By Wikipedia Syrian President Bashar Assad was quoted recently as saying the Mavi Marmara episode marked a turning point in the Middle East. Assad, as is his…
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The Battle of Jenin (April 3–April 11, 2002) took place in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) entered the camp, and other areas under the administration of the Palestinian Authority, during the Second Intifada, as part of Operation Defensive Shield. The Jenin camp was targeted after Israel determined that it had "served as a launch site for numerous terrorist attacks against both Israeli civilians and Israeli towns and villages in the area. " The IDF employed armored bulldozers to clear out booby traps laid inside the camp, alongside infantry, commando forces, and assault helicopters. Resistance by Palestinian militants was fiercer than expected, and after an Israeli column walked into a deadly ambush, the army began to rely more heavily on the use of bulldozers. On April 11, Palestinian militants began to surrender. Israeli troops began withdrawing from the camp on April 18. Jenin remained sealed throughout the invasion and rumors of a massacre circulated. Stories of hundreds or thousands of civilians being killed in their homes as they were demolished spread throughout the Arab world. Subsequent investigations found no evidence to substantiate claims of a massacre. At least 52 Palestinians and 23 IDF soldiers were killed in the fighting.
