinian rammed a truck into a group of people on a sidewalk in Tel Aviv. He then exited the vehicle and stabbed as many people as possible until he was fatally shot. He wounded at least seven individuals, including a pregnant woman, killing her unborn child. Five of the wounded are in critical condition.

Whoever thinks that such an attack will deter us from continuing our fight against terrorism is wrong. They simply don’t know the spirit of Israel, don’t know our government, our citizens and our soldiers.
—Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister

Iran’s role: The increase in attacks waged by Jenin-based terrorists, which prompted the idf’s operation, coincides with a notable increase in inflammatory public statements from Iranian officials.

“The initiative to self-determination is today in the hands of the Palestinian fighters,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said in April. The Islamic Republic has continued to channel funds from state coffers into those Palestinian hands, enabling them to keep terrorizing Israel.

The Trumpet said: “If this Iranian sponsorship were to be cut off, Israel’s terror problem would disappear,” we wrote last month. “Places like Gaza and Lebanon are corrupt, impoverished and in no state to support strong terrorist organizations on their own. And there aren’t many outside actors willing to give as generous support to terrorist groups as Iran is. Not only is Iran serving as a lifeline for terrorist groups, it is also turning them into an existential crisis for Israel.”

Learn more: To understand what is behind Iran’s motivations and where current trends in the Middle East are leading, read “Iran Has Israel Surrounded.”