News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (July 6 – 12, 2016)

Vehicular Incident in Gush Etzion

•  On July 10, 2016, a Palestinian terrorist opened fire at an Israeli vehicle near ajunction in the Gush Etzion region. The driver of the car was wounded; his wife and five children were unharmed. Three bullet holes were found in the car body. The shooter escaped. A closure was imposed on the al-Aroub refugee camp and the town of Sa'ir and a search was conducted for the shooter. The Palestinians in Sa'ir rioted against the Israeli security forces. Following the closure PA spokesman Yusef al-Mahmoud asked for the immediate intervention of the international community, accusing Israel of so-called "collective punishment" (Ma'an, July 10, 2016).
•  On July 6, 2016, a Palestinian drove his car into an IDF vehicle at the entrance to the town of Naveh Daniel in Gush Etzion. Four IDF soldiers incurred minor injuries. The Palestinian, from Bethlehem, was critically wounded. The event was initially considered an accident but it was later suspected of being a vehicular attack.

• On July 5, 2016, a Palestinian woman tried to stab two IDF soldiers securing a bus stop at the Gitai Junction (west of Ariel). The soldiers shot and mortally wounded the terrorist. She was 17 years old from the village of al-Zawiya (west of Ariel).

Monthly Distribution of Terrorist Attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem 

Riots, Clashes and Popular Terrorism

• In the meantime, demonstrations, protest marches, riots, and the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs continue in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.
• The more prominent events were the following:

• July 11, 2016 – During a search in Qalqilya IDF security forces found a large number of weapons, among them hunting rifles, an improvised rifle, stun grenades, knives and ammunition. They also found IDF uniforms. In a store in the village of Surif a large quantity of fireworks were found. Palestinians use fireworks to shoot at Israeli security forces during riots (IDF spokesman, July 11, 2016).
• July 10, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli bus on the Gush Etzion-Hebron road near al-Aroub. There were no casualties and no damage was reported (Facebook page of Red Alert, July 10, 2016).
• July 9, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles on Route 443 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, near Bayt Horon. There were no casualties; the vehicles were damaged (Facebook page of Red Alert, July 9, 2016).
• July 8, 2016 – A Palestinian carrying a knife was detained by the Israeli security forces at the entrance to Adoraim in Mt. Hebron (Facebook page of Red Alert, July 8, 2016).
• July 8, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle near the town of Migdalim in Samaria. There were no casualties; the vehicles were damaged (Facebook page of Red Alert, July 8, 2016).
• July 7, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at a vehicle at Hawwara, south of Nablus. There were no casualties; the vehicle was damaged (Facebook page of Red Alert, July 7, 2016).
• July 7, 2016 – A Palestinian woman armed with a knife attempted to enter the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. She joined a group of tourists and tried to enter with them. Israeli Border Policemen detained her and she was taken for interrogation. She was Hanadi Mahmoud Rashid, 22, from the village of Yatta (near Hebron), married and mother of three (Facebook page of Paldf, July 7, 2016).

Terrorist Attack Statistics for June 2016^[1]

• According to a report issued by the Israel Security Agency, in June 2016, the number of terrorist attacks carried out in June was similar to the number in May. There were 102 attacks: 71 in Judea and Samaria, 29 in Jerusalem and two deep inside Israel:

• Modus operandi – In Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem there were 86 attacks involving Molotov cocktails, ten involving IEDs, two light-arms shooting attacks and one vehicular attack. Inside Israeli territory there was a shooting attack in Tel Aviv and a stabbing attack in Netanya.
• Casualties – Five Israelis were killed in June and 21 were wounded.

Arms Manufacturers and Dealers Detained near Nablus

• On the night of July 10, 2016, the Israeli security forces detained arms manufacturers and dealers in the village of O'rif (southwest of Nablus). The forces seized various types of improvised weapons (Karl Gustavs, Uzis and M-16s) and ammunition. They also seized four lathes and detained Palestinians suspected of involvement in manufacturing and dealing in improvised arms. One of the Palestinians detained was an operative in PA general intelligence (Israel Security Agency, July 11, 2016).

Left: One of the lathes seized by the Israeli security forces. Right: A trap door in a floor leading to a workshop where weapons were manufactured (IDF spokesman, July 11, 2016).

Smuggling of Terrorist Money from the Gaza Strip to Judea and Samaria Prevented

• In a joint Israeli security force action in June 2016 a Gazan from Beit Lahia was detained at the Tarqumia crossing in Judea. He had a permit to enter Israel for trade and was detained after he was discovered to be a courier transferring money from Hamas in the Gaza Strip to Hamas operatives in Judea and Samaria.
• The Gazan detained was Faiz Misbah Muhammad Atar, recruited to smuggle money into Judea and Samaria for Hamas operatives. The money was hidden in his shoes. On a number occasions he smuggled tens of thousands of euros into Judea and Samaria. During interrogation he revealed information about his family and their Hamas activities, and about tunnel openings in floors in the Gaza Strip, some of them in civilian residences and mosques. He also revealed information about rocket launching sites located near civilian buildings (Israel Security Agency, July 5, 2016).

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

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

Riots and Terrorist Attacks near the Border Security Fence

Humanitarian Aid and the Crossings

• The Israeli coordinator for government activities in the territories (COGAT) issued information about activities at the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip (Facebook page of the Israeli coordinator for government activities in the territories, July 11, 2016):

• The Kerem Shalom crossing – Between July 3 and 9, 2016, 6,052 tons of food, 34 tons of medical equipment, 38,660 tons of building materials and 55 tons of agricultural produce entered the Gaza Strip.
• The Erez crossing – During the past week 1,767 individuals passed through the crossing.

• According to data from the COGAT, since the end of Operation Protective Edge 5.2 million tons of building materials have entered the Gaza Strip for its reconstruction, 100 thousand buildings were renovated or are in the process of being renovated, and 8000 dwelling units are being built. One hundred and forty-one projects have been carried out in collaboration with the international community (Facebook page of the Israeli coordinator for government activities in the territories in Arabic, July 8, 2016).

Hamas Response to Egyptian Foreign Minister's Visit to Israel

• In the wake of the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to Jerusalem, Hamas used the Internet and social networks to post a critical cartoon. According to the cartoon, the objective of the visit was to breathe new life into the peace process while ignoring the situation in the Gaza Strip (Arabi21.com, July 10, 2016).

"The Egyptian foreign minister in Tel Aviv to renew the peace process!" while the Rafah crossing to the Gaza Strip remains locked (Arabi21.com, July 10, 2016).

Statements from Senior Hamas Figures for Eid al-Fitr

• Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, gave a speech praising the residents of the Gaza Strip who suffer, he said, "from the harsh siege," but "strengthen the resistance" [i.e., terrorist organizations]. He promised early relief and pointed to the fact that the signs of breaking the "siege" came one after another, referring to the recent activities of Turkey and Qatar. He also claimed that the goal of the "resistance" was "to resist" but not to fight. He claimed Hamas was working to "liberate Palestine" and the holy places, and for the "right of return" and the prisoners (Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades website, July 9, 2016).
• Ismail Haniyeh, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau, gave a sermon for Eid al-Fitr which addressed a number of issues:

• Security – According to Haniyeh, the Gaza Strip is not afraid of the Israeli leadership because of the capability of the "resistance" [i.e., terrorist organizations] to defend the Gazans. However, he stressed that he did not see a new war on the horizon. He claimed the "resistance's" declarations about its military preparedness were intended to prevent any act of Israeli aggression, and for deterrence in view of the threats made by the Israeli leadership.
• Negotiations with Israel – According to Haniyeh, there are no negotiations with Israel about prisoners and MIAs, and there will be no negotiations until all the prisoners released in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal and redetained are released.
• Terrorism in Judea and Samaria – Haniyeh praised the young Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, stressing that all Israel's attempts to put an end to the intifada had failed.
• Foreign relations – Haniyeh thanked Qatar and Turkey for their responsible position regarding the Gaza Strip and for their efforts to lift the siege. He also thanked Egypt for opening the Rafah crossing for nine days during Ramadan.

Summer Camps Begin in the Gaza Strip

• A Hamas press conference at the Gaza port officially announced the opening of the movement's summer camps, which would be called "the Al-Quds intifada camps." According to senior Hamas figure Ismail Radwan and one of the representatives of the central committee for summer camps, this year 50 thousand young Gazans, from elementary school children to university students, would participate.
• According to Ismail Radwan, the camps will last for three weeks and campers will learn about culture, education, scouting, getting fit and memorizing the Qur'an [Note: Past experience has shown that the camps also involve paramilitary activities.] According to Radwan, the objective of the camps is to raise a new generation of Palestinians "who will love the resistance, the liberation of Palestine and Al-Aqsa mosque" (Paltimes, Hamas website and Alresala.net, July 11, 2016).

Left: Children wear Hamas shirts and green hats at the opening ceremony. Right: Ismail Radwan announces the opening of Hamas "Al-Quds intifada" summer camps (Hamas website, July 11, 2016).

Palestinian Islamic Jihad Tunnel Collapses

• Early in the morning on July 10, 2016 a tunnel collapsed in the Beit Hanoun region in the northern Gaza Strip. There were Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist operatives in the tunnel at the time. One operative was killed and seven were rescued. The terrorist killed was Ibrahim Hassan al-Masri, 28, an operative in the PIJ's military-terrorist wing's tunnel unit. The unit is part of the Beit Hanoun battalion of the northern Gaza Strip brigade. According to a PIJ announcement, he died while "fulfilling the duty of jihad." The PIJ, according to the announcement, was making extensive preparations for the next campaign, including digging various types of tunnels, manufacturing rockets, IEDs and bombs, and training in the field (Al-Aqsa and the Jerusalem Battalions website, July 10, 2016).

Mahmoud Abbas Sends Letters to the International Quartet

• Mahmoud Abbas sent letters to the representatives of the Quartet (the UN secretary general, the American secretary of state, the Russian foreign minister and the EU representative for foreign affairs). In the letters he demanded support for the French initiative. According to the letters, it was important to take measures quickly to rescue the peace process and to ensure peace and stability (Wafa, July 5, 2016). He also sent a formal letter to the president of France expressing his estimation for the efforts of the French initiative and his faith in the ability of the France to provide a clear schedule for conducting the negotiations (Ma'an, July 5, 2016).

PA Security Force Measures to Put an End to Anarchy and Ensure Security

• PA security forces, following orders from Mahmoud Abbas, initiated a broad security operation to "put an end anarchy and ensure security." The orders were given because of internal violence and shooting in various locations in Judea and Samaria. The operation focuses mainly on Nablus, Jenin and Hebron. Suspects have been arrested and illegal weapons have been seized. Adnan al-Dhamiri, spokesman for the Palestinian security forces, said that a joint operations room had been set up for all the forces and that so far they had conducted arrests and seized dozens of illegal weapons (Ma'an, July 11, 2016).

Data from the Palestinian Bureau of Statistics

• According to survey held by the Palestinian bureau of statistics, there are 4.81 million Palestinians living in the PA territories. Of them, 2.93 million are in Judea and Samaria and 1.88 million in the Gaza Strip. Among them 42.8% are 14 years old and younger and 2.4% are older than 65. During the first quarter of 2016 unemployment stood at 41.2% in the Gaza Strip and 18% in Judea and Samaria (Website of the Palestinian bureau of statistics, July 11, 2016).

Terrorist Incitement

• On July 11, 2016, the Facebook page of the Hamas-affiliated Islamic Bloc in Bir Zeit University posted the following: "Restore the days of explosions, blow off the bus roofs...restore the days of explosions, humiliate IDF soldiers." The post was accompanied by a YouTube video produced by the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing, entitled "Song of the released [prisoners'] blood." In the video a masked terrorist organization watches videos and looks at pictures of terrorist attacks (some real and some simulated), riots on the Temple Mount and in Judea and Samaria, and the bodies of terrorist operatives at attack sites. In the video, a masked operative, inspired by the images, leaves to carry out a stabbing attack (Facebook page of the Islamic Bloc in Bir Zeit University, July 11, 2016; Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades YouTube channel, June 25, 2016).

The Facebook posting of the Islamic Bloc in Beit Zeit with a link to the video (July 11 ,2016).

Scenes from the video.

Glorifying Terrorists

Hamas Announcement

• The PA's ministry of education recently issued the results of the matriculation exams and the names of students from Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip who had received high scores. In light of the PA announcement, Hamas issued one of its own entitled "the honor roll," glorifying 16 students killed in the current Palestinian terrorist campaign. Instead of a matriculation certificate, a student is pictured rising to heaven to "the university in paradise" holding a martyrdom certificate (Twitter account of Palinfo, July 11, 2016).

A student rises to paradise with a martyrdom certificate (Twitter account of Palinfo, July 11, 2016).

Soccer Tournament to Commemorate a Suicide Bomber

• On July 3, 2016, a soccer tournament ended in Bethlehem, held to commemorate Abd al-Hamid Abu Srour, a Palestinian terrorist who carried out a suicide bombing attack on a number 12 bus in Jerusalem (on April 20, 2016). The tournament lasted three days and 11 teams from the district competed. Also present in the audience were relatives of the suicide bomber. The players wore shirts with his picture (Website of the al-Rowwad Cultural and Arts Society, July 3, 2016).

Children Wearing Hamas Uniforms Visit the Temple Mount

• Among the masses on the Temple Mount during the Eid al-Fitr prayer were a number or children who were masked, armed with toy assault rifles and wearing camouflage suits and Hamas headbands (Facebook page of Quds.net, July 6, 2016).