News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (October 27 – November 2, 2021)

Counterterrorism activities

• On the night of October 31, 2021, two Palestinians were detained on suspicion of throwing a Molotov cocktail at a police patrol car near Ras al-Amoud in east Jerusalem. No casualties were reported. The patrol car was damaged. The two Palestinians had uploaded a video of the Molotov cocktail-throwing incident to TikTok. Both, 16 years old, were from Ras al-Amoud, and were taken for questioning (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit, November 1, 2021).

Rocks, Molotov cocktails and other events

• In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. There was a significant increase in the number of rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at buses; an IDF ambulance was a also attacked. The more prominent events were the following:^[1]
  • November 1, 2021: Israeli police forces arriving in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of a-Tor to detain a man suspected of domestic violence clashed with dozens of rioters who threw rocks at the forces. One policeman was wounded by a rock and evacuated to a hospital (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit in Jerusalem, November 1, 2021).
  • November 1, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus in Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • November 1, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Gush Etzion-Hebron road near al-Aroub, north of Hebron. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • November 1, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus and other vehicles near Hizma, northeast of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported. A police patrol car was damaged.
  • September 31, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on route 443, the Modi’in-Jerusalem road. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • September 31, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Azun, east of Qalqilya. No casualties were reported. The windshield of the bus was damaged.
  • September 31, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Hebron-Tarqumiya road near the Halhul bridge. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • September 30, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus on the Gush Etzion-Hebron road near the al-Aroub refugee camp. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • September 30, 2021: Rocks were thrown from a passing car at an IDF ambulance near Turmus Aya, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • September 30, 2021: Two Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • September 28, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Beitar Illit. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • September 28, 2021: An IDF force dispatched to the region of Homesh, near Burqa, northwest of Nablus, to deal with a Molotov cocktail attack was met with Molotov cocktail-throwing Palestinians who attacked them. No casualties were reported.
  • September 28, 2021: Rocks were thrown at Israeli vehicles at Hawwara, south of Nablus. No casualties were reported. One vehicle was damaged in a traffic accident.
  • September 28, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Husan bypass road west of Bethlehem. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • September 28, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Gush Etzion-Hebron road near Bayt Umar. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • September 27, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli bus near al-Fawwar, west of Hebron. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • September 27, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
  • September 27, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at a bus stop north of the al-Fawwar junction, west of Hebron. No casualties were reported. A bus was damaged.
  • September 27, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between Homesh and Shavei Tzion near the village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus. An Israeli man was injured and the vehicle was damaged.
  • September 26, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus between Dotan and Hermesh, west of Jenin. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
  • September 26, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an IDF post in al-Fawwar, west of Hebron. No casualties or damage were reported.

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

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

Rebuilding the Gaza Strip and delivering the funds from Qatar

• The Hamas leadership issued threats, telling the Egyptian mediators that if no genuine progress were made in the issues relating to the Gaza Strip, the “resistance” [i.e., the terrorist organizations] would not allow the Israeli government to peacefully vote to approve its budget for the coming year. It was also reported that during his most recent visit to the Gaza Strip, Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, told Hamas that the funds from Qatar for repairing houses [damaged in Operation Guardian of the Walls] would begin arriving the following week, after resolving Israel’s objections (al-Akhbar, October 30, 2021). In the meantime, agreements were almost finalized for a mechanism for paying the third installment of the Qatari donation to the Gaza Strip. According to reports, the Committee will pay the funds to an Egyptian company called Bani Sinai, which will use the money to pay for fuel delivered to the Gaza Strip (al-Quds, October 30, 2021).

A PIJ delegation visits Egypt

• On October 27, 2021, a PIJ delegation headed by PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah arrived in Egypt. Ziyad al-Nakhalah met with Abbas Kamel, head of Egyptian General Intelligence. They discussed developments in Palestinian issues and in the confrontation with Israel. PIJ spokesman Da’ud Shehab called the meeting “positive and straightforward.” He said they discussed Egypt’s efforts to improve passage through the Rafah Crossing and to reduce the suffering of the Gazans (Filastin al-Yawm, October 28, 2021). Nafez Assam, a member of the PIJ’s political bureau, said in an interview that the main issues discussed were the internal Palestinian reconciliation and the “siege” of the Gaza Strip (Radio Sawt al-Quds, October 31, 2021).

Remarks from PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah

• Ziyad al-Nakhalah gave a speech at a memorial service to mark the 26^th anniversary of the killing of Fathi Shqaqi, PIJ founder, held in front of his house in Rafah. He said that rebuilding the Gaza Strip was the responsibility of all the countries that supported [Israel’s alleged] aggression, which were silent and those which normalized relations with Israel. He said fighting Israel would not stop as long as the [Palestinian terrorist prisoners] remained in Israeli jails (Filastin al-Yawm, October 26, 2021).

Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, talks with residents of Sheikh Jarrah

• The Israeli Supreme Court recently offered a compromise for the issue of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in east Jerusalem. According to the offer, ownership of the houses would be registered to their Jewish buyers but the current Arab residents would be recognized as protected tenants and would not be evicted. In response to the offer, Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, held telephone conversation with Sheikh Jarrah residents and told them they did not have to accept the court’s offer. He promised the “resistance” [i.e., the terrorist organizations] would not permit an Israeli court to use tricks to achieve what Israel’s could not achieve with war. He added that they would not lose the battle, and that [all] the Palestinian people and the “resistance” would support their fight (Hamas website, October 26, 2021). Note: The PA and the National Islamic Forces (an umbrella organization composed of representatives from Fatah, Hamas, the PIJ, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and others) advised the residents of Sheikh Jarrah to reject the Israeli offer. Hamas has a vested interest in the rejection, after having justified its decision to carry out attacks against Israel in May 2021 in response to Israel activities concerning the issue of the Sheikh Jarrah residents.

The Hamas leadership fosters its relations with Turkey

•  A delegation of the Hamas leadership, headed by Isma’il Haniyeh, Khaled Mashaal and Khalil al-Haya, participated in a formal event in the Turkish embassy in Qatar to mark the anniversary of the declaration of the Turkish Republic in 1923. At the ceremony members of the Hamas delegation gave the Turkish ambassador to Qatar a message for the Turkish president (Hamas website, October 29, 2021).

Diplomatic activity of the PA leadership

Mahmoud Abbas visits Italy

• On November 1, 2021, Mahmoud Abbas began a formal four-day visit to Italy. He will meet with Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Mario Draghi and with Pope Francis (Voice of Palestine, October 31, 2021). According to Abir Awda, PA representative in Italy, the meetings will focus on the activities of the Israeli government against the Palestinian people and the [alleged] violations Israel commits in the PA territories, especially in Jerusalem, including the eviction of residents from their houses, construction in the settlements, etc. (Ma’an, October 31, 2021).

Mahmoud Abbas meets the president of Switzerland

• Before he left for Rome, Mahmoud Abbas hosted Swiss President Guy Parmelin at his office in Ramallah. Mahmoud Abbas told him the Palestinian leadership was in contact with the American administration and they had heard comforting words from President Biden about the two-state solution, the need to respect the status quo in the Temple Mount compound, objections to evicting residents from east Jerusalem, the construction in the settlements and every Israeli unilateral action. Mahmoud Abbas said he had told President Biden that words have to be turned into deeds, especially regarding opening an American embassy in east Jerusalem. He also claimed the current situation was very dangerous and they were extending their hands to the Israelis to implement trust-building measures and to begin a political process (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, October 28, 2021).

Muhammad Shtayyeh attends the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow

• After touring Belgium and Luxembourg, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh arrived in Glasgow to attend the Climate Change Conference. He gave a speech to the assembled forum in which he severely castigated Israel, claiming it was unilaterally responsible for polluting the environment in the PA territories. He claimed the Israeli settlements, the quarries, the garbage dumps and the sites for the disposal of chemical, electronic and solid waste were the main sources of pollution. On the other hand, he related in detail how the PA supported the struggle against clime change. He claimed the following (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, November 1, 2021):
  • The settlements: Anyone who looks at the map of “Palestine” can see how Israel has been deliberately destroying the environment since 1967. The objective of constructing settlements is to level the land, conquer the hills, turn green areas into concrete, and exploit and dry up water resources. All that, he said, had to stop immediately.
  • The theft of Palestinian water: Of the Palestinian’s annual water balance of 800 million cubic meters, Israel “steals” 600 million cubic meters. He claimed it was part of Israel’s [alleged] “deliberate colonialist policies” whose objective is to dry the land and expel its owners.
  • Israel prevents Palestinian access to the Dead Sea: The Dead Sea is 21 miles long and Palestinians have no access to its shores.
  • The PA support for the struggle against climate change: The PA joined the Paris climate accords, prepared programs to make the PA territories greener and generate electricity from solid waste and solar energy, to plant thousands of trees, etc.

    
Right: Muhammad Shtayyeh at the conference in Glasgow. Left: Muhammad Shtayyeh delivers a speech to the conference (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, November 1, 2021).

Muhammad Shtayyeh visits Belgium

•   While in Belgium, Muhammad Shtayyeh met with the European Council President Charles Michel. Shtayyeh told him of the importance of the EU’s position regarding marketing products manufactured in the Israeli settlements, noting that the time had come to keep such products out of European markets. Meeting with EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell Fontelles, Shtayyeh demanded that the EU exert pressure on Israel to honor its signed agreements. He also demanded that the EU take practical steps to stop the construction in the settlements and Palestinian territories, and to exert pressure on Israel to allow elections to be held in east Jerusalem. At other meetings with senior EU figures he demanded they send the necessary financial aid to the PA so the government could continue functioning, as well as money to finance projects in the Gaza Strip, east Jerusalem and Area C (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, October 27, 2021).

   
Right: Muhammad Shtayyeh and the EU president. Left: Muhammad Shtayyeh (left) and the EU foreign minister (Wafa, October 7, 2021).

• From Belgium went to Luxembourg for an official visit. While there he met with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, the foreign minister, as well as minister of the economy and the minister for cooperation and development. They discussed forming closer ties, the PA’s difficult financial situation caused by the coronavirus and the reduction in international aid because of Israel’s deductions from the tax revenues it collects for the PA (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, October 28, 2021).

The head of Palestinian general intelligence visits Dubai

• Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian general intelligence, visited the Expo 2020 exhibition in Dubai. While there he met with UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. They discussed PA-UAE relations and the possibility of renewing UAE aid to the PA. According to al-Akhbar, the objective of Faraj’s visit was to market himself to the UAE as Mahmoud Abbas’ possible successor (al-Akhbar, not 27, 2021).

Reduction of the supply of electricity to the PA

• On October 27, 2021, the Israeli electric company, which supplies electricity to Judea and Samaria, announced that in light of the PA’s mounting debt, which currently stands at almost $160 million, as of Wednesday, November 3, 2021, there would be four-hour power outages in several areas in the Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem districts until the debt was settled. The announcement was widely covered by the Palestinian social networks. Most of the discussion focused on blaming the PA and the Shtayyeh government for the situation. Among the issues raised were accusing the Palestinian leadership of corruption, blaming the PA for not preventing Israel from inflicting collective punishment on the entire Palestinian public, the lack of infrastructure, etc. The Israeli media reported that Israel offered the Palestinians to balance the debt through the tax revenues Israel collects for the PA.

The Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails

• In the wake of the continuing hunger strike of six administrative detainees, one of whom has been hospitalized, Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian general intelligence, met with representatives of the families of the hunger-striking prisoners. He told them that according to instructions from Mahmoud Abbas, the issue of the hunger-striking prisoners was the top priority of every Palestinian institution and that ongoing efforts were being made to end the strike (Sawa, October 31, 2021).
• The Hamas prisoners’ leadership in the Israeli jails said the prisoners intended to escalate their actions as a sign of solidarity with the hunger-striking administrative detainees. They will lock their cells and not eat the meals the prisons provide (Shehab, November 1, 2021). The PIJ prisoners’ leadership announced that in protest, PIJ prisoners would also close their cell blocks to show solidarity with the hunger-striking prisoners (Filastin al-Yawm, November 1, 2021).

Palestinian reactions to the goodwill gestures declared by Israeli Defense Minister Benny Ganz

• Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz declared additional goodwill gestures for the Palestinians, including authorizing new construction in Area C (in addition to the 1,300 units already authorized) and allowing the registration of undocumented Palestinians in addition to the 4,000 whose registration had already been authorized. The number of permits for Palestinians to work in Israel will be enlarged, including in the hi-tech and service industries, fuel terminals will be established in Judea and Samaria, etc. Gantz also instructed Palestinians be again allowed to enter Israel as tourists (N2, October 30, 2021).
• The Palestinian foreign ministry called Israel’s goodwill gestures a new Israeli “fraud” because construction in Area C is an absolute right of the Palestinian people and not a issue for bargaining or negotiation. According to the foreign ministry, all the gestures were in fact intended to prepare for and cover Israel’s ongoing takeover of Palestinian territory in Area C, which is the [future] Palestinian state’s strategic depth, and without them all international efforts to implement the idea of a two-state solution would be meaningless. The foreign ministry insisted that the division into Areas A, B and C was abolished and has not existed since 1999 (Wafa, November 2, 2021).

Price increases in Palestinian markets

• Al-Quds published an article about the new increase in prices in the Palestinian markets. According to experts, the prices have risen because flour, olive oil and sugar have become more expensive, the result of a global crisis. However, there have been several examples of the situation’s being exploited, which resulted in the rise in prices. According to the Palestinian ministry of the economy, the ministry took a number of steps against price-gougers in order to halt the steady increase in the price of the three aforementioned commodities. Supervision has been heightened and unannounced visits have been made to the markets, and the price of chicken has been stabilized. The Palestinian Chamber of Commerce called on all merchants to be satisfied with smaller profits and not to raise prices. Information in the Palestinian media about the rise in the price of food led to hoarding, which led in turn to a shortage of several items.
• Mahmoud Abbas held a telephone conversation with Khaled al-Asili, the Palestinian minister of the economy, who elaborated on the circumstances leading to the rise in the prices of food and basic commodities. Mahmoud Abbas also discussed the situation with Salah Haniyeh, chairman of the Palestinian Consumer Protection Agency. Following both conversations Mahmoud Abbas called for supervision to prevent prices from continuing to rise (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, October 29, 2021)

The Palestinians mark the 104^th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration

• November 2, 2021, was the 104^th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. To mark the date, Mahmoud Abbas posted a call to the entire world, but especially to Britain, to take responsibility in order to allow the Palestinian people their rights to freedom, independence and the [so-called] “right of return” [to what is now the State of Israel] (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, November 2, 2021). The Palestinian ministry of education reported that in the schools Palestinian flags were flown at half mast and children held signs condemning the Declaration. The ministry of education criticized Israel for its efforts to change Palestinian identity and to change the contents of Palestinian textbooks after finding incitement to hatred in them (Wafa, November 2, 2021).
• Rawhi Fatouh, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, called on Britain to change its mind regarding its “historical mistake” and the injustice to the Palestinian people following the Balfour Declaration in 1917. He added that Britain should recognize the Palestine state and act to end the [so-called] “Israeli occupation.” He condemned Israel’s action in Jerusalem, the damage it [allegedly] did to Muslim religious sites, and its [alleged] activities against the Palestinian people (Wafa, November 2, 2021).
•  In the Gaza Strip a protest was held in front of the offices of UNSCO (the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process) in Gaza City. Protesters waved signs reading, “The Balfour Declaration is a cursed declaration,” “The Balfour Declaration stole our homeland,” and “NO! to the Balfour Declaration” (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, November 1, 2021).

Judea and Samaria

• According to the ministry of health in Ramallah, as of November 2, 2021, the number of active coronavirus cases was 1,356, down from 1,536 on October 26, 2021, 96 patients were in ICUs, 11 of them on ventilators. So far 2,845 Palestinians have died of coronavirus-related conditions. The number of fully vaccinated (two doses) Palestinians is 981,875, up from 951,089 on October 26, 2021 (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook page, November 2, 2021).

The Gaza Strip

• According to the ministry of health in Gaza, as of November 2, 2021, the number of active coronavirus cases was 3,268, down from 5,801 on October 26, 2021. Of the 1,426 tests administered, 217 were positive, a positive rate of about 15%. So far 1,581 Gazans have died, up from 1,548 on October 26, 2021. There are 109 Gazans in hospitals, 76 of them in serious or critical condition. The number of vaccinated Gazans is 477,733, up from 471,614 on October 26, 2021 (ministry of health in Gaza Facebook page, November 2, 2021).