News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (May 11-17, 2016)

Riots, Clashes and Popular Terrorism

• In the meantime, this past week demonstrations, protest marches, riots, and the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs continued in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem. The Friday riots were dedicated to Nakba Day to commemorate the "catastrophe" visited upon the Palestinians in 1948. During the riots Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces.
• The more prominent events were the following:

• May 17, 2016 – Palestinians shot at an Israeli Border Patrol vehicle at the entrance to the Qalandia refugee camp (north of Jerusalem). There were no casualties. The vehicle was damaged.
• May 16, 2016 – Palestinians shot at an IDF force engaged in counterterrorism activities in Qabatiya (northern Samaria). There were no casualties and no damage was reported (Facebook page of Red Alert, May 16, 2016).
• May 15, 2016 – A Palestinian was detained at the entrance to the town of Beitar Illit. He was found to be in possession of a knife. He was detained and taken for interrogation (Facebook page of Red Alert, May 15, 2016).
• May 15, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israeli police force in the A-Tor neighborhood of east Jerusalem. A policeman was wounded (Facebook page of Red Alert, May 15, 2016).
• May 14, 2016 – Palestinians threw a pipe bomb and stones at Israeli security forces operating near Issawiya (east Jerusalem). A policeman was hit by stones and evacuated to a hospital (Facebook page of Red Alert, May 14, 2016).

• May 14, 2016 – The Israeli security forces operating in the Ramallah region detained a Palestinian from Bethlehem who was en route to carrying out a terrorist attack in Israeli territory (Facebook page of Red Alert, May 14, 2016). The Palestinian media reported he was Muhammad Mustafa Muhammad al-Najar, 36, single, from the Al-Izza refugee camp in Bethlehem and a policeman in the Palestinian police force. He is a released prisoner who served a term of 11 years in an Israeli jail. He was detained at a Border Police roadblock near Mishor Adumim. A new Israel Police Force uniform was found in his possession (Facebook pages of Paldf and QudsN, May 14, 2016).

• May 12, 2016 – Israeli security forces operating in the region of Bituniya saw a number of Palestinian youths setting fires near the border security fence. The Israeli forces chased them after the Palestinians threw stones at them. Six Palestinians youths were detained and taken for interrogation (Facebook page of Red Alert, May 14, 2016).

Nakba Day

Judea and Samaria

• On May 15, 2016, the 68^th Nakba Day was marked in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip with rallies, marches and other events. There were relatively few participants and no exceptional clashes with the Israeli security forces. Speeches and statements stressed the so-called "right of return" of the Palestinian refugees to Israeli territory. The Palestinian National Council issued a statement calling on the UN to carry out General Assembly Resolution 194 and return the Palestinian refugees to their homes. The Palestinians, claimed the statement, would not waive the "right of return" because it was a "sacred right." There would be no peace, continued the statement, no stability and no security until all the Palestinians had returned to their homes (Wafa, May 14, 2016).
• Mahmoud Abbas gave a Nakba Day speech condemning the government of Israel. He claimed Israel was doing its utmost to deny the Palestinian national existence, keep the Palestinians from establishing a state, sabotage the two-state solution and continue its policies of settlement and "cold-blooded executions." He said Israel desecrated the holy sites of Islam and Christianity, especially in Jerusalem, and allowed the settlers to do whatever they pleased. He said the Palestinians had to make their cause international, in the hope it would lead to political action based on the two-state solution and the Arab peace initiative (Palestinian TV, May 14, 2016).

The Gaza Strip

• A march was held in Gaza City with the participation of all the Palestinian organizations. There were also local marches in other cities. Demonstrations were held near the border security fence. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) issued a joint statement calling for an escalation of the intifada in the West Bank and along the Gaza Strip borders (Hamas website, May 15, 2016).

Left: The main rally in Gaza City (Paltoday, May 15, 2016). Right: Palestinians clash with IDF forces near the village of Nahal Oz (Facebook page of Paldf, May 15, 2016).

Statements Made by Hamas and PIJ figures

• Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, said that "resistance" to Israel was a right as well as a national and political duty, and it was also the strategic way to liberate Palestine. He called on Palestinians to support the so-called "Al-Quds intifada" and the holy sites (Palinfo, May 14, 2016).
• Senior Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Zahar claimed Palestine was part of the Islamic Arab nation, and that Hamas would not give up any part of Palestine and would not let anyone harm the holy sites (Al-Aqsa TV, May 14, 2016).
• Senior PIJ figure Muhammad al-Hindi said that Israel would never break the firm stance of the "resistance" (Paltoday, May 14, 2016).
• Senior PIJ figure Khaled al-Batash claimed the struggle against the Israeli enemy would be won with the sword and would not be ended with a political arrangement (Paltoday, May 12, 2016).

Left: Khaled Mashaal broadcasts a speech (YouTube, May 14, 2016). Right: Rally organized by the PIJ in Deir al-Balah to mark Nakba Day. Its theme was "The Al-Quds intifada – the path to the return" (Paltoday, May 12, 2016).

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

• On May 15, 2016, Palestinians fired two rockets at Israeli territory from the northern Gaza Strip. They fell inside the Gaza Strip near their launch sites.

Detention of Weapons Smuggler

• In April 2016 the Israeli security forces detained Salim Gamal Hassan Na'man, 39, from the Shati refugee camp (northern Gaza Strip). He was detained by the Israeli Navy after his fishing boat went beyond the limit imposed on fishing off the Gaza coast. Interrogation revealed that for a long time he had been involved in smuggling weapons and materials used in the manufacture of rockets (such as liquid fiberglass). The materials were intended for Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Interrogation also revealed a large amount of information about Hamas' use of fishermen and other smugglers to smuggle weapons by sea from Egypt into the Gaza Strip (Israel Security Agency, May 16, 2016).

The Rafah Crossing

• On May 11, 2016, the Rafah crossing opened in both directions for two days after having been closed for three months. According to the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, during those two days 747 Palestinian civilians left the Strip (Facebook page of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, May 13, 2016). According to reports, in coordination Egypt a limited amount of cement entered the Gaza Strip (Palinfo, May 12, 2016). Kamal Abu Madhi, director of the Hamas-controlled ministry of the interior, wrote on his Facebook page that the Rafah crossing did not perform its basic function of serving the residents of the Gaza Strip and had become a "terminal of humiliation." He said opening the crossing for two days was the worst of all.

Left: Sacks of cement enter the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing (Facebook page of News of the Rafah crossing, May 11, 2016). Right: Gazans wait at the Rafah crossing (Facebook page of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, May 11, 2016).

Hamas Relations with ISIS Operatives in the Sinai Peninsula

• Interviewed by a Saudi Arabian newspaper, General Yoav Mordechai, the Israeli Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories, spoke about the relations between Hamas and ISIS operatives in the Sinai Peninsula. He said an ISIS operative had recently entered the Gaza Strip through one of the tunnels with the objective of undergoing military training with the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing. Hamas, he said, also provides medical care for ISIS operatives wounded in clashes with the Egyptian security forces in return for money and weapons (Elaph, May 13, 2016). Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri denied security contacts and coordination between Hamas and ISIS. He claimed General Mordechai was lying to vilify the Gaza Strip and justify the siege on it (Al-Kofia Press, May 13, 2016).

Turkish IHH Support for PIJ Education Institutions in the Gaza Strip

• On May 16, 2016, the PIJ-affiliated Dar al-Huda charitable association held an end-of-the-year ceremony in one of its kindergartens in the Gaza Strip. It was attended by senior PIJ figures. Also present was Muhammad Kaya, the representative of the Turkish IHH in the Gaza Strip (the IHH was behind the Mavi Marmara flotilla). Children who attend Hamas- and PIJ-affiliated kindergartens are brainwashed with hatred for Israel and justification for violence and terrorism.
• Senior PIJ figure Muhammad al-Hindi said that the PIJ was investing considerable efforts to rebuild kindergartens damaged during Operation Protective Edge. He claimed that "despite the closure of the Gaza Strip, kindergartens were built thanks to the generous support of the Turkish IHH organization." Sheikh Omar Fura, head of the charitable society, thanked Muhammad Kaya, the IHH representative in the Gaza Strip, for the support his organization gave the society to rebuild the kindergartens that had been damaged and to build five new ones (Paltoday, May 16, 2016).

The French Initiative for an International Conference

• Jean-Marc Ayrault, the French foreign minister, paid a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to promote the French initiative for an international conference.^[3] He met in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. He met in Ramallah with Mahmoud Abbas, the PA chairman, and updated him on various matters, including the results of his meeting with the Israeli prime minister (Wafa, May 15, 2016).
• Prime Minister Netanyahu told the French foreign minister that he objected to holding an international conference. He said "that the only way to advance a true peace between us and the Palestinians is by means of direct negotiations between us and them, without preconditions.... and that any other attempt only makes peace more remote and gives the Palestinians an escape hatch to avoid confronting the root of the conflict which is non-recognition of the State of Israel."^[4]
• Riyadh al-Maliki, the foreign minister in the Palestinian national consensus government, held a press conference following Mahmoud Abbas' meeting with the French foreign minister. He said France would adhere to its initiative despite Israel's position. He said the PA was prepared to cooperate with all issues (Paltoday, May 15, 2016).
• On May 17, 2016, French President François Hollande announced the postponement of the international conference to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, which was supposed to be held on May 30, 2016. A new date has not been announced. The reason given was that John Kerry, the American secretary of state, would not be able to attend on the original date (AFP, May 17, 2016).

Security Collaboration with Israel

• The Palestinians continue deliberating the issue of security collaboration with Israel. Rami Hamdallah, prime minister of the national consensus government, said that currently the PA was examining ways to implement the PLO's decision [of March 2015] . He said no date had yet been set to stop the PA's security collaboration with Israel, which in the meantime would continue in its present form (Alresala.net, May 15, 2016). A "senior Palestinian" said that at this stage the PA could not implement the decision to stop security collaboration with Israel because of international and regional considerations (Al-Hayat, May 14, 2016).

Norway Stops Financial Aid to PA

• The Norwegian foreign ministry said in an announcement that Norway would stop sending funds to the PA because the money might be used to fund terrorist attacks against Israel (Alresala.net, May 15, 2016). Before the decision was made the Norwegian prime minister met with Mahmoud Abbas and raised the issue. Mahmoud Abbas claimed that the money Norway sent to the PA did not reach terrorist operatives or their families (Timesofisrael.com, May 16, 2016).

Notice Hamas posted to its Facebook page for Nakba Day, joining the so-called "right of return" of the Palestinian refugees (symbolized by the key) with the armed struggle to destroy the State of Israel (Facebook page of Paldf, May 15, 2016).