On July 3, the Israeli Occupying Forces (IOF) launched a two-day invasion of the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. Involving over a thousand soldiers, it was one of its largest and most brutal operations in decades. At least twelve people are dead, hundreds were injured, and more than three thousand refugees were forced to flee their homes.

The invasion of the Jenin camp is the IOF’s second in less than six months. This time, a larger number of armed Palestinian resistance fighters were among the refugees. Next time, that number will no doubt be even higher.

For much of the twentieth century, the Palestinian liberation movement was led from the outside. In refugee camps in neighboring Jordan and Lebanon, political parties under the broad umbrella of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) recruited and trained fedayeen fighters in a united struggle against a clear enemy, sometimes aided by other Arab countries.