| Overview |
 This week daily rocket and mortar shell fire from the Gaza Strip continued against western Negev population centers, including the cities of Sderot and Ashqelon . The IDF carried out counterterrorism activities which included attacking terrorist squads planting IEDs near the border security fence and firing rockets and mortar shells into Israel . The Gaza Strip crossings remained closed in response. In view of the situation in the Gaza Strip caused by the closure of the crossings, Hamas initiated a propaganda campaign, which exaggerated the distress, to exert pressure on Israel to allow goods and fuel to enter the Gaza Strip even though the terrorist attacks continued.
On the public front Hamas claims its policies are not meant to end the lull arrangement but to provide “equal responses” to what it calls “ Israel 's violations.” Israeli officials have stated that Israel is interested in continuing the lull, and Egypt also supports the lull arrangement. However, beginning on November 4 (when the abduction of an Israeli through a tunnel under the border security fence was prevented) dynamics were set in motion which severely eroded the lull arrangement and created a new situation which makes it difficult to restore the status quo ante (although that is still possible). |
The Gaza Strip
Escalation Continues as the Lull Arrangement Erodes
In the two weeks since an abduction attack was prevented by an IDF activity in the Gaza Strip, there has been a severe erosion of the lull arrangement and its continuation is questionable. This week there was a series of events which began with the prevention of an IED attack and continued with daily rocket and mortar shell fire at the western Negev population centers; the IDF implemented preventive measures. 1
The events were the following:
• November 12 – An IDF force killed four armed Hamas operatives who were planting an IED near the security fence near the Kissufim crossing. During the exchange of fire the soldiers were attacked with another IED. In response five rockets and eight mortar shells were launched at Israeli population centers near the Gaza Strip and at IDF forces. Afterwards the rocket and mortar shell fire continued on a daily basis.
• November 13 – Five rockets and three mortar shell were fired at Israeli population centers and IDF forces.
• November 14 – In the morning hours the Israeli Air Force attacked a terrorist squad on its way to fire rockets, wounding a number of Hamas operatives. In response, 17 rockets were fired at Israeli towns and villages. Four longer-range standard Grad 122mm missiles were fired at Ashqelon , one landing in the center of the city. Earlier, a rocket hit a residential dwelling. In addition, seven mortar shells were fired.
The Army of the Nation, Jerusalem 2 claims responsibility for the November 14 rocket fire.
Left: Rocket fire near a cemetery in the Gaza Strip. Right: Army of the Nation operatives
with rockets (Hamas's PALDF Forum, November 17).
• November 15 – One rocket and two mortar shells were fired at Israeli population centers and at IDF forces.
• November 16 – The Israeli Air Force attacked a Popular Resistance Committees squad on its way to launch missiles near the Nahal Oz crossing. Four terrorist operatives were killed. During the day five rockets were fired, one of which hit a house in Sderot and slightly wounded a resident.
• November 17 – 13 rockets were fired at Israeli towns and villages during the day.
• November 18 – Rockets and mortar shells were fired into Israel territory during the afternoon
Aerial view of the attack on the Popular Resistance Committees terrorists who were
on their way to launch rockets (IDF Spokesman's website, November 16).
Site of the death of the four PRC terrorists in the east Gaza City (Al-Jazeera TV, November 16).
During the past week a total of 46 rockets and 20 mortar shells were fired into Israeli territory (as of noon , November 18). Hamas, the PRC, Fatah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Army of the Nation and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine all claimed responsibility for the fire. Publicly , Hamas continues to claim that its policies are not meant to end the lull arrangement but to provide an “equal reaction” to what it calls Israeli “violations.” At the same time, Hamas' military-terrorist wing issued an announcement threatening to carry out attacks “deep within the Zionist entity” (Al-Aqsa TV, November 15). Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Hamas's reaction would shake Israel to its foundations (PalMedia website, November 16).
The series of events which began on November 4 (with the prevention of an abduction by Hamas) signals a severe erosion of the lull arrangement . On the surface, the two main factors, Israel and Hamas, have a vested interest in its continuation, each side for its own reasons, and both sides have made public statements to that effect. Egypt , which brokered the arrangement, is also interested in having it continue, and is working behind the scenes to calm the situation on the ground. Nevertheless, an examination of recent events indicates that for the first time since the lull went into effect five months ago, the dynamics of the escalation on the ground have so far made it difficult to restore the status quo ante.
Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since November 4 (as of noon, November 18) 
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Counterterrorist Activities |
Judea and Samaria
Senior Fatah-Tanzim Operative Detained
On November 16 the Israeli security forces operating in the Old City (Casbah) in Nablus detained Muhammad Fayiz Mustafa Abu Qaraq, a senior Fatah-Tanzim operative. The detainee, 18, aided a number of military-terrorist operatives, among them Amin Libde, one of Fatah-Tanzim's most wanted operatives, an explosive belt specialist who was killed during an IDF activity in Nablus . Muhammad Abu Qaraq was part of a terrorist squad which manufactured IEDs and explosive belts, and planned IED attacks against IDF forces. He is suspected of constructing and explosive belt used by the terrorist who went to the Hawara roadblock this past May to carry out an attack 3 (IDF Spokesman's website, November 16).
Senior Popular Front Operative Detained
On November 11 the Israeli security forces detained Samir Subhi Qassam Mabruq , a senior PFLP operative in the Ein Beit Elma' refugee camp in Nablus . He had been involved in shooting attacks and detonating IEDs to attack IDF forces operating the camp and in attacking Israel vehicles. His brother is one of the heads of the PFLP network in the refugee camp and was detained in February 2008 in a security force activity. Arrested with Samir Mabruq were two other PFLP operatives who had been involved in terrorist activities (IDF Spokesman's website, November 11).
Dangerous Substances Discovered in Judea and Samaria
It can now be revealed that during an Israeli security force activity in the village of Salfit , southeast of Qalqilya, in October 2008, large quantities of dangerous chemicals were discovered. Their use is prohibited in Judea and Samaria because they are used in making weapons and explosives. The activity was part of an operation the Israeli security forces have been carrying out for the last several months to locate dangerous substances.
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The Lull Arrangement – Update |
The Gaza Strip Crossings
The crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip have remained closed since November 5 because of the continuing rocket and mortar shell attacks against Israel . On November 17 a one-time caravan of 33 trucks was permitted to enter the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing, most of them carrying humanitarian equipment for UNRWA and the Red Cross. Some of the trucks contained meat and milk products for the residents of the Gaza Strip. Civilian with humanitarian issues continue to use the Erez crossing.
On November 11 Israel authorized the delivery of 2 million liters (about 528,000 gallons) of fuel per week. However, in view of the continued rocket and mortar shell fire (which is also liable to hit the crossings) the Israeli Defense Minister decided that the crossings used for the delivery of merchandise would remain closed. Thus the supply of diesel fuel was halted again on November 12, resulting in the Gaza Strip's power plant closing down on the evening of November 13. Initially Hamas instituted a false propaganda campaign about “the darkness” of the Gaza Strip, but apparently in recent days the issue of electricity and the power plant has been moved to second place on Hamas's media agenda.
Note: The Gaza Strip continues to receive supplies of electricity from Israel , and the Gazan power plant produces only 26% of the Strip's electricity .
Egyptian Efforts to Rehabilitate the Lull Arrangement
An Egyptian source revealed that Israel sent a message to Hamas via Egypt to the effect that it was maintaining the lull arrangement and advised Hamas to do the same. The source also claimed that Hamas was not behind the rocket fire of the past few days and that it was taking serious steps to put an end to it (Al-Hayat, November 17). However, rocket and mortar shell attacks against Israel continue on a daily basis , while Hamas does not confront the smaller terrorist organizations to stop them.
Palestinians Show Signs of Disappointment at the Ineffectiveness of the Protest Boats
Jamal al-Hudeiri , chairman of the Popular Committee to Resist the Blockade, said that a group calling itself the International Forum for Islamic Parliaments would send a boat to break the blockade and it was supposed to reach the Gaza Strip in the coming weeks (Sawt al-Aqsa website, November 13).
According to an Al-Jazeera report, the Palestinian public is disappointed because the protest boats which reached the Gaza Strip in the past few months had no effect on the continued so-called “blockade.” One Gazan called the boats “sucking candies to soothe the Gazans' pain” (Al-Jazeera website, November 15).
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The Internal Palestinian Arena |
Mutual Fatah-Hamas Accusations of the National Dialogue Cancellation
Fatah and Hamas continue accusing one another of responsibility for cancelling the national Palestinian dialogue conference which was supposed to be held in Cairo on November 9. Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, speaking on the occasion of the anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death, said that Hamas's claims regarding the political detentions of Hamas activists in the West Bank were an excuse to continue the rift between Fatah and Hamas and to make the military takeover of the Gaza Strip permanent. He added that continuing the rift would threaten the entire Palestinian national project (Wafa News Agency, November 11).
In response, Hamas spokesman viciously attacked Mahmoud Abbas. Sa'id Siyam, the Hamas administration interior minister , said that Mahmoud Abbas represented only Fatah and not the Palestinian people. He said that Mahmoud Abbas obeyed American and Israeli dictates. (Filastin al-‘An website, November 13). Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Mahmoud Abbas was talking about national unity at a time when 600 Hamas activists and others belonging to the PIJ were being detained in the West Bank . He added that Mahmoud Abbas' statements proved that he was no longer responsible to the Palestinian people, “…and he is bringing us closer to the decision not to give [him] another chance to rule our people's fate” (Palestine-info website, November 11).
As part of Hamas's propaganda attack against Mahmoud Abbas, its Al-Aqsa TV broadcast a short video clip showing a countdown of the days left to Mahmoud Abbas' term of office (Al-Aqsa TV, November 12).
Hamas counts down the days until Mahmoud Abbas' term of office ends
(Al-Aqsa TV, November 12).
The Palestinian Security Services Continue Their Activities in Hebron and Elsewhere
This week as well the Palestinian security services continued their activities throughout Judea and Samaria , focusing on the Hebron district. In Hebron , they detained dozens of Hamas activists and supporters and confiscated documents and equipment. The Israeli morning newspaper Haaretz reported that the PA had recently exposed three Hamas tunnels in the Hebron region. According to Palestinian security service officers, Hamas was moving its fighting techniques from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank . They said that two of the tunnels were used to hide weapons and the third had been prepared as a booby trap or to support attacks against Israeli vehicles (Haaretz, November 14). The al-Jabri clan, one of the largest in Hebron, criticized the activities of the Palestinian security services in the city and called on other clans not to turn over wanted men, “to keep them from being thrown into [the Palestinian security services] torture chambers” (PalMedia website, November 11).
On November 13 in Tulkarm the Palestinian security services detained Rafat Nasif, a senior Hamas activist who was a member of the Hamas delegation from the West Bank to the dialogue in Cairo (Filastin al-‘An website, November 13). In Nablus they detained Adnan Asfour, a senior Hamas operative, a short time after he was released from detention in Israel . Hamas criticized his detention, saying that it was more proof the Palestinian security services collaborated with Israel (PalMedia website, November 16) .
Hamas Criticizes the Palestinian Security Services Activity in Judea and Samaria
This past week Hamas initiated “Identification with Hamas Detainees and West Bank Residents Week,” which included a protest rally in the Gaza Strip. Khalil al-Hayeh , a senior Hamas figure, called the Palestinian security services activity “a war to the death against Allah and the resistance [i.e., the terrorist organizations]” and called on Hamas supporters in the West Bank “to flee to the hills” (Radio Sawt al-Aqsa, November 14). In line with the week's theme, preachers in the Gaza Strip mosques devoted their sermons to support of the West Bank residents (Filastin al-‘An website, November 14).
Hamas protest rally in the Gaza Strip, November 14
(Hamas's PALDF Forum, November 14).
The Anniversary of Arafat's Death
On November 11 Fatah in Judea and Samaria marked the anniversary of the death of Yasser Arafat. The main rally was held in Ramallah and attended by Palestinian chairman Mahmoud Abbas. During the week there were rallies and processions throughout Judea and Samaria . In the Gaza Strip, Fatah supporters marked the day but kept a low profile because Hamas had forbidden Fatah to hold rallies. According to reports, the Hamas police confiscated propaganda material and flyers printed for the memorial day after printing houses in the Gaza Strip had been given advance warning not to print anything connected to it (Filastin al-Yawm, November 11).
Palestinian security force display in Qalqilya on November 15, held to commemorate
the anniversary of Yasser Arafat's death (Fatah Forum website, November 15).
1 For a summary of the events since November 4 see our November 16, 2008 Bulletin entitled “Significant erosion of the lull arrangement in the Gaza Strip” .
2 For further information see our February 11, 2008 Bulletin entitled “A group called “Army of the Nation, Jerusalem ” is yet another global jihad offshoot in the Gaza Strip” . 3 On May 19, 2008 , a Palestinian who came to the Hawara roadblock south of Nablus aroused the suspicions of the soldiers stationed there. They saw him fiddling with a belt he was wearing and suspected it was an explosive belt. When he did not stop as commanded and suddenly lowered his hands to his belt, they shot and killed him. Three pipe charges were found on his body (IDF Spokesman's website, May 19). Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade/the Struggle and Return Battalion claimed responsibility for dispatching him and threatened other attacks (Ma'an News Agency, May 20).
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