News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (October 10-16, 2021)

Preventing weapons from being smuggled from Jordan to Judea and Samaria

• The Israeli security forces prevented weapons from being smuggled from Jordan to Judea and Samaria. Two suspects were detained on suspicion of the attempted smuggling of 11 weapons, including eight handguns, two Kalashnikov assault rifles, and an M-16 assault rifle (IDF spokesman, November 15, 2021).

Jews continue visits to the Temple Mount compound

• Every morning the Palestinian media reports on the entrance of Jewish visitors, accompanied by Israeli police, into the Temple Mount compound. The media publish pictures of the Jewish visitors and claim they pray and “hold Jewish rites” on the Temple Mount. The media also claim the Israeli police delay the entrance of Muslims and take their ID cards when they enter the compound (Palinfo Twitter account, November 15, 2018).

   
Pictures of Jews in the Temple Mount compound (Palinfo Twitter account, November 15, 2021).

Palestinian killed in the PA town of Tubas, northeast of Nablus

• On the morning of November 16, 2021, during an Israeli security force operation in the town of Tubas to detain wanted Palestinians, local residents clashed with the Israeli forces. Shots were fired and a Molotov cocktail was thrown from a passing car. The security forces shot at the Palestinians and one was killed (IDF spokesman, November 16, 2021).
• The Palestinian media reported the man killed was Saddam Hussein Bani Awda, 26, from the village of Tamun, northeast of Nablus, a former security prisoner. Hamas and the PIJ each issued a mourning notice for him, and there are pictures of his body wrapped for burial in either a Hamas or PIJ flag (QudsN Twitter account, November 16, 2021).

Rocks, Molotov cocktails and other events

• In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. The more prominent events were the following:^[1]
  • November 15, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Givat Asaf, east of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • November 15, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles on the road between Homesh and Shavei Shomron, northwest of Nablus. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • November 15, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles near the village of Turmus Aya, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. Vehicles were damaged.
  • November 15, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Hizma, northeast of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • November 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 60, near the school in the town of Luban al-Sharqia, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
  • November 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown on the road between Hebron and Kiryat Arba. A man was injured.
  • November 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 446 west of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. A vehicle was damaged.
  • November 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 55 between Funduq and Qadumim, east of Qalqilya. No casualties were reported. Two buses were damaged.
  • November 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus on route 60 south of Ma’aleh Lavona, southeast of Ariel. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • November 13, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 5 near the Paduel Interchange, west of Ariel. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
  • November 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus between Hizma and Anatot, northeast of Jerusalem. The bus driver was injured.
  •  November 11, 2021: An IED exploded near an Israeli community in the Nablus district. No casualties or damage were reported. Rocks were thrown at an IDF force that searched the area.

The IED after it exploded (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, November 11, 2021).

• November 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown over the fence at homes in the Israeli community of Sha’arei Tikva, west of Ariel. No casualties or damage were reported.
• November 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Givat Asaf, east of Ramallah. One passenger was injured and the bus was damaged.
• November 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles south of Ofra, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
•   November 11, 2021: During a security operation in the Palestinian village of Halhul, three Carlo improvised guns, ammunition magazines and a large quantity of ammunition were confiscated (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit, November 11, 2021).
• November 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles near Luban al-Sharqia. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
• November 10, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 60 south of the Ma’aleh Lavona Interchange. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
• November 10, 2021: Rocks and two Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 60 south of the Ma’aleh Lavona Interchange. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
• November 10, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles, including a bus, in Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicles were damaged.
• November 9, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus north of Ofra. No casualties or damage were reported.
• November 9, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles on route 60 near the school in Luban al-Sharqia. No casualties or damage were reported.

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

Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel

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

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since January 2020

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Hamas marks the 9th anniversary of Operation Pillar of Defense with a military exhibition in Gaza City

• On November 9, 2021, Hamas opened a military exhibition in Gaza City called “The Jerusalem generation,” to commemorate the targeted killing of Ahmed Jaabari, the commander of its military-terrorist wing and the 9^th anniversary of Operation Pillar of Defense. The exhibition was opened by Ahmed Bahar and other figures in the Hamas leadership. On display were Hamas rockets, weapons and UAVs. Bahar said they were proud of Ahmed Jaabari, who sacrificed his life [sic] for the sake of Palestinian principles and Jerusalem, and worked to develop the Palestinian “resistance” [i.e., terrorist capabilities] (alresala.net, November 15, 2021).

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) marks the 2nd anniversary of the death of Bahaa Abu al-Atta

• The PIJ posted a formal notice for the 2^nd anniversary of the death of Bahaa Abu al-Atta,, commander of the organization’s northern Gaza Strip brigade. It praised his activities and stressed that his death served to strengthen the organization and its determination. The PIJ added that its adherence to the “resistance” [anti-Israeli terrorism] as the way to deal with Israel grew stronger every day, and praised the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and the dead and wounded who supported the “resistance” (PIJ website, November 12, 2021).
• On November 12, 2021, the PIJ held a mass memorial rally for Bahaa Abu al-Atta in front of his house in the Shejaiya neighborhood in the eastern part of Gaza City. Speeches given by the PIJ leadership stressed his activities and contribution to the “resistance.” A movie produced for the occasion was shown, and rockets named for him were displayed (Jerusalem Brigades website, November 12, 2021). On November 11, 2021, the PIJ’s military-terrorist wing operatives held a military display which passed through the neighborhood where Bahaa Abu al-Atta had lived (Jerusalem Brigades website, November 11, 2021).

   
Mass memorial rally held for Bahaa Abu al-Atta in front of his house in the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City (Jerusalem Brigades website, November 12, 2021).    

   
Memorial military display for Bahaa Abu al-Atta held near his house in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza (Jerusalem Brigades website, November 11, 2021).

Distribution of the funds donated by Qatar

• Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, announced on his organization’s website that the Qatari gift of funds for 95,000 needy Gazan families would be distributed on November 16, 2021, through the UN. As usual, each family would receive $100 (Qatar’s National Committee website, November 14, 2018).

Preparations for the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC)^[3] meeting in Oslo on November 17, 2021

•  On November 9, 2021, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh held an ad hoc meeting to discuss the PA’s financial crisis and possible alternatives that would enable the government to continue functioning until the end of 2021. He said the PA’s financial situation the worst it had been in years because so far it had received only 10% of [the funding] it had been promised. He said the government would discuss the non-payment of funds from the Arab countries during the past two years, 2020-2021. He added that the United States had renewed some of its funding for UNRWA, but so far Congress had prevented the administration from giving foreign aid directly to the PA. The Palestinian minister of the treasury presented several possible scenarios for future situations (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, November 9, 2021).

• The Palestinian social media aired a short video claiming that the financial crisis the PA complains of was a lie and meant to hide its widespread administrative and financial corruption. According to the video, every day international and local reports expose many instances of corruption. In addition, the PA continues to claim financial hardship despite the fact that it receives international financial aid and the funds Israel provides from the tax revenues it collects for the Palestinian government. The video also described the life of luxury led by the Palestinian leadership (Palinfo Twitter account, November 14, 2021).

   
Video uploaded to the Palestinian social networks claiming financial and administrative corruption in the PA and the lives of luxury led by the Palestinian leadership (Palinfo Twitter account, November 14, 2021).

The EU funds construction of a new Palestinian central elections committee headquarters in Ramallah

• On November 9, 2021, Mahmoud Abbas formally inaugurated the new general elections committee headquarters in Ramallah. Also present were Hana Nasser, committee chairman, and the EU representative to the PA. During the ceremony Mahmoud Abbas said the Palestinians wanted a political solution and a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, declaring they would not be satisfied with anything less. He said east Jerusalem had to be the capital of the Palestinian state and they demanded the American administration keep its promises and open the American consulate in Jerusalem. He also said the situation had become very difficult and no one could be expected to suffer what Israel was doing. The Palestinians, he said, wanted their rights and to build their country like the rest of the world. He claimed the objections of the government of Israel to the peace process were not beneficial, and Israel could not keep objecting forever. He thanked the EU for its help in building the new the central election committee headquarters in Ramallah, and for the other aid it gave the Palestinian people (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, November 9, 2021).

   
Mahmoud Abbas inaugurates the new headquarters of the PA central elections committee in Ramallah, whose construction was fully funded by the EU (Wafa, November 9, 2021).

The PA prime minister promotes his plan for economic disengagement from Israel and for giving national priority to the Palestinian Jerusalem district

• On November 9, 2021, Muhammad Shtayyeh met in his office in Ramallah with Amos Hochstein, American special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs. They discussed energy in general and strengthening relations with the American administration regarding energy in particular. Muhammad Shtayyeh said he told Hochstein about the challenges and obstacles facing the Palestinians and the way to disengage from Israel, which was the Palestinians’ main provider of energy (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, November 9, 2021).
• On November 15, 2021, Muhammad Shtayyeh held the weekly government meeting in the office of the governor of the Palestinian Jerusalem district in the al-Ram municipality building. He condemned Israel’s activities in east Jerusalem and its plan to [allegedly] change the nature of the city. He also said Jerusalem was the eternal capital of the independent Palestinian state. He announced he was giving the Jerusalem district the status of a priority strategic development area for funding projects and helping Palestinian business owners harmed by the coronavirus crisis. He said all of the above were intended to strengthen the firm stance of the residents of east Jerusalem and the Jerusalem district (Wafa, November 15, 2021).

   
Right: Muhammad Shtayyeh meets in Ramallah with Amos Hochstein, American special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, November 9, 2021). Left: Muhammad Shtayyeh holds the weekly government meeting (Wafa, November 15, 2018).

Palestinian criticism of the Biden administration for “not keeping its promises”

• A forum of Palestinian political commentators met on the inter-Arab Egyptian channel al-Ghad where they expressed “frustration and resentment over the fact that the Biden administration was not keeping its promise to renew the peace process in the Middle East and support the rights of the Palestinians.”
• For example, former Palestinian minister Hasan Asfour said Biden had made promises and not kept them. The administration, he complained, did not relate to Jerusalem as part of an occupied territory but rather talked about opening the consulate without defining it as within Palestinian territory. He added that the current American administration only tried to calm the situation, which was just as bad as what Israel did.
• Palestinian commentator Hani al-Masri added that the American administration had more than once promised it would open the PLO offices in Washington, but did not. In addition, the administration had promised to open the consulate in Jerusalem, but did not. Most of the declarations made by the current administration, he complained, contradicted one another. It would be a mistake, he claimed, to trust the Biden administration, because Biden was known as being pro-Israeli (al-Ghad TV, November 15, 2021).

Israel designates six Palestinian NGOs as terrorist organizations – update

• On November 9, 2021, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh met in Ramallah with a delegation of the six NGOs designated by Israel as terrorist organizations. They discussed local and international ways for dealing with the situation, and a mechanism for uniting their efforts to ensure the organizations would continue their operations and receive funding. Muhammad Shtayyeh claimed Israel had started a number of wars [against the Palestinians], first against the land, then against funding, then it had engaged in the battle for hearts and minds, then against human rights, and currently it was waging war against institutions to destroy [Palestinian] civilian society. He promised the representatives he would invest all possible efforts to ensure the organizations could continue their operations, adding [his government] objected to all harm done to them, which was [crossing] a red line (Wafa, November 9, 2021).
• The UN “expressed sorrow” at Israel’s designating Palestinian “human rights organizations” as terrorist organizations, claiming it was “a further erosion of civic and humanitarian space.” According to the UN, the designation would “significantly constrain the work of the six organizations.” In addition, the UN claimed it had not received documents [from Israel] to substantiate its accusations (UN website, November 9, 2021). In addition, the IfNotNow movement started an Internet petition calling on Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, to exert pressure on Israel to recant its designation of the six organizations.^[4]

Palestinians mark the 17th anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat

• Over the past weekend Fatah held mass rallies throughout Judea and Samaria to mark the 17^th anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat. The rallies were attended by senior Fatah figures who spoke about Arafat’s legacy and their intention to follow his path until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state (Wafa, November 12-13, 2021).
• As opposed to previous years, this year during the rallies there were no riots at the Palestinian-Israeli security force friction points. Fatah in the Gaza Strip held a rally at al-Azhar University to mark the day (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, November 14, 2021).
• Mahmoud Abbas gave a pre-recorded speech from his office in Ramallah, saying the time had come for the international community to change its relations with Israel and move from declarations of condemnation to practical measures. He said it was illogical and unacceptable that the “occupation” continued to be victorious just as it was unacceptable that the Palestinians continued to be committed to agreements whose terms were not met by Israel (Wafa, November 10, 2021).

Hamas terrorist prisoner Miqdad al-Qawasmeh ends hunger strike

• The Israeli media reported that Hamas terrorist prisoner Miqdad al-Qawasmeh had announced he was ending his 113-day hunger strike, which was confirmed by the Palestinian commission for prisoners and released prisoners. According to reports, he had ended the strike because of the decision that he would be released in February 2022 (Ma’ariv, November 11, 2021). Following the announcement, illustrated notices and cartoons appeared in the Palestinian media praising his victory against Israel (Safa Facebook page, November 11 and 12, 2021). However, al-Quds reported that while Miqdad al-Qawasmeh was celebrating his personal victory, five Palestinian prisoners continued their hunger strike (al-Quds, November 15, 2021).

Anarchy in the PA: warring clans in Hebron, security force replacements in Jenin

•  Hebron: The ongoing violent confrontation between the al-Awiwi and al-Jabari clans in the center of Hebron was recently rekindled. They shot at each other and torched stores and vehicles. On November 15, 2021, according to reports, PA security forces were deployed in the center of the city to separate the warring sides. Tension continues in the city and full calm has not yet been restored. After the violence the Hebron municipality called on the heads of the large clans to intervene immediately to end the conflict, put a stop to the anarchy in the city’s security and most importantly, to preserve Hebron’s national and societal fabric (Safa website, November 14, 2021).

   
Right: Vehicles and stores burned in Hebron (Shehab, November 14, 2021). Left: The offices of the al-Awiwi clan torched by the al-Jabari clan (al-Shahed, November 13, 2018).

• Jenin: Mahmoud Abbas removed and replaced the heads of the security forces in the Jenin district (Ma’an, November 14, 2018). The Israeli media reported that Mahmoud Abbas was dissatisfied with the way they dealt with the anarchy in the district and was angry they had allowed armed Hamas operatives to participate in the funeral of senior Hamas operative Wasfi Qabha, which had been held in Jenin the previous week (N12, November 16, 2021).

Senior Hamas operative from the Jenin refugee camp dies of corona

•  On November 11, 2021, Hamas announced the death of Wasfi Qabha, from the Jenin refugee camp, who died of coronavirus-related causes. In the past Wasfi Qabha had been minister of prisoners’ affairs and imprisoned in Israel for a total of 12 years. On November 12, 2021, Hamas held a mass funeral for him in the Jenin refugee camp, attended by senior Hamas figures in Judea and Samaria as well as masked, armed Hamas and PIJ operatives (Hamas website, November 12, 2021).

   
Armed Palestinian terrorist operatives attend the funeral held in the Jenin refugee camp for Wasfi Qabha (Hamas website, November 12, 2021).

The PA threatens to complain to the ICC that Israel hacked the phones of PA foreign ministry employees

• The PA foreign ministry announced it would appeal to international agencies, including the ICC, after evidence and legal documents had been gathered “proving” Israel had followed cell phones belonging to employees of the foreign ministry and civilian institutions using Pegasus spyware. The foreign ministry also claimed it was an integral part of Israel’s “aggression” against the Palestinians and their institutions (Wafa, November 11, 2021).

Judea and Samaria

•  According to the ministry of health in Ramallah, as of November 16, 2021, there were 965 active cases of Covid-19 in Judea and Samaria, down from 1,164 on November 9, 2021. There were 45 patients in ICUs, nine of them on ventilators. So far 2,872 Palestinians have died of coronavirus-related causes. The number of fully vaccinated Palestinians (2 doses) was 1,013,777, up from 1,003,292 on November 9, 2021 (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook page, November 16, 2021).

The Gaza Strip

• On November 16, 2021, the ministry of health in Gaza reported there were 1,981 active cases, down from 2,595 on November 9, 2021. Of the 170 tests administered between November 15 and 16, 23 new cases were detected, a positive rate of 13.5%. So far 1,624 Gazans have died of coronavirus-related causes, up from 1,605 on November 9, 2021. As of November 16, 2021, there were 74 coronavirus patients in hospitals in the Gaza Strip, 48 of them in serious or critical condition. A total of 490,258 Gazans were vaccinated, up from 486,374 on November 9, 2021 (ministry of health in Gaza Facebook page, November 16, 2021).