News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (February 11 – 17, 2015)

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

• On February 16, 2015 mortar shells were fired from the region of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Two mortar shells fell inside the Strip near the border security fence. No organization claimed responsibility for the mortar shell fire.

Israeli Navy Prevents Raw Materials for Manufacturing Weapons from Reaching Hamas

• A joint Israeli Navy-Israel Security Agency action prevented raw materials used in the manufacture of weapons from being smuggled by sea into the Gaza Strip for Hamas' military-terrorist wing. At the end of January 2015 Israeli Navy forces halted a vessel en route from the Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip. Liquid fiberglass resin was found on board, which is used in making rockets and mortar shells.
• There were three Gazans on board the vessel. During interrogation they stated the material was intended for Hamas' military-terrorist wing, and provided information about naval smuggling routes between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula. They also provided information about the use Hamas makes of fishermen and smugglers, as well as planned and previous incidents of weapons smuggling. In addition, they said that Hamas' military-terrorist wing also smuggles in civilian merchandise which it sells to the Gazans at a profit (IDF Spokesman, February 22, 2015).

Additional "Popular Resistance" Terrorism and Violence

• This past week the wave of violence and rioting continued in the usual locations in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem (Kafr Qadoum, near the Ofer prison, Bil'in, the Qalandia roadblock, etc.), part of what the Palestinians call the "popular resistance." The violence mainly centered on throwing stones, rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli houses and vehicles. Some of the prominent attacks were the following:

• On February 16, 2015, stones were thrown at the Shuafat line of the light railway in east Jerusalem. There were no casualties but the door of a railway car was damaged (Ynetnews.co.il, February 16, 2015).
• On February 14, 2015, Palestinian terrorist operatives threw a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli vehicle on the road between the village of Azoun and the town of Karnei Shomron (northwestern Samaria). There were no casualties and no damage was reported (HNN.co.il, February 14, 2015). Two Molotov cocktails were thrown at the home of a Jewish family in the Abu Tor neighborhood of east Jerusalem. There were no casualties but property damage was reported (Ynetnews.co.il, February 14, 2015).

Gate Torn Down in Village of Jaba'a, South of Bethlehem

• On February 12, 2015, "popular resistance committees" activists tore down the iron gate at the entrance to the village of Jaba'a, south of Bethlehem. The gate was put in place by the IDF 14 years ago. The Palestinians claimed it separated the road between the villages of Jaba'a and Surif and kept the residents from driving between them (Maannews.net, February 12, 2015).

Hamas-Controlled National Security Forces Hold Show of Force along the Gaza Strip Borders

• On February 10, 2015, operatives of the First Battalion of the Hamas-controlled national security forces in the northern Gaza Strip held a show of force. The display began at the northern national security forces' headquarters and ended on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing. During the display, Muhammad Shehadeh, commander of the First Battalion, claimed that the national security forces were on alert to protect the Palestinian people from external dangers. He said the objective was to give the Gazans a sense of security. In addition, a different battalion of the national security forces held a military display along the so-called Philadelphi Route (which parallels the Gaza Strip's southern border with Egypt) and in the streets of Rafah (Paltimes.net, Facebook page of PALINFO, Nsf.gov.ps, Facebook page of the Palestinian ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, February 10, 2015).

Left: Military show of force in the northern Gaza Strip held by the First Battalion of the national security forces (Website of the Palestinian ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, February 10, 2015). Right: Operatives of the national security forces march near the Egyptian border in the Rafah region. In the background at the left is an Egyptian army guard post (Paltimes.net, February 10, 2015).

Attempted Assassination of Senior Fatah Activists in the Gaza Strip

• Violence between Hamas and Fatah continues. The Palestinian media reported that on February 16, 2015, shots were fired from a car at Mamoun Suwidan, in charge of Fatah's international relations for the Gaza Strip. He was not hurt. The car was parked near his office in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood in western Gaza City.
• Fatah spokesman Ahmed Assaf claimed Hamas' political bureau head Khaled Mashaal and his deputy Ismail Haniya were responsible for the attempted assassination. He claimed it was another in a series of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the accusation. Iyad al-Bazam, spokesman for the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, claimed the attempted assassination was the result of internal Fatah disputes related to the withholding of salaries^[3] (Facebook pages of Sami Abu Zuhri and Iyad al-Bazam, February 16, 2015).

Brainwashing Gazan Children with the Goal of Invading Israel

• On February 10, 2015, a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian website posted a video in which ten Palestinian children were shown emerging from a tunnel in the Gaza Strip. Some of them held wooden rifles. They were simulating infiltrating into Israel through a tunnel and fighting against the "Israeli enemy" at close range (Facebook page of PALDF, February 10, 2015).

Remarks from Mahmoud Abbas about the Frozen Tax Revenues

• This past week Mahmoud Abbas visited Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg, where he met with senior national government and EU figures. On February 13, 2015, he held a joint press conference with Luxembourg's foreign minister, where he said that the Palestinians would be forced to take "hard measures" if Israel did not release the tax revenues owed to the Palestinians. He demanded the international community exert pressure on Israel to transfer the funds (Wafa.ps, February 13, 2015).

Criticism of the PA's Security Collaboration with Israel

• The Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (PCPO), headed by Dr. Nabil Kukali, issued the results of a public opinion poll it held between February 4 and 14, 2015. One thousand Palestinians were polled, all over the age of 18, from Judea, Samaria, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. According to the results, 60.6% were in favor of halting security collaboration with Israel (PCPO.org, February 10, 2015).

Jordan Trains Operatives for the Palestinian Presidential Guard

• Two senior figures from the Palestinian presidential guard met on February 13, 2015, in Amman, Jordan, with Tawfiq al-Tawalbeh, Director General of Jordanian Public Security. They discussed collaborating with Jordanian security to train operatives of the Palestinian presidential guard in facilities in Jordan (Facebook page of the Palestinian presidential guard, February 13, 2015).

Boycott of Israeli Products Continues

• The Palestinian association of medical laboratories announced its boycott of Israeli medical equipment. It said, "The medical laboratories are empty of Israeli products" (Facebook page of Fatah, February 11, 2015). It was part of the PA's campaign to keep Israeli products out of the PA-administered territories. The campaign was launched last week in Ramallah to prevent products from six Israeli companies from entering the PA. Public compliance with the boycott has apparently been limited so far, although senior Fatah and PA figures continue encouraging the boycott.

The Palestinian association of medical laboratories announces its boycott of Israeli products (Facebook page of Fatah, February 11, 2015)

Rally in Solidarity with the Egyptian People

• On February 17, 2015, Fatah held a rally in front of the Egyptian embassy in Ramallah in solidarity with the Egyptian people after 21 Copts were beheaded by ISIS in Tripoli (Facebook page of PALDF, February 17, 2015).