Important Events

IDF soldier killed during an operation in the central Gaza Strip.

On July 12 an IDF soldier was killed and two other wounded during an exchange of fire between Palestinian terrorists and an IDF force conducting operations on the outskirts of the Al- Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The soldier was Staff Sergeant Arbel Reich, 21, a resident of Yuvalim in the upper Galilee .

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack on the IDF force. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum praised the killing, saying it showed that Hamas was protecting the Palestinian people and “its right to live on its own land” (Al-Aqsa TV, July 12).

During the first two weeks of July rocket fire at western Negev settlements continued, although to a lesser degree than in previous months. Twenty-three hits were identified in the western Negev , ¹ as opposed to 120 in June.

During June there was a marked increase in the number of mortar shells fired at IDF forces conducting pinpoint operations in various locations in the Gaza Strip, at the crossings and at Israeli settlements close to the border. During the first half of July 42 mortar shells were fired, compared with 37 in June.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Fatah elements (which continue operating under Hamas aegis) claimed responsibility for most of the incidents. In our assessment, PIJ operatives interested in demonstrating activity have returned to the routine firing of several rockets a day. On July 7, Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for rocket fire, the first time since the escalation on May 30. Hamas claimed the rocket fire was in response to IDF activities in the Gaza Strip which resulted in the deaths of several of the movement's operatives.

On the afternoon of July 12 a Subaru was observed speeding toward the IDF's Anabata roadblock between Tulkarm and Nablus . The driver braked hard near the roadblock, got out and opened fire at the soldiers stationed there. The soldiers returned fire and killed the terrorist. A search of the car revealed three pipe charges. It is possible that the terrorist planned to carry out an attack at one of the settlements in the area and attacked the roadblock instead when he realized he would not be able to continue as planned (IDF Spokesman, July 12). A spokesman for the PIJ said that the terrorist was a member of the organization and had carried out the attack in response to the killing of two PIJ operatives in Jenin. Various other organizations, including Fatah and Hamas, also claimed responsibility for the attack.

The terrorist's car
(Photo courtesy of the IDF Spokesman, July 12)

On July 5 an IDF soldier was stabbed at the Karkur junction (near Hadera) and an attempt was made to steal his gun. The attacker, who was a resident of the village of Arara (in Wadi Arara, between Hadera and Megiddo ), was detained shortly afterwards. He admitted that he had planned to steal the gun, use it to kill the soldier, escape and sell the gun. He claimed that he had carried out the attack to avenge the death of a family member who had been killed by the Border Police.

On June 9, during an Israeli security force pinpoint operation in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad Sufi was detained. He was a resident of Rafah and a Hamas and Popular Resistance Committees' operative, and took part in the abduction of Gilad Shalt from Kerem Shalom in June 2006 (was responsible for documentation). Muhammad Sufi was also involved in the January 2002 attack on an IDF post in the southern Gaza Strip , in which an IDF officer and three soldiers were killed. He was also involved in setting side charges and firing rockets into Israel (IDF Spokesman, July 13).

The security forces continued their pinpoint activities in the Gaza Strip. The activities are conducted by ground, engineering and armored forces with occasional air backup. Their objective is to detain terrorist operatives in order to prevent planned attacks and rocket attacks, to expose terrorist infrastructures and to locate weapons. It should be noted that during one of the searches eight rocket launchers were found, some of them ready for firing (IDF Spokesman, July 6).

The rocket launchers found by the IDF forces in the Gaza Strip
(Photo courtesy of the IDF Spokesman, July 6)

Some of the activities included:

Security force counterterrorist activities continue in Judea and Samaria . Weapons and a weapons laboratory were exposed and many wanted terrorist operatives were detained. In an action in the town of Qabatiya (near Jenin) on July 9, Mahmoud Nizal, one of the PIJ's terrorist operative wing in the West Bank , was killed.

Statistical Data ²

Monthly distribution of attacks

Monthly distribution of identified rocket hits ³

Monthly distribution of Israeli casualties

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and PA Chairman Abu Mazen are scheduled to meet in Jerusalem on July 16. At the meeting Ehud Olmert is expected to present a series of goodwill gestures to the PA to strengthen Abu Mazen's rule.

So far there is no authoritative detailed information available regarding what those gestures will be. According to Israeli and Palestinian media, gestures in three areas are possible:

•  The release of 250 terrorists (most of them Fatah) from Israeli prisons : Ehud Olmert stated his intention to do so at the summit meeting at Sharm el-Sheikh on June 24. Elements within Fatah greeted the announcement positively but with reservation. Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the PA, called upon the Israeli government to coordinate the names of the prisoners with the Palestinian people. Hamas severely criticized the decision, claiming that it was an attempt made by Abu Mazen to reinforce the schism within the Palestinian people (Reuters, July 8).

•  The removal of the names of 180 terrorist operatives from the wanted list : Israel has suggested that the names of 180 terrorist operatives in the West Bank be removed from its wanted list. That would be done only on the condition that the individuals in question commit themselves in writing, under the supervision of Palestinian security forces, to end their terrorist activities against Israel and to disengage themselves from Fatah's terrorist operative wing. Those on the list belong to Fatah, the PFLP and the DFLP. The various media issued conflicting statements regarding Zakaria Zubeidi, a senior terrorist operative in the Jenin region. Palestinian security forces have begun taking steps to integrate the wanted Fatah operatives in Judea and Samaria and to have them commit themselves in writing to the aforementioned condition.

•  Authorization for the return to the PA of senior Palestinian leaders permanently living abroad whose return to the PA has so far been forbidden: The names mentioned by the media include DFLP leader Naif Hawatmeh and PLO political department chairman Farouk al-Kaddoumi. Authorization for their return will be given to allow them to participate in the PLO's Central Committee meeting to be held on July 18.

On the night of July 3, 2007 , Alan Johnston, 45, the abducted British journalist, was safely released by his abductors, members of the Army of Islam, which held him in captivity for 114 days. He was transferred to Hamas and taken to meet Hamas government prime minister Ismail Haniya. He was released by Hamas without the demands the Army of Islam made on Britain having been met. ⁴

Alan Johnston's release (Al-Jazeera TV, July 3)

After its takeover of the Gaza Strip, Hamas repeatedly called upon Johnston 's abductors to release him. That was to provide the movement with favorable propaganda in both Britain and the international community, and illustrate its security control of the Gaza Strip. The release was preceded by pressure exerted by Hamas on the Dughmush clan, one of whose members is Mumtaz Dughmush, head of the Army of Islam, the group which held Johnston .

The events on the ground which led to Johnston 's release began on the night of July 1 when clashes occurred between Hamas and the Army of Islam in Gaza City , during which a senior operative of the Army of Islam was abducted by Hamas. In response the Army of Islam captured ten Hamas operatives. Executive Force operatives detained some of the those involved in the abduction. The clashes continued and were accompanied by belligerent statements from Hamas spokesmen.

The clashes escalated into confrontations and on the night of July 3 hundreds of Executive Force and Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades operatives took control of streets and roofs in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City , the Daghmush clan's stronghold, and surrounded the abductors. After negotiations which began the same night, the abductors finally agreed to release Johnston .

It is unclear at this point what the conditions for his release were. The Palestinian and Arab media issued information about a deal agreed upon between Hamas and the Army of Islam. For example, it was reported that Hamas had agreed to give the Army of Islam weapons, ammunition and military equipment which would be used against Israel instead of the ransom demanded (Al-Quds al-Arabi, July 5). According to another report, the Army of Islam received $5 million and more than a million bullets (Ma'an News Agency, July 5). The British Sunday Times reported that within the deal to release Johnston , Hamas allowed the Dughmush clan to keep its arms and that the Army of Islam would release the Hamas operatives in its captivity. On the other hand, in Damascus, Khaled Mashaal claimed that Hamas had refused to accept any conditions, either money or the release of the detainees (affiliated with the global jihad), as demanded by the Army of Islam (Al-Hayat, July 5).

The release of Alan Johnston was an important test case for Hamas , the first of its type since the movement took over the Gaza Strip. The stakes were Hamas' ability to stabilize its control of security in the Gaza Strip and enabled it to improve its image in both the internal Palestinian arena and with the international community. Hamas passed the test and its spokesmen exploited it to make political and propaganda capital:

•  At a press conference held after Johnston 's release, Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya repeatedly condemned the abduction and detailed Hamas' efforts to have him released. He said that the incident showed that “the Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip is serious about [imposing] security, stability and order…” He also expressed his hope that the incident of Gilad Shalit, the abducted Israeli soldier, would end with “an honorable arrangement” which would ensure that release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails (Al-Aqsa TV and Al-Jazeera TV, July 4). ⁵

•  In Damascus , Khaled Mashaal , the head of Hamas' political bureau, gave many interviews after the release. He said it showed that Hamas had restored security to the Gaza Strip and claimed that the abduction had done Hamas a great deal of damage (Reuters, July 4). In an interview with the BBC on July 4 he said that there was “a new situation in the Gaza Strip, and it was possible to preserve security there…” In an interview with Al-Hayat on July 5 he said that Johnston 's release was intended to put an end to the anarchy in the Gaza Strip and to send a message to the Europeans to reexamine their policy toward Hamas.

•  The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades issued a bulletin stating it would “not agree under any circumstances to any Palestinian side's return to the system of abducting foreign nationals, because they are the guests of our people, and we need every voice that can tell the world about our suffering, our right and our cause…” (Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades Website, July 4).

Senior Fatah figures lauded the release of Alan Johnston but accused Hamas of complicity in his abduction , and claimed that the timing of his release was intended to improve Hamas' image and reap political gains. An announcement issued by Fatah's information committee on July 4 stated the following: “Early this morning the unsavory show ended and Hamas released Johnson from the hands of its allies, the Army of Islam” (Ramatan News Agency, July ). Yasser Abd al-Rabbo said that “Hamas are allies of the abductors, members of the Dughmush clan, and they gave cover to Johnston 's abductors for a long time and then claimed they were responsible for his release. However, it is [nothing more than] an attempt to improve their image with the international community (Agence France Press, July 4).

Even after the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, the crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel have continued operating, although volume has decreased by approximately 50% compared with the same period last year. Most of the decrease (about 93%) is of merchandise passing through the Karni Crossing, while that passing through the Sufa and Kerem Shalom Crossings has increased significantly.

Hamas' Executive Force is deployed around the crossings and is supposed to provide security, however the crossings are not secure ⁶ and no formal arrangement has been agreed upon. Under the new circumstances, the crossings are operated by international aid organizations, such as UNRWA, the WFP (World Food Program), the Red Cross and others, and private merchants in the Gaza Strip. That enables the continued flow of merchandise and humanitarian aid through Israel into the Gaza Strip and prevent the creation of a humanitarian crisis.

During the month which has passed since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip, 2,120 trucks have entered with 51,273 tons of staples (food and other commodities). The situation on the ground at the various crossings is as follows:

•  The Erez Crossing : The crossing operates in low gear. Palestinian citizens and foreign nationals with special authorization and previous coordination pass through it. Most of them are Palestinians allowed into Israel for humanitarian reasons and individuals with special authorization (such as medical teams, members of international organizations, journalists, businessmen).

•  The Karni Crossing : The volume of merchandise passing through the crossing has decreased drastically. The crossing opens and closes periodically, and is mostly used for the passage of merchandise, such as flour.

•  The Nahal Oz Crossing : The crossing is open, and through it pass fuel and gas.

•  The Sufa Crossing : There has been a large increase in the volume of merchandise passing through the crossing and it is today the main passage into the Gaza Strip . Vital food products are brought in (milk, meat, cooking oil, flour, sugar and animal feed), as are raw materials and other goods. Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip 1,568 trucks have gone through.

•  The Kerem Shalom Crossing : The crossing opens and closes periodically. Since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip 292 trucks have passed through (compared with 18 at the same time last year). Israel 's proposal to have it replace the Rafah Crossing was rejected out of hand by the Palestinians (See below).

•  The Rafah Crossing: The only crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt remains closed. Its Palestinian side is controlled by Hamas' Executive Force. At the beginning of July 200 operatives belonging to the national security force and Hamas deployed along the Phildelphi Route (along the Israeli-Egyptian border).

An imminent problem which has to be dealt with is the passage of between 5,000 and 6,000 Palestinian civilians who have not been able to leave the Egyptian side of the Rafah Crossing since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip . The Palestinian media have given wide coverage to their suffering. Hamas organized protests against the closure. The Hamas government decided to pay each of the individuals stuck there $100 to relieve their suffering. In an interview, Tawfiq Tirawi, the commander of Palestinian general intelligence, said that among the civilians there were more than 70 Hamas operatives on their way back from (military) training in Iran (Al-Quds, July 14)

A Hamas demonstration protesting the closure of the Rafah Crossing
(Al-Aqsa TV, July 7).

Hamas is interested in working out arrangements to renew the operations of the Gaza Strip crossings, different from the previous ones. Regarding the Rafah Crossing, Hamas is interested in turning it into an Egyptian-Palestinian crossing managed by any entity the Egyptian and Hamas governments can agree on. At the same time, Hamas expressed its strong opposition to opening the Kerem Shalom Crossing as an alternative to the Rafah Crossing . That is because it is afraid to cut the only open line it has to the Arab world and to give Israel a lever to use against the Palestinians. Salam Fayyad's government as well is opposed to the idea, although it is of the opinion that the best solution would be a return to the status quo ante of the Rafah Crossing. ⁷

Abu Mazen repeatedly rejected offers to dialogue with Hamas. He made any dialogue conditional upon the restoration of the status quo ante in the Gaza Strip, on returning the security service headquarters and the weapons Hamas took over, on Hamas' making a public apology to the Palestinian people and on Hamas recognition of Salam Fayyad's government. Hamas refused to meet Abu Mazen's conditions and called for an unconditional dialogue.

The Palestinian Legislative Council , which according to Abu Mazen's initiative should have met on July 11, was unable to do so because following Hamas' boycott of the meeting there was no quorum (67 of 132 representative). It was supposed to have dealt, among other things, with extending the emergency situation upon which the emergency government was founded.

Cancelling the meeting paves the way for the situation to continue, according to the law which states that the president has the authority to issue edicts considered legal while the Palestinian Legislative Council is in recess. In addition, on July 11 Palestinian sources said told an Al-Quds al-Arabi reporter that not convening the Palestinian Legislative Council would be justification for Abu Mazen to disband it and “ return to the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people .” Hamas spokeman Dr. Salah al-Bardawil replied that Abu Mazen's suggestion was not legally valid.

On July 13, as the official 30-day emergency situation ended, the government tendered its resignation and a new government headed by Salam Fayyad was formed in its place . It functions as an interim government. Three new ministers have been added (two of them from the Gaza Strip) to reinforce the claim that the government also represents the residents of the Gaza Strip. The new minister are:

•  Tahani Suleiman Mohamed Abu Daqa, minister of youth and sports : She holds a BA in accounting and worked in various social institutions in the Gaza Strip. She was a Third Way (Salam Fayyad's party) candidate for the Legislative Council.

•  Ibrahim Khalil al-Abd Abrash, minister of culture : PhD in political science, lectured at universities in Morocco for several years. Is a full professor and dean of faculty of literature and social sciences at Al-Azhar University in the Gaza Strip.

•  Ali Ahmad Salam Khashan, minister of justice : PhD in constitutional law, one of the founders of Al-Quds University in Abu Dis. Lectured in the university's law school and was its first dean. Secretary of the committee for drafting the Palestinian constitution .

Ismail Haniya's government has called Abu Mazen's decision “illegal.” Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan claimed that the national unity government is the interim government according to Palestinian law and warned against “dangerous” steps being taken at the PLO's Central Council convention, which is to be held on July 18 (PalToday Website, July 13).

In the meantime, the squabbling between the governments of Ismail Haniya and Salam Fayyad continues:

•  Prime minister Salam Fayyad spoke before hundreds of Islamic clerics in Ramallah, among them Hamas supporters, and demanded that they refrain from including political messages in their sermons. He said they would not allow [the mosques] to become places of incitement and intimidation (AP, June 28). Hamas-affiliated clerics in the West Bank rejected the demand outright .

•  Abu Mazen issued an edict giving military courts broader powers to act to ensure the public safety during the emergency situation (Ma'an News Agency, July 10).

•  Prime minister Salam Fayyad ordered the temporary cessation of the activities of the Gaza Strip real estate authority. According to the order, any purchase, sale or transfer of property ownership in the Gaza Strip will be considered void and illegal (Wafa News Agency, July 9).

•  On June 30 Ismail Haniya's government decided to continue collecting taxes in the Gaza Strip, in defiance of the edict issued by Abu Mazen, exempting residents of the Gaza Strip from paying taxes.

•  Ismail Haniya's government established a special inter-ministry committee to ensure the security of foreign nationals in the Gaza Strip and to make it easier for them to work. The foreign ministry called upon foreign journalists to come to the Gaza Strip and promised to help them (Pal-media Website, July 4)

Restoring public order and ending the anarchy are the two top issues on the agendas of both the Salam Fayyad and Ismail Haniya governments. Each is interested in showing the Palestinian public, the Arab world and the international community its ability to take on the challenge of promoting internal security.

Hamas continues working energetically to establish its rule in the Gaza Strip , especially through the Executive Force, the only security force operating in the Gaza Strip today. The Force takes severe action against criminal elements (drug smugglers, counterfeiters, auto thieves, etc.). According to reports from residents of the Gaza Strip and media (controlled by Hamas) there is quiet of the sort the residents have not experienced for a long time. Fatah, however, claims that Hamas continues attacking individuals and institutions in the Gaza Strip affiliated with it. There have also been reports of Hamas' continued efforts to enlist into its ranks personnel from the security forces which collapsed during the Hamas takeover.

Hamas tries to market an image of tranquility in Gaza City . The subtitle of a video clip shown on Al-Aqsa TV reads: “All scenes of disturbance and weapons have disappeared, and shots are no longer heard in the skies over Gaza ” (Al-Aqsa TV, July 3)

In Judea and Samaria, while an effort is being made to restore public order, Fatah and security force activities against Hamas institutions continues, although to lesser extent than previously. The minister of information in Salam Fayyad's government claimed that there was a decline in the number of security-linked incidents throughout the West Bank , while Hamas reported attacks continued against its members and institutions (including its “charitable societies”). Especially notable were the clashes between activists of the Hamas and Fatah student organizations at Bir Zeit University, during which more than 20 students were injured (July 11). Hamas and Fatah accused one another of responsibility for the incidents. Reportedly there is still a great deal of tension between the rival groups on campus.

Among the terrorist organizations in Judea and Samaria , it was Hamas, predictably, that expressed its opposition to Abu Mazen's presidential edict forbidding the presence and activity of armed militias and the carrying of unlicensed weapons. Abu Obeida , Hamas- Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, stated that “the [presidential] edict isn't worth the paper it's written on,” saying that “resistance [i.e., terrorism and violence] is a legitimate right” (Pal-media Website, June 27). Fawzi Barhoum , Hamas spokesman, condemned the presidential edict and said that Abu Mazen was meeting American-Israeli demands in return for financial support (Felesteen, June 27).

Even after the confrontations declined after the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, the propaganda war between Hamas and Fatah-Abu Mazen continued full steam :

•  Abu Mazen, in a July 9 interview on Italian national TV, accused Hamas of helping Al-Qaeda to penetrate the Gaza Strip. Fatah spokesman Ahmad Abd Al-Rahman said that extremist fundamentalist organizations were operating in the Gaza Strip under Hamas aegis (BBC Radio, July 10). Hamas spokesmen denied any connection with Al-Qaeda and said that Abu Mazen wanted to fool the international community into bringing international forces into the Gaza Strip (Ma'an News Agency, Pal-media Website, July 10).

•  Hamas continued to sling mud at Abu Mazen and the members of Salam Fayyad's government. Abu Obeida , Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, called Salam Fayyad “prime minister Dayton” and “a slave who has become master,” working for American and Zionist patrons (Filastin al-‘An Website, June 30). A Website affiliated with Hamas attacked Ashraf al-Ajrami, minister of prisoners' affairs, youth and sports, calling him “a cheap tool of the United States [working] in the region,” who together with “Salam Fayyad's gang” performed the same function as those who collaborated with the Americans did in Iraq and Afshanistan (Filastin al-‘An Website, July 1)

At the beginning of July workers in the public sector received their June salaries on time. Long lines were reported at banks in the Gaza Strip and in Judea and Samaria , and renewed activity in markets. Salam Fayyad stated that his government was committed to paying its workers the salaries they had not received for the past 15 months (Al-Ayyam, July 5). Hamas, on the other hand, condemned the Fayyad government's decision not to pay salaries to 23,000 workers in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip whose appointments had been made under the Hamas government.

¹ As of July 14.

² As of July 14, 2007 .

³ Forty-two mortar shell hits were identified between July 1-14, 2007 , in addition to the rocket fire.

⁴ For the demands made by Johnston 's abductors see our May 20, 2007 Bulletin , “The Army of Islam, a radical Islamic Palestinian terrorist group in the Gaza Strip, claimed responsibility for the abduction of British journalist Alan Johnston” .

⁵ The responses of other senior Hamas figures also made the connection between the release of Alan Johnston and possible progress in the Gilad Shalit affair.

⁶ John Ging, the director of UNRWA operations in Gaza , said he was pleased about the merchandise passing through the Kerem Shalom and Sufa Crossings, but again emphasized the importance of the Karni Crossing as being the Gaza Strip's main crossing point. In an interview given on the same day crossings were attacked by mortars, he expressed his criticism of Hamas for not imposing security at the crossings, clarifying the issue by saying it was the Palestinians' responsibility (Jerusalem Post, July 9).

⁷ Riadh al-Maliki, minister of information Salam Fayyad's government, said that control of the Rafah Crossing by Hamas and its armed militias is a reason for it to be closed. He said that their retreating from the crossing and turning it over the legal government would aid to bring about its reopening (Wafa News Agency, July 11).