Israel’s hidden goals in Nablus

Israel’s hidden goals in Nablus














For over a week, the Israeli occupation army was ganging up on Nablus and neighboring towns and villages in the West Bank. Israeli army spokespersons kept parroting official statements that the violent rampage of terror and vandalism was aimed at “apprehending wanted persons” an allusion to Palestinian resistance activists.
The incursion, in which more than a thousand soldiers and over a hundred military vehicles, including armored personnel carriers, took part, was suspended last Thursday , apparently after the extensive raid failed to apprehend (or assassinate) the targeted activists.
Non the less, the violent raid left at least two Palestinians dead, and several people injured, some critically. The victims included Anan al Teibi, 49, who reportedly was standing on his rooftop, fixing an antenna, when an Israeli sniper, shot and killed him on the spot.
The second victim is Ghareb Abdel Ghani Selhab, 47, a resident of Nablus old city who had a heart attack after a tear gas canister was fired into his home. He died on 4 March. According to officials of the Red Crescent Society who sent an ambulance to evacuate Selhab, medics were prevented by the Israeli military from accessing his home for over an hour. He had been in Watani hospital since the attack on Tuesday 26th February on a life support machine.
Moreover, the occupation forces arrested as many as a hundred people, mostly from the Old Town. Local sources said that nearly 90 of the detainees have been released, with only ten, most of whom are affiliated with Hamas, are still in custody.
The most prominent detainee is Sheikh Maher al Kharraz, who fifteen years ago was deported to southern Lebanon with hundreds of Hamas activists and leaders.
Eyewitnesses told PIC that poorly disciplined or utterly undisciplined soldiers abused civilians and sabotaged their property, including furniture, TV sets and computers.
“They behaved like beasts, urinating and even defecating in people’s living rooms. This is the people who claim to be civilized and a light upon mankind,” said Ahmed al Shunnar, a college student from downtown Nablus .
The young man added that the occupation soldiers were “operating with the mentality of a sadist thug who draws satisfaction and pleasure from inflicting pain on people and humiliating them.”
“I think that some Israeli army commanders are asking themselves why their soldiers ought to be more ethical than American troops in Iraq . They watch TV and see how the Americans are torturing and raping Iraqis. So they probably think ‘why can’t we do like them.’ The Americans do it and get away with impunity, and we can do it and get away with impunity as well.”
This analysis doesn’t really look farfetched. The TV images of Israeli soldiers ganging up on civilians and herding blindfolded youths gives the impression that these soldiers are interested more in humiliating Palestinians than in pursuing any “legitimate” security goals.
However, there seems to be other more specific reasons for the Israeli rampage.
According to Nablus journalist Amin Abu Warda, the Israeli rampage in Nablus was probably intended to achieve two goals:
First, disrupting efforts by the Islamists-controlled municipal council and other local authorities to restore law and order to the city. The council, in cooperation with law-enforcement agencies, were supposed to embark on a widespread campaign throughout the city aimed at removing illegal peddler stands and confiscating stolen cars and other illegal cars. The campaign, which was due to take place on the very same day the Israeli incursion began, never materialized.
The second reason, according to Abu Warda, is the apprehension and possible assassination of at least 8 prominent members of Fatah’s armed wing, the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB).

The second reason, according to Abu Warda, is the apprehension and possible assassination of at least 8 prominent members of Fatah’s armed wing, the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB).

The eight members were targeted allegedly because they refused to carry out orders from Gaza to abduct local activists affiliated with Hamas, according to sources that agreed to speak only on condition anonymity.

Moreover, it is quite possible that the Israeli army and Shin Beth were worried that the eight wanted AMB members might cooperate with Hamas for the purpose of rebuilding the latter’s military wing in the northern West Bank.

Non the less, it is still unclear why the Israeli army decided to send large forces with dozens of military vehicles to Nablus to apprehend or assassinate a few wanted persons whose whereabouts are not known when such a task is normally better achieved using pin-point night-time raids.

The Israeli incursion failed utterly to arrest the targeted individuals who apparently had foreknowledge of the Israeli incursion, thus enabling them to hide or escape unharmed.

Qayes Abu Samra, another Nablus journalist, believes that Israel is interested in “fostering perplexity and instability” in the Palestinian arena.

“They want to do anything that would keep the Palestinians in a state of anxiety.”

This seems to be true as well. The Israeli government didn’t like the Makkah Accord which ostensibly put an end to a showdown between Fatah and Hamas that claimed dozens of Palestinian lives and nearly pushed Palestinians to the edge of a civil strife.

Israel had apparently pinned a lot of hopes on Palestinian infighting to the extent that some Israeli officials described the clashes in Gaza as the long-awaited opportunity to liquidate the Palestinian cause at no cost for Israel.

However, the fact that the Accord succeeded in brining back stability to the Palestinian arena, and is likely to be culminated in the formation of a government of national unity that is expected to see the light in a few days, made Israeli leaders nervous and confused.

Which might, at least in part, explain recent Israeli behaviors in Nablus and other parts of the northern West Bank.