In recent weeks, the city of Jenin has frequently appeared in the headlines due to a series of terror attacks originating from there, followed by intensified Israeli security operations in response. Many Israelis wonder: What is it about this particular place that has produced so many attackers?
One of the answers lies in how Palestinians refer to this city and its historical significance. Jenin has become more than just a geographical location; it is deeply tied to key figures in Palestinian terror. One of the most prominent of these figures is Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, after whom the city is often called "Jenin al-Qassam." He is a symbolic figure for Palestinians, and both the military wing of Hamas and the Qassam rocket, used in attacks on Israel, are named after him.
Although al-Qassam was neither born nor buried in Jenin, he met his death near the city. So, who was he? Izz ad-Din al-Qassam was a Muslim militia leader who fought against Jews and the British in Mandatory Palestine during the 1920s and 1930s. His group spread terror throughout northern Jewish communities and British police stations. In 1935, after murdering a Jewish officer in the British police, al-Qassam was pursued by British forces for two weeks in the Samaria region. He was eventually found and killed in the village of Ya'bad, near Jenin.
This association with Ya'bad linked al-Qassam's legacy to Jenin. Today, Ya'bad, part of the Jenin district, is known for its charcoal production, used for grilling in Israel. So why isn't Ya'bad associated with al-Qassam directly, and why does Jenin bear the title? The answer lies in the Palestinian preference for identifying with the district's city rather than the village or town. For example, a Palestinian from a nearby village would say they are from Jenin. To clarify, the listener would need to ask whether they mean Jenin city or one of the surrounding villages.
Jenin is the district's central city, which is why the events in Ya'bad are attributed to it. Even recent terrorists who were stopped on their way to carry out attacks near Jenin were either from the refugee camp or the rural areas around the city. From the Palestinian perspective, they are all from "Jenin al-Qassam."
In this way, the attackers continue a long tradition of what Palestinians refer to as "resistance and struggle" (in Arabic, "Muqawama wa Nidal") originating from Jenin. For Israelis, however, this is seen as terror, murder, and violence.
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