News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (June 22-28, 2022)

Counterterrorism activities

• On June 24, 2022, Israeli police detained a Palestinian from Anata near the Temple Mount who planned to carry out a stabbing attack. He surrendered himself after changing his mind. The knife he intended to use was also located (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit for the Jerusalem district, June 24, 2022).
• This past week the Israeli security forces continued operations in Judea and Samaria. The more prominent incidents were the following:
  • June 28, 2022: In Hebron three Palestinians wanted for terrorist activity were detained. Two hunting rifles and other weapons were found. During the activity Palestinians threw rocks at the forces, who responded with riot control measures (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, June 28, 2022).

• • June 27, 2022: In Jenin three Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activity were detained. Shots were fired at the forces from a passing car. No Israeli casualties were reported (IDF spokesman, June 27, 2022).
  • June 26, 2022: In the Nur al-Shams refugee camp, east of Tulkarm, three Palestinians suspected of terrorist activity were detained, and the forces seized guns, ammunition magazines, ammunition and other military equipment. Palestinians clashed with the Israeli forces, throwing rocks and IEDs (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit, June 26, 2022).
  • June 25, 2022: Palestinians near Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, threw rocks at Israeli forces, who responded with procedure for detaining a suspect, which includes shooting at rock-throwers. One Palestinian was mortally wounded and evacuated to a hospital, dying a number of hours later. Following his death Palestinians rioted, throwing rocks at the Israeli forces (IDF spokesman, June 25, 2022). The Palestinian media reported the death of Muhammad Abdallah al-Saher Hamed, 16, from Silwad, brother of prisoner Ahmed Hamed^[1] (QudsN website, June 25, 2022). The Palestinian social networks posted a Fatah mourning notice which had the logo of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military-terrorist wing (BinNassema’s Twitter account, June 25, 2022). Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also issued mourning notices (Hamas website and the Jerusalem Brigades-affiliated MithaqMedia Twitter account, June 25, 2022).

   
Right: Muhammad Abdallah al-Saher Hamed (QudsN website, June 25, 2022). Left: The Fatah mourning notice (BinNassema’s Twitter account, June 25, 2022).

• • June 23, 2022: In the Pharoah refugee camp near Jericho a riot broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinians who threw rocks and IEDs. Three Palestinians wanted for involvement in terrorist activities were detained and an improvised gun was confiscated (IDF spokesman, June 23, 2022).
  • June 22, 2022: In Hebron Israeli security forces confiscated an Airsoft gun, other weapons, ammunition and military equipment (IDF spokesman, June 22, 2022).

Palestinian killed in fight between Israelis and Palestinians

• On June 21, 2022, a fight broke out near Ariel between Palestinians and a group of Israelis who had come to visit the area. During the fight a Palestinian was stabbed and died later in a hospital. The Israeli police began an investigation of the circumstances of the event. The Palestinian media reported the death of Ali Hassan Harb, 28, who was “stabbed by Jews” near the village of Iskaka in the Salfit district.
• The incident was widely covered and condemned by the Palestinian media. Mahmoud Abbas’ office issued a statement calling it a “another settler crime” against the Palestinian people, like the burning of the Dawabshe family near Nablus and the burning of Muhammad Abu Khdair in Jerusalem (Wafa, June 21, 2022). PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said they held the international community and the International Criminal Court general prosecutor fully responsible for the “execution” of Ali Harb (Wafa, June 21, 2022). The Palestinian foreign ministry called it “an organized political crime of execution and terrorism” (Wafa, June 21, 2022). Taysir Khaled, a Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) member of the politician’s Executive Committee, assigned Israel responsibility for his death (Fateh voice website, June 22, 2022). He claimed the settlements hosted terrorist cells which were “protected by the IDF and barbarically killed Palestinians.” He said the PLO had to behave towards Israel as an impermanent, imperialist, racist country and initiate a “popular intifada” (QudsN Twitter account, June 22, 2022).
• A military-style funeral was held for Ali Hassan Har. Fatah and DFLP flags were carried and slogans in support of Muhammed Deif, the commander of Hamas’ military-terrorist wing, were chanted (Paldf Twitter account, June 22, 2022).

    
Right: Ali Hassan Harb (Qalqilya al-Hadath Facebook page, June 21, 2022). Left: The funeral held for Ali Hassan Harb (Palestine Shabakat Lilhawar Twitter account, June 22, 2022).

Significant Terrorist Attacks in Judea and Samaria since January 2020^[2]

Construction begins for a security fence in northern Samaria

• The Israeli defense ministry announced the construction of a 45-kilometer (28-mile) long, nine-meter (ten yard) high border security fence in northern Samaria. Construction will take about a year and include a massive concrete wall, defensive and other technological features. It will replace the fence constructed 20 years ago. In addition, the breaches in the current fence will be closed and a ditch will be dug to prevent Palestinian vehicles from entering Israeli territory (Israeli ministry of defense Facebook page, June 22, 2022).
• The defense ministry’s announcement was widely covered by the Palestinian media. It was quoted and accompanied by pictures showing the fence under construction (Ma’an, Quds Press, aljazeera.net, June 22, 2022). The media also reported that the Qalqilya district had been turned into a “prison” by the 11-kilometer (about 7 miles) fence around it. Local residents also claimed Israel had taken control of Palestinian lands and water sources to carry out the construction (al-Andalou News, June 22, 2022).

    
Constructing a security fence in northern Samaria
(Israeli defense ministry Facebook page, June 22, 2022).

Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel

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

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since January 2020

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Qatari financial aid for the Gaza Strip

• On June 23, 2022, Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, announced the distribution of Qatar’s financial aid for June 2022. Salama Maarouf, head of Hamas’ information bureau, said the exchange rate between the dollar and the shekel would make it possible to distribute the funds to 103,000 families instead of the usual 100,000 (Salama Maarouf’s Facebook page, June 22, 2022).

Hamas delegation visits Lebanon

• On June 21, 2022, Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, arrived in Beirut for a visit of several days, leading a delegation of senior Hamas figures, including Saleh al-‘Arouri, Khalil al-Haya, Musa Abu Marzouq Husam Badran and Usama Hamedan. According to the Lebanese daily paper al-Akhbar, it was Haniyeh’s third formal visit to Lebanon since he was appointed to head Hamas’ political bureau in May 2017. Taher al-Nunu, Isma’il Haniyeh’s media advisor, said the objective of the visit was to meet with Lebanese senior officials and leaders, as well as with senior figures of the Palestinian organizations in Lebanon (Hamas website, June 24, 2022).

• The delegation met with senior Lebanese government officials, including Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Makati of the interim government (Shehab, June 27, 2022), Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and representatives of the terrorist organizations (Hamas website, June 23, 2022).

   
Right: Haniyeh (third from left) and Lebanese President Michel Aoun (center) (al-Mayadeen, June 24, 2022). Left: Haniyeh meets with interim government Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati (Shehab, June 27, 2022).

   
Right: Haniyeh meets with Hassan Nasrallah (Hamas website, June 23, 2022). Left: The Hamas delegation and Hassan Nasrallah (Shehab, June 23, 2022).

• On June 23, 2022, Hassan Nasrallah met with the Hamas delegation. They discussed political developments in Israel, Lebanon and Middle East, developing the “resistance axis” [i.e., anti-Israeli terrorist organizations] and the threats they face. They agreed they had to cooperate to achieve their main goals of “Jerusalem and the Palestinian cause” (al-Mayadeen, June 24, 2022).
• The Hamas delegation met with representatives of the PIJ delegation headed by organization leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah. The agreed on the need for a new order to achieve national unity for dealing with Israel and realizing the aspirations of the Palestinian people (Quds Press, June 24, 2022).
• While in Lebanon Isma’il Haniyeh attended a Hamas-organized rally in Sidon, south Lebanon, whose theme was “We will see [al-Aqsa mosque] in the near future.” He gave a speech in which he claimed they were in an era of “victories” achieved by the Palestinian people and the “resistance.” However, he said, Hamas continued its military buildup and was planning for a strategic battle. He said that during the next confrontation 150 rockets would hit the “Zionist entity” within five minutes. He said Hamas adhered to its cooperation with all the national and Islamic forces in Lebanon. He added that Hamas did not want to start a war with anyone, but they rejected the normalization [of relations with Israel by Arab states]. Regarding explorations for natural gas, he said the natural gas of the Gaza Strip belonged to the Gazans and “Palestine,” and the day would come when they would be returned. He accused the PA of preventing the Palestinian people and the Gaza Strip from accessing their right to the gas and other natural resources because of the agreements they had signed with Israel (al-Manar, Hamas Telegram channel, June 26, 2022).

• Speaking at a National Islamic conference in Beirut, Haniyeh said dangerous regional developments were taking place whose objective was to fully integrate “the Zionist entity” into strategic and regional pacts. He called for formulating a plan that would combat efforts to attack the “resistance axis.” He said the need to find a response to Israel’s effort to divide time and space in al-Aqsa mosque was greater than ever, because Israel was trying to enforce religious changes in the mosque. He also claimed that today [Hamas] was better prepared than in the past to deal with changes and dangers, and would continue increasing its capabilities until the “liberation of Palestine” (Hamas website, June 25, 2022).
• Ziyad al-Nakhalah, speaking at the conference, said Israel could not break the will of the Palestinian people within “Palestine,” and therefore it was working indirectly and powerfully to impose a “siege” from without, and separate the Palestinians from the Arab-Muslim nation, and some of the Arab and Islamic capitals had opened their doors to Israel (Paltoday, June 25, 2022).

Hamas-Syrian relations

• In the meantime, “Hamas sources” in Lebanon reported Hamas had decided to renew relations with Syria. According to the sources, high-level meetings had already been held (Reuters, June 24, 2022). Al-Akhbar published an article noting that during the past two months Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps had made progress mediating between the two sides. However, according to al-Akhbar, their efforts had not yet borne fruit and the renewal of relations would not be a matter of days or weeks (al-Akhbar, June 22, 2022). Hamas-Syrian relations were destabilized and virtually ended about ten years ago, a consequence of the Syrian Civil War.

EU financial aid to the PA renewed

• After the EU announced it would renew financial to the PA, Mahmoud Abbas met with EU representatives in his office in Ramallah to sign the agreement. Shadi Othman, EU spokesman in the PA, said the PA would receive economic aid from the European countries at the end of July 2022 (Filastin al-A’an, June 22, 2022). The aid would amount to €224 million (a little less than $236 million), of which €125 million (about $131 million) would be transferred to the PA’s budget.
•  After the signing Mahmoud Abbas said Europe recognized the two-state solution with the 1967 borders and recognized Israel, and they hoped it would recognize “Palestine,” since that would help motivate the peace process. He said he was sorry that all the UN resolutions were not implemented and that the Palestinians had no choice but to use “non-violent popular resistance” [i.e., popular terrorism] to achieve justice (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 21, 2022). PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh noted the importance of the aid agreement, which had no conditions attached, and said he hoped the agreement for financial aid for 2022 would be speeded up (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 21, 2022).

Preparations for the American president’s visit

• In preparation for President Joe Biden’s visit, on June 26, 2022, Mahmoud Abbas, Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian general intelligence, Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO’s Executive Committee, and Majdi al-Khaldi, Mahmoud Abbas’ diplomatic advisor, went to Amman to meet with King Abdallah of Jordan. The Jordanian media reported the king assured them of Jordan’s permanent position regarding the Palestinian cause and his support for the Palestinians, saying Jordan stood beside the Palestinian people and nothing was more important to Jordan than the Palestinian cause (al-Mamlaka, June 26, 2022). The PLO’s Executive Committee and Fatah’s Central Committee also held meetings in preparation for the president’s visit.

• Mahmoud Abbas issued a declaration welcoming the visit and saying the PA was waiting for it because it represented an important development in strengthening bilateral relations and would help calm the situation, create a political horizon and achieve peace based on international law and the two-state solution. He also said he hoped the visit would have a practical outcome, lead to stopping construction in the settlements, the “expulsion” of Palestinians from Jerusalem and Israel’s unilateral actions, help preserve the Temple Mount’s “historical status” and lead to the reopening of the American consulate in east Jerusalem (Wafa, June 22, 2022).

Confirmation of Hussein al-Sheikh’s appointment

• On June 25, 2022, the PLO’s Executive Committee met to discuss the significance of political developments in Israel and the visit of American President Joe Biden. The committee also confirmed the appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as its security force after Mahmoud Abbas announced the appointment on May 26, 2022. The distribution of the Executive Committee’s portfolios was also confirmed after changes were made in the Central Council meeting of February 6-7, 2022 (Shahed, June 27, 2022). Yasser Abu Rabbo, former secretary of the PLO’s Executive Committee, called Hussein al-Sheikh’s appointment “a dangerous violation of national norms and of the organization’s internal regulations” (Raad Ali’s Twitter account, June 26, 2022).

Mahmoud Abbas calls for the continuation of the “popular resistance” [i.e., popular terrorism]

• At the PA government meeting headed by Mahmoud Abbas and attended by Hussein al-Sheikh, Mahmoud Abbas praised the “popular resistance” [i.e., popular terrorism], saying it had recently developed “amazingly.” He claimed it was the most important weapon an “oppressed people” could use, and the weapon they should continue using. He called on “all Palestinians between the ages of eight and eighty” to join the “demonstrations” [i.e., riots]. He said their actions would have “positive results” but they had to be patient (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 27, 2022).^[3]

    
Right: The weekly PA government meeting. Left: Muhammad Shtayyeh (left) and Mahmoud Abbas (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, June 27, 2022).

• During the meeting of Fatah’s Central Committee on June 25, 2022, calls were heard for expanding the option of “peaceful popular resistance” in view of Israel’s actions, especially in the areas in danger of being seized and all areas along the Green Line (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 25, 2022).

UNRWA’s budget

• UNRWA announced that at a meeting of the donor countries sponsored by the UN, the countries authorized the transfer of $160 million to the agency’s budget. Nevertheless, UNRWA said they foresaw a deficit of $100 million and would continue their efforts to raise money (UNRWA website, June 24, 2022).

Support for the residents of Masafer Yatta

• During a meeting held in Masafer Yatta,^[4] Muhammad Shtayyeh said he expected “Israeli aggression” to increase because of the upcoming Knesset elections. He announced a number of projects for Masafer Yatta to empower the residents to deal with Israel’s [alleged] “ethnic cleansing.” Mahmoud al-‘Alul, deputy Fatah chairman, said the fact of holding the meeting proved their hold on the land; he praised popular conduct (Mahmoud al-‘Alul’s Facebook page, June 25, 2022).
• At the weekly government meeting, Mahmoud Abbas praised the visits government members paid [to the PA districts], especially the most recent one to Masafer Yatta on June 25, 2022. He called on all the senior PA figures to go out and show solidarity with local residents. He also instructed the government to provide services to residents in areas liable to be attacked by settlers to strengthen the residents’ hold on their lands (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, June 21, 2022).

The struggle for succession in the PA

• The Lebanese daily newspaper al-Akhbar published an article about the struggle for succession in the PA. According to the article, the Palestinians had recently begun asking more often who would replace Mahmoud Abbas, given his medical issues. Apparently Hussein al-Sheikh, Majed Faraj and Jibril al-Rajoub tend to divide among themselves the functions Mahmoud Abbas currently carries out, a solution described as the option best and least damaging to Fatah. Hamas, the PIJ and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) are also discussing the stage after Mahmoud Abbas. If they want to join the PLO, they will have a problem because joining is conditional on accepting the conditions of the International Quartet. In any case, they claim that the day after Mahmoud Abbas the “official, organized security contracts” the PA carries out for Israel [i.e., the security coordination] will stop and Israel will be forced to find a different mechanism (al-Akhbar, June 24, 2022).

Investigating the death of al-Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh

• This past week the preoccupation with the circumstances of the death of Shireen Abu Akleh continued. She was shot and killed on May 11, 2022, while covering an operation in Jenin to detain Palestinians suspected of terrorist activities. The UN’s Human Rights Commission announced it had carried out a thorough investigation of the incident, and it indicate she had been killed by IDF fire and not by indiscriminate gunfire from an armed Palestinian. According to the investigation, no information was found indicating armed Palestinian activity near the site where the media personnel had gathered. The investigation, which included examining videos and pictures from the scene of the incident, consultations with experts and interviews with eye witnesses, showed the Israeli security forces deliberately [sic] shot at the media personnel. The commission called on the authorities in Israel to begin a criminal investigation of the incident (UN Human Rights Commission website, June 24, 2022).
• The IDF spokesman said in response that the IDF had again proposed the Palestinians allow Israel to examine the bullet. He said the Palestinian refusal to provide the bullet and conduct a joint investigation revealed their [true] considerations. The IDF, he added, continued to investigate the incident and had enlarged the number of investigators. The incident was one of a series of detentions in the Jenin refugee camp where an uncontrollable exchange of fire developed between IDF forces and armed Palestinian, and so far it was impossible to determine if Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Palestinians or mistakenly by IDF soldiers (IDF spokesman, June 25, 2022).

PA minister for Jerusalem affairs criticizes the Bennett government

• Fadi al-Hidmi, PA minister for Jerusalem affairs, claimed the year of Naftali Bennett’s government was the most difficult and dangerous Jerusalem and its Arab residents had experienced in years. He claimed there had been an increase in settler activity, in the destruction of Arab homes and in the implementation of the program to “Judaize” Jerusalem to “change the nature of the city” [sic]. He claimed the year had also been difficult for al-Aqsa mosque, because measures had been taken to erase the “legal and historical” status quo by allowing more Israelis to visit the Temple Mount, allowing them to hold prayers at the site and wave Israeli flags, as well as the conducting of excavations near the Temple Mount (Wafa, June 27, 2022).

• Mai al-Kayla, PA minister of health, announced that the PA had entered its sixth wave of coronavirus, this time the B5 variant, and that the situation was worrisome. She said the number of active cases and hospitalizations had risen, and called on Palestinians to wear masks in closed spaces, mosques, churches, restaurants and reception venues. She called on the public, especially the elderly and chronically ill, to be vaccinated, noting that following the public health guidelines would allow the ministry of health not to take measures that the public did not want (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook page, June 27, 2022).
• According to data from the ministry of health in Ramallah, as of June 27, 2022, there were 983 active cases in the West Bank and 11 in the Gaza Strip. The Ramallah district had 441 active cases, the largest number of verified cases (corona.ps website, June 27, 2022).

Rocks, Molotov cocktails and other attacks

• In Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. The more prominent events were the following:^[5]
• June 28, 2022: A Palestinian riding a motorcycle threw a Molotov cocktail at an IDF post east of Tulkarm. No casualties or damage were reported.
• June 28, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near the Ma’aleh Lavona Junction, east of Ramallah. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.
• June 27, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near the Jinsafut Junction, east of Qalqilya. No casualties or damage were reported.
• June 27, 2022: Rocks and a bottle of paint were thrown at an Israeli bus and other vehicles in Hawwara, south of Nablus. No casualties were reported; the vehicles were damaged.
• June 26, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Husan bypass road, southwest of Bethlehem. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.
• June 26, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle in Hawwara, south of Nablus. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.
• June 25, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle in Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. One person was injured and the vehicle was damaged.
• June 23, 2022: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle east of the Rantis intersection, northwest of Ramallah. No casualties or damage were reported.
• June 23, 2022: Molotov cocktails were thrown at the settlement of Beit El by Palestinians who escaped in a vehicle, which was shot at by an IDF force. The Palestinian media reported two wounded Palestinians had gone to the hospital in Ramallah.
• June 21, 2022: Shots were fired at a home in Kiryat Arba, east of Hebron. No casualties were reported; the home was damaged.