News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (September 6 – 13, 2016)

Terrorist Attacks and Attempted Attacks

Monthly Distribution of Terrorist Attacks in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem

Riots and Clashes

• During the past week there were no significant terrorist attacks. In the meantime, riots, the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs and light-arms fire continue in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.
• The more prominent events were the following:

• September 12, 2016 – Two female IDF soldiers in an IDF vehicle mistakenly entered Tulkarm in the evening. Palestinians attacked the vehicle with stones. The Palestinian police intervened and extracted the soldiers unharmed (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 12, 2016).
• September 12, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle near the Tunnel roadblock in Gush Etzion, panicking the driver. Palestinians also threw stones at an Israeli bus near Hizma (northeast of Jerusalem). No casualties were reported (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 12, 2016).
• September 12, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones near Tekoa (Gush Etzion), wounding a female IDF soldier (Judea and Samaria Rescue Services, September 12, 2016).
• September 11, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle near Ariel (Samaria). No casualties were reported (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 11, 2016).
• September 10, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles in Gush Etzion. No casualties were reported (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 10, 2016).
• September 9, 2016 – Palestinians threw an improvised IED at the compound of the Tomb of Rachel in Bethlehem. No casualties were reported (Facebook page of Red Alert, September 9, 2016).

Weapons Seized near Tulkarm

• Before dawn on September 11, 2016, the Israeli security forces entered a house in the Nur al-Shams refugee camp where a Palestinian suspected of involvement in terrorism lived. A search revealed two improvised guns and a large quantity of equipment for making pipe bombs. The suspect, who was 18 years old, was detained and taken for interrogation by the Israeli security forces (Facebook page of the Israel Police Force, September 11, 2016).

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

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

Hamas Calls on Palestinians to Intensify the Intifada

• Khalil al-Haya, a member of Hamas' political bureau, delivered a sermon during the main Eid al-Adha prayer in Gaza City on September 12, 2016. He called for the unification of the efforts to intensify the intifada and keep "the fire burning" throughout the lands of the Palestinians. He claimed "the Islamic nation's only enemy is Israel, which desecrates Al-Aqsa mosque" (Alresala.net, September 12, 2016).

Hamas Police Inaugurate a New Headquarters in Western Khan Yunis

• On September 8, 2016, the Hamas police in the Gaza Strip inaugurated new headquarters in the western part of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. The ceremony was attended by General Tawfiq Abu Na'im, commander of the internal security forces in the Gaza Strip; and General Taysir al-Batash, commander of the Gazan police force. Abu Na'im delivered a speech in which he said that the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip would continue to build police headquarters to serve local residents and ensure their safety (Facebook page of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, September 8, 2016).

Hamas' National Security Forces Hold a Show of Force along the Gaza Strip's Border with Egypt

• On September 7, 2016, the first battalion of the southern brigade of Hamas' security forces in Rafah held a military parade along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. Its objective was to raise morale and show the public that the nation's security forces guarded and defended the southern border (Website of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, September 7, 2016).

Aid from Turkey Enters the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing

• On September 8, 2016, trucks carrying aid from Turkey entered the Gaza Strip from Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing. The ship anchored in the port of Ashdod on September 4, the second Turkish ship to bring humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip to anchor there. Its cargo consisted of 2500 tons of humanitarian aid (Paltimes and Twitter account of Palinfo, September 8, 2016).

Young Palestinian Killed in the Central Gaza Strip

• On September 9, 2016, young Palestinians rioted and clashed with IDF forces east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Palestinian ministry of health reported the death of Abd al-Rahman al-Dabagh, 18. Many people attended the funeral held for him and his body was draped with a Fatah flag (Twitter account of Palinfo and Facebook page of Quds.net, September 9, 2016). The IDF spokesman's unit reported that "the event has been investigated and our forces are not known to have fired their weapons in that region" (Ynet, September 9, 2016).

Russian Initiative to a Netanyahu-Mahmoud Abbas Meeting

• The Russian foreign ministry reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas had agreed in principle to a summit meeting in Moscow. A date has not yet been announced (Interfax, September 8, 2016). On September 5, 2016, Netanyahu met in his office with Mikhail Bogdanov, Russian President Putin's special envoy to the Middle East. Netanyahu said he was always willing to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, directly and without preconditions (Website of the Israeli prime minister, September 5, 2016). At a press conference held during his visit to Holland Netanyahu said he was willing to meet with Mahmoud Abbas for direct talks in any place at any time without preconditions. He said he had been appealing to Mahmoud Abbas to talk to him for the past seven years (Ynet, September 8, 2016).
• On September 11, 2016, Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which was broadcast by Palestinian TV. He again claimed he was willing to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu in accordance with the request made by Russian President Putin, after the efforts of the International Quartet had failed. At the same time, he attacked what he claimed were Israel's efforts to represent the Palestinians as isolated, saying that "It is the government of the occupation that is internationally isolated" (YouTube and Ma'an, September 11, 2016).
• Ahmed al-Majdalani, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee, claimed that the news reported was inexact. He claimed the proposed meeting necessitated clarifications about the settlements and the prisoners, as well as a timetable for negotiations (Youm7, September 6, 2016). His remarks were probably intended to indicate that the Palestinians' agreement to a Netanyahu-Mahmoud Abbas meeting was subject to conditions, among them the release of prisoners and the cessation of construction in the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria.

The Women's Boat to Gaza Flotilla Expected to Set Sail from Barcelona on September 14

• According to a statement from the organizers of Women's Boat to Gaza, the boats Amal and Zaytouna, which will participate in the flotilla, are expected to set sail from Barcelona on September 14, 2016. From there they will sail to Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica and then travel through another Western Mediterranean port "before reaching the shores of Gaza in October" (Website of Women's Boat to Gaza, September 12, 2016). The passengers will be anti-Israeli activists from America, Asia and Europe, among them Mairead Maguire, a social activist from Northern Ireland who won the Nobel Peace Prize; Malin Björk, a member of European Parliament from Sweden; Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former American. diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the invasion of Iraq; and Dr. Fawzila Hassan, a doctor from Malaysia. In addition, Israeli women are also expected to participate in the flotilla, among the Yehudit Ilani, MK Haneen Zoabi's media advisor (Ma'ariv and the website of Women's Boat to Gaza, September 12 and 13, 2016).
• The objective of the flotilla has been defined as the desire to "break [the] inhuman blockade" of the Gaza Strip (Website of Women's Boat to Gaza, September 13, 2016). They plan to challenge Israel despite the fact that in reality Israel allows hundreds of tons to of humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip through the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings and encourages international projects for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Hate-Propaganda Video Calls for Terrorist Attacks

• Shehab, a Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news agency operating in the Gaza Strip, exploited the Eid al-Adha holiday for inciting Palestinians to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis. It posted a short video on its Facebook page showing a masked Palestinian who takes bullets off a table and leaves pieces of candy, loads the bullets into a magazine of a hand gun, sees a picture of Al-Aqsa mosque on the wall and says, according to the subtitle, "Our holiday will only be complete if you [Al-Aqsa mosque] are liberated." Shehab also posted pictures encouraging young Palestinian men and women to confront Israel (Facebook page of Shehab, September 11, 2016).

Scenes from Shehab's short video encouraging attacks against Israel. At the right the masked Palestinian chooses bullets over candy, at the left he inserts them into a magazine. In the lower picture he sees a picture of Al-Aqsa mosque and the subtitle reads, "Our holiday will only be complete if you are liberated [Al-Aqsa mosque]" (Facebook page of Shehab, September 11, 2016).

Pictures for Eid al-Adha encouraging young Palestinian men and women to confront Israel. Left: The Arabic reads, "May every year be good for you" (a traditional blessing used at Muslim holidays). Oh sister of the [manly] men. Jerusalem intifada.) Right: The Arabic reads, "May every year be good for you, oh revolutionary of Palestine. Jerusalem intifada "(Facebook page of Shehab, September 11, 2016).