The Palestinian Account of the Battle of Jenin
Inquiry & Analysis - Jihad and Terrorism
Studies/Palestinian Authority, 4/24/02, No. 90
The Arab media has in recent days focused much attention on the consequences of
the Jenin refugee camp battle, which according to their reports, resulted in a
massacre, perpetuated by the Israeli army. At the same time, the Arab media
published numerous testimonies given by commanders of the Palestinian factions
in Jenin, both during the conflict and after it ended, regarding the fighting.
Following are excerpts from these accounts:
Fighting the IDF
Sheikh Jamal Abu Al-Hija, the commander of the Hamas Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam
Brigades in the Jenin refugee camp, told the Hamas website in an interview that
the members of the various factions, "along with volunteers from the
Palestinian security forces," prepared in advance for the Israeli
incursion.[1] Sheikh Abu Al-Hija provided more details on the fighting by
phone to the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera, saying, "[We placed]
explosive devices on the roads and in the houses; surprises [await] the
occupation forces. In several places, there are clashes between the
Mujahideen[2] and the occupation forces. The occupation forces flee in panic
from the Jenin camp - but they escalate by using tractors, airplanes, and tanks
against the camp. The truth is that the fighting is being conducted from
neighborhood to neighborhood, like guerilla warfare. The Mujahideen are using
automatic rifles, explosive devices, and hand grenades."[3]
The London based Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted Sheikh Abu
Al-Hija as saying, "The fighting forces, from all the factions in the camp,
have been equipped with explosive belts and grenades."[4] Sheikh
Abu-Al-Hija told the Jordanian weekly Al-Sabil, "The Mujahideen managed to
besiege nine Zionist soldiers inside one of the houses, and attacked them using
hand grenades and bombs until the entire house went up in flames with the
soldiers of the occupation inside. Witnesses said that the occupation forces
extracted the soldiers charred and burned."[5]
Palestinian Children and School Bags Filled with
Explosives
The Islamic Jihad commander in the Jenin refugee camp, Abu Jandal,[6] was
interviewed several times by Al-Jazeera during the fighting. In one
conversation, Abu Jandal said: "This is the second successive day that the
Israeli occupation forces are trying [to enter the camp] with the help of Apache
helicopters and tanks. But the steadfastness of the fighters, who swore at the
beginning of the battle not to permit [the IDF] to advance towards this camp,
defends the honor of the Arab nation from the alleys of the Jenin refugee camp.
There were several attempts from several routes, but these were blocked. The
truth is that our fighters have switched to an offensive; today we went on the
offensive. The Israeli unit commander was killed this morning, 50 meters from
the place from which I am speaking to you. I, the commander of the battle of the
Jenin camp, have chosen for myself the name 'The Martyr Abu Jandal,' because all
the fighters around me are martyrs. Believe me, there are !
children stationed in the houses with explosive belts at their sides. Today, one
of the children came to me with his school bag. I asked him what he wanted, and
he replied, 'Instead of books, I want an explosive device, in order to
attack.'"
Asked how long his men would be able to stand against the Israeli military when
all they had were light weapons, Abu Jandal replied: "No. That's not true.
We have the weapon of surprise. We have the weapon of honor. We have the divine
weapon, the weapon of Allah who stands at our side. We have weapons that are
better than theirs. I am the one with the truth, and I put my faith in Allah,
while they put their faith in a tank."[7]
Sheikh Abu Al-Hija also stated, "Some of the youths stood fast, and filled
their school bags with explosive devices."[8] On another occasion,
Sheikh Abu Al-Hija had difficulty assessing the number of Israeli victims:
"It is hard to provide accurate data, and we cannot assess the battle by
counting enemy losses. But the enemy's acknowledgement of 24 killed and 130
wounded attests that it has taken many losses. The list announced by the
occupation army includes only the names of the Jews [killed] and disregards the
names of the Druze and the Lahad soldiers [i.e. South Lebanon Army] who
participated in all past incursions and [will participate] in the future as
well. Our estimate is that the enemy has suffered much greater losses."[9]
Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that in Jenin, a Palestinian woman named Ilham 'Ali
Dasouqi had blown herself up among Israeli soldiers, killing two and wounding
six. The paper quoted a source in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who said that
she had "followed the path of Nasser 'Uweis," who the paper said had
blown himself up near soldiers in Nablus.[10] However, 'Uweis, the commander of
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Samaria, was arrested several days later. It
appears that the reports of his death in a suicide bombing were an attempt to
facilitate his escape.
The Egyptian government-sponsored Al-Ahram Weekly ran an interview with
"Omar," a young, one-armed Islamic Jihad bomb maker known as an
'engineer' who discussed how the Palestinians booby-trapped Jenin, including the
participation of women and children in the battles.[11] "He is a
member of the Islamic Jihad, but says in Jenin all the factions were loyal to
only one cause: liberation or death.' Of all the fighters in the West Bank
we were the best prepared,' he says. 'We started working on our plan: to trap
the invading soldiers and blow them up from the moment the Israeli tanks pulled
out of Jenin last month.'"
The newspaper explained: "Omar and other 'engineers' made hundreds of
explosive devices and carefully chose their locations. 'We had more than
50 houses booby-trapped around the camp. We chose old and empty buildings and
the houses of men who were wanted by Israel because we knew the soldiers would
search for them,' [Omar] said. 'We cut off lengths of main water pipes and
packed them with explosives and nails. Then we placed them about four meters
apart throughout the houses - in cupboards, under sinks, in sofas.' The fighters
hoped to disable the Israeli army's tanks with much more powerful bombs placed
inside garbage bins on the street. More explosives were hidden inside the cars
of Jenin's most wanted men. Connected by wires, the bombs were set off remotely,
triggered by the current from a car battery."
"According to Omar, everyone in the camp, including the children, knew
where the explosives were located so that there was no danger of civilians being
injured. It was the one weakness in the plan. 'We were betrayed by the spies
among us,' he says. The wires to more than a third of the bombs were cut by
soldiers accompanied by collaborators. 'If it hadn't been for the spies, the
soldiers would never have been able to enter the camp. Once they penetrated the
camp, it was much harder to defend it.'"
"And what about the explosion and ambush last Tuesday which killed 13
soldiers? 'They were lured there,' he says. 'We all stopped shooting and the
women went out to tell the soldiers that we had run out of bullets and were
leaving.' The women alerted the fighters as the soldiers reached the
booby-trapped area. 'When the senior officers realized what had happened, they
shouted through megaphones that they wanted an immediate cease-fire. We let them
approach to retrieve the men and then opened fire. Some of the soldiers were so
shocked and frightened that they mistakenly ran towards us.'"
Jamal Huweil, an Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades commander in the Jenin camp, told the
London-based Arabic-language daily Al-Hayat that "four Israeli soldiers
were killed and [the Palestinians] took their automatic weapons. The youths with
the explosive devices also put four Israeli tanks out of commission."[12]
Raed 'Abbas, a fighter from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(DFLP) in the Jenin camp, told Al-Hayat, "All the fighters were sworn to
fight to the end. We have no choice but to fight, and this is the decision
of all the fighters. The talk of fighters surrendering is completely untrue. If
it were true, how come two Israeli soldiers were killed Monday morning? We
estimate that their losses are much greater than what they are reporting.
Battles between them and us are being waged at extremely short range. They have
failed in all their attempts to advance, and our fighters are blowing themselves
up in front of them and planting explosive devices on the roads. The situation
is extremely dire. The [Israeli] air force is continuing its bombing. A few
moments ago they launched several missiles, which set fire to many
houses."[13]
All the Palestinians who were interviewed emphasized their intent to fight to
the death, even in the last days of the battle. Sheikh Abu Al-Hija was quoted by
the United Arab Emirate (UAE) daily Al-Bayan as saying, "After these days
of steadfastness and unique resistance, the fighters in Jenin reiterate their
motto: 'No surrender - either victory or martyrdom.' Our strength lies in our
being true Mujahideen in the face of the new Nazis."[14] Unidentified
Palestinian sources added, "The ammunition of the fighters in the camp has
run out, and they have chosen martyrdom. They are fighting with knives and
stones, and blowing themselves up in front of the soldiers of the
occupation."[15] Haj 'Ali, a commander of the Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds
Brigades, said that the Palestinian resistance persists in its intense fighting,
and will not permit the soldiers of the occupation to take over the
camp."[16]
Civilians and Fighters
Some of the Palestinian's interviewed discussed the role played by the civilian
population in the fighting. However, their reports regarding whether civilians
left the camp were contradictory:
Sheikh Abu Al-Hija said, "Even the youths had a significant role in the
uprising. They refused to leave the camp before the incursion, and most of them
are now under arrest by the occupation forces. No one was asked [by us] to stay
or go; no instructions were issued to the residents by the fighters, and the
choice remained in their own hands. It was necessary for some of the women to
remain [in the camp] to provide services for the fighters. The behavior of the
residents was honorable; they were determined to remain, to go through
everything the Mujahideen are going through, and to provide them with
services."
".When some Mujahideen ran out of ammunition, they leaped onto the tanks in
an attempt to grab weapons from the soldiers, who were hiding inside the tanks.
As a result, some of them engaged in barehanded combat with the Zionist
soldiers. Some of the youths steadfastly filled their school bags with explosive
devices; some of the boys remained without food or water for four days. Although
the women knew how bad the situation was, a large portion of them preferred to
remain, to prepare food for the Mujahideen, to risk their lives by bringing
water for them, and to raise morale - something that greatly encouraged [their]
steadfastness."[17]
However, other Palestinians who were interviewed reported that most of the
civilians left the refugee camps. The commander of Hamas members in the Jenin
camp, Jamal 'Abd Al-Salam, said that the women, children, and elderly had left
the camp, and that the fighters intended to fight to the last drop of blood.[18]
Another man, Abu Muhammad, reported to Al-Jazeera from Jenin: "Every time
[the IDF] tries to advance, a surprise awaits it - the blowing up of one of the
buildings in the Jenin camp. Then they rush to retrieve the Israeli bodies and
wounded, withdraw, and try to advance Israeli tractors that destroy houses
indiscriminately on top of their owners, whether they are in the houses or not.
They have sent away most of the civilians [from the refugee camp], but there is
still a large number of civilians inside the camp."[19]
On this matter, Raed 'Abbas, the DFLP commander, said that the Israelis
"destroyed many houses. They are trying to wreak vengeance upon the
civilians. The army is evacuating the [residents of the] camp forcibly, in order
to close in more and more on the fighters."[20]
In contrast, the Islamic Jihad announced that its commander in Jenin, Muhammad
Tawalbeh, had prevented civilians from leaving the camp. The Islamic Jihad
website announced that Tawalbeh died in his booby-trapped home when he blew it
up on the Israeli soldiers inside it on April 6. The announcement went on to say
that Tawalbeh "had thwarted all attempts by the occupation to evacuate the
camp residents to make it easier for the Israelis to destroy [the camp] on the
heads of the fighters."[21]
The Future of the Struggle
Sheikh Abu Al-Hija insisted that it was necessary to learn from the battle in
the Jenin refugee camp. "We are proud [of the battle], and hope that it
will serve as a model for the rest of the cities, so that there [too] the
residents will be materially and morally prepared for any confrontation. We need
to learn the lessons from this battle, and I hope the few dozen fighters who
managed to face down the most arrogant army in the region will serve as a lesson
for the Arab armies. The Arab peoples must learn from these victories, and not
remain captives in the hands of the regimes that keep their basic rights from
them."
"The camp took a hard blow - but even had the blow killed us, they would
not have killed the [armed] resistance. It will not be long until the ranks fill
[again], until a new generation takes the uprising into its hands and raises the
flag anew. This is not the first battle, nor the last. Our people will not be
still until it sees our land liberated and independent."[22]
"Abu Ahmad," an Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader in the Jenin refugee
camp, said in a telephone conversation with the Hizbullah weekly Al-Intiqad,
"The Palestinian resistance will carry out more operations like the
martyrdom operation in Haifa, in order to emphasize that it still exists and
that it maintains its strength and its capability in spite of the blows [it has
taken]. The martyrdom operation by 'Andalib Taqatqah [in Jerusalem's Mahane
Yehuda market] is proof of the [Al-Aqsa Martyr] Brigades' capability of striking
at the [Zionist] entity any time, anywhere. Martyrdom operations were invented
during the time when the Zionists occupied the West Bank, and it does not matter
much whether the [forces] are in the cities or outside the cities."[23]
'Ali Safouri, a commander of Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades in the Jenin camp,
reported to the Islamic Jihad website in the early days of the fighting:
"We have prepared unexpected surprises for the enemy. We are determined to
pay him back double, and teach him a lesson he will not forget. We will attack
him on the home front, in Jerusalem, in Haifa, and in Jaffa, everywhere. We
welcome them, and we have prepared a special graveyard in the Jenin camp for
them. We swore on the martyrs that we would place a curfew on the Zionist cities
and avenge every drop of blood spilled upon our sacred land. We call on the
soldiers of Sharon to refuse his orders, because entering the [Jenin] camp. the
capital of the martyrs' [operations], will, Allah willing, be the last thing
they do in their lives."[24]
In an interview with Al-Manar, the Hizbullah television channel, Islamic Jihad
leader Dr. Ramadan Abdallah Shalah, stated as follows: "The fighters in the
[Jenin] camp told us that this is a 'hit-and-not-run' battle, and that they are
fighting to the last drop of blood and to the last bullet - and that is what
they did. The Zionist enemy thinks he is creating a Palestinian Masada for us -
that is, that we have chosen to commit suicide - but we say to him that he is
mistaken. We are not creating a Palestinian Masada, but a Palestinian
Karbalaa,[25] which will hasten the second Jewish Masada. until the Zionist
entity ceases to exist. Today the Jenin camp was reborn, not
destroyed."[26]
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[1] www.palestine-info.in fo, April
20, 2002.
[2] i.e. Jihad warriors.
[3] Al-Jazeera (Qatar), April 8, 2002.
[4] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), April 7, 2002.
[5] Cited in Al-Shaab (Egypt), April 19, 2002.
[6] The Palestine Center for Human Rights, Weekly Report on Israeli Human Rights
Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, April 11-17, 2002. After his
death in the battle was reported, it was announced that his real name was Hazem
Ahmad Rayhan Qabha.
[7] Al-Jazeera (Qatar), April 4, 2002.
[8] www.palestine-info.in fo, April
20, 2002.
[9] www.palestine-info.in fo, April
20, 2002.
[10] Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), April 7, 2002.
[11] www .ahram.org.eg/weekly/2002/582/6inv2.htm.
[12] Al-Hayat (London), April 5, 2002.
[13] Al-Hayat (London), April 9, 2002.
[14] Al-Bayan (United Arab Emirates), April 10, 2002.
[15] Al-Bayan (United Arab Emirates), April 11, 2002.
[16] Al-Jazeera (Qatar), April 8, 2002.
[17] www.palestine-info.in fo, April
20, 2002.
[18] Al-Jazeera (Qatar), April 8, 2002.
[19] Al-Jazeera (Qatar), April 8, 2002.
[20] Al-Hayat (London), April 9, 2002.
[21] www.jihadonline.com, April 10,
2002.
[22] www.palestine-info.in fo, April
20, 2002.
[23] Al-Intiqad (Lebanon), April 19, 2002.
[24] www.qudsway.com, April 3, 2002.
[25] In the battle of Karbula (680) Hussein, the leader of the Shi'itels, was
canonized.
[26] Al-Manar Television (Lebanon), April 10, 2002, cited at www.jihadonline.com.
*********************
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