News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (January 1 –7, 2020)

Events on the ground

• On Friday, January 3, 2020, no official return march was held, according to the decision of the Supreme National Authority of the Great Return March. Nevertheless, several dozen Palestinians gathered at various locations along the border and tried to reach the security fence. No unusual events were reported.
• In the meantime, on Friday Hamas-initiated marches were held in Gaza City and Khan Yunis. Their theme was “For the sake of Jerusalem and al-Aqsa mosque.” According to Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua, who called on the Palestinian public to participate in the marches, the objectives of the marches were to exert pressure on Israel to also hold elections for the PA in Jerusalem and as a sign of solidarity with the residents of Jerusalem (Sawa, January 2, 2020). The marches may have been held a replacement for the return marches at the border.
• At a rally held in Gaza City Fathi Hamad, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, called for a general mobilization of the Gaza Strip to support Jerusalem and the West Bank and the people living there. He stressed that Hamas would do everything in its power for Jerusalem. Hamas, he said, would prepare the forces, construct missile after missile and carry out suicide bombing attacks one after another for the sake of liberating Jerusalem (al-Aqsa, January 3, 2020). Musheir al-Masri, spokesman for the Hamas faction in the Palestinian Legislative Council, called on the Palestinian people [in Judea and Samaria] to respond on the ground to the actions of Israel and the United States. He warned Israel not to “play with fire” because al-Aqsa mosque was a red line for the Palestinians (al-Aqsa TV, January 3, 2020).

Arrangement for a lull

• Deliberations for a lull continue, with the participation of the leadership of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip and the officials in Egyptian General Intelligence responsible for the Palestinian portfolio. According to a number of sources, the Egyptian mediators received an amended version of the proposal for a lull to show to all the parties involved. According to the sources the new proposal deals with an arrangement with a duration of several months which will be renewed according to Israel’s adherence to it. Other Egyptian and Palestinian sources reported that the leadership of some of the organizations did not agree with a lull and rejected the proposal because it does not include clear articles regarding the lifting of the “siege” of the Gaza Strip. According to an Egyptian source, Egypt is less interested in the lull’s duration and more in creating stability along the border (al-Araby al-Jadeed, January 2, 2020).
• In the meantime, Israel allowed the export of eight tons of marshmallow-filled cookies from the Gaza Strip through Israel to Bahrain. The merchandise left the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. It was the first time since 2007 that Israel allowed food to be exported from the Gaza Strip (with the exception of fruit and vegetables) (Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Facebook page in Arabic, December 30, 2019). In addition, Israel allowed the export of 214 tons of strawberries from the Gaza Strip. Most of the strawberries were exported for markets in Judea and Samaria, while 8.5 tons were transported to Ben-Gurion International Airport for marketing in Britain (COGAT Facebook page in Arabic, December 29, 2019).

    
Right: Marshmallow filled-cookies from the Gaza Strip ready for export to Bahrain. Left: Strawberries from the Gaza Strip ready for export (COGAT Facebook page in Arabic, December 30, 2019).

Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel

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

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since January 2019

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Attempted stabbing attack

• On January 2, 2020, a Palestinian youth attempted to carry out a stabbing attack at the Gush Etzion Junction. IDF lookouts saw a Palestinian get out of a taxi about 100 yards from the bus stop at the junction. When the force securing the bus stop approached him he took out a knife. He was shot and wounded (IDF spokesman, Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, January 2, 2020). Palestinian sources reported that the Palestinian was Hussein Muhammad Musa Yunis Abu Daya, 15 (Sanad News website, January 2, 2020). According to the Palestinian Prisoners Club, he was from Hebron (Twitter account of the Bethlehem Times, January 3, 2020; Facebook page of the Palestinian Prisoners Club, January 5, 2020).

    
Right: Scene of the attempted stabbing attack. Left: Knife used in the attempted stabbing attack (Bethlehem Times Twitter account, January 2, 2020).

Other events on the ground

• In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces and civilian targets The more prominent events were the following:
  • January 6, 2020: Molotov cocktails were thrown (possibly from a passing car) at an Israeli vehicle near Azoun in the Qalqilya region. A young girl was wounded in the face by flying glass and the driver was incurred minor injuries (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, January 6, 2020).
  • January 5, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near a junction west of Ariel. The vehicle was damaged (443 Central, January 5, 2020).
  • January 3, 2020: IDF lookouts saw three suspicious Palestinians near the village of Salem, east of Nablus, armed with Molotov cocktails ready for throwing. The Palestinians were detained by Israeli security forces (IDF spokesman, January 3, 2020).
  • January 2, 2020: Stones were thrown at the community of Karmei Tsur, southwest of Gush Etzion. Stones, Molotov cocktails and an IED were thrown at IDF forces in the same area. One soldier incurred minor injuries (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, January 2, 2020).
  • January 2, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Halhul bypass road north of Hebron. The vehicle was damaged (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, January 2, 2020).
  • January 2, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus near Deir Nizam, northwest of Ramallah. The front windshield of the bus was damaged (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, January 2, 2020).
  • January 2, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus on the Gush Etzion-Hebron road south of the Karmei Tsur Junction. The bus was damaged (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, January 2, 2020).
  • December 31, 2019: Palestinians threw Molotov cocktails from a passing car near the community of Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, December 31, 2019).

Significant terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria since January 2019^[1]

Delivery of medical equipment to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing

• Another “Miles of Smiles” convoy entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Crossing. It was composed of 14 ambulances and vehicles for people with special needs, donated by Jordanians (Twitter account of Dr. Issam Yusuf, January 6, 2020). The vehicles were transferred to the (Hamas-controlled) ministry of health in the Gaza Strip for distribution to Gazan hospitals (Jordanian News Agency, January 6, 2020).

Palestinian reactions to the killing of Qassem Soleimani^[2]

• So far the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah have not issued an official reaction. Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), on the other hand, and the heads of their military-terrorist wings, which receive military and financial support from Iran, were quick to express sorrow at Soleimani’s death. The mourning notices issued by Hamas and the PIJ stressed the aid and support Qassem Soleimani gave the Palestinian “resistance” in general and their military wings in the Gaza Strip in particular.
• Contrary to the reactions of senior Iranian officials and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who did not relate to Israeli as being involved in the attack, senior Hamas and PIJ figures accused Israel of collaborating with the United States in the killing. Some even accused Israel of direct responsibility for Soleimani’s death. However, Hamas and PIJ spokesmen were careful not to overtly threaten Israel. The London-based newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat reported that senior Hamas figures had made it clear to Egypt that they had not interest in an escalation in the Gaza Strip in the wake of the killing of Soleimani (al-Sharq al-Awsat, January 5, 2020).
• In the meantime, while Soleimani’s cortège left Baghdad, a mourning tent was erected in Gaza City. Pictures of Soleimani were hung, as were signs with pictures and mourning notices. The people who came to pay their respects walked on Israeli and American flags which had been laid on the ground at the entrance to the tent. The flags were later burned. Sources in the Gaza Strip stressed that the mourning tent had been erected in the name of all the organizations and not exclusively by Hamas and the PIJ (which are supported by Iran) (Filastin al-Yawm, Amad, January 2, 2020).

   
Right: Visitors walk on Israeli and American flags at the entrance of the mourning tent (Ali Shoeib’s Twitter account, January 4, 2020). Left: Burning the Israeli and American flags at the mourning tent in Gaza City (Lamess Twitter account, January 4, 2020).

Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegations visit Tehran

• Isma’il Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political bureau, led a Hamas delegation to Tehran to participate in the funeral. Members of the delegation included Haniyeh’s deputy Saleh al-‘Arouri, Izzat al-Rishq and Musa Abu Marzouq. A PIJ delegation headed by organization leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah and his deputy Ikram al-Ajouri also arrived in Tehran to participate in the funeral (Radio Nur, al-Akhbar, January 6, 2020). Isma’il Haniyeh gave a eulogy, which was translated into Persian, in which he condemned the “despicable crime” carried out by the Americans and expressed great esteem for Soleimani’s contribution to the Palestinian “resistance,” calling him “a shaheed of Jerusalem.” Haniyeh stressed that the “resistance” against the Zionist and American projects would continue and not fade away until the eventual removal of the “occupiers” from the Palestinians’ lands and Jerusalem (al-Mayadeen, January 6, 2020).
• Members of both delegations visited the home of Qassem Soleimani and offered their condolences to the family (Hamas website, January 6, 2020). During the visit Haniyeh said that Soleimani had played a central and very important role in supporting the Palestinian “resistance.” He said Soleimani had been directly involved in the “Palestinian resistance,” and was a strategic ally. He added that Soleimani considered the “resistance” the spearhead of the fight against Israel. Haniyeh added that the masses in Iran and Iraq that participated in Soleimani’s funeral were like a public opinion poll proving that the option of “resistance” lay at the heart of the Muslim nation (al-Alam TV, January 6, 2020).
• PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah said that it was not the first time that they had visited Soleimani’s house. He said it proved Soleimani’s involvement in supporting the “resistance,” even at home. He added that the masses that parted from Soleimani in Iran, Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon proved the extent of his involvement in the details of the “resistance,” his support for it and his monitoring of its activities. He added that even the besieged Gaza Strip had profited from Iranian support, and that Soleimani had personally supervised the transfer of weapons, rockets and money to the Gaza Strip (al-Alam TV, January 6, 2020).
• In ITIC assessment the participation of senior Hamas figures in Soleimani’s funeral may lead to anger and criticism from the leadership of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, which are hostile to Iran. Egyptian sources reported that Haniyeh’s visit to Tehran will cause a serious crisis between Hamas and Egypt (al-Hayat, January 7, 2020). In ITIC assessment, the visit was primarily the result of Hamas’ desire to ensure continued Iranian support and the support of the new Qods Force commander, vital to continuing its military buildup, which is Hamas’ top priority.

The PA’s economic ties with Israel

• Hussein al-Sheikh, PA minister of civil affairs, said he had met with Israeli Treasury Minister Moshe Kahlon and told him of the Palestinians’ objection to Israel’s cutting the PA’s tax revenues. He added that the PA would continue paying the salaries of the prisoners and the families of the shaheeds, and warned Israel that “the occupation’s aggressive policy” would lead to an explosion (Hussein al-Sheikh’s Twitter account, January 1, 2020).
• [Bullet] As part of the PA’s ongoing activities to separate its economy from Israel, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said that the PA had halted the referral of patients to Israel. He also said that in the near future there would be three power plants generating electricity in the West Bank.

Ongoing PA activity regarding the International Criminal Court

• The PLO’s Executive Committee held a meeting to confirm the teams appointed to monitor the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. It was also decided that offices would be opened in the Gaza Strip where local residents could lodge complaints with the Court (Dunia al-Watan, January 6, 2020). Saeb Erekat, secretary of the PLO’s Executive Committee and head of the teams, said that the [so-called] “crimes of the [Israeli] occupation” would have no statue of limitations and could not be ignored, and that someone would have to be called into account for them (Sawt Palestine, January 5, 2020).
• The PA foreign ministry announced its intention to call the ICC’s attention to “the suffering of the residents of Issawiya in Jerusalem” and bring to trial those who attacked the village and its residents. He accused Israel of oppressing the residents and destroying their property^[3] (Wafa, January 5, 2020). The ministry also announced that the future of senior Israeli officials who were linked to the annexation of the Jordan Valley depended on the ICC, and that the PA would continue to bring all the issues related to the settlements to the ICC’s attention (Wafa, January 6, 2020).

Marking the anniversary of the founding of Fatah

• This past week a series of events were held in Judea and Samaria to mark the 55^th anniversary of the founding of Fatah. A ceremony was held in the Gaza Strip and attended by several thousand people. Rallies and displays were held and torches were lit in a number a locations in Judea and Samaria. Mahmoud Abbas gave a speech in which he said that political and diplomatic actions were to continue and that the [so-called] “popular, peaceful resistance” would continue as the way to achieve the Palestinian national objectives. He praised the decision of the ICC, saying that now the PA could bring Israel to trial in the ICC for its crimes (Palestinian TV, December 31, 2019).

    
Right: Mahmoud Abbas gives a speech in the Muqata’a in Ramallah for the 55th anniversary of Fatah’s founding (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, December 31, 2019). Left: March in Bethlehem for the anniversary of Fatah’s founding. Marchers carry a picture of Dalal Mughrabi, who participated in the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre in which 35 Israeli civilians were killed, and who has become a role model (Wafa, January 1, 2020).

Criticism of the Jerusalem municipality’s plan to construct an educational complex

• The Jerusalem City Council ratified a plan to construct an educational complex of the Israeli ministry of education in the Shuafat refugee camp and the Anata neighborhood in east Jerusalem. According to the plan, which will cost 7.1 million shekels (about $2.05 million), the educational complex will replace the educational institutions of UNRWA, thereby reducing UNRWA’s influence on the Arabs of east Jerusalem (Israeli media, January 1, 2020).
• In response the PA’s foreign ministry issued an announcement condemning the plan, saying the step was part of Israel’s war against UNRWA and its activities in east Jerusalem. The ministry called on every international agency to react and oppose the plan. UNRWA spokesman Sami Mshasha and members of the PLO’s Executive Committee also condemned the plan (Sawa, January 2, 2020).

Transfer of documents from the Ottoman archives to the PA

• In March 2018 the ITIC reported that the PA and the Turkish government were collaborating on a long-term project to transfer various documents from the Ottoman State Archives to the Palestinians, especially those dealing with land ownership. The Palestinians consider the documents proof of ownership of land Israel is trying to take control of, and therefore a way to prevent the properties from passing into the hands of people who are not Palestinians. The documents are also regarded as tools for supporting Palestinians claims against Israel in international courts.^[4]
• It was recently reported that Palestinian lawyers had already begun making practical use of the Ottoman documents. Lawyers from east Jerusalem regularly appeal to the Ottoman State Archives to find registration of real estate. The documents support them in the legal battles they are waging for ownership of many properties, mostly in the Jerusalem region. Musa Shaqarna, a judge who is chairman of the Palestinian land office, is responsible for land registration for Judea and Samaria and is aided by Turkey and its archives. Interviewed by the Wafa news agency, he called the measure “strategic,” and explained that by using the land registration of Palestinians living beyond the borders of Palestine, he also implements the [so-called] “right of return” (article by Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom, January 3, 2020).