Raid unlikely to achieve aims, says veteran Israeli journalist

The veteran Israeli war journalist Ron Ben-Yishai has cast doubt on the long term success of the ongoing military raids in Jenin.

In a column for the Israeli daily Ynet news, Ben-Yishai said it was difficult to judge "whether the operation in Jenin will immediately create deterrence" against Palestinian groups.

"There are still hundreds of armed men in the Jenin refugee camp who are hiding, and when the operation is over, it is quite possible to estimate that they will come out of their hiding places and try to take revenge,” said Ben-Yishai.

"It is also possible to estimate with high probability that many of the armed members of the "Jenin Brigade", which is the local organisation of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Fatah deserters, will return to action when the [Israeli military] leaves the camp,” Ben-Yishai concluded.