The Israel Defense Forces are “putting a stop” to the ability of Palestinian Authority terrorists to create a “city of refuge for terrorism” in the northern Samaria city of Jenin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday evening.
“The IDF began an extensive operation last night against terrorism in Jenin. In recent months, Jenin has become a city of refuge for terrorism – we are putting a stop to that,” Netanyahu said at the start of a relatively lengthy statement at the end of the first day of Operation Bayit V’Gan.
“Our forces entered the nest of terrorists in Jenin: They are targeting terrorists. They are arresting fugitives. They are destroying command centers and seizing considerable weaponry. They are doing something else – they are destroying laboratories, of an almost industrial scale, for producing explosives, bombs and devices for killing and murdering Israeli citizens.
“They are doing all of this in one of the most crowded places on earth and – as of now – they are doing so with minimal injury to civilians, and without any injury to non-combatants, and this is the directive – to take care of the security of our forces and also to avoid injury to innocents,” Netanyahu noted.
“I can already say that we are changing the equation about terrorism. We did this two years ago in Operation Guardians of the Walls against Hamas; we set it back a decade. We did this a few weeks ago in Operation Shield and Arrow in which we targeted senior Islamic Jihad leaders and we are doing so today in Jenin with a combination of equipment, surprise, taking forceful measures and changing the rules. This will also add to the deterrent capability of the State of Israel, both in defending against additional terrorist attacks and in changing the equation in the area,” he declared.
The prime minister expressed “appreciation” and thanked Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet director Ronen Bar and the military commanders — “those who are here and those who are in the field, and the soldiers who are doing outstanding work” — and added that “every Israeli citizen stands behind them.
“We will continue this action as long as necessary in order to restore quiet and security for the citizens of Israel.”
