Jerusalem24 – Yara Alnazer – An elite unit of the Israeli military has been distributing flyers around Jenin in the northern occupied West Bank, in which they threaten to kill Palestinian laborers who attempt to cross the separation wall.
A letter bearing the insignia of the unit, the Golani Brigades, was also posted on the wall itself according to Haaretz, stating: “Beware! The special forces unit belonging to Golani has arrived in the area. If you cross the fence, fire will be opened directly at you. We advise you not to test our patience and abilities, otherwise you will regret it.”
The Israeli military has distributed threatening leaflets on numerous occasions, in one instance warning Palestinian residents in Gaza in 2016 not to approach the border, and has used the same tactic in Syria.
According to Haaretz, the Israeli military took no responsibility for the distribution of the flyers, calling it “an error”.
Crimes and cover-ups
The Golani Brigades are an elite unit within the Israeli military which specializes in combat on the ground. They have been deployed regularly throughout the year to Jenin and Nablus as part of the military’s so-called “Operation Break the Wave”, which has led to mass arrests, killings and assassinations of Palestinians in the West Bank.
Recent daytime and night raids have increased in frequency and intensity, with the deployment of anti-tank missiles against houses with families residing in them, and the highest number of Palestinians shot and killed since the Second Intifada. In one recent invasion on Nablus, five Palestinians were killed and over 40 injured.
The elite unit has been the subject of calls for investigation in the past, including by Haaretz which uncovered evidence of a series of crimes and cover-ups in Nablus in 2020.
The Golani Brigades received commendations from the chief of the Israeli military earlier this month for the “significant” role they played in this year’s military campaign.
Not an empty threat
On 9 November, 29-year-old Palestinian laborer Raafat Ali Abdullah Ayesa was shot and killed by the Israeli military as he attempted to make his way through a breach in the separation wall, near the village of Anin west of Jenin. Ayesa was the third laborer that the Israeli military shot and killed while trying to cross the separation wall in 2022.
Around 130,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza currently have permits to work inside Israel or its illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
An estimated 100,000 additional Palestinians work without permits and often cross from several well-known breaches in the separation wall or fence. which has been under construction since 2002. The Israeli military is aware of the breaches and the workers are usually allowed to pass through without restrictions. However, some can be detained, shot, beaten, or injured for no specified reason.
