Operation Defensive Shield was a large-scale IDF-Shabak operation in the West Bank after a series of deadly terrorist attacks in March culminated in the Passover Seder massacre at the Park Hotel in Netanya, where 30 Israeli civilians were murdered.

It was largest operation since the First Lebanon War, with the participation of five divisions of about 20,000 reserve soldiers and lasting 40 days. The IDF took control of towns and cities in the West Bank (except Hebron), and besieged Yasser Arafat and the PLO leadership at the Muqataa compound in Ramallah.

There were fierce battles in the Jenin refugee camp and a siege on armed terrorists in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The success of the operation led to a significant reduction in terrorist attacks and casualties.