Khaled Mashaal, head of the Hamas political bureau, meets with King Abdallah of Jordan
Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israeli territory
Rocket Fire -- Monthly Distribution
Mortar Shell Fire -- Monthly Distribution
The Hamas delegation in Switzerland. Left: A visit to the Swiss parliament
Hakim Awad, one of the murderers of the Fogel family (PMW, January 29, 2012).
Tamimi Press website, January 22, 2012
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Overview
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Important Terrorism Events Israel’s South
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Rocket Fire
This past week rocket fire continued from the Gaza Strip. Three rocket hits were identified in Israeli territory. All the rockets fell in open areas. There were no casualties and no damage was done.
Attempted Infiltration from the Gaza Strip Prevented
On January 30 an IDF force stopped two suspicious Palestinians who had crossed the security fence in the central Gaza Strip region into Israel territory near a number of Israeli villages. They were detained and taken for questioning (IDF Spokesman, January 30, 2012).
Rockets and Mortar Shells Fired into Israeli Territory 1
Rocket Fire — Monthly Distribution
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Mortar Shell Fire — Monthly Distribution
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Judea and Samaria
The Situation on the Ground
This past week the IDF carried out routine counterterrorist activities in Judea and Samaria, detaining Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities and confiscating weapons. Rioting continued and stones were thrown at civilians and the security forces. There were no casualties.
Shooting Attack
On January 25, 2012, an IDF vehicle engaged in operational activity was attacked by Palestinians with automatic weapons. The IDF force was driving along Ramallah’s crowded main street when the attack began. Five bullets hit the rear of the vehicle. There were no casualties; the vehicle was damaged (IDF Spokesman, January 25, 2012).
Terrorist Squad Captured in the Village of Azoun
In a joint IDF – Israel Security Agency action two Palestinian terrorists were detained. They had been involved in shooting at an Israeli vehicle near the village of Azoun on December 24, 2011.2 Both terrorists were minors (aged 16 and 17) from Azoun. During questioning they admitted to having carried out the attack and to involvement in other shooting attacks, including attacks on IDF soldiers, as well as to having thrown stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles and IDF forces in the Azoun region. They were also planning to attack another Israeli vehicle (IDF Spokesman, January 24, 2012).
Documentation of gunfire in the Azoun region on December 24m 2011
(IDF Spokesman, January 24, 2012)
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Hamas’ Political Activity
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Khaled Mashaal’s Visit to Jordan
Khaled Mashaal, head of the Hamas political bureau, paid an official visit to Jordan, leading a delegation of senior movement figures. It was the first visit of its kind since Mashaal was expelled from Jordan in 1999, and had been repeatedly delayed. Official Jordanian sources said that the visit would be purely formal and last a number of hours, and that no significant discussions would be held. The sources added that all discussions would be held in the presence of the heir to the Qatari throne and that no separate deliberations would be held (Agence France-Presse, January 28, 2012).
On January 29 the Hamas delegation met with King Abdallah of Jordan, attending the king’s meeting with the Qatari heir. Abdallah made mention of the Palestinians, saying that a solution to the Palestinian issue was one of Jordan’s "highest interests." He stressed Jordan’s unwavering support for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, attained through negotiations based on the two-state solution (Jordanian News Agency, January 29, 2012).
After the meeting Khaled Mashaal said that the meeting had been positive and expressed hope for closer relations between Jordan and Hamas. He said that Hamas opposed any permanent settling of the refugees in the Arab countries [i.e., Jordan] and the idea of an "alternative homeland [for the Palestinian refugees]" He also stated that Hamas was a guarantor of Jordan’s security and stability (Jordanian News Agency, January 29, 2012).
An "official Jordanian source" reported that Khaled Mashaal’s visit to Jordan had been an attempt to unfreeze relations, but that Jordan had no intention of allowing Hamas to reopen its political bureau on Jordanian territory (AP, January 29, 2012) .
Ismail Haniya Continues His Visits Abroad
On January 30 Ismail Haniya, head of the de-facto Hamas administration in the Gaza Strip, led a Hamas delegation on another round of visits to Arab-Muslim countries. Yusef Rizka, the administration’s political advisor, said the delegation would visit Qatar, Iran and a number of other countries (The PIJ’s Paltoday website, January 30, 2012).
Moving Hamas’ Political Bureau from Syria
Although the evacuation of Hamas headquarters from Syria has advanced considerably, Hamas publicly continues either to deny the move of the political bureau or to minimize its importance. Senior Hamas figures said the following:
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Fawzi Barhoum, Hamas spokesman, stressed that there had been no change in the status of the movement’s headquarters in Syria and that no decision had been made to leave the country. On the other hand, a Palestinian source reported that all the Hamas leaders had left Damascus out of security considerations (as reported by The New York Times, January 27, 2012).
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Osama Hamdan, responsible for Hamas’ international relations, denied that some of Hamas’ senior figures had left Syria, saying that a move would depend on a decision made by the movement (aljazeera.net, January 17, 2012).
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Mahmoud al-Zahar said that some Hamas activists had made personal decisions to leave Syria. However, the movement’s senior figures who lived in Damascus had so far not left the country. However, he said, all options were open and that anyone who wished could move to Qatar, Tunisia or Egypt (Al-Ghad, January 28, 2012).
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Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman, said that Khaled Mashaal’s visit to Jordan would not influence Hamas’ status in Syria (Chinese News Agency, January 29, 2012).
Hamas Delegation Visits Switzerland
On January 12, 2012, a delegation of Gazan Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council members left for Switzerland. Among the members of the delegation were Musheir al-Masri, spokesman for the Hamas faction in the PLC, Sayid Abu Musamah (representing Rafah in the PLC), and Khamis al-Najjar (representing Khan Yunis). While in Switzerland the delegation held a number of meetings with representatives of local and international organizations. Musheir al-Masri said the visit had been successful and that it was "a step in the right direction for ending the political isolation of the Hamas administration and the Legislative Council" (Alresalah.net January 23, date, 2012).
Among the meetings were the following:
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On January 14 the delegation met in Geneva with representatives of the Swiss Islamic community and with representatives of a number of Arab states (Filastin Al-‘Aan website, January 14, 2012).
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On January 15 the delegation met with members of the human rights committee of the International Parliamentary Union. In attendance were the chairman of the committee and members from various countries. The Hamas delegation asked them to reexamine the representation of the Israeli parliament (Knesset) in the Union. The delegation was assured that the Union would fulfill its responsibility to protect the members of the PLC (Alresalah.net website, January 15, 2012).
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On January 16 the delegation met with the International Red Cross officials dealing with the Middle East. The meeting was held in Geneva at the bureau of the Red Cross chairman (website of the Hamas faction in the PLC, January 16, 2012).
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On January 18 the delegation met with members of the Swiss parliament and discussed channels for cooperation and support for Palestinian rights at the international level (Safa News Agency, January 18, 2012).
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Members of the Hamas delegation participated in a meeting held by the human rights organization of the University of Geneva to reexamine European policy regarding the Palestinian cause (website of the Hamas faction in the PLC).
Musheir al-Masri held a press conference where he spoke about the consequences of the so-called Israeli "siege" of the Gaza Strip. He demanded that the conclusions of the Goldstone Report be implemented and that Israeli leaders be tried as war criminals. He also demanded the reexamination of Hamas’ inclusion in the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations, calling it "a historic, strategic mistake," the result of pressure from the "Zionist lobby and the Zionist occupation" (Hamas’ Palestine-info website, January 17, 2012).
The Hamas delegation in Switzerland. Left: A visit to the Swiss parliament
(PALDF website, January 17, 2012)
Ismail Haniya’s Visit to Turkey (Update)
According to the media, during his visit to Turkey Ismail Haniya, head of the de-facto Hamas administration, received commitments from Turkey of an annual aid grant of $300 million. According to the reports, the funds will replace those provided to date by Iran and which were severely reduced (cumhuriyet website and The New York Times, January 29, 2012).
Interviewed by CNN, Israeli President Shimon Peres strongly criticized the Turkish government for its commitment to Haniya. He said that the Turkish funds would strengthen Hamas terrorism and the de-facto Hamas administration (Yedioth Aharonoth, January 29, 2012).
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The Peace Process
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On January 24 and 25 representatives of the International Quartet met in Jordan with both sides without achieving significant progress. According to a high-ranking Palestinian source, during the meetings "great differences arose between the sides." For example, according to the source, Israel presented a proposal for the borders of the Palestinian state which followed the route of the security fence and included all of Jerusalem (Agence France-Presse, January 29, 2012). Since the final date (January 26) set by the Palestinian Authority for progress in the talks had passed, the PA announced that as far as it was concerned the talks in Jordan had ended without results and that it would consult with the Arab League regarding the future.
The Palestinian and Arab media reported that the Arab states, led by Jordan, were exerting pressure on the Palestinian Authority to extend the pre-meeting meetings with Israel by a number of months. They also reported that the Arab pressure was encouraged by America and Europe (Alresalah.net website, January 25, 2012). High-ranking Jordanian officials and International Quartet sources even hinted to the Palestinian leadership that Israel might make a goodwill gesture after the first preparatory meeting. Apparently, so far the Palestinian Authority refuses to extend the talks (Al-Quds Al-Arabi, January 25, 2012).
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Anti-Israeli Incitement in the Palestinian Authority
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Palestinian Authority Media Glorifies Murderers
The PA’s official television channel broadcasts a weekly program devoted to Palestinian [terrorists] imprisoned in Israeli jails. The past week’s program featured a telephone interview with the mother and aunt of one of the murderers of the Fogel family in the Israeli village of Itamar.3 The mother praised her son and said that he was one of the two who had carried out the "operation at Itamar." Hakim Awad’s aunt called him a "hero and legend." The program was broadcast twice (PMW, January 29, 2012).
Hakim Awad, one of the murderers of the Fogel family (PMW, January 29, 2012).
According to the Palestinian media, children in the village of Nebi Salah, north of Ramallah, customarily play at holding mock "funerals" for "shaheeds" (Tamimi Press website, January 22, 2012). The "funerals" are part of the culture of glorifying shaheeds inculcated into Palestinian children and adolescents. Note: Nebi Salah is one of the focal points for Friday "popular resistance" demonstrations in Judea and Samaria.
Children in the village of Nebi Salah hold a “funeral” for a “shaheed”
(Tamimi Press website, January 22, 2012)
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Propaganda Events
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The World March to Jerusalem
Preparations continue for the World March to Jerusalem, planned for March 30, 2012. The march’s Facebook page posted a video with a call to the general public from Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, one of the organizers, to join the march. He claimed one of his aims was to recreate the solidarity shown by the masses for South Africa and to express the same feeling for the Palestinian people by participation in the march, which was part of the "mass popular resistance of the Palestinians and the solidarity movements."4
Preparations for the Fly-In to Ben-Gurion International Airport
The organizers of the fly-in to Ben-Gurion Airport are planning another series of preparatory meetings, this time throughout Italy, having already met in France and Belgium. On February 3 a meeting will be held in Naples, on February 4 in Rome, on February 5 in Florence, on February 6 in La Spezia and Massa, and on February 7 in Milan (FreedomFlotilla.it website, January 26, 2012). The fly-in is planned for April 15, 2012 (a week after Easter and the date of the murder in the Gaza Strip of Italian journalist Vittorio Arrigoni).
1 The statistics do not include rockets and mortar shells fired which fell inside the Gaza Strip. As of date January 31, 2012.
2 On December 24, 2011 Palestinian terrorists opened fire on an Israeli vehicle near the village of Azoun, east of Qalqilya. There were no casualties but the vehicle was damaged (IDF Spokesman, December 24, 2011).
3 On May 11, 2011, five members of the Fogel family were murdered in their home in the village of Itamar by two Palestinian terrorists belonging to the Awad family. The two were tried and sentenced to five consecutive terms of life imprisonment.
4 For further information about the convoy, fly-in and other planned propaganda displays the January 23, 2012 bulletin "The networks waging the campaign to delegitimize Israel are planning a series of propaganda displays for 2012, some of them in the upcoming months…" at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e152.htm.
