News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 1 – 7, 2016)

Riots, Clashes and Popular Terrorism

• This past week demonstrations, protest marches, riots, and the throwing of stones, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs continue in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.
• The more prominent events were the following:

• June 5, 2016 – An empty Israeli bus was attacked near Huwwara (south of Nablus), and some of its windows were shattered. According to evidence found at the scene, the damage was inflicted by small metal balls (IDF spokesman, June 5, 2016).

Left: A metal ball found near the bus (Facebook page of QudsN, June 5, 2016). Right: A window shattered in the shooting attack (IDF spokesman, June 5, 2016).

• June 5, 2016 – Palestinians threw stones at an Israel bus on the Hizma road near Pisgat Ze'ev in east Jerusalem. The driver was wounded and evacuated to a hospital.
• June 5, 2016 – During an IDF action in the village of Tubas (northeast of Nablus) Palestinians threw an IED at the soldiers. There were no casualties (Facebook page of Red Alert, June 5, 2016).
• June 3, 2016 – Palestinians threw two Molotov cocktails at an IDF force manning a post in Hebron. There were no casualties.
• June 3, 2016 – A Palestinian from Nablus, 38 years old, was detained after he was apprehended in the region of Kafr Qasem with two knives. During interrogation he confessed he was planning to carry out a stabbing attack in the Sharon region in the center of Israel (Facebook page of Red Alert, June 3, 2016).

• June 3, 2016 – Palestinians rioted near Joseph's Tomb in Nablus. An IDF force shot at them. One was critically injured and later died. The Palestinian media reported he was Jamal Muhammad Dweikat, 20, from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. Hamas issued a death notice for him. When his death was announced Palestinians rioted near Joseph's Tomb. PA security forces were deployed in the area to maintain quiet (Twitter account of Palinfo, June 6, 2016).

Left: Palestinians riot near Joseph's tomb after the death of Palestinian terrorist Jamal Muhammad Dweikat is announced (Facebook page of QudsN, June 6, 2016). Right: Death notice issued by Hamas for terrorist Jamal Muhammad Dweikat (Twitter account of Palinfo, June 6, 2016).

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

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

Hamas Operative Detained

• In May the Israeli security forces detained a 17 year-old Hamas terrorist operative from the Gaza Strip when he crossed the border security fence into Israeli territory. During interrogation he confessed to being an operative in the Beit Lahia battalion of the Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military-terrorist wing, and that most of his activity dealt with the terrorist tunnels. His interrogation revealed considerable information about how Hamas operatives are recruited and trained, methods for digging tunnels and tunnel locations. According to the operative, Hamas seeks to construct an interlinked tunnel system in the Gaza Strip in addition to its existing terrorist tunnels, primarily for the purpose of moving operatives from one place to another. The tunnels have many openings, some near civilian structures such as schools, mosques and private residences (Israel Security Agency media unit, June 5, 2016).

The Rafah Crossing

• The Rafah crossing opened for four days between June 1 and June 5 (it remained closed on Friday, June 3) for the Muslim religious month of Ramadan. It was the third time this year the crossing had been opened. During the days it was open 3,250 Gazans left the Strip for Egypt and 900 entered. Egypt also permitted the entrance of trucks carrying building materials for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip: 3,800 tons of cement, 550 tons of metal and eight truckloads of lumber. On June 5 the crossing was closed until further notice (Dunia al-Watan, June 6, 2016).

• After the crossing was opened, senior Hamas figures called on Egypt to keep it open permanently. Ismail Haniyeh, deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, claimed Hamas had fulfilled all of its obligations regarding the Gaza-Egypt border and had had no military involvement in the Sinai Peninsula. Senior Hamas figure Ismail Radwan called on Egypt to keep the crossing permanently open to ease the suffering of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip (Hamas website, June 5, 2016).

Popular and Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine Send Delegations to Egypt

• A delegation of senior figures from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) went to Egypt to meet with officials in the Egyptian administration. They discussed matters concerning the Gaza Strip, such as problems with the supply of electricity and the opening of the Rafah crossing, as well as political issues, including the French initiative and the internal Palestinian reconciliation. Rabah Muhanna, a member of the PFLP political bureau, said nothing had been settled and he expected another meeting would be held after Ramadan (Safa, June 6, 2016).

Hamas Security Forces Train to Kill and Abduct IDF Soldiers

• On June 2, 2016, graduation exercises were held for a national security force officers' training course. The national security force is one of the most important internal security forces in the Gaza Strip, and is under Hamas control. Present at the exercises were Ahmed Bahar (Hamas faction deputy head of the Palestinian Legislative Council) and senior security force personnel. The graduates put on a show of simulating an attack on an IDF patrol, abducting one soldier under threat of death, and killing others (Website of the Hamas ministry of the interior in the Gaza Strip, June 2, 2016). The graduation exercises and simulation were additional proof that the operatives of Hamas security forces, responsible for preserving order in the Gaza Strip, are military-terrorist forces in every respect whose missions are not limited to preserving internal security.

International Conference in Paris on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

• On June 3, 2016, an international conference was held in Paris to promote the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, attended by representatives from 29 countries. Israel and the Palestinians did not participate. The summary announcement issued by the conference called on Israel and the Palestinians to begin direct negotiations. The announcement noted previous UN resolutions as sources of authority. It also noted that the settlements were an obstacle to the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The conference participants called for another conference to be held before the end of the year (Al-Jazeera, Sky News, Al-Arabiya, June 3, 2016). Sources in the PA expressed satisfaction with the declaration issued by the conference. Senior figures in Hamas and other terrorist organizations expressed reservations.

PA

• Mahmoud Abbas thanked French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault for France's efforts and stressed his commitment to cooperate with the international community (Wafa, June 4, 2016). Ziad Abu Amru, deputy prime minister in the Palestinian national consensus government, said the Palestinians were in contact with the countries attending the conference and had begun making preparations for the next stage (Facebook page of the Palestinian ministry of the interior, June 5, 2016).
• Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas' office, called for support of the French initiative and said the conference was a "new stage," the beginning of a change in international public opinion and recognition of the fact that it was time to stop surrendering to Israeli policy (Karameh Press, June 4, 2016).
• Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the PLO's Executive Committee, said the conference had proved that world leaders unanimously agreed that a new map of the Middle East could not be drawn without an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders and east Jerusalem as its capital. He said effort should be invested to make the French initiative succeed and to renew the peace process, which was "a spark of hope." He added that the Palestinians demanded a time table for the establishment of the Palestinian state (Quds.net, June 3, 2016).

Hamas and Other Terrorist Organizations

• Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the PFLP and the DFLP issued a joint statement to the effect that the French initiative was detrimental to the Palestinian national principles. Its objective, they said, was to return to the "absurd" negotiations (Al-Mayadeen, June 3, 2016).
• In his Friday sermon, Ismail Haniyeh said that today there were efforts to "force" new initiatives on the Palestinians to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Those efforts, he claimed, negated the principles of the Palestinian people, especially the "right of return| and the territorial integrity of Palestine. They were intended, he said, to lead to a normalization of relations with Israel under the idea of "peace" (Al-Aqsa TV, June 3, 2016).
• Mahmoud al-Zahar, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said the failure of the Paris conference was a foregone conclusion because it was based on negotiations and the two-state solution, which were unacceptable (Raya radio, June 5, 2016). Musa Abu Marzouq, also a member of Hamas' political bureau, said there would be no peace, neither hot nor cold, with Israel (Quds al-Akhbariya, June 4, 2016).
• Demonstrators held a march in Gaza to show their objection to the French peace initiative (Qudsnews, June 4,2016). Senior Hamas figure Ismail Radwan said he had no intention of giving up any part of the land of Palestine, and warned against any initiative of that sort. He also said that the only way to liberate Palestine was "with guns" (Al-Wataniya News Agency, June 4, 2016).

Glorifying Palestinian Terrorists at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis

• Among the recipients at the degree-granting ceremony held at Al-Quds University in Abu Dis were Palestinian students who had been killed in the recent wave of terrorism, including those who had carried out attacks, despite the fact that they had not finished their studies. The ceremony was attended by Ahmed Qari' (Abu Alaa'), a senior Fatah figure who is also chairman of the university's board of trustees, Imad Abu Kishk, university president, the heads of various departments and a large audience (Website of Al-Fajr TV, Tulkarm, June 4, 2016). Al-Quds University in Abu Dis is an academic institution with accreditation from the Palestinian ministry of education and higher education in Ramallah.
• Among those who received the degrees for their children were:

• The parents of Palestinian terrorist Muhannad al-Halabi, a law student. He was a PIJ terrorist operative and carried out a shooting and stabbing attack on October 3, 2015 at the Nablus in the Old City of Jerusalem, killing two Israelis.
• The parents of Palestinian terrorist Hassan Albo, a law student. He was killed on October 13, 2015, rioting against IDF soldiers near the Halhul Bridge (Hebron).
• The parents of Palestinian terrorist Iyad Sajdia, a communications student. He was killed on March 1, 2016, rioting against IDF forces in the Qalandia refugee camp.
• The father of Palestinian terrorist Dhiaa al-Talahma, an engineering student. Al-Talahma was a PIJ terrorist operative who was killed on September 22, 2015, while throwing a hand grenade at an IDF force south of Mt. Hebron.

Left: the parents of Palestinian terrorist Muhannad al-Halabi with their son's degree from Al-Quds University in Abu Dis. Right: The father of Palestinian terrorist Dhiaa al-Talahma receives his son's degree from senior Fatah figure Ahmed Qari' (Abu Alaa) (Facebook page of Paldf, June 3, 2016).