News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (January 30 – February 5, 2013)

Rocket Fire

• Hamas and the other terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip continue to implement the understandings reached at the end of Operation Pillar of Defense. Since 2300 hours on November 21 no rockets or mortar shells hit Israeli territory.

The Situation on the Ground

• This past week local Palestinians continued gathering and provoking IDF soldiers near the security fence. The Palestinian media reported that six Gazans were injured by IDF fire in two separate incidents in the northern Gaza Strip:

• February 1, 2013– Two Gazan youths were injured by IDF fire in northern Jabaliya. Their legs had been wounded and they were taken to a hospital for treatment (Safa News Agency and the Alresala.net website, February 1, 2013).
• January 29, 2013– It was reported that a Gazan worker was wounded by IDF fire near Beit Hanoun (northern Gaza Strip) (Ma'an News Agency and Quds News, January 29, 2013).

Violence Continues

• This past week friction and violence continued in various locations in Judea and Samaria between Palestinians on the one hand and Israeli security forces and settlers on the other.
• On January 29, 2013, a 17-year-old Israel boy was stabbed at the Tapuah junction, south of Nablus, while he was waiting for a ride. He was seriously wounded and received medical care at the site. He was then evacuated to a hospital for further treatment. An IDF soldier who arrived at the scene chased the terrorist attacker, and during the chase called for backup from the Border Guards. The terrorist was caught and detained by a Border Guard force (IDF spokesman, January 29, 2013).

Wanted Palestinians Detained in Judea and Samaria

• The Israeli security forces continued detaining Palestinian terrorist operatives in Judea and Samaria. On the night of February 1, 2012, they detained 25 suspects wanted for their involvement in terrorist activities (IDF spokesman, February 2, 2013). The Palestinian media reported that among those detained were eight senior Hamas operatives, three of them members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (Al-Quds and Al-Mayadeen, February 2, 2013).
• Salam Fayyad, the PA prime minister, condemned the detention of the Palestinian Legislative Council members. He called it a continuation of Israel's detention policy, intended to harm the Palestinians' political institutions and their standing (Wafa News Agency, February 2, 2013). The Fatah movement said in an announcement that the detentions violated signed agreements and were illegal under international law (Wafa News Agency, February 4, 2013). Sources within Hamas claimed that the detentions were meant to destroy its activity in Judea and Samaria and to sabotage the internal Palestinian reconciliation. Hamas appealed to the PA to stop its security coordination with Israel (Safa News Agency, February 4, 2013).

Capture of Terrorist Squad Planning to Abduct an Israeli^[3]

• On January 1, near the Eyal junction east of Kfar Saba (in Israeli territory), Israeli security forces detained a squad of three PIJ terrorist operatives. Their detention prevented, in real time, the abduction of an IDF soldier or Israeli civilian to be used as a bargaining chip. The vehicle used by the terrorist operatives was found to be carrying ropes, duct tape, knitted masks, a craft knife and a mock gun, which were intended for use in the abduction. Two of the three terrorists were residents of Jenin and the third was an Israeli Arab who lived in Qalansuwa (east of Netanya in the central part of Israel).

Left: The vehicle used by the terrorist squad. Right: Equipment found in the car indicating the squad's intention to abduct an Israeli (Israel Security Agency website, February 3, 2013).

• Police detectives were led to the car by previous intelligence information. During interrogation the terrorists said that a number of days beforehand they had toured the bus stations in the central area of Israel where soldiers were known to hitchhike, and had offered rides to a number of soldiers and civilians, all of whom refused. Having failed to carry out their initial scheme, they then planned to abduct a civilian returning from a New Year's Eve party. When that failed as well, they spent the night in the car near the Eyal junction, intending to continue their attempts to abduct an Israeli the following day.
• Their plan was to transport the abducted Israeli to Jenin and from there to conduct negotiations for his release, using the Israeli ID card belonging to the Israeli Arab. Their interrogation led to the detention of eight other Jenin residents, all of whom belonged to the PIJ terrorist infrastructure. In addition, a resident of the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm, in whose house the terrorists had slept, was also detained.
• The investigation indicated that the terrorists had been funded and directed by a PIJ operative from Jenin who had formerly been in jail, and another operative currently still serving a sentence in an Israeli jail. The leader of the squad surrendered to the PA's security services.

Hamas Attempt to Establish a Regional Headquarters in Hebron Prevented^[4]

• The Israeli security forces recently detained approximately 20 Hamas operatives from the Hebron district. They belonged to a network planning to carry out terrorist attacks, especially abductions, to bargain for the release of terrorist operatives imprisoned in Israeli jails. The operatives' plans for the abduction were well advanced. They had looked for a safe house and had contacted an Israeli citizen, who would serve as their driver. At the time of their detention a large number of weapons were found in their possession, all of them intended to be used during the planned abductions.

• Most of the operatives detained had already served long jail sentences in Israel, mainly for their involvement in terrorist activity. They maintained contact with Hamas operatives outside Judea and Samaria to obtain support, instructions and funding. Most of their contact was with Husam Badran, a Hamas terrorist operative released from jail in Israel as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. In 2004 Badran was sentenced to 17 years in jail for his involvement in suicide bombing attacks during the second intifada. Released in October 2011, he was deported to Qatar.

Display Put On by the PIJ's Military-Terrorist Wing

• The Jerusalem Brigades, the PIJ's military-terrorist wing, held a military display in the Nuseirat refugee camp (central Gaza Strip) on January 28, 2013. It was held in memory of Jihad al-Sus, a senior operative in Jerusalem Brigades' artillery unit in the battalion of the refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip. Al-Sus was recently killed in what is referred to as a "jihad action." During the display operatives loudly called for the continuation of the jihad until the annihilation of Israel (Jerusalem Brigades website, January 29, 2013).

• On February 2, 2013, there were confrontations in the central Gaza Strip between operatives of the PIJ's military-terrorist wing on the one hand and operatives of Hamas' military-terrorist wing and the Hamas administration's internal security services on the other. According to reports the confrontations, which included exchanges of fire, were caused by a PIJ attempt to erect a training post at the site. After the confrontations operatives of Hamas' security services set up roadblocks to prevent operatives from reaching the site. Two PIJ operatives were reported killed during the confrontations (Al-Quds, February 2, 2013).

Statement from Khaled Mashaal

• At the end of his third visit to Jordan, Khaled Mashaal, chairman of Hamas' Executive Committee, was interviewed by Jordanian television. Some of the topics he related to were the following (Jordanian TV, February 2, 2013):

• An agreement with Israel– Khaled Mashaal agreed to a program based on a common Palestinian and Arab denominator that would include the following elements: agreement to the 1967 borders, Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state, implementing the so-called "right of return" and a Palestinian state with genuine sovereignty.
• Recognition of Israel– Hamas, said Khaled Mashaal, did not recognize Israel. It was firm in its position, but a decision regarding a position towards Israel would be in the hands of the Palestinian state, when it was established.
• Relations with Jordan– He said his visit had been successful, and that the meetings he held with the king of Jordan and other senior figures had advanced Hamas' relations with Jordan and the building of a joint basis for further activity.
• Hamas' induction into the PLO– Hamas, said Mashaal, wanted to be part of the PLO and its agreement was part of the internal Palestinian reconciliation. However, it did not want to assume leadership of the PLO or push out anyone else [i.e., Fatah]. The PLO, he said, had to become a source of authority for all the Palestinian organizations [i.e., terrorist organizations].
• The results of the Israeli elections– The results, he said, indicated that Israelis leaned to the right but that the division into right, left and center was not related to the Israeli public's position on the Palestinian issue.

Teaching Hebrew in Schools in the Gaza Strip

• The de-facto Hamas administration has been making an effort to expand Hebrew studies in Gazan schools. According to Samih al-Nakhaleh, curriculum director for Hamas' ministry of education, the objective is to give the pupils the ability to recognize the "language of the enemy" and "his evil and deviousness," and to increase their familiarity with "the Israeli enemy." So far the program has been instituted in ninth grade classes and starting next year it will be expanded to other grades (Reuters, January 30, 2013).

UNRWA Completes the First Phase of a Saudi Arabian Housing Project in Western Rafah

• On February 4, 2013, UNRWA held a formal ceremony to mark the end of the first phase of a Saudi Arabian housing project in western Rafah (in the Tel Sultan neighborhood). The ceremony was attended by senior UNRWA figures and a Saudi Arabian delegation headed by Yusuf al-Bassam, chairman of Saudi Development Fund (Filastin Al-'An and Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, February 4 and 5, 2013).
• The construction of the housing project, built at a cost of $113 million, was financed by Saudi Arabia and carried out by UNRWA. The project consists of three phases. The first phase included the construction of 752 housing units, four schools, a mosque and a clinic. It was begun in 2012 after Israel authorized the entry of building materials for it. The second phase is currently underway and is expected to include the construction of 1,080 more housing units. According to expectations, the second and third phases will be completed during the coming year (Ma'an News Agency, February 4, 2013).

Left: The ceremony marking the end of the first phase of the Saudi Arabian building project in Rafah, attended by senior UNRWA figures in the Gaza Strip and Saudi representatives. Right: The housing project (Filastin Al-'An, February 4, 2013)

Hamas and Iran Sign an Agreement to Support Palestinian Cinema

nThe ministry of culture of the de-facto Hamas administration signed an agreement with the ministry of culture of Iran according to which Iranian films about the activities of the so-called "Israeli occupation" will be shown in Gazan theaters. They will be shown during a film festival called "Days of the Resistance," whose objective is to support films dealing with the "resistance" [i.e., the path of anti-Israeli terrorism and violence] and to disseminate them. Muhammad al-Madhoun, Hamas minister of sports and culture, said that Palestinian cinema needed "a strong following wind" to be able to present Palestinian history and to influence public opinion through movies (Ma'an News Agency, December 21, 2012).

Turkish Support for the Gaza Strip

nThe Turkish ambassador to Israel entered the Gaza Strip on January 28, 2013, through the Erez crossing to monitor two projects first hand (the rehabilitation of "war wounded" and the construction of a Turkish university hospital at the Islamic University). The two projects are being carried out with funding from the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TIKA), which belongs to the Turkish government (Al-Anadolu News Agency, January 29, 2013).

nAs part of the aid Turkey provides to the Gaza Strip, Hani al-Agha, director of the Turkish Yardim Eli ("a supporting hand") organization in the Gaza Strip,^[5] said that they were distributing winter blankets and fresh meat to needy families throughout the Gaza Strip (Organization website, January 27 and 29, 2013). Al-Agha also said that his organization had recently given financial aid to 2,660 families in the wake of Operation Pillar of Defense (Al-Anadolu News Agency, January 30, 2013).

Miles of Smiles 19 Convoy Enters the Gaza Strip

nOn February 2, 2013, the Miles of Smiles 19 convoy entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing terminal. The convoy is composed of 155 activists, most of them from Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and brought humanitarian aid. During their stay they toured the Gaza Strip and met with Ismail Haniya, head of the de-facto Hamas administration (Filastin Al-'An, February 2 and 4, 2013).

Ismail Haniya, head of the Hamas administration, receives the Miles of Smiles 19 activists in his office (Filastin Al-'An, February 4, 2013).

A UN Inquiry Commission, Hostile to Israel, Issues an Interim Report on the Settlements

• An inquiry commission of the UN Human Rights Council, an agency hostile to Israel, examined the issue of the influence of the settlements on the rights of the Palestinian in Judea and Samaria and issued an interim report (the report was made public on January 31, 2013; the final report will be issued during March). The report was severely critical of Israel policy, claiming that the settlements caused many violations of the Palestinians' human rights. The Council called on governments and private companies around the world to consider imposing political and economic sanctions of Israel because of the continued construction in the settlements (Ohchr.org website, January 31, 2013).
• The PApraised the interim findings and called on the countries of the world to implement its decisions. Hamas also praised them. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that the report was a step in the right direction but practical measures were necessary that would force Israel to implement its (Filastin Al-'An, date, 2013). The PA is currently holding activities to increase world awareness about the findings of the commission. Riyadh al-Maliki, the PA's foreign minister, said that his ministry intended to hold a conference in a European capital to devise a program to convince the countries of the world to vote in favor of the report on the settlements (Voice of Palestine Radio, February 2, 2013).

The Internal Palestinian Reconciliation

• Mahmoud Abbas announced that consultations regarding the establishment of a national unity government would begin at the same time as the central elections committee began its activities in the Gaza Strip. He also said that as soon as the elections committee announced it had finished preparations for elections, a presidential edict would be issued instructing that general elections be held. Hana Nasser, chairman of the central elections committee, along with the Hamas administration, announced that it had been agreed that the elections committee would begin its work after a pause of a number of months (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, February 2, 2013).

The Outpost Campaign Continues

• Palestinians continue erecting outposts, and on February 2, 2013, an estimated 200 Palestinians erected another one, the third in a month, similar to the first two. The outpost was erected in the region of the village of Burin (south of Nablus,) and it is called, alternatively, either Al-Manatir ("the neighborhood of the guards") or Bab al-Hurriya ("Gate of Liberty"). Seven tents and several building frames were set up. Following the erection of the outpost there were confrontations with Israel security forces who tried to take the tents down, and with Israeli settlers who came from the communal village of Har Brakha. As a result the region was declared a closed military area. According to the organizers of the outpost, their objective was to protest the destruction of the previous outpost and to protect the territory from having a settlement built on it (Ma'an News Agency, February 2, 2013).
• Mahmoud al-A'aloun, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, head of its office of enlistment and organization and an enthusiastic supporter of the outpost project, was present as the outpost was being erected. He used the media to encourage other activists to come to the site. He said that the "popular resistance" wanted to intensify the struggle to the point at which a new outpost would be built in a new area every day (Voice of Palestine Radio, February 2, 2013).