Evacuating the wounded Israeli from the scene of the attack. Right: The site of the attack (Photo by Hillel Meir for Tazpit.org.il, February 22, 2015).
Jihad Shehadeh al-Ja'fari holding a gun and wearing an Arafat T-shirt (PALDF, February 24, 2015).
Women trained as fighters by the Popular Resistance Movement (Quds.net, February 21, 2015).
Women trained as fighters by the Popular Resistance Movement (Quds.net, February 21, 2015).
DFLP military displays in Abu Dis and Tubas (Facebook page of QudsN, February 22, 2015).
DFLP military displays in Abu Dis and Tubas (Facebook page of QudsN, February 22, 2015).
Mahmoud Abbas meets with Philip Gordon, the American National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East (Wafa.ps, February 18, 2015).
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Stabbing Attack in Jerusalem
- On the afternoon of February 22, 2015, an Israeli civilian was stabbed as he waited at a traffic light before crossing a street in Jerusalem near the city hall. The mayor of Jerusalem and his bodyguard, who were passing by at the time, threw the attacker to the ground and kept him subdued until the police arrived. The wounded man was evacuated to a hospital. The stabber was taken into custody by the Israeli security forces. He was an 18 year-old Palestinian from Bir Zeit, staying in Jerusalem illegally. He apparently did not belong to any terrorist organization. Note: The previous stabbing attack in Jerusalem was on January 8, 2015.
- Ahmed al-Mudallal, senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) figure, praised the stabbing attack in Jerusalem, claiming it was "the natural response to the ongoing Zionist crimes" against Al-Aqsa mosque and the residents of Jerusalem and the West Bank. He claimed the PIJ admired "resistance" actions and that the "resistance" movement in Jerusalem and the West Bank should use all the means at its disposal in Jerusalem and the West Bank to keep such actions from being "isolated" (Sawt al-Aqsa Radio, February 23, 2015).
Rocket Fire Attacking Israel
This past week no rocket or mortar shell hits were identified in Israeli territory.
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." Starting on February 16, 2015, Palestinian Authority (PA) TV repeatedly broadcast a promo inviting the public to participate in the riots held to protest the security fence and to mark the tenth anniversary of the riots in Bil'in. The promo showed pictures of Palestinians rioting and clashing with Israeli security forces (Palestinian TV, February 16, 2015).
- On the night of February 23, 2015, IDF forces carried out an operation in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem. Riots broke out and stones and cinder blocks were thrown at the soldiers from roofs. In an IDF attempt to disperse the crowd one of the rioters was shot and killed. An IDF soldier incurred minor wounds (Ynetnews.co.il, February 24, 2015). The Palestinian media reported the death of Jihad Shehadeh al-Ja'fari, 19 years old (Maannews.net, Safa.ps, February 24, 2015).
Hamas Network Exposed in Hebron
- A recent operation carried out by the Israeli security forces in Hebron led to the apprehension of a network of Hamas operatives who were planning to carry out various types of terrorist attacks, including suicide bombing attacks. Their apprehension led in turn to the confiscation of IEDs and two weapons which the terrorists were planning to use. Eleven Hamas terrorists were taken into custody.
- During interrogation two of the prominent operatives said they had attempted to carry out various types of attacks and had collected intelligence about places in Hebron and Jerusalem where Israelis gathered. They claimed that some of the operatives had agreed to carry out suicide bombing attacks. They added that at the beginning of December 2014 the operatives tried to carry out a terrorist attack in the Jewish Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hebron. They planned to throw an IED at an IDF force, luring the soldiers to follow them to a site where another, more powerful IED had been placed and would be detonated to attack them. However, a technical fault prevented the attack from being carried out (Shabak.gov.il, February 23, 2015).
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Left: Weapons found in the possession of the Hamas network. Right: The IED prepared by the terrorists (Shabak.gov.il, February 23, 2015).
"Popular Resistance" (i.e., Popular Terrorism) Network Exposed in Abu Tor, East Jerusalem
- After a sharp rise in terrorist activity in the Abu Tor neighborhood of east Jerusalem (including throwing Molotov cocktails, IEDs, firecrackers and stones at Israeli security forces and the homes of Jewish residents), a large network of Palestinian operatives was exposed. The dozens of Palestinians who belonged to the network were regularly involved in violent activities. Their objective was to harm Israeli civilians and damage their property, and to attack IDF soldiers. Of late the network was headed by Bakr Abd al-Mughrabi, a Fatah operative who was responsible for funding its activities. He also manufactured IEDs and provided the network's operatives with Molotov cocktails and firecrackers (Shabak.gov.il, February 2015).
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The exposure of the network in Abu Tor clearly shows that in several instances the so-called "popular resistance" attacks are not spontaneous actions taken by individuals but rather organized and orchestrated by the various Palestinian terrorist organizations. The same organized "popular resistance" activity is also evident in the weekly Palestinian riots against Israel at the traditional friction spots. |
Summary of Terrorist Attacks, January 2015[3]
- In January 2015 there was a decrease in the number of terrorist attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem compared with December 2014. There were a total of 124 attacks, 105 of them in Judea and Samaria (as opposed to 133 in December 2014), and 18 in Jerusalem (26 in December 2014). Inside Israeli territory there was one attack (a stabbing attack on a bus in Tel Aviv).
- Most of the attacks (102) involved Molotov cocktails; 17 involved IEDs and improvised grenades. Three involved shots fired from handguns. There were two stabbing attacks, one in Tel Aviv and one in Jerusalem. The attacks resulted in a total of 17 Israelis wounded, four of them critically.
Reconstruction
- UN agencies continue expressing concern over the consequences of the delay in reconstructing the Gaza Strip. The agencies claimed that so far only 5% of the funds promised at the Cairo conference had been transferred ($300 million of $5.4 billion). They said it was "worrying and unacceptable" (Al-Jazeera, February 20, 2015). UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness claimed that the time of humanitarian activities had come to an end and it was time to begin political action to reconstruct the Gaza Strip. That included "lifting the siege" and opening all the crossings from Israel and Egypt (Al-Jazeera, February 23, 2015).
- The Israeli Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories ordered additional measures to help the Gazans reconstruct the Strip. Among them was the decision to deliver 45 tractors to farmers and to increase the number of exit permits for businessmen from 3,000 to 5,000. So far 62,000 tons of building materials have been delivered through the Kerem Shalom crossing, and 43,000 Gazans have reportedly purchased building materials to repair their houses (Cogat.idf.il, February 17, 2015).
Foreign Charitable Societies Support the Residents of the Gaza Strip
- Because of the distress in the Gaza Strip, foreign charitable and welfare societies continue distributing aid to needy families:
- The Ruwad Charitable Society for Social Development distributed winter items to needy families in the Gaza Strip, including blankets, heaters and gas balloons. The items were donated by a Turkish charitable society (Facebook page of the Ruwad charitable society for social development, February 23, 2015).
- A welfare institution in Indonesia distributed food to 150 needy families in the central Gaza Strip (Facebook page of PALDF, February 24, 2015).
- The Al-Falah charitable society in the Gaza Strip distributed food to needy residents, contributed by donors in Oman and Iraqi Kurdistan (Facebook page of the Al-Falah charitable society, February 16 and 22, 2015).
Left: The Al-Falah charitable society in the Gaza Strip distributes food donated by Oman to needy Gazans (Facebook page of the Al-Falah charitable society, February 16 and 22, 2015). Right: The Ruwad Charitable Society for Social Development distributes food donated by a Turkish charitable society (Facebook page of the Ruwad Charitable Society for Social Development, February 23, 2015).
Egypt-Hamas Relations
- Egyptian security sources reported that the Egyptian army had raised its alert level along the border with the Gaza Strip. That was because armed operatives of the Army of Islam had infiltrated into the Sinai Peninsula from the Gaza Strip to carry out attacks with the terrorist organization Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis ("Supporters of Jerusalem"). According to the security sources, armed terrorist operatives had used a tunnel in the Rafah region to infiltrate the Sinai Peninsula, and were revealed when part of the tunnel collapsed (Al-Watan.com, February 22, 2015).
- A senior Palestinian source in the Gaza Strip, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that Egypt had blocked or destroyed the entrances to tunnels on the Egyptian side of the border but could not destroy the entrances on the Gazan side. He claimed Hamas maintained the tunnels on the Gazan side with the aid of merchants in the Gaza Strip, and rebuilt and enlarged. According to the source, Hamas wanted to preserve the tunnels to retain the income it received from them and to use them to pressure the Egyptian government to open the Rafah crossing. The source claimed that every tunnel that began on the Gazan side had many branches and openings on the Egyptian side (Almasryalyoum.com, February 20, 2015).
Hamas Military Activity in South Lebanon
- Hamas said in an announcement that it was planning to establish military squads in south Lebanon. According to statements by Hamas spokesmen, its operatives launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon during Operation Protective Edge. On February 4, 2015, senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar, speaking at a conference in the Gaza Strip, appealed to the Syrian and Lebanese regimes to allow Hamas to establish military squads in the Palestinian refugee camps in their countries. The squads would be subordinate to Hamas' Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades and would wage "the resistance from northern Palestine" (Alhayat.com, February 18, 2015).
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During Operation Protective Edge sporadic attempts were made from Lebanese territory to attack Israel with rockets. For example, on July 11, 2014, a rocket was fired from Lebanon and exploded in the region of Metulla. There were no casualties. Lebanese army headquarters said in an announcement that an "unknown element" had fired three rockets from the region of Marjayoun Hasbaya (in the eastern sector of south Lebanon). Lebanese army forces searched the area and found the rocket launcher's position, as well as documents and maps marked with coordinates and targets (Al-Akhbar, Al-Nashra, July 11, 2014). In addition, on the night of July 13, 2014, a number of rocket hits were identified in the western Galilee; the rockets had been launched from south Lebanon. There were no casualties and no damage was reported (IDF Spokesman, July 14, 2014). Lebanese army headquarters later released the names of two Palestinians who had allegedly been involved in the rocket fire (Nna-leb.gov.lb, July 16, 2014). |
Military Training for Women in the Gaza Strip
- On February 21, 2015, Al-Manar TV broadcast a video documenting the military training of a women's unit of the Popular Resistance Movement's Nasser Salah al-Din Battalion (a Popular Resistance Committees splinter group headed by Zakaria Dughmush, aka Abu Qassem). According to the video, the women were being trained for a future campaign against Israel. Umm Sabri, one of the women in the unit, said she decided to participate in the training after she saw her husband fight in the organization's ranks. She claimed her desire to train as a fighter increased after her house was destroyed in Operation Protective Edge (Quds.net, February 21, 2015).
Palestinian Activity concerning the Frozen Tax Revenues
- On February 18, 2015, Mahmoud Abbas met in his office in Ramallah with Philip Gordon, the American National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East. The two discussed the issue of the tax revenues owed to the PA and frozen by Israeland the PA's upcoming political steps (Wafa.ps, February 18, 2015).
- Muhammad Ashtiya, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, claimed the PA was on the brink of collapse due to the financial crisis caused by Israel's freezing of the PA's tax revenues. He warned that Israel would be forced to pay a steep price, one that would come with security consequences. He added that if the status quo continued, the PA would not have the funds to purchase fuel for its security forces' vehicles, which would have direct repercussions for its security activities and internal order (Paltoday.ps, February 22, 2015).
Mahmoud Abbas' Visit to Saudi Arabia
- On February 23, 2015, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas paid an official visit to Saudi Arabia, where he was welcomed at the airport by the Saudi king, Salman bin Abd al-Aziz. After the reception at the airport Mahmoud Abbas met with the king in his palace (Wafa.ps, February 23, 2015).
Mahmoud Abbas meets with the Saudi king (Wafa.ps, February 23, 2015).
Military Display for the Anniversary of the Founding of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP)
- On February 22, 2015, the DFLP held military displays in Abu Dis (east of Jerusalem) and Tubas (in Samaria) to mark the 46th anniversary of its founding. Marchers included masked and armed DFLP terrorist operatives. A picture of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was carried by the demonstrators (Facebook page of QudsN, February 22, 2015).
PA Ordered to Pay Reparations to Families of Terrorism Victims
- On February 23, 2015, in a lawsuit brought against the PA by the families of the victims of Palestinian terrorism, an American jury found the PA and the PLO guilty of responsibility for the deaths of six Israelis who died during the second intifada, and awarded their families $218.5 million. Ten families filed the suit in November 2014. The lawyer representing the PA and the PLO said there was no proof either had supported the terrorist attacks. The PA and the PLO expressed disappointment over the verdict, and said they would appeal (Haaretz.co.il, February 24, 2015).
Boycott of Israeli Merchandise
- On February 22, 2015, the Ma'an News Agency released the results of its weekly Internet public opinion poll about the boycott of Israeli-made merchandise and keeping products made by six Israeli companies out of the Palestinian markets in Judea and Samaria. According to the poll, 87.7% of the respondents supported the decision to boycott the products of the six companies, while 4.6% were not in favor of the boycott (Maannews.net, February 22, 2015).
[1]As of February 24, 2015. The statistics do not include mortar shell fire or rockets which misfired and fell inside the Gaza Strip.
[2]The statistics do not include mortar shell fire.
[3]According to data from the Israel Security Agency. The figures do not include the dozens of incidents of rock throwing.
