News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (February 4 – 10, 2015)

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

• This past week no rocket or mortar shell hits were identified in Israeli territory.

Additional "Popular Resistance" Violence and Terrorism

• This past week the wave of violence and terrorism continued at the traditional friction sites in Judea and Samaria and the neighborhoods of east Jerusalem (Kafr Qadoum, near the Ofer jail, Bil'in, the Qalandia roadblock, etc.), part of the so-called "popular resistance." The violence included the throwing of rocks, stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli houses and vehicles. The major events were the following:

• On February 8, 2015, masked Palestinians threw Molotov cocktails at houses of Jews in the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood of east Jerusalem. There were no casualties; a balcony was damaged (IBA.org.il, February 8, 2015). A Molotov cocktail was also thrown at the precinct of the Tomb of Simeon the Just in Jerusalem. There were no casualties and no damage was reported (Israel Police Force, February 8, 2015). A Molotov cocktail was thrown atan Israeli bus on the road between Kfar Tapuah and Migdalim in Samaria. There were no casualties and no damage was reported (Facebook pate of Mivzak, February 8, 2015).
• On February 5, 2015, an IDF force shot at a Palestinian who threw a Molotov cocktail near the village of Psagot (east of Ramallah). The Palestinian was wounded and taken to the hospital in Ramallah (Newsil.net, February 5, 2015).
• On February 4, 2015, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at the house of a Jewish Israeli family in the Abu Tor neighborhood of east Jerusalem. One man suffered minor injuries. The balcony of the house was slightly damaged (Ynetnews.co.il, February 4, 2015).

Fatah Secretary General in Nablus Throws Stones during the Weekly Riot in Kafr Qadoum

• The official Fatah Facebook page posted a picture [See front page] of Jihad Ramadan, Fatah's secretary general in Nablus, throwing stones at IDF forces during the weekly riot in Kafr Qadoum (Facebook page of Fatah, February 6, 2015). Fatah activists have participated in previous riots and other violent confrontations with the IDF, part of the so-called "popular resistance."

Illegal Palestinian Outpost Erected in Area E1

• On February 3, 2015, a number of activists from the Palestinian Popular Committees against the Fence and Settlements erected an illegal outpost they called "Jerusalem Gate" in the region of Abu Dis east of Jerusalem. They put up three tents and hung a Palestinian flag. According to the activists, the outpost was erected to keep Israel from evacuating Bedouins who live in the area so that Israel could take control of area E1.
• On February 4, 2015, the IDF evacuated the outpost and destroyed the tents. The activists erected the outpost again. On February 5, 2015 an IDF force destroyed the outpost again. It was erected and destroyed a third and fourth time on February 6, 2015. The fourth time, the activists erected a permanent structure in addition to the tents. Before dawn on February 8, 2015 IDF forces destroyed the outpost again. During the day the Palestinians returned and rebuilt the outpost for the fifth time (Paltimes.net, Qaweim.com February 4, 2015; Wafa.ps, February 3 and 6, 2015; Maannews.net, February 9, 2015). As of today, February 10, 2015, the outpost is still in place.

 The "Jerusalem Gate" illegal Palestinian outpost in area E1 (Wafa.ps, February 3, 2015).

Protests Continue against the Egyptian Court Ruling to Ban Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and List It as a Terrorist Organization

• This past week Gazans continued protesting the Egyptian court ruling to ban the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing, and list it as a terrorist organization. It is likely that the protests were organized by Hamas; they included gatherings and mass marches led by Hamas. The main events were the following:

• On February 6, 2015, Hamas held the Friday prayer and a rally in front of the Egyptian embassy in Gaza City. It was attended by dozens of Gazans, among them senior Hamas figures. The participants held signs stating that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but rather a "resistance organization." The Egyptian embassy was secured by Hamas security forces (Facebook page of PALINFO, February 6, 2015).

• On February 5, 2015, the military wings of the terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip held a press conference where they condemned the Egyptian court's decision to ban the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and designate it as a terrorist organization (Paltoday.tv, February 5, 2015).

The press conference held by the military wings of the Palestinians terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, where they condemned the Egyptian court ruling (Paltoday.ps, February 5, 2015).

• On February 3, 2015, Hamas held a rally and march in front of the house of Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades commander of Muhammad Deif in Khan Yunis. Senior Hamas figure Salah al-Bardawil gave a speech in which he claimed that Hamas did not intend to appeal the ruling because Hamas did not recognize it. He claimed that the attempt to involve Hamas and its military wing in Egyptian's internal conflicts would not succeed (Alresala.net, Facebook page of PALDF, (Facebook page of PALINFO, February 3, 2015).

Demonstration to Protest the Closing of the Rafah Crossing

• On February 4, 2015, a number of male and female students held a demonstration at the Rafah crossing to protest its continued closing by Egypt, which kept humanitarian cases from leaving the Gaza Strip for Egypt (Facebook page of the Jerusalem News Network, February 4, 2015).

The demonstration at the Rafah crossing. At the bottom right are two coffins. The left has the logo of the Arab League and the Arabic reads, "Coffin of the Arab League." The right has the logo of the EU and the Arabic reads, "The silence of the international community" (Facebook page of QUDSN, February 4, 2015)

Continued Training Exercises Simulate the Takeover of IDF Posts and the Abduction of Israeli Soldiers

• On February 8, 2015, the National Resistance Battalions (the DFLP's military-terrorist wing) held a training exercise for its operatives. It was held in one of the organization's training facilities in the Rafah region. Among other things the operatives simulated talking over an IDF post and abducting IDF soldiers (Facebook page National Resistance Battalions information bureau, February 8, 2015). The terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip have held such exercises since the end of Operation Protective Edge.^[3]

Committee Appointed to Monitor PA Appeals to the ICC

• OnFebruary 7, 2015, Mahmoud Abbas issued a presidential edict in Ramallah ordering the appointment of a high national committee to monitor the PA's appeals to the ICC. According to the edict, Saeb Erekat will head the committee and it will have 40 members, among them politicians, academicians, representatives of the PA's ministries of foreign affairs and justice, heads of the Palestinian security forces, and representatives from Palestinian human rights organizations and trade unions. The committee will prepare and present case files to the ICC through the Palestinian foreign ministry. According to the edict, the committee will be allotted an ad hoc budget and will report its activities to Mahmoud Abbas (Wafa.ps and the Facebook page of Fatah, February 7 and 8, 2015).
• Saeb Erekat, who heads the committee, told Voice of Palestine Radio that the committee would have representatives from all the Palestinian organizations, including Hamas. He said the committee had met on February 7, 2015 and appointed four subcommittees: the first would be responsible for preparing a "settlements file" and an "aggression in the Gaza Strip file" (i.e., "the Operation Protective Edge file"). The second subcommittee would be responsible for contacts with international organizations and regional organizations of the civilian society. The third subcommittee would deal with formulating the high committees' internal rules and regulations, and the fourth would formulate a media program to accompany the committee's activities (Voice of Palestine Radio, February 8, 2015).

 The title page of the presidential edict issued by Mahmoud Abbas appointing a high national committee to monitor the PA's appeals to the ICC (Wafa.ps, February 7, 2015).

Ban on Entrance of Israeli Products into the PA

• Mahmoud al-Alul, a senior Fatah figure and chairman of the high national committee for the struggle against steps taken by Israel, held a press conference at the headquarters of the Palestinian journalists' union in Al-Bireh on February 9, 2015. He announced that the committee had decided to forbid the entrance into the PA of products made by six Israeli companies: Tnuva (dairy products), Strauss (dairy products), Elite (chocolate), Osem (pasta), Prigat (frozen concentrates) and Jafora-Tabori (soft drinks). He said the committee would give Palestinian vendors two weeks to remove the products from their shelves. Wassel Abu Yousuf, a member of the committee, claimed the boycott was a response to Israel's freezing of PA tax revenues (Quds.net, February 9, 2015).

Violent Confrontations between Palestinian Security Forces and Fatah Terrorist Operatives in Nablus

• During the night of February 4, 2015 there were heavy exchanges of fire between Palestinian security forces and Fatah terrorist operatives in the Old City of Nablus in the area of the Balata refugee camp, adjacent to Nablus. Armed operatives blocked the main entrances to the refugee camp to keep the security forces from entering.
• During the past week the PA security forces carried out extensive detentions of armed operatives in the Balata refugee camp and the Old City of Nablus. That led to confrontations between armed operatives and the security forces that included firing shots into the air, detonating fire crackers, burning tires and throwing stones (Quds.net, February 2 and 5, 2015; Facebook page of Qudsnet News Agency, February 5, 2015). According to one version the confrontations were the result of internal power struggles between the PA and Fatah supporters of Muhammad Dahlan.

 Left: Armed operatives block the roads leading into the Balata refugee camp (Facebook page of Qudsnet News Agency, February 5, 2015). Right: Armed Fatah terrorist operatives in the Balata refugee camp (Quds.net, February 5, 2015).

Vehicle of Senior Hamas figure Blown Up after Anti-ISIS Sermon

• On February 6, 2015, unknown persons blew up the vehicle of Sheikh Sami al-Hams, a senior Hamas figure who lives in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The vehicle was completely destroyed (Paltimes.net, February 6, 2015). Eyewitnesses said that Sheikh Sami al-Hams attacked ISIS in his Friday sermon in a Nuseirat mosque (Sawt Fatah, February 6, 2015).

Jihadist from Rafah Killed Fighting in the Ranks of ISIS in Libya

Abd al-Illah Qishta, 25, from Rafah, was killed on February 6, 2015, in the city of Dernah in Libya in a battle between jihadi organizations and the Libyan army. He left his family in Rafah several months ago and joined the ranks of ISIS in Libya (Raialyoum.com, February 7, 2015).

• According to a family relative, Abd al-Illah Qishta had been a prominent Hamas military operative in Rafah until he decided to leave the Gaza Strip and fight in Libya (Al-Rusaifa, Libya, February 7, 2015). After his death his family in Rafah posted an official notice on its website (Qishta family website, February 7, 2015).
• In Dernah, a city in central Libya, there is a local jihadi organization called Majlis Shura Shabab al-Islam. In November 2014 the organization announced it was joining the ISIS self-declared Caliphate, and its operatives swore allegiance to the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The death of Abd al-Illah Qishta indicates that jihadist operatives from the Gaza Strip are probably fighting in the ranks of organizations affiliated with ISIS in Libya (although most of the jihadist operatives in the Gaza Strip go to Syria).

Resignation of the Chairman of the UN's Human Rights Council Inquiry Commission into Operation Protective Edge

• On February 3, 2015, Prof. William Schabas announced he was resigning as head of the UN Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) commission of inquiry into the events of Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip. The reason given was Israel's accusations that he was biased because he had worked as a consultant for the PLO. His resignation was confirmed by the president of the UN's HRC, who replaced him with the American Mary McGowan Davis. According to a spokesman for the UN Secretary General, the commission will continue its work and it is expected transmit its findings to the UNHRC on March 23, 2015 (UN website, February 3, 2015).
• In response State Department Spokesman Jen Psaki said that from the beginning the State Department had opposed the establishment of a commission of inquiry into Operation Protective Edge and that it still strongly opposed it (State Department website, February 4, 2015).
• Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, accused Israel of exerting pressure and of extortion to obscure the facts and escape punishment (Palestine-info.info, February 3, 2015).