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Devastated neighbourhoods and tank deployments in Jenin camp in the Israel-occupied West Bank have displaced around 40,000 Palestinians.
Many have been forced to flee decades-old refugee camps, including Nur Shams in Tulkarm, in some of the worst violence since the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
The escalation, which has seen bulldozers tear up roads and buildings in Tulkarm and Jenin Camp, comes after the near total ruin of Gaza where around two million of 2.3 million people have been displaced, with more than 48,000 killed, mostly civilians.
It’s led to fears that entire towns in the West Bank, home to about 2.7 million Palestinians, could face "Gazafication," upending the Palestinian Authority and pushing the century-long struggle down another dark path.
Last month, Israeli defence minister Israeli Katz said West Bank operations involved “the first lesson from the method of repeated raids in Gaza”.
The battle of Jenin
Concerns are also based on historic precedent. Jenin Camp, created in 1953, already comprised permanent structures at the time of a widespread uprising against Israeli occupation, the second intifada between 2000 and 2005.
Violence spiked sharply as the post-1993 Oslo Accords peace process broke down amid rising Israeli settlement construction and a surge in motorway construction that expropriated Palestinian land.
A surge in terror attacks including scores of suicide bombings, killing and wounding hundreds of Israelis followed. An attempt to crush the uprising was launched, Operation Defensive Shield, in March 2002. Violence simmered down by 2005 only after around 1,000 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians had been killed.
As in the current crisis, Jenin Camp bore the brunt.
“2002 was scary and unprecedented at the time,” says Fadwa, an engineer from Jenin. “The destruction and the long days of the incursion. We were university students and everything was shut down. When it was done, a big portion of the camp was flattened,” she says.
Jenin in the second intifada was a turning point for Israeli army urban operations. As soldiers inexperienced in urban combat fought through the narrow alleys in the camp, they encountered countless ambushes and improvised bombs.
A particularly deadly ambush on April 9 in Hawashin district left 13 soldiers killed. Israeli forces, who had already been using bulldozers to uncover hidden bombs and widen alleys – a highly destructive practice – bulldozed most of the neighbourhood and repeatedly struck the area with missiles from attack helicopters. At least 140 houses were destroyed and at least 4,000 people were left homeless.
“The destruction extended well beyond any conceivable purpose of gaining access to fighters, and was vastly disproportionate,” Human Rights Watch later reported.
“People lived to talk about Jenin,” recalls Fadwa. “Children grew up on those stories, who are the young men and women being attacked by today’s relentless attacks on the camp and the city. Now what is scary is that despite the very obvious attacks, the continuing complete destruction, the world watched and has done nothing to stop it. They conspire with it. People were not displaced like that before.”
“Ambulances were prevented from moving within the Jenin refugee camp,” Israeli rights organisation B’Tselem wrote. “There is evidence that little or no warning was given to the residents of some of the houses about to be destroyed.”
Today, health services report serious problems getting staff to hospitals and pervasive checkpoints. But there remain key differences in the current Israeli Operation Iron Wall and 2002’s Defensive Shield, not least the huge increase in the displaced, around 20,000 from Jenin alone.
While in 2002, Israeli troops pursued Iran-backed militants in groups including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, today their attack has been preceded by a major Palestinian Authority operation to crack down on the militants, arresting hundreds of suspects and killing as many as 20, including alleged attacks on civilians.
This has worsened a critical problem for the PA, which calls groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad "outlaws." It has for years suffered low popular support, with some recent polls suggesting less than 30 per cent approval.
The situation for the PA has become increasingly tenuous amid rising far-right Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and several years of escalation in the West Bank, preceding October 7.
“The Palestinian Authority has been progressively weakened, which has worsened the security environment and increased the risk of militancy in the West Bank. This has been an continuing, gradually developing issue and in a way, a policy of Israel, happening under the table,” says Noam Ostfeld, Principal Intelligence Analyst at Sibylline, a risk consultancy.
After Hamas’ October 7 onslaught against Israeli communities, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, Israel cut a significant portion of customs revenue at the behest of far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich. Israel collects the funds on behalf of the PA before transferring the funds to Ramallah.
The PA, already suffering years of financial crisis, walked away from the entire arrangement, sending a shock wave through the economy. Israel also suspended permits for about 150,000 Palestinians working in Israel, adding to the financial burden of the West Bank which suffers 35 per cent unemployment, according to the International Labour Organisation.
Historically, Jenin has had some of the highest unemployment in the West Bank, despite a post-2002 reconstruction effort that eased the situation.
“We've seen three aggravating factors compared to previous crises. Firstly, more buried explosive devices. We've seen many more than before, whether under the road or even in walls, in buildings, in houses, especially in Jenin. Then we've seen a significant increase in weapons within the West Bank, significant weapon caches.”
“Secondly we are seeing that the motivation of the militants in the West Bank is driven by the economic crisis. This is also something that Israel has a hand in despite mismanagement by the Palestinian Authority, especially after October 7, Israel increased the restrictions on Palestinians from the West Bank to come and work in Israel. That means that militant and terror groups have more people to potentially recruit from, because more people are without jobs and need money," Mr Ostfeld says.
“All of this feeds into increasing terrorism and Palestinian militant activity in the West Bank. And thirdly, you have intensifying IDF operations. You have the PA which historically didn't do enough, it generally tried to stay away from conflict,” he says.
Palestinian security forces, although fragmented, have long co-operated with Israeli security forces to pursue militants, whom the PA sees as a serious threat, particularly after fighting the groups in Gaza in 2007, a battle won by the Iran-backed Hamas and its Tehran-funded ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Trump dynamics
“We've seen a bit of a change in the PA position in the past few months, possibly because they're trying to present themselves as a viable option for security and also for a potential role policing in Gaza, and because of possible pressure from Trump, and to a lesser extent Biden,” Mr Ostfeld says.
Efforts to break deadlock over payments to the PA and reform the organisation have been stop-start. In January, Israel approved a revenue transfer of $500 million, much of which is owed to Israeli energy companies supplying Palestinian municipal areas. A similar amount is still withheld in a Norwegian account. Before the current operation, Jenin camp was cut off from services, including water and electricity.
“We also see over a longer term, a lot of Israeli far right groups in the government pushing to weaken the Palestinian Authority to prevent the transfer of funds to it,” Mr Ostfeld says.
At the same time however, the US has cut funding to an already underfunded, under-equipped PA security force. While Israel’s security cabinet is reportedly pleased with PA efforts in Jenin, it has withheld ammunition to its security forces at a time when militants are better armed than ever.
The ultimate aim of this fragmented Israeli policy remains unclear.
“The Israelis mastered displacement of the Palestinians and everyone seems to be OK with it," Fadwa says.
"People never had to evacuate or be displaced from the camp or Jenin. We’ve never witnessed that for so long. In these modern days it's very scary and mostly heart wrenching that the Arab region and the world sits with no actual action to stop it. In 2025, you would not expect to see such actions go unchallenged even. Now we know how Palestine was occupied,” Fadwa says.
Mr Ostfeld says there are indications of a changed Israeli posture around Jenin.
“The Israeli military intends to have a battalion situated close to Jenin and two others somewhere in this area, raiding those populated areas, not once a week, not once a month, almost on a daily basis. I think this is what we are likely to see in the future,” he says. Violence, including major raids on Jenin, had been escalating sharply in the two years before October 7 and many analysts say the recent war has been a boon to militants.
“The idea behind that for the IDF is as long as the militant groups are being pursued, as long as they are being hunted, they have less time and less attention to do other attacks.”
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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OIL PLEDGE
At the start of Russia's invasion, IEA member countries held 1.5 billion barrels in public reserves and about 575 million barrels under obligations with industry, according to the agency's website. The two collective actions of the IEA this year of 62.7 million barrels, which was agreed on March 1, and this week's 120 million barrels amount to 9 per cent of total emergency reserves, it added.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Fixtures (all times UAE)
Saturday
Brescia v Atalanta (6pm)
Genoa v Torino (9pm)
Fiorentina v Lecce (11.45pm)
Sunday
Juventus v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Inter Milan v SPAL (6pm)
Lazio v Udinese (6pm)
Parma v AC Milan (6pm)
Napoli v Bologna (9pm)
Verona v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Monday
Cagliari v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
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The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Meydan racecard:
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (PA) Group 1 | US$75,000 (Dirt) | 2,200 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic Trial (TB) Conditions | $100,000 (Turf) | 1,400m
8.15pm: Al Shindagha Sprint (TB) Group 3 | $200,000 (D) | 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (D) | 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | $175,000 (T) | 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | $135,000 (T) | 1,600m
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
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Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
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Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
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