News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 2 – 8, 2015)

Terrorist Attacks and Attempted Attacks

• December 7, 2015 – stabbing attack: A Palestinian went to a bus stop near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and stabbed a man waiting there, wounding him critically. The victim worked as a gardener at the site. Border Policemen stationed nearby shot and killed the terrorist. The Palestinian media reported the terrorist was Ihab Fathi Zakaria Masouda, 18, from Hebron. The family distributed candy to visitors who came to pay their condolences (Facebook page of PALDF, December 7, 2015).

Left: Ihab Fathi Zakaria Masouda on the Temple Mount. Right: Ihab Fathi Zakaria Masouda at the National Park in Ramat Gan, Israel (Facebook page of PALDF, December 7, 2015).

• December 6, 2015 – shooting attack: During the evening Palestinians shot at a guard post of an IDF base in the Benyamin region (north of Jerusalem). There were no casualties and no damage was reported. The shooters, whose identity is unknown, fled the scene.
• December 6, 2015 – combined vehicular-stabbing attack:

• A Palestinian drove to the Jerusalem neighborhood of Romema and ran down two people. He then exited the vehicle holding a knife and stabbed a police volunteer sitting in a patrol car. Three people were injured. A soldier saw the attack and shot and killed the terrorist. The Palestinian media reported he was Omar Yasser Fakhri Iskafi, 21, from Beit Hanina, north Jerusalem (Arabs48 website, Facebook page of QudsN, December 6, 2015).
• The terrorist's mother told a local TV station that she would be ready to give birth to another Omar every day, and was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of Al-Aqsa mosque and Palestine. She said she asked Allah to receive her son Omar as a shaheed (YouTube, December 7, 2015). Fatah in the Al-Ram region issued a formal notice for the death of "the son of the [Fatah] movement, the heroic shaheed" (Facebook page of Fatah in Al-Ram, December 7, 2015).
• After the attack there was positive feedback on the Beit Hanina Facebook page. Talkbackers hoped Allah would have mercy on the terrorist and let him rest peacefully in paradise. One post the following morning read, "May peace be upon your. May Allah's mercy and blessings [be upon you]. The morning is fragrant with the perfume of the shaheeds of Palestine. The intifada of the knives continues (Facebook page of Beit Hanina – Jerusalem, December 7, 2015).

Left: Fatah in Al-Ram death notice for Omar Yasser Fakhri Iskafi (Facebook page of Fatah in Al-Ram, December 7, 2015). Right: Palestinian terrorist Omar Yasser Fakhri Iskafi (Facebook page of Beit Hanina – Jerusalem, December 6, 2015).

• December 5, 2015 – stabbing attack:

• Two Palestinians stabbed an IDF soldier in Tel Romeida, Hebron, inflicting minor wounds. The two terrorists were cousins from Hebron: Mustafa Fadhel Abd al-Munam Fanoun, 16, and Taher Mustafa Abd al-Munam Fanoun, 19. Farewell notes were found on their bodies, an indication the attack had been planned in advance.
• Mustafa Fanoun was a student in the 10^th grade. Taher Fanoun was studying theoretical law and legislation in the Sharia and law department of Hebron University. On his Facebook page said he supported the establishment of an Islamic Caliphate and the Islamic Party of Liberation (Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami).^[1] He also posted condemnations of the Palestinian Authority (PA). On the day of the attack, and in particular half an hour before it, he posted calls for violence and terrorism. He also posted a video and pictures of himself and his cousin Mustafa Fanoun. Ten minutes before the attack he posted a notice reading "Hello…and goodbye."
• Hamas issued a death notice for the two even though they apparently did not belong to the movement (Facebook page of Ghaza al-A'an, Facebook page of Taher Fanoun, Facebook page of PALDF, PalInfo Twitter account, December 4, 2015).

Left: Facebook page of Taher Fanoun half an hour before the attack. The Arabic reads, "Be ashamed for stopping…" The pictures are of the Israeli security forces on the Temple Mount and two female Palestinian terrorists who were killed while carrying out attacks (Facebook page of Taher Fanoun, December 4, 2015). Center: Posting ten minutes before he and his cousin carried out the attack. The Arabic reads, "Hello…and goodbye" (Facebook page of Taher Fanoun, December 4, 2015). Right: Taher Fanoun with Islamic Caliphate flags (Facebook page of Taher Fanoun, June 2, 2015).

• December 5, 2015 – shooting attack: An Israeli reported his vehicle had been shot at on the road to Psagot (Benyamin region). The Israeli forces examining the site found that more than ten bullets had hit the car. There were no casualties.
• December 4, 2015 – stabbing attack:

• A Palestinian stabbed and critically wounded an IDF soldier near the village of 'Aboud (northwest of Ramallah). The terrorist was shot and killed by IDF forces. Residents of 'Aboud later confronted IDF forces. An IDF soldier incurred minor wounds from a stone thrown by one of the rioters.
• The Palestinian media reported that the terrorist was Abd al-Rahman Wajia' Ibrahim al-Barghouti, 27, from 'Aboud. He was engaged to be married. He worked delivering water bills for the local council and lived with his brothers in the village. His parents and other relatives have left the PA and now live in the United States (Raya website, December 5, 2015). Hamas issued a death notice for him (Facebook page of Hamas in Nablus, December 4, 2015). The PA held a formal military funeral for him and his coffin was carried on the shoulders of operatives of the Palestinian national security services (Wafa News Agency, December 5, 2015).

Left: The funeral held for Palestinian terrorist Abd al-Rahman Wajia' Ibrahim al-Barghouti (Wafa News Agency, December 5, 2015). Right: Abd al-Rahman Wajia Ibrahim al-Barghouti (Watanserb.com, December 5, 2015).

• December 4 – vehicular attack: A Palestinian drove his car into Israeli soldiers in the village of Silwad, near Ramallah, inflicting minor injuries on two. The terrorist was shot and killed. He was Anas Bassam Abd al-Rahim Hamad, 21, from the village of Silwad, who worked as a barber in his village. He was the oldest son of senior Hamas activist Sheikh Bassam Abd al-Rahim Hamad, who was imprisoned in Israel a number of times. Hamas issued a death notice for him (Ghaza al-A'an, Facebook page of the Islamic Bloc in Bir Zeit University, December 4, 2015).

Left: Hamas death notice for Anas Hamad (Facebook page of the Islamic Bloc in Bir Zeit University, December 4, 2015). Right: Anas Hamad with his father Sheikh Bassam Hamad, senior Hamas operative (Kilmati website, December 4, 2015).

• December 3, 2015 – stabbing attack:

• A Palestinian stabbed an Israeli policeman sitting in a patrol car on Hanevi'im Street in Jerusalem near the Nablus Gate. The policeman struggled with the terrorist and was wounded in the arm. Other policemen in the area shot and killed the terrorist. A policeman was wounded by a stray shot.
• The Palestinian media reported that the terrorist was Izz al-Din Rayiq Abdallah Raddad, 21, from the village of Saida, north of Tulkarm (Ma'an News Agency, Paltoday, December 3, 2015). Before he carried out the attack Raddad posted a picture of confrontations with IDF forces on his Facebook page. He wrote, "The most beautiful thing of my life, a strong country to be proud of" (Shabakat Quds, December 4, 2015).

• December 3, 2015 – shooting attack:        

• A Palestinian opened fire at the Hizma roadblock north of Jerusalem and wounded two Israelis, a 47 year-old man who was critically wounded and a soldier who incurred minor wounds. The Palestinian terrorist was shot and killed.
• The Palestinian media reported he was Mazen Hassan Areiba (Abu Zeid), 37, from Abu Dis, married and father of four. He was an officer in Palestinian general intelligence in the Jerusalem sector (Ma'an News Agency, Arabs48 website, December 3, 2015). In the past he served a three-year term in an Israeli prison (Silwanic.net, December 3, 2015).
• The official PA media did not report on Areiba's affiliation with Palestinian general intelligence, reporting only "the death of a civilian at Himza." Raa'fat Alian, Fatah spokesman in Jerusalem, said that the person who had carried out the attack was in fact an officer in general intelligence. He called Areiba a shaheed and a hero, and stressed that Fatah opposed security coordination with Israel because it did not serve Palestinian interests (Dunia al-Watan, December 3, 2015).
• Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the PLO's Executive Committee, and a relative of the terrorist, paid a condolence call to the Areiba family in Abu Dis. He was accompanied by Majed al-Fatiani, the governor of the Jericho district, and Fatah members from the Jerusalem region (Facebook page of Saeb Erekat, December 5, 2015).
• Al-Risala, a newspaper affiliated with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, quoted an article in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonot about the concern and tension in the PA security services after the attack at the Hizma roadblock carried out by a Palestinian officer. It printed a cartoon making fun of Mahmoud Abbas, who now had to examine his security officers more closely (Alresala.net, December 7, 2015).

Left: The Arabic reads, "Abbas examines his troops" (Alresala.net, December 7, 2015). Right: Mazen Hassan Areiba (Abu Ziyad)'s mother holds the Fatah death notice issued for her son (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, December 3, 2015).

• In the meantime, demonstrations, protest marches, riots, and the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs continues in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. In some instances PA security forces prevented Palestinian demonstrators from reaching IDF roadblocks (Sky News, December 4, 2015). Some of the more prominent incidents were the following:

• On December 6, 2015 – Palestinians threw stones at an ambulance taking a patient to a hospital. The attack was carried out near the village of Issawiya on the road between Ma'aleh Adumim and Jerusalem. The stones hit the ambulance's front windshield, shattering it, putting the ambulance out of commission (Facebook page of Red Alert, December 6, 2015).
• On December 5, 2015 – Palestinian terrorists opened fire at an IDF force in the Hebron region. There were no casualties. IDF forces searching the area found backpacks and a pipe bomb (Facebook page of Red Alert, December 5, 2015).
• On December 5, 2015 – Israeli security forces uncovered dozens of pipe bombs hidden in the ground near the village of Bayt Umar (north of Hebron). According to the forces, the pipes were empty. A gun was also found nearby.
• On December 5, 2015 – A Palestinian girl about 18 years old approached a Border Police guard post near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron, arousing the suspicions of the soldiers stationed there. They ordered her to halt and initiated a routine search, finding a knife in her hand. She was detained. There were no casualties (Facebook page of Red Alert, date, 2015).
• On December 4, 2015 – A Palestinian coming from the direction of the village of Bidu (northwest of Jerusalem) carried out a drive-by shooting at the community of New Givon. There were no casualties. The Palestinian terrorist driving the car fled in his vehicle (Facebook page of Red Alert, December 4, 2015).
• On December 4, 2015 – A young Palestinian was detained near the village of Huwwara (south of Nablus) with two knives in his possession.
• On December 4, 2015 – IDF forces seized an M-4 rifle and ammunition in the village of Shuweika (Tulkarm region), and also detained a wanted Hamas operative.
• On December 4, 2015 – An IDF force detained a 13 year-old Palestinian who crossed the security fence and entered the community of Shekef (in the Lachish region inside Israel). A knife was found in his possession. During interrogation he confessed he was on his way to carry out s stabbing attack. He was detained for investigation (Facebook page of Red Alert, December 4, 2015).
• On December 4, 2015 – An IDF force detained a Palestinian near Bayt 'Awwa (Hebron region). A search revealed a knife in his possession. He was detained and taken for investigation (Facebook page of Red Alert, December 4, 2015).
• On December 4, 2015 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli vehicle on the road bypassing the village of 'Aboud (northwest of Ramallah). A girl incurred minor injuries from broken glass (Facebook page of Red Alert, December 4, 2015).

Razing the Houses of Palestinian Terrorists

• On the night of December 2, 2015, in Nablus, an IDF force razed the house of Ragheb Aliwi, who headed the terrorist squad that murdered the Henkin family. The house was destroyed after the courts rejected the plea of Aliwi's wife to prevent the action. Before the IDF force arrived masked Palestinians gathered and burned tires and turned over Dumpsters to block the way to the house and keep the IDF from razing it. On December 6, 2015 young Palestinians in Nablus initiated a campaign to collect contributions to rebuild houses that had been destroyed. To that end they positioned a box in the middle of Nablus for contributions. During the first two days of the campaign the sum of 230 thousand shekels (about $59,000) was allegedly collected (Facebook page of the Islamic Movement in Nablus, December 2 and 6, 2015).

• Israeli security forces razed the house of Palestinian terrorist Ibrahim Abu Akari in the Shuafat refugee camp (who carried out the vehicular attack at the light railway station in Jerusalem on November 5, 2015). After the house had been leveled Hamas spokesman Husam Badran said that the "heroic" vehicular attack Akari had carried out had prompted others to follow in his footsteps. He claimed that the entrance of more than a thousand soldiers into the refugee camp to destroy the house was proof the "Zionists" were afraid of the reaction of the residents (Hamas website, December 3, 2015).
• On December 4, 2015, residents of the Shuafat refugee camp and the village of Anata initiated a campaign to raise money to rebuild the house that had been destroyed. During the first two days, 170,000 shekels (about $44,000) and $50,000 had reportedly been collected. Jewelry was also donated (Facebook page of Ghaza al-A'an, December 4 and 5, 2015).

The Kadoorie College Administration in Tulkarm Tries to Restrain Its Students

• Since the beginning of the Palestinian terrorist campaign the campus of the Kadoorie College has been a site of friction between the Israeli security forces and the students who leave their studies to riot. As part of the PA's efforts to keep the situation from spinning out of control, the school administration was instructed to separate educational activities from the struggle against Israel. The administration was also instructed to maintain a normal study schedule. However, the Kadoorie students expressed their desire to continue rioting near the campus and use the college facilities to prepare for their activities.
• That caused tension between the students and the school administration. As a result, on November 30, 2015, the administration froze all student activities, and threatened to dissolve the student council and punish its members. The tension led to the intervention of the PA ministry of culture and higher education, which formally announced that the crisis at the university had ended and regular studies would be resumed as of December 3, 2015 (Quds News, December 1, 2015).
• Despite reports that the crisis had been resolved, violent confrontations continue near the campus between students and IDF forces. On December 7, 2015, three students were reportedly injured by IDF fire at a riot near the campus (Wafa News Agency, December 7, 2015).

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

• On December 2, 2015, a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. It fell inside the Strip. Responsibility for the rocket fire was claimed by a Salafist network calling itself the Companions of the Prophet. According to the network, the rocket was fired to avenge the deaths of Muslims in Palestine. It also claimed that the Jews would not have security as long as they breathed (Twitter account of the Companions of the Prophet, December 2, 2015). It is unknown whether the network actually fired the rocket.

Terrorist Attacks and Riots near the Border Security Fence

• On December 4, 2015, Palestinians armed with light weapons opened fire at Israeli security forces on the Gaza Strip border. There were no casualties; the soldiers' vehicle was damaged. On December 6, 2015, Palestinians shot at Israeli engineering equipment near the border security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. There were no casualties. Shots hit the vehicle.
• In response to the attack, on the night of December 6, 2015, Israel Air Force aircraft attacked the Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip (IDF Spokesman, December 7, 2015). The Palestinian media reported that a post of Hamas' military wing east of Gaza City had been attacked and that there were no casualties (Website of Hamas' military wing, December 7, 2015).
• Palestinians continue rioting near the border security fence in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian terrorist campaign in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. On December 4, 2015, a number of Palestinians approached the fence and threw stones an IDF force on the other side. The soldiers responded with riot control measures, wounding two Palestinians (Filastin al-Yawm, December 4, 2015).

The Rafah Crossing

• On December 3, 2015, Egypt confirmed the Rafah crossing would be open in both directions for two days. Passage would be allowed to people whose names were on the authorized list and humanitarian assistance would also be allowed passage. While the crossing was open 1,807 people passed through, as did a Kuwaiti aid convoy bringing blankets and medical equipment to the Gaza Strip. In addition, a shipment of 605 tons of cement was brought in (Al-Masry Al-Youm, December 5, 2015).
• Iyad al-Bazam, spokesman for the Hamas ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, said that there were still more than 23,000 Gazans who needed to leave the Gaza Strip for humanitarian reasons (Facebook page of Iyad al-Bazam, December 5, 2015). He called on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing the following week as well to ease the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip (Website of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, December 4, 2015).
• In the meantime, efforts drag on to achieve a permanent arrangement for opening the Rafah crossing. PA-Hamas power struggles for control of the crossing continue as well. Egyptian sources reported a breakthrough, and that the crossing was expected to be open for three days next week. According to the sources, for the first time students, patients and people with passports would be permitted to use the crossing. It was also reported that an agreement had been reached to examine opening the crossing for three days every two weeks (Al-Kofia, December 2, 2015).

• Hamas issued contradictory statements about a permanent arrangement for the Rafah crossing: Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, claimed Hamas was prepared to hand control of the Rafah crossing to the PA's presidential guard, along with the preservation of the jobs of Hamas employees at the crossing (Al-Jazeera, December 6, 2015). On the other hand, senior Hamas figure Salah al-Bardawil claimed Hamas would not turn over the crossings, particularly not the Rafah crossing, to the PA, which had "dirty hands that had betrayed the Palestinian people." He said it was only just that the crossings be run according to the agreement signed in Cairo (Quds News, December 6, 2015).^[4]
• On December 6, 2015 there was a demonstration near the Rafah crossing held by Gazan students who studied abroad and could not leave because the crossing was closed. They demanded the Egyptian authorities open the crossing immediately and allow them to return to their studies (Safa News Agency, December 6, 2015).

Turkish Delegation Visits the Gaza Strip

• A Turkish delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip. According to the head of the delegation, Hassan Yilmaz, deputy chairman of the Turkish ministry of religious affairs, the delegation had come to formulate a plan to rebuild mosques damaged during Operation Protective Edge. He claimed nine mosques in the Gaza Strip would be rebuilt at a cost of $4.7 million (Safa News Agency, December 2, 2015). During the visit he participated in a ceremony initiating the restoration of the Al-Safa mosque in the Al-Bureij refugee camp, part of the mosque-rebuilding project (Ma'an News Agency, December 2, 2015).

Al-Jazeera Interview with Khaled Mashaal

• Interviewed by Al-Jazeera on December 6, 2015, Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, spoke mainly about recent Palestinian terrorist campaign. He called for the continuation of the intifada, claiming that even without the support of the Palestinian leadership, the Palestinians could continue the momentum. His main points were the following:

• The recent events were an intifada, expressed mainly by their spirit of resistance and struggle. The intifada was taking place in the West Bank and Jerusalem, and also in the Gaza Strip. The difference between the current intifada and the previous ones was that there were no mass protests as in the past, and this time there were elements that were not involved (i.e., Hamas and the other terrorist organizations). He claimed it was an intifada without a central leadership.
• The younger Palestinian generation carrying out the attacks understood that they had to return the Palestinian issue to the top of the public agenda. It was a generation that saw the PA and the Palestinians organizations could not operate freely, and filled the vacuum.
• The Palestinians had the right to carry out stabbing attacks because when a person was at home in his house and someone attacked him, and he had a knife, then he was defending himself. However, according to Khaled Mashaal, there was a difference between stabbing attacks and suicide bombing attacks. Stabbing attacks were not suicide but rather heroism and a "natural response" of every living creature.

Hamas Delegation Visits Malaysia

• On December 8, 2015, a Hamas delegation headed by Khaled Mashaal head of Hamas' political bureau, paid an official four-day visit to Malaysia, having been invited by the ruling political party (UMNO). The delegation was supposed to attend the annual party conference and meet with a number of ministers and party heads. Among the members of the delegation were Musa Abu Marzouq, Muhammad Nizal and Maher Obeid, all members of Hamas' political bureau (Facebook page of Shihab, December 8, 2015).
• Hamas and Malaysia have close relations. Malaysia supports the Palestinian cause in general and Hamas in particular. Most of its support involves political, humanitarian and media support, but occasionally has gone beyond that. At least two instances are known in which Malaysia enabled, or ignored, Hamas military activities in its territory (although the Malaysian issued denials).^[5]

Turning the Dawabshe Family House into a Museum

• A group of engineers, academics and public figures in Judea and Samaria are planning to turn the burned-out house of the Dawabshe family in the village of Duma into a "national museum." The objective is to commemorate the family's tragedy as part of the "holocaust" of the Palestinian people. According to Abd al-Salam al-Foula, an engineer participating in the project, they are planning to exhibit "the barbaric crimes carried out by Israel beginning with the 1940s and translate them into a powerful experience for people visiting the museum in a way that will influence their perception" (Al-Najah radio, December 2, 2015).

Incitement in the Social Networks

• The social networks, especially those affiliated with Hamas, continue to issue calls and post notices encouraging stabbing attack and vehicular attacks and the continuation of violence and stone-throwing. For example:

Left: Program on a local Ramallah TV station, with a background screen encouraging stabbing attacks (Website of Roya TV, December 5, 2015). Right: Notice promoting stabbing attacks. The Arabic reads, "We have come to stab [you], sons of the Jews" (Website of Ghaza al-A'an, December 5, 2015).

Commemorating Palestinians Killed Carrying Out Terrorist Attacks

• Fatah's Shabiba student movement at Hebron University announced it was launching a campaign to commemorate shaheeds who were residents of Hebron killed in the current terrorist campaign. According to the activists, the campaign has been coordinated with the Fatah movement in Hebron. As part of the campaign a street will be named for Farouq Sidr, who carried out a stabbing attack on October 29, 2015, in the Beit Hadassah neighborhood of Hebron (Website of Al-Huriya radio, Hebron, December 1, 2015). On December 7, 2015, Shabiba activists named another street for Dania Irshid, the Palestinian woman who on October 25, 2015 tried to stab a Border Police near the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron (Facebook page of PALDF, December 7, 2015).

• On December 8, 2015, the Islamic Bloc in Gaza City dedicated a square to the memory of terrorists killed in the current terrorist campaign (Facebook page of Safa News Agency, December 8, 2015).

The square in Gaza City dedicated to terrorist operatives killed in the current terrorist campaign (Facebook page of Safa News Agency, December 8, 2015).