Editing Operation Defensive Shield (section)

== Operation ==
{{More citations needed|date=August 2010}}

Operation Defensive Shield was announced on March 29, but it is widely assumed preparations began nearly a month before. In early April, the IDF was conducting major military operations inside all Palestinian cities, but the majority of the fighting centered on [[Bethlehem]], [[Jenin]], [[Nablus]], and [[Ramallah]]. Over 20,000 Israeli reservists were activated during the conflict.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Yedioth Aharonoth Books and Chemed Books |isbn=978-965-511-767-7 |last=Harel |first=Amos |author2=Avi Isacharoff |title=The Seventh War |pages=274–275 |location=Tel-Aviv |year=2004}}</ref>

===Jenin===
{{see also|Battle of Jenin (2002)}}
[[File:חומת מגן 29.jpg|thumb|Israeli soldiers in Jenin]]
According to Israeli authorities, Jenin became a central base for terror groups and terror attacks mounted by several organizations, including [[Palestinian Islamic Jihad]], [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades]], and [[Hamas]]. The IDF spokesman attributed 23 of the 60 suicide bombers that attacked Israel in 2002 to Palestinians from Jenin.<ref>{{cite web|title=Suicide Bombers from Jenin |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |access-date=October 18, 2008 |date=July 2, 2002 |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Suicide%20Bombers%20from%20Jenin |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705043647/http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFAArchive/2000_2009/2002/7/Suicide%20Bombers%20from%20Jenin |archive-date=July 5, 2008 }}</ref>

On April 2, more than 1,000 IDF soldiers entered the camp, calling civilians and non-combatants to leave. An estimated 13,000 Palestinians were housed in Jenin prior to the operation.

The operation was led by the 5th Infantry Brigade, which had not yet been trained in [[Close combat|close-quarters combat]]. During a series of sweeps, the Israeli military claimed the entire camp was booby-trapped. At least 2,000 bombs and booby traps were planted throughout the camp.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/04/22/jenin.fighter/index.html|title=Palestinian fighter describes 'hard fight' in Jenin|date=April 23, 2002|access-date=19 December 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080109035330/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/04/22/jenin.fighter/index.html|archive-date=9 January 2008}}</ref> In response to the discovery, the Israelis dispatched [[IDF Caterpillar D9|combat bulldozer]]s to detonate any bombs that were placed in the streets.

Israeli commanders were still not confident that soldiers would be safe from booby traps and [[improvised explosive device]]s (IEDs). A rapid ground attack would clearly be costly in IDF lives, but political pressure from the United States and elsewhere required a rapid end to the fighting. Former defense minister [[Shaul Mofaz]] promised combat-operations would be over by April 6, but that was clearly impossible.<ref name="hare">{{cite book |publisher=Yedioth Aharonoth Books and Chemed Books |isbn=978-965-511-767-7 |last=Harel |first=Amos |author2=Avi Isacharoff |title=The Seventh War |location=Tel-Aviv |year=2004|language=he}}</ref> The IDF slowly advanced into the city, encountering fierce resistance. Most of the fighting was conducted by infantry fighting house-to-house, while armored bulldozers were used to clear away booby traps and IEDs. Air support was limited to helicopter gunships firing wire-guided missiles.<ref>Dershowitz, Alan (2002): ''The Case for Israel''. </ref> Palestinian commander [[Mahmoud Tawalbe]] was killed during the battle. According to a British military expert, he was killed by an Israeli bulldozer, while the Palestinians claimed that blew himself up to collapse a house on Israeli soldiers.

On the third day of operations, an IDF unit wandered into a Palestinian ambush. Thirteen Israeli soldiers were killed and three of the bodies were captured before a [[Shayetet 13]] naval commando unit could retrieve them.

After the ambush, the Israeli military developed a tactic that allowed units to advance farther and more safely into the camps. Israeli commanders would send an armored bulldozer to ram the corner of a house, creating a hole.<ref name="hare"/> An [[IDF Achzarit]] would then enter the hole, allowing troops to clear the house without going through booby-trapped doors. Palestinian resistance was halted following the adoption of the bulldozer method, and most residents of the Hawashin neighborhood surrendered before it was leveled. Palestinian commander Hazem Qabha refused to surrender and was killed.

Throughout the [[Battle of Jenin (2002)|Battle of Jenin]], and for a few days afterwards, the city and its refugee camp were under total closure. There was much concern at the time about possible human rights violations occurring in the camp. Allegations of a massacre in Jenin were spread by Palestinians in order to create pressure on Israel to halt the operation. Claims of complete destruction of the Jenin refugee camp, a massacre of 500 civilians, and mass graves being dug by Israeli soldiers were proven false after a United Nations investigation. Reports of a large-scale massacre were found to be untrue, a result of confusion resulting from the Israeli refusal to allow entry to outside observers, and/or Palestinian [[media manipulation]].<ref>{{cite news|date=3 May 2002|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1965471.stm|work=BBC News|title='No Jenin massacre' says rights group}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=[[USA Today]]|date=1 August 2002|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2002-08-01-unreport-jenin_x.htm|title=U.N. report: No massacre in Jenin}}</ref>

Ultimately, the Jenin incursion resulted in the deaths of 52 Palestinians. According to Israel, five were civilians and the rest were militants. [[Human Rights Watch]] reported that 27 militants and 22 civilians, as well as three unidentified persons, had been killed, based mostly on witness interviews.<ref name=Time/> Israeli losses totalled 23 soldiers killed and 75 wounded.

===Nablus===
{{see also|Battle of Nablus}}
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Standing Guard in Nablus.jpg|thumb|Israeli soldiers in Nablus]]
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Paratrooper Brigade Serving During Defensive Shield.jpg|thumb|Israeli paratroopers serving in Nablus as part of Operation Defensive Shield]]

The IDF launched an incursion into [[Nablus]] with two regular infantry brigades and one reserve armored brigade. The city was estimated to have held over 8,000 Palestinian militants, in addition to [[Palestinian National Security Forces|Palestinian security forces]]. Israeli forces quickly occupied most of the city. Clashes took place around refugee camps, and Israeli attack helicopters fired rockets at Palestinian positions in the main square and neighboring streets. The main attack focused on the Nablus Casbah. The [[Golani Brigade]] entered the Casbah, engaging the Palestinians in heavy street combat and using [[armored bulldozer]]s and [[IDF Achzarit|Achzarit]] APCs to clear away barricades. Many militants withdrew to the western part of the city, where they were attacked by the [[Paratroopers Brigade]]. Troops gradually moved into the city by destroying walls within houses to get into the next house (known as [[mouse-holing]]/[[Rhizome Manoeuvre]]), in order to avoid booby-trapped doors and road-side bombs. The paratroopers advanced by sending several small units to take over houses at the same time and confuse the Palestinians, and relied heavily on [[sniper]] units. Palestinian militants often exposed their positions by firing at Israeli forces in another direction. During the battle over 70 Palestinian militants were killed, while the IDF lost one officer to friendly fire.<ref name="hare"/> The Palestinians surrendered on April 8.

Nablus was placed under curfew on April 4, as the battle was beginning. The city remained under curfew until April 22. During the operation, the IDF arrested over 100 Palestinians and discovered several explosives laboratories. High-ranking wanted persons fled east to [[Tubas (city)|Tubas]], and were arrested a week later.{{Citation needed|date=December 2013}}

===Bethlehem===
{{see also|Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem}}
IDF forces including the Jerusalemite Reserve Infantry Brigade entered Jerusalem with infantry, warplanes, and tanks while a special forces [[Shaldag Unit]] targeted the Church of the Nativity to deny it to the people of Bethlehem as a place of refuge as it had been in the past. In response to the IDF offensive hundreds of Bethelemites including Bethlehem's Governor sought refuge in the church, the helicopters of the Shaldag unit arriving half an hour too late.<ref name="archives.cnn.com">{{cite news |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/04/24/mideast.bethlehem/ |work=CNN |title=Children to be released from Church of the Nativity |date=2002-04-24 |access-date=January 22, 2006 |archive-date=April 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417145336/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/04/24/mideast.bethlehem/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Fox News">{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/church-of-nativity-a-mess-but-suffers-little-permanent-damage |work=Fox News |title=Church of Nativity a Mess, but Suffers Little Permanent Damage |date=2002-05-10 |access-date=2007-01-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205153321/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,52445,00.html |archive-date=2007-02-05 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On April 3 the IDF laid siege to the church surrounding it with an elite paratrooper brigade specializing in sniper operations who used tactics including carrying out simulated attacks.<ref name=bbctsob>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/2029661.stm|work=BBC News|title=The siege of Bethlehem|access-date=19 December 2014|date=2002-06-07}}</ref> The Vatican's top foreign policy expert Archbishop Jean-Louis Taura stated that while the Palestinians have joined the Vatican in bilateral agreements where they have undertaken to respect and maintain the status quo regarding Christian holy places and the rights of Christian communities, "to explain the gravity of the current situation, let me begin with the fact that the occupation of the holy places by armed men is a violation of a long tradition of law that dates back to the Ottoman era. Never before have they been occupied – for such a lengthy time – by armed men."<ref name="ReutersVat">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2012/06/29/palestinians-seek-un-funds-heritage-status-for-bethlehem-nativity-church/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120701011301/http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2012/06/29/palestinians-seek-un-funds-heritage-status-for-bethlehem-nativity-church/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-01|title=Palestinians seek UN funds, heritage status for Bethlehem Nativity Church|work=Reuters|access-date=19 December 2014|date=2012-06-29}}</ref> For five weeks the Israelis held the city and church under curfew, with periodic breaks, continuing the siege on the church. Israeli snipers were given orders to shoot anyone in the church carrying a gun on sight,<ref name="bbctsob"/> seriously wounding an Armenian monk who the IDF said looked armed,<ref name="bbctime">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1950331.stm|work=BBC News|title=Timeline: Bethlehem siege|access-date=19 December 2014|date=2002-05-10}}</ref> and killing the mentally impaired church bell-ringer<ref name=chicagtrib>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/04/05/bullet-quiets-churchs-bell/|title=Bullet quiets church's bell|work=Chicago Tribune|date=April 5, 2002 |access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> who was shot as he left to ring the bells as he had done for three decades.<ref name="csmon0">{{cite journal|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0513/p12s01-wome.html/%28page%29/2|title=Church of Nativity opens its doors|author=The Christian Science Monitor|journal=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=19 December 2014|date=2002-05-13}}</ref><ref name="pbscron">{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/siege/etc/cron.html|title=Chronology Of The Siege - The Siege Of Bethlehem - FRONTLINE - PBS|website=[[PBS]]|access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> He was left to die, bleeding in the square for hours. Six other men were killed by the IDF during the siege. On March 10 the siege ended, with a deal seeing some militants deported to the Gaza Strip, and the rest exiled to Cyprus.<ref name="archives.cnn.com"/><ref name="Fox News"/>

===Ramallah===
{{see also|Arafat's Compound}}
[[File:חומת מגן 5.jpg|thumb|Israeli soldiers in Ramallah]]
IDF infantry and armor entered [[Ramallah]] on March 29 and entered the [[Mukataa]], Yasser Arafat's presidential compound. The Israelis forced their way through the compound's perimeter and quickly occupied it. Arafat was given refuge in a few of the compound's rooms, along with assorted advisors, security personnel and journalists. In an effort to isolate Arafat physically and diplomatically, access to the compound was restricted, and Arafat was not allowed to leave. The IDF occupied the city after several hours of street fighting in which some 30 Palestinians were killed. Ramallah was then placed under a tight curfew as soldiers conducted searches and made arrests. The IDF arrested more than 700 people, among them [[Marwan Barghouti]], a top Palestinian militant leader suspected of directing numerous suicide bombings and other attacks against Israelis. Barghouti was later tried in Israel and sentenced to life imprisonment. The day after Marwan Barghouti's arrest, Taleb Barghouti was arrested.

On April 2, Israeli tanks and [[Armored personnel carrier|APCs]] surrounded the headquarters of the [[Preventive Security Force]] in nearby [[Beitunia]] as Israeli helicopter gunships flew overhead. Hundreds of heavily armed police officers and prisoners wanted by Israel were inside. Israeli troops used loudspeakers to announce that the compound's four buildings were to be destroyed and demand that everyone inside step out. Hundreds of police officers and fugitives emerged from the compound and surrendered to the Israeli army, and the facility was damaged by rockets. The Israelis extensively searched the facility and uncovered numerous incriminating documents, including a plan to recruit female Israeli soldiers as spies.<ref name="zionism-israel">{{cite web|url=http://www.zionism-israel.com/dic/Defensive_Shield.htm|title=Operation Defensive Shield|access-date=19 December 2014}}</ref> Weapons stolen from the IDF were also discovered.<ref>Sharon, Gilad (2011): ''Sharon: The Life of a Leader''. </ref>

The Israelis forced the hundreds of policemen and fugitives who surrendered to strip naked, fearing that some were armed or packed with explosives. They were then given jumpsuits, loaded onto buses and taken to [[Ofer Prison]]. [[Shin Bet]] asked [[Jibril Rajoub]], head of the Preventive Security Force, to point out which men were police officers and which were fugitives. Rajoub instead identified his policemen as fugitives and the fugitives as policemen, and the fugitives were all released. Shin Bet retaliated by releasing an official account that branded Rajoub as a traitor for turning over the fugitives in a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-brokered deal, costing Rajoub his job.<ref>Hassan Yusef, Mosab: ''Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, and Political Intrigue''.</ref>

The UN report on the subject noted: "It was not only the Palestinian people whose movement was restricted during Operation Defensive Shield. In many instances, humanitarian workers were not able to reach people in need to assess conditions and deliver necessary assistance because of the sealing of cities, refugee camps and villages during the operation. There were also cases of Israeli forces not respecting the neutrality of medical and humanitarian workers and attacking ambulances."<ref name="UNMay7"/>

In reply to these complaints, the IDF 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 [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|Red Crescent]] [[ambulance]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/ambulances.html|title=Al-Aqsa Intifada: IDF Checkpoints & Palestinian Ambulances|publisher=Jewish Virtual Library|date=June 2002}}</ref>

===Tulkarm===
IDF Reserve Paratroop Battalion 55 entered [[Tulkarm]] with armored support. Palestinian militants abandoned their weapons and melted into the local population, and nine were killed by the IDF. A [[Tegart fort]] that had served as their headquarters was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike. The IDF also raided nearby villages, arresting hundreds of wanted men.<ref name="zionism-israel"/>

===Hebron===
On April 4, gendarmes from an [[Israel Border Police]] undercover unit surrounded a house in [[Hebron]] where a member of the [[Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades]] who supplied weapons to militants was holed up, along with his brother. The gendarmes demanded that the two men surrender. Shots were fired at the troops, killing one of the gendarmes. After a gun battle lasting several hours, troops stormed the house, discovering the suspect's wounded brother. The arms merchant was found to have fled.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il |title=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |work=GxMSDev |access-date=19 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090117094828/http://mfa.gov.il/ |archive-date=2009-01-17 }}</ref>

===European Union reaction===
[[Spain|Spanish]] Foreign Minister [[Josep Piqué]], whose country held the EU Presidency, said that "sanctions against Israel are a possible scenario", and that EU states were discussing the possibility, with some reluctant and others wanting to impose sanctions. [[Belgium|Belgian]] Foreign Minister [[Louis Michel]] also said that the EU could rethink its trade relations with Israel. The [[European Parliament]] passed a non-binding resolution calling for economic sanctions on Israel, an arms embargo on both parties, and for the [[European Union]] to "suspend immediately" its trade and cooperation agreement with Israel. It condemned the "military escalation pursued by the Sharon government" and the "oppression of the Palestinian civilian population by the Israeli army", while also condemning suicide bombings. According to [[Yediot Aharonot]], Israel's refusal to allow Spanish EU officials [[Javier Solana]] and Josep Piqué into the [[Mukataa]] to meet with [[Yasser Arafat]], while allowing American envoy [[Anthony Zinni]] to enter, was the "straw that broke the camel's back". The resolution was passed by a vote of 269 to 208, with 22 abstentions.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}}