News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 23 – 29, 2021)

Terrorist attacks prevented

•  IDF surveillance identified a Palestinian approaching the community of Yitzhar, southwest of Nablus. Israeli forces arriving at the scene saw he was armed with a knife and instituted procedure for halting a suspect (IDF spokesman, June 25, 2021).

• A Palestinian woman went to the Qalandiya Crossing and ran towards the forces securing the location holding an object in her hand. She was detained by the Border Police fighters and civilian security guards at the crossing (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, June 28, 2021).

Rocks, Molotov cocktails and other events

• In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli civilians and vehicles driving on the roads. The more prominent events were the following:^[1]
  • June 28, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus northeast of Jerusalem. The bus driver was superficially injured. The bus was damaged.
  • June 27, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • June 27, 2021: Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the Shuafat refugee camp in east Jerusalem, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at the forces. Two Palestinians were detained. Four Israeli fighters were superficially injured (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit, June 27, 2021).
  • June 27, 2021: Three Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Jerusalem-Gush Etzion road south of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported.
  • June 27, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Ariel (southwest of Nablus). No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • June 26, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus south of Nablus. No casualties were reported. The front windshield of the bus was damaged.
  • June 26, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli security forces northeast of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported.
  • June 25, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles south of Nablus. A woman was treated for shock. Three vehicles were damaged.
  • June 25, 2021: Border Police fighters detained three Palestinians on suspicion of shooting fireworks at a house in the Old City of Jerusalem. The fighters found and confiscated two cases of fireworks.
  • June 24, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northwest of Nablus. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • June 24, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus northwest of Ramallah. The bus was damaged.
  • June 23, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus southwest of Nablus. An Israeli man was superficially injured. The front windshield of the bus was damaged.
  • June 23, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle west of Ramallah. An Israeli man was superficially injured.
  • June 23, 2021: Border Police undercover police in east Jerusalem detained a Palestinian on suspicion of throwing rocks at Israeli security forces, wounding a Border Police fighter. A search of the suspect’s house revealed several Molotov cocktails ready for throwing and slingshots for throwing rocks.
  • June 22, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus on the Husan bypass road southwest of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • June 22, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.

Significant Terrorist Attacks in Judea and Samaria since January 2020^[2]

Night harassment unit activities imported into Judea and Samaria

• While Palestinians demonstrate daily in the Bayta area south of Nablus to protest the establishment of the Eviatar outpost, Hamas in Judea and Samaria have called for them to employ night harassment unit activities [like those used along the Gaza Strip border to exhaust the Israelis living in the communities near the Gaza Strip] (Shehab, June 23, 2021). The Palestinian social networks boasted about importing night harassment unit activities to Judea and Samaria, and they are currently employed in the Bayta area. One of the activities was attended by Muhammad Hamedan, Fatah movement secretary for the Nablus region, who praised local use of rocks and burning tires (Facebook page of the Fatah movement in the Nablus region, June 24, 2021). Fatah spokesman Usama al-Qawasmeh praised the idea of “popular resistance” [i.e., popular terrorism] and called for it to be intensified (Palestinian TV, June 24, 2021).

•  Mahmoud Abbas, summing up a meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, praised the riots in Bayta, called the village a symbol of the pride of the Palestinian people’s “popular resistance” [i.e., popular terrorism]. He praised the residents of Bayta who went to Jabal Sabih every day to burn tires as part of the “peaceful popular resistance,” and welcomed their activity. He said the settlement in Jabal Sabih [i.e., Eviatar] would collapse, and all the settlements had to collapse in the same way (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 23, 2021).

   
Mahmoud Abbas gives a speech summing up the meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 23, 2021).

•  The Palestinian TV channel, whose activities are directed by Mahmoud Abbas’ office, encourages the protest demonstrations. Palestinian TV posted a notice to its Facebook page stating that Bayta was struggling against the “occupation” and settlements. The picture features a yellow Fatah flag (Palestinian TV Facebook page, June 23, 2021).

Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel

• Since a ceasefire was declared on May 22, 2021, no rocket hits have been identified in Israeli territory.

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since January 2020

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Measures to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip

• After deliberations and an assessment of the security, situation, the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced Israel would extend the fishing zone off the Gaza Strip coast from six nautical miles to nine, and authorized the entrance of raw materials for vital civilian industry through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, beginning on June 25, 2021. The measures are conditioned on continued security stability (COGAT spokesman’s unit, June 24, 2021). Delivery of fuel through the Kerem Shalom Crossing for the Gaza Strip power station was authorized to begin on June 27, 2021 (delivery of fuel for the private sector began when Operation Guardian of the Walls ended) (COGAT, June 27, 2021)..
• On June 27, 2021, fuel for the Gaza Strip’s power station, paid for by Qatar, was delivered through the Kerem Shalom Crossing, after delivery had been suspended with Operation Guardian of the Walls. The Gaza Strip electric company then announced it would increase the activity of the power station. Tor Wennesland, special UN envoy to the Middle East peace process, said the Qatar-funded fuel deliveries for the power station would continue under UN supervision (ReliefWeb, June 27, 2021).

    
Right: Fuel for the Gaza Strip power station delivered from Israel (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, June 28, 2021). Left: Gazan fishermen display their daily catch after Israel extended the fishing zone off the Gaza Strip coast (Shehab Telegram channel, June 28, 2021).

Foreign aid for the Gaza Strip

• UNRWA spokesman Adnan Abu Hasna said each of 7,500 families, whose houses had been destroyed during Operation Guardian of the Walls, would receive $2,000 from UNRWA (Filastin al-Yawm, June 27, 2021).

The terrorist organizations meet in Gaza City

• On June 22, 2021, representatives of the Palestinian terrorist organizations met in the office of Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian reports, they discussed recent events in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s [alleged] attempts “to blackmail the Palestinian people” in the Gaza Strip while deluding itself it could overcome the “resistance” by creating a humanitarian crisis or sidetracking Gaza from its great national problems. The organizations warned Israel about the consequences of “a delay in lifting the siege on the Gaza Strip” and in rebuilding. They also said they would not allow pressure to be exerted on the Palestinians or permit attempts to link rebuilding the Gaza Strip to a prisoner and MIA exchange deal (Shehab, June 22, 2021). However, they agreed to give more time to the mediators before hostilities were renewed (al-Araby al-Jadeed, June 23, 2021).
• After the meeting, Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua said they had discussed ways to deal with Israel’s “delaying tactics” and “provocation” in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem. The Palestinian organizations, he said, had decided to allow the mediators to advance the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip before they began using the pressure of the “popular resistance” against Israel (QudsN, June 23, 2021). Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Hamas was working towards a united Palestinian position, either in the political arena or activity in the field using the tactics of the “resistance” [i.e., violence and terrorism] (Dunia al-Watan, June 23, 2021).

Hamas threatens to renew the hostilities

• A commentator close to Hamas said the possibility of returning to “strong measures” against Israel, such as incendiary balloons, definitely existed. He added that the forces of the “resistance” would answer any Israeli military response to the “popular measures.” They would respond, he claimed to “Israeli aggression” and would not allow the imposition of new methods of “struggle.” Abd al-Latif al-Qanua claimed the international community was not taking responsibility and did not exert pressure on Israel to stop its “aggression” against the Palestinians in Jerusalem or lift the “siege” on the Gaza Strip. He said Hamas had made it clear to the visiting UN envoy that the Palestinians would not surrender to any form of blackmail from Israel, and would accept only genuine measures for fulling lifting the “siege” (Sawa, June 23, 2021).

Hamas delegation headed by Isma’il Haniyeh visits Lebanon

• Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, continued his round of visits to Muslim countries, accompanied by a delegation of senior Hamas figures. After Morocco and Mauritania, they went to Lebanon (Shehab, June 27, 2021). So far Haniyeh and the delegation have met twice with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Hassan Diab, interim prime minister, and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri (Shehab, June 28, 2021).

   
Right: The Hamas delegation headed by Isma’il Haniyeh arrives in Lebanon (Hamas website, June 27, 2021). Left: Isma’il Haniyeh meets with Michel Aoun (Shehab Telegram channel, June 28, 2021).

• After meeting with Michal Aoun, Haniyeh held a press conference where he said the delegation had explained the strategic consequence of the most recent round of hostilities with Israel. Asked if his visit had any connection to security collaboration between Hamas and Hezbollah he avoided giving a direct answer, saying Hamas led the “resistance” as a Palestinian movement and did not decide how anyone else, in Lebanon or elsewhere, would conduct their affairs with Israel (al-Manar, June 28, 2021).

Marking the 15th anniversary of Gilad Shalit’s abduction

• The 15^th anniversary of Gilad Shalit’s abduction (June 25, 2006) offered Hamas the opportunity to reiterate its position on the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. Hamas issued an announcement stressing it refused to compromise regarding the prisoners without taking into consideration the price paid by and the pressures exerted on the organization (Hamas website, June 25, 2021). Other statements:
• Hamas’ military-terrorist wing issued a written survey of the events of and results of the abduction, noting that the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades remained the only hope of freedom for the prisoners, and they were working night and day to secure their release as soon as possible (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades website, June 25, 2021).
• Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua said they would continue the strategy of abducting IDF soldiers as the best and most effective option for releasing the prisoners and emptying Israel’s jails. He added that Hamas would not agree at any price in return for the [Israeli] prisoners except [Hamas] prisoners (Shehab, June 25, 2021).
• Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, called on the families of the captives and MIAs in Israel to exert pressure on the Israeli government to release the captives. He claimed he had nothing new to say and that Hamas had already told the representatives of every country and organization it met with that it was prepared to sign a deal as quickly as possible the day Israel showed its intentions were serious (al-Aqsa, June 26, 2021).

Summer camp season begins in the Gaza Strip

• Hamas’ military-terrorist wing announced the opening of its “Pioneers of Liberation” summer camps, whose theme this year would be “the Sword of Jerusalem” [the Gazan name for Operation Guardian of the Walls] (al-Aqsa, June 26, 2021). According to Hamas, the camps have a number of objectives, among them indoctrinating campers with Islam, national values, belonging to the holy land, and preparation for liberation and the “return.” Camp activities will include security programs, scouting activity and military training (QudsN website, June 26, 2021).
• Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, spoke about the importance of the camps and the military wing’s focus on the next generation. He quoted Muhammad about attaining victory through young people, and the words of Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin, who said the campaign against the enemy was up to the younger generation and whoever had won over the younger generation would win the battle (Amad, June 27, 2021). The military-terrorist wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also announced its summer camp season had begun (Filastin al-Yawm, June 26, 2021).

   
Right: Hamas’ military-terrorist wing launches the summer camp season (YouTube, June 26, 2018). Left: Notice about the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades’ summer camps (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades website, June 29, 2021).

Financing Hamas’ military-terrorist activities

• Representatives Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) and Brian Mast (R-FL-18) reintroduced a bipartisan bill called the “Palestinian International Terrorism Support Prevention Act.” It would impose sanctions on any government, agency or person that helped Hamas and the PIJ or their affiliates. More than 50 representatives from both sides of the aisle support the bill (Josh Gottheimer’s website, June 23, 2021).
• The Wall Street Journal reported that “Hamas has seen a surge in cryptocurrency donations since the start of the armed conflict with Israel last month, a senior official with the group said, exploiting a trend in online fundraising that has enabled it to circumvent international sanctions to fund its military operations. The international attention to the recent fighting drew new eyeballs to websites run by Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, and that surge translated into donations for its military operations, the senior Hamas official said.”^[3] The British firm Elliptic said it had identified an increase in the volume of bitcoin donations transferred to Hamas’ military-terrorist wing since the beginning of Operation Guardian of the Walls (Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2021).

Protest demonstrations in the PA following the killing of Nizar Banat

• On June 24, 2021, Nizar Banat was killed by PA security forces who came to Hebron to detain him. Banat was a Palestinian political activist who would have been a candidate for the Palestinian Legislative Council in the most recent elections had they not been cancelled, running on the Freedom and Dignity ticket. He was known as strongly opposing the PA. He accused the Palestinian leadership of corruption and security cooperation with Israel and recently attacked the PA for its coronavirus vaccine deal with Israel. According to reports, he was beaten during his detention but walked out of the house on own two feet. Three hours later the governor of the Hebron district announced his condition had deteriorated and he had died (Filastin al-Yawm, June 24, 2021).

• His death shocked the Palestinian street, feeding a propaganda campaign against the PA government of Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh. The announcement of his death prompted a wave of mass demonstrations in the streets of Judea and Samaria, where Palestinians shouted slogans against Mahmoud Abbas and the PA. Apparently most of the demonstrations were affiliated with Hamas. During the demonstrations there were clashes between demonstrators and the PA’s security forces (some of whom had gone undercover in the crowds), and a number of demonstrators and correspondents were injured (Shehab, June 24, 2021). After the afternoon prayers on Friday, hundreds of worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque shouted their anger at Mahmoud Abbas and the PA. The Israeli security forces prevented them from organizing a demo in front of the mosque. At the same time, there were a number of demonstrations in support of Mahmoud Abbas and the PA.

   
Protest demonstrations in Ramallah (Palinfo Twitter account, June 24 and 26, 2021).

• With the exception of a mention from Muhammad Shtayyeh, there were no formal PA reactions to Nizar Banat’s death. However, the PA government did announce the appointment of a committee to investigate the matter, headed by Muhammad al-Shalaldeh, the PA minister of justice (Wafa, June 24, 2021). At the weekly government meeting Muhammad Shtayyeh said the committee was working transparently to expose the truth and present the events in their true light within the framework of Palestinian law (Wafa, June 28, 2021). Muhammad al-Shalaldeh said the committee’s findings would be published on June 29, 2021 (Palinfo Twitter account, June 28, 2021). The Banat clan reported they would not accept the committee’s findings because most of its members, they said, represented the PA (al-Mayadeen, June 22, 2021).
• Hamas and the PIJ exploited the opportunity to criticize the PA. Isma’il Haniyeh called Nizar Banat’s wife and offered his condolences (Filastin al-Yawm, June 24, 2021). The Hamas, PIJ and other terrorist organization media gave extensive coverage to the events and called for the PA leadership’s resignation.
  • Hamas issued a formal announcement saying Mahmoud Abbas was responsible for Nizar Banat’s death, calling it another in the series of crimes committed by the PA against the Palestinian people. Hamas called for measures to be taken against those responsible for his death and for the public to attend the funeral (Hamas website, June 24, 2021).
  • Senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Haya claimed killing Banat meant killing a revolutionary who was a symbol of the uprising against corruption. He condemned the murderers, adding that cancelling the elections meant cancelling democracy and individual freedom, which served Israel and the PA (“the gentlemen of security cooperation”). He also said the murderers had to stand trial and praised all those who protested that Banat had been killed (al-Aqsa, June 25, 2021).
  • Senior Hamas figure Sami Abu Zuhri said they condemned the PA security forces’ criminal execution of Nizar Banat, which reflected the murderous policies of the PA when it came to settling accounts. He called for the murderers to stand trial and put the responsibility on Muhammad Shtayyeh (Sawa, June 24, 2021).
  • Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the PA had proved that sending security forces to sabotage the Palestinian cause would not provide the Palestinian people with national achievements (al-Mayadeen, June 24, 2021).
• The PIJ said the killing of Nizar Banat had exposed the extent of the damage freedom and the persecution of all those who opposed the policies of the PA, and who stood up bravely to fight corruption. PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah expressed his and his organization’s condolences in an announcement. He said the PA no longer represented the Palestinian people and its aspirations, adding that the killing of Nizar Banat had crossed every red line (Filastin al-Yawm, June 26, 2021).
• International agencies and countries also expressed concern. Ned Price, spokesman for the US State Department, said the us was deeply distraught by the death of Nizar Banat. He said, “We urge the Palestinian Authority to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation,” and noted they had a serious concern about Palestinian restrictions on the exercise of freedom of expression and harassment of civilian society activities and organization (Times of Israel, June 24, 2021). The office of the EU representative in Jerusalem condemned the violence used by the PA’s forces against the demonstrators. The office said in an announcement that the PA had to ensure freedom of speech, opinion and demonstration. The office of the UN Human Rights Council in the Palestinian territories said they had been shocked to the core by the actions of the Palestinian security forces in Ramallah, adding that their teams had witnessed the use of brutal force against demonstrators, and seen how journalists and human rights organizations had been prevented from doing their work (al-Quds, June 27, 2021).

The PA economy

• Muhammad Shtayyeh reported the PA was facing economic difficulties because of deductions from its tax revenues and its commitments to the Gaza Strip. He said that on an average, the PA paid the Gaza Strip about $140 million. In addition, he said, the PA relies on the Arab states for help in resolving its financial crisis (Sawa, June 22, 2021).
• The EU office in Jerusalem reported that no funds would be transmitted to the PA before October 2021 because of administrative and technical issues. Note: European donations to the PA are about €300 million a year (about $358 million) (Sawa, June 22, 2021).

Foreign aid for the PA

• On June 22, 2021, Muhammad Shtayyeh was present when an agreement with the EU was signed for a loan of $425 million to Palestinian banks to incentivize the Palestinian private sector. Firas Milhem, chairman of the Palestinian currency authority, signed the agreement. Muhammad Shtayyeh said the agreement showed the great faith the EU had in the Palestinian banking system. He said the Palestinians were fighting a double virus: the coronavirus epidemic and the [so-called] Israeli “occupation” (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, June 22, 2021).

• On June 23, 2021, Muhammad Shtayyeh attended the signing of a Norwegian agreement for $3 million to finance the Palestinian Central Statistics Office for 2021 to 2023. The signing was attended by a representative of the Norwegian embassy, who stressed the years-long support of the Norwegian government for the Central Statistics Office (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, June 23, 2021).

The PA and the International Criminal Court (ICC)

• The PA foreign ministry demanded that Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, give immediate priority to the complaints lodged by the Palestinians, which formed the basis of its decision to begin an investigation. The foreign ministry also called for an investigation of Israel’s [alleged] “crimes” in Jerusalem, especially the forced eviction of the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods. The foreign ministry said Israel would be responsible for the consequences of demolishing houses and evicting residents (Wafa, June 27, 2021).
• The al-Haq human rights organization received the Human Rights Award during the Second International Solidarity with Palestine Award Ceremony, which was organized by the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). The award was accepted by al-Haq head Shawan Jabarin. He reported to those present on his system for documenting “human rights violations” carried out by Israel, especially activities against “injustice,” which he carries out in cooperation with the ICC, the UN and countries supporting the Palestinians, such as Ireland (al-Haq, June 23, 2021).
• Raji Souriani, Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) chairman in the Gaza Strip, participated in an online panel organized by a British think tank about “Death, destruction and international law in the Gaza Strip.” He claimed [falsely] that 90% of the targets attacked by Israel during Operation Guardian of the Walls were civilian, including non-combatants, houses and the only coronavirus testing laboratory in the Gaza Strip. The Hamas website claimed the evidence had been enough for the ICC to open an investigation of Israel’s [alleged] “crimes against humanity.” Others who participated in the panel, former UN observers, called on Karim Khan to take the Palestinian casefile seriously and begin legal actions as soon as possible (Palinfo, June 26, 2021).

Documenting Israelis on the Temple Mount

•   The Palestinian media continues its daily coverage of Israelis who enter the Temple Mount compound accompanied by police forces. This past week they gave prominent coverage to the visit of Israeli Knesset Member Itamar Ben-Gvir, with pictures of him in front of the Dome of the Rock (QudsN Facebook page, June 28, 2021).

   
Israelis enter the Temple Mount (Palinfo Twitter account, June 28, 2021).

• A report placed before the Palestinian government at its weekly meeting showed a significant decline in the number of new active cases and in hospital occupancy. However, the ministry of health in Ramallah noted there were Palestinians who had contracted the delta variant (the Indian variant). PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh demanded the ministry of health stress that anyone returning from the Persian Gulf countries was mandated to self-quarantine at home for two weeks (Wafa, June 28, 2021).
• Mai al-Kayla, PA minister of health, announced two cases of the delta variant had been detected, one in Qalqilya and the other in Salfit. She said the two were women who had returned from the UAE (Sawa, June 27, 2021).
• The White House announced it would provide 14 million doses of coronavirus vaccine for Gaza Strip, Judea, Samaria and Iraq (Twitter account of Sky News in Arabic, June 20, 2021).
• The ministry of health in Gaza reported that a new center had been established to administer tests at the Rafah Crossing for returning Palestinians. It is in addition to the existing center (Filastin al-Yawm, June 26, 2021).