Global concern over a new flare-up on the West Bank prevails after the great Israeli military operation in Jenin, probably the biggest the last 20 years.

At least eight Palestinians were killed and 50 wounded, 10 seriously, during the operation that began early Monday.

“Israel will continue the military operation for as long as it takes” to “break the mentality” that Jenin is “a safe haven for terrorists”, explained the spokesman of the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF).

Israel

Lt. Col. Richard Hecht told the BBC that “there was a consensus in our leadership that this is a much-needed operation” that could take days.

“We are in the middle of this business. We are not there to hold ground or stay there, we are focused on specific goals in the camp. So it might take hours or maybe a day or two, as needed, to break the mentality that this place is a safe haven for terrorists,” he said.

Asked why the operation in the refugee camp was launched now, he pointed to the “excessive scale of attacks” against Israelis by people operating inside Jenin.
He clarified that Israel’s mission would focus only on Jenin and that anyone who surrendered would be arrested by Israeli soldiers.

“But most of these people they shoot at us”he replied, when asked about the reported casualties, of which eight have been confirmed so far.

The representative of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, spoke of “a new war crime against our defenseless people”.

Israel

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Staiyeh said that “the heroic camp of Jenin is defending itself against the occupation and its invasions.”

For its part, Hamas warned that is “ready to step in”

If Israel “takes it too far” and “persists in its aggression” in Jenin, we will intervene, said a spokesman for the militant organization in Gaza. A senior Hamas official has called on youth in the West Bank to join the fighting.

THE White House is closely monitoring the situation in the West Bank.

“We have seen the reports and are closely monitoring the situation,” a White House spokesman said.

“We support safety of Israel and the right to defend its people from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations”.

At the same time, the Israeli army announced that it needs at least 24 hours to complete the operation that began in the city of Jenin in the early hours of today, said an official briefed on military planning.

The military has so far refused to say how long the operation will last, saying only that it could last more than a day and that its forces will remain there for as long as necessary.