Operation Defensive Shield

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Israeli tanks in Ramallah

Date	2002.
Location	West Bank
Result	Extensive damage to "terrorist infrastructure", arrest of leading Palestinian figures^[1], widespread destruction of "Palestinian private and public property"^[2]
Casus belli	Terrorist attacks in Israel

Combatants

Israel (Israel Defense Forces)

Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades

Fatah and Tanzim

Casualties

200

Al-Aqsa Intifada
Noah’s Ark – *Defensive Shield* – Ain es Saheb – Rainbow – Days of Penitence – Summer Rains – Autumn Clouds

Operation Defensive Shield (Hebrew: מבצע חומת מגן‎) was a large-scale military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces in April 2002 after a series of terrorist attacks launched against Israel. It was the largest military operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.

1 Background
2 Goals
3 The Operation
4 References
5 See also

In March 2002, more than 135 Israeli civilians were killed in attacks committed by Palestinian groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades (the military branch of Fatah). These attacks reached their peak on March 27, 2002, with the event known as the Passover massacre, in which a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 30 people at the Park Hotel in Netanya (28 immediately, then two more died from their injuries).

Within twenty-four hours, the Israel Defense Forces had issued emergency call-up notices for 30,000 reserve soldiers, the largest such call-up since the 1982 Lebanon War.

The stated goals of the operation (as conveyed to the Israeli Knesset by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on April 8, 2002) were to "enter cities and villages which have become havens for terrorists; to catch and arrest terrorists and, primarily, their dispatchers and those who finance and support them; to confiscate weapons intended to be used against Israeli citizens; to expose and destroy terrorist facilities and explosives, laboratories, weapons production factories and secret installations. The orders are clear: target and paralyze anyone who takes up weapons and tries to oppose our troops, resists them or endanger them - and to avoid harming the civilian population." One of the most notorious and controversial events of current conflict between Israel and the Palestinians was the April, 2002 Israeli invasion of Jenin Refugee Camp. For weeks, the Israeli army assaulted the camp with helicopters, tanks, bulldozers, and troops. There was much concern at the time about possible human rights violations occurring in the camp. However, reports of a large-scale massacre there were later found to be false.

The Arab-Israeli conflict in 2002

Events Passover massacre *Defensive Shield* Battle of Jenin Siege of the Church of the Nativity Patt junction massacre
v • d • e

By April 3, the IDF was conducting major military operations in all Palestinian cities with the exception of Hebron and Jericho. The major points of conflict were:

During the operation, strict curfews were placed on at least six major Palestinian cities, resulting in complaints by human rights groups that essential medical attention was being denied to sick and elderly Palestinians, as well as complaints that Israel was practicing collective punishment, which is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention. In some cities, there were scheduled breaks in the curfews. In others, curfews continued uninterrupted for a week or more.

Throughout the two weeks of fighting in Jenin and for a few days afterward, the city and its refugee camp were under curfew.

The city of Bethlehem and its environs remained under curfew for five weeks, though there were periodic breaks, until an impasse involving Palestinian gunmen [1] who had sought refuge in the Church of the Nativity was resolved [2]. Most of the armed Palestinians in the Church of the Nativity agreed to go to the Gaza Strip. The rest were exiled to Cyprus.

In reply to these complaints, the Israeli army stated that the curfew was placed in order to prevent civilians from being caught in gunfights and getting hurt. Palestinian ambulances were stopped for checks following the discovery of an explosive belt in a Red Crescent ambulance.(Higgins, Alexander G., "International Red Cross says 'unacceptable' Israeli actions curbed its West Bank operations," Associated Press Newswires, 6 April 2002.)

Notable events were the battle of Jenin and the siege of Yasser Arafat's compound.

The operation officially ended on May 10, 2002, although occupations and curfews continued after that time, gradually tapering off. Shortly afterwards, Operation Determined Path was launched. A poll conducted after the end of the operation indicated that 86 percent of Israeli Jews thought that the operation contributed to Israel's security, but 54 percent thought the Operation has damaged Israel politically. However, in the final analysis, fully 90 percent of those surveyed asserted that the decision to launch Operation Defensive Shield was the correct decision. Views among Israeli Arabs were the opposite, with equally high numbers against the Operation.