News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 3 – 9, 2014)

Rocket and Mortal Shell Fire into Israel

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

Clash on the Gazan Border

• This past week there was another clash near the security fence along Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. On December 5, 2014 dozens of Gazans gathered at the fence near Jabaliya (northeastern Gaza Strip) and threw rocks at the IDF soldiers stationed there. Israeli security forces dispersed them; two Gazans were wounded (PALDF, December 5, 2014).

Palestinian Terrorist Stabs Civilians in a Supermarket in a Supermarket

• On the afternoon of December 4, 2014, a Palestinian terrorist entered a supermarket in Mishor Adumim, the industrial zone of Maaleh Adumim east of Jerusalem. When he reached the rear section of the supermarket he took out a knife and began stabbing customers. He stabbed two before he was shot. The terrorist operative, Ibrahim Salim Abu Sneineh, 16 ½ years old, from Al-Azariya (near Maaleh Adumim), sustained minor wounds and was evacuated to a hospital. The Israeli security forces detained two Palestinians on suspicion of helping him (Ynetnews.co.il, December 4, 2014).
• The Palestinian media presented a biased, distorted version of the stabbing attack. The Palestinian Authority (PA)'s establishment newspaper reported that the terrorist was shot "by the supermarket [security] guard on the pretext that he had tried to stab a Jew" (Alhayat-j.com, December 4, 2014).
• Stabbing attacks are a common occurrence in what the Palestinians call the "popular resistance" (i.e., popular terrorism). The PA regards them as "legitimate" and does not condemn them or those who carry them out.

Terrorism and Violence in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem

• This past week the wave of violence and rioting continued in the traditional friction spots in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem (Kafr Qadoum, near the Ofer prison, Bil'in, the Qalandia roadblock, etc.), part of what the Palestinians call the "popular resistance."
• in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem stones, rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown and there were stabbing attacks targeting Israelis. The prominent attacks were the following:

• On December 8, 2014, rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. There were no casualties. The bus was damaged.
• On December 5, 2014 rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Tekoa (in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem). A one year-old baby girl sustained minor injuries (The Gush Etzion Regional Council, December 5, 2014).
• On the afternoon of December 4, 2014, police and security guards at the Qalandia roadblock noticed a 16 year-old Palestinian girl standing near the checkpoint. She began walking towards the checkpoint and when she did not heed calls to stop one of the policemen approached and detained her. A knife was found in her possession. During interrogation she said she had gone to the roadblock to kill Jews (Ynetnews.co.il, December 4, 2014).

Left: The Palestinian terrorist at the Qalandia roadblock (Israel Police Force, December 4, 2014). Right: A vehicle damaged by rocks thrown by Palestinians in Gush Etzion  (Gush Etzion Regional Council, December 5, 2014)

• On December 3, 2014, Palestinian rioters clashed with the Israeli security forces between Neveh Suf and Nahliel (northwest of Ramallah). During the riot Palestinians shot fireworks at the security forces, endangering cars driving on the road. The security forces shot at the rioters, wounding two (Tazpit.org.il, December 3, 2014).
• On December 3, 2014, Palestinian rioters burned tires and threw rocks at Israeli vehicles at the Sinjil junction (north of Ramallah), damaging several. A Palestinian vehicle swerved out of its lane to run into soldiers standing at the junction. It drove off in the direction of the village of Ain Yabrud (Tazpit.org.il, December 3, 2014).
• On December 2, 2014, a woman who lived in Eli was driving home when two Palestinians heaved a large rock at her car on the road between Loven and Rehalim (east of Ariel). It shattered the rear windshield and crushed a child's car seat in the back seat (Ynetnews.co.il, December 2, 2014).

Delivery of Building Materials Halted

• According to reports, on December 2, 2014, the delivery of building materials to the Gaza Strip was halted after the Hamas-controlled ministry of the treasury in the Gaza Strip announced it was imposing a tax of 20 shekels (about $5) on every ton of cement entering the Gaza Strip through the crossings (Aleqt.com, December 2, 2014). The attempt to impose the tax was met with severe criticism in the PA. The Palestinian national consensus government said in a statement that imposing a tax on building materials for the Gaza Strip was unacceptable and that such moves harmed the ability of the national consensus government to see to the needs of the Gazan population (Wafa.ps, December 2, 2014).
• Nazmi Muhanna, head of the Palestinian crossings and border authority, said that the PA was surprised to learn that Hamas had imposed a tax on building materials on the orders of the ministry of the treasury in the Gaza Strip. He said it sabotaged everything the PA was doing to speed the delivery of building materials. He said that as soon as the facts became known the deliveries were stopped. He condemned the illegal tax imposed by Hamas, adding that everything had to be conducted transparently to enable them to discuss the delivery of building materials with Israel, the Europeans and the UN (Voice of Palestine Radio, December 3, 2014).

Rebuilding the Gaza Strip

• At its weekly meeting, the Palestinian national consensus government decided to carry out the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip through three main channels: raising funds, delivering building equipment to the Gaza Strip and carrying out the initial stages of the program. The government noted that it was working to get delivery of the funds promised at the conference of donor states and was waiting for Qatar to meet its commitment to transfer $200 million (QNN, December 2, 2014).
• The national consensus government's ministry of public works and housing said in an announcement that work had begun to clear the wreckage in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City. The project, whose cost was estimated at $3.4 million, is funded by the Swedish government and implemented under UN supervision. According to the ministry, during the first stage 140 tons of debris will be cleared, 60 tons of which will be recycled.

Demonstrations and Strikes

• In light of the slow progress of the rebuilding and the transfer of funds, demonstrations and protests continue in the Gaza Strip. Various groups, especially those affiliated with Hamas, accuse the national consensus government of procrastinating:

• The cleaning staffs in the hospitals went on strike after not receiving their salaries. The strike caused a crisis and concern over the spread of disease. The Gaza Strip ministry of health declared an emergency situation and cancelled non-essential operations. According to the ministry, the national consensus government was shirking its commitments to the Gaza Strip and not transferring funds to its medical institutions (Samanews.com, December 2, 2014).
• Dozens of employees in the local administrations demonstrated in front of the government building in Gaza City. They accused the government of shirking its commitments to the Gaza Strip (Palpress.ps, December 3, 2014).

Hamas-Egypt Relations

• Egypt continues its intensive activity to destroy the smuggling tunnels and establish a buffer zone along its border with the Gaza Strip (Al-ayyam.com, December 8, 2014). Senior Hamas figure Khalil al-Haya said that Hamas had been making efforts to rehabilitate its relations with Egypt (Sawa.ps, December 2, 2014). Musa Abu Marzouq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said that Hamas' relations with Egypt were not good and that no progress had been made, because, among other reasons, the Egyptian media were causing tension (Alresala.net, December 4, 2014). On another occasion Musa Abu Marzouq said that Hamas was willing to have a committee appointed to investigate, because in all the events [i.e., terrorist attacks] in Egypt, so far not one single Palestinian had been detained (Al-Jazeera, December 8, 2014).

Khaled Mashaal Interview

• Khaled Mashaal, Hamas leader, was interviewed by Sky News' Tom Rayner.^[3] In an interview directed at Western ears, Mashaal related to various issues, among them the following:

• The events in Jerusalem and on the Temple Mount – Mashaal accused Israel of the events, claiming they were a "spontaneous Palestinian reaction" to Israel's actions. He claimed Israel's "targeting the holy sites, in Jerusalem and Palestine, and specifically the Al Aqsa Mosque, brings about the angry Palestinian reaction." He added that "Netanyahu is playing with fire when he allows members of his government, the Knesset, and the extremists to repeatedly storm the Al Aqsa mosque." He added, "Our fight, is a national fight, but Netanyahu is turning it into a religious fight. He bears responsibility for the consequences of what is happening."
• The terrorist attack in the Jerusalem synagogue – Mashaal said, "We can’t take events out of context...for every action there is a reaction. Netanyahu is playing with fire and he will bear the consequences of that. This is one of the rare occasions when a synagogue was targeted — why? Because there is anger, extreme anger. The Aqsa mosque is for the Muslims. The Muslims were blocked from praying there. The soldiers and the police and the right-wing extremists were allowed to storm in with their shoes, into the sanctuary of the Mosque — this is playing with fire."
• Terrorist attacks against Israel – Mashaal said, "Hamas is committed to resistance [i.e., terrorism]...We never agreed, at any stage in the process of reconciliation, to abandon resistance, because this is rejected on a national level. But we do ask for finding a common strategy on how resistance should be run...and Hamas is ready for coordination and in drawing up a strategy for the struggle together in coordination with our brothers in Fatah and with the Palestinian Authority leadership."

Graduation of Officers' Training Course

• On December 4, 2014 the Gazan ministry of the interior and national security held graduation exercises at the port of Gaza for an officers' training course named after "The Martyrs of Operation Protective Edge." There were about 1,000 graduates. Senior members of the ministry of the interior and national security attended the exercises (Website of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, December 4, 2014).

Left: A course graduate climbs up an Israeli flag. Right: Graduates on parade during the exercises (Website of the ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, December 4, 2014).

Notices Posted to Mark 27 Years since the Founding of Hamas

• Hamas launched a campaign to mark the 27^th anniversary of its founding. The campaign theme was "Our foundation – loyalty and giving." A press conference was held where Hamas noted it was marking the day when "jihad fighters use cars and knives to defend the Palestinian people." Hamas also announced that a rally to mark the anniversary had been cancelled out of "consideration for the difficult circumstances" [of the Gazans] (Al-Aqsa TV, December 8, 2014). Many Hamas-affiliated Facebook pages posted notices encouraging the path of terrorism and violence against Israel (PALDF, December 7, 2014).

Left: Hamas' fires R160, M75 and J80 rockets. At the right a Hamas terrorist operative carries an abducted Israeli soldier over his shoulder. Right: A masked Palestinian throws a rock during a riot in Judea and Samaria. The Arabic reads, "The West Bank's heartbeat will liberate Palestine" (PALDF, December 7, 2014).

Israel Investigates Events in the Gaza Strip during Operation Protective Edge

• Since the end of Operation Protective Edge the Israeli military prosecutor has held a preliminary investigation of complaints and reports of one hundred events that took place during the operation. Others are still being examined. Five events were deemed by the Chief Military Prosecutor as being worthy of criminal investigation, and have been sent to the Chief of Staff's mechanism for examination and clarification. The five events were the following:

• A claim that five children were killed on a beach in the Gaza Strip during an IDF attack on July 16, 2014.
• A claim that an UNRWA school in Beit Hanoun (northern Gaza Strip) was hit on July 24, 2014, and that the attack killed, according to reports, 15 civilians.
• A claim that IDF fire caused the death of an ambulance driver near the hospital in Beit Hanoun on July 25, 2014.
• A claim that 27 civilians were killed in an attack on the Jame' family house in Khan Yunis on July 20, 2014.

• In addition, the Chief Military Prosecutor ordered the military investigation unit to investigate several events without their first being examined by the Chief of Staff's mechanism. Regarding nine other events, the decision was made to end the examination without beginning a criminal investigation. It was recommended that lessons be learned from some of the cases (IDF Spokesman, December 6, 2014).
• Following the Chief Military Prosecutor's decision, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said that Israel was trying to prevent a UN commission from investigating. He added that Hamas did not trust the results of Israeli investigations, and that it was unacceptable for the criminal to act as judge. The families of those killed in the Gaza Strip also expressed lack of trust, claiming that the investigation was a mere formality meant to appease international public opinion and present Israel as abiding by the law (Safa.ps, December 7, 2014).

Accepting the PA as an ICC Observer State

• On December 8, 2014, the member states of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague voted to accept the "state of Palestine" as an observer state that could participate in all the court's meetings. The PA was previously considered "an observer entity." The significance of the decision is that "Palestine" is recognized by the ICC members but is not itself a member of the court. In addition, it has not yet signed the Rome Convention (Wafa.ps, December 8, 2014).
• Riyadh Mansour, permanent Palestinian representative to the UN, claimed it was another victory for the Palestinians in the international arena and brought them closer to the restoration of their rights. He claimed the decision paved the way for the Palestinians to bring the Israeli leadership to trial (Wafa.ps, December 8, 2014).

France Recognizes the "State of Palestine"

• On December 2, 2014, France's lower house of parliament voted 339 to 115 to recognize the Palestinian state and called on the French government to exploit the recognition to promote a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The decision was symbolic and non-binding; France has joined Britain, Spain, Sweden and Ireland, all of which have recently made similar decisions.
• Palestinian sources expressed satisfaction with the decision, saying it clearly showed the desire of the French people (Maannews.net, December 2, 2014). Regarding the series of countries that had recognized the Palestinians state, Mahmoud Abbas again emphasized his refusal to recognize the Jewish character of the State of Israel. As to his appeal to the UN, he said an Arab decision had been reached to appeal to the Security Council and that it was currently in the hands of Riyadh Mansour, the permanent Palestinian representative to the UN, who was waiting for comments and opinions from international sources (Wafa.ps, December 6, 2014).

Security Coordination with Israel and the PA Detentions

• Adnan al-Dmeiri, spokesman for the security services in Judea and Samaria, said that there were people who called the PA's security coordination with Israel "treason," but it was in the Palestinian daily interest. He said the security services were obliged to carry out political decisions and to act in accordance with the law. They would not, he said, allow anyone to harm the interests of the Palestinian people. He said they did not carry out detentions arbitrarily and that all the detainees had been charged (Skynewsarabia.com, December 6, 2014).
• Hussam Badran, external Hamas spokesman, criticized the PA's policy of detentions, claiming that the increased number of "political detentions" showed a PA decision to halt the escalation in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria. He claimed the PA's policy was a grave blow to the internal Palestinian reconciliation and violated Palestinian law. He claimed every Palestinian had the right to resist policies that harmed him (Facebook page of Hussam Badran, December 4, 2014).

• Fatah's official Facebook page continues to post calls for terrorism and violence against Israel. For example:

Left: "[Fatah:] the first stone...and the first bullet." Right: Yasser Arafat and the Fatah insignia. The Arabic reads, "A million shaheeds are going to Jerusalem," Arafat's famous battle cry (Official Facebook page of Fatah, December 5, 2014)

The Call to Boycott Israeli-Manufactured Goods

from the PA's establishment newspaper encouraging the boycott of Israeli-manufactured goods. The Arabic reads, "Made in Israel" (Alhayat-j.com, December 7, 2014).

Plans to Organize a Flotilla for May 2015

• Mazen Kahil, chairman of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza (ECESG) said that "Freedom Flotilla" activists held a meeting where they voted to hold a flotilla called "Freedom Flotilla 2."It is supposed to sail to the Gaza Strip during the last week of May 2015 to mark the fifth anniversary of the Mavi Marmara flotilla. He said this flotilla would be different from the previous one and activists from an estimated one hundred countries would participate.
• Mazen Kahil added that the Turkish IHH (which was in charge of the Mavi Marmara flotilla) would be responsible for coordinating the project. He said that as the date of the flotilla approached awareness-raising activities would be held in the ports of Europe (Safa.ps, December 6, 2014).