News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (April 20 – 25, 2017)*

Terrorist Attacks and Attempted Terrorists Attacks

• April 25, 2017 – Attempted stabbing attack south of Nablus: A Palestinian armed with a knife went to the Hawwara Junction (south of Nablus) and ran towards IDF soldiers, trying to stab them. The soldiers initiated procedures for detaining a suspect, during which the terrorist was wounded and evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment. There were no casualties among the IDF forces.
• April 24, 2017 – Stabbing attack at the Qalandia crossing: A Palestinian woman went to the Qalandia roadblock (north of Jerusalem) and waited for the security check. She approached a female soldier, claiming she wanted to ask a question. She then took a knife out of her purse, and stabbed and wounded the soldier. Israeli security forces at the scene overcame her. The Palestinian media reported the stabber was Asia Ka'baneh, 39 from the village of Duma near Nablus, mother of nine (Kilmati, April 24, 2017). During interrogation she said she had fought with her husband and wanted to end her life carrying out an attack (Israel Security Agency, April 24, 2017).

Left: The knife used in the stabbing attack (Twitter account of Palinfo, April 24, 2017). Right: Palestinian terrorist Asia Ka'baneh (Facebook page of QudsN, April 24, 2017).

• April 25, 2017 – Stabbing attack In Tel Aviv:

• A young Palestinian used a sharp tool to stab three men and one woman in two hotels on the Tel Aviv promenade. The four sustained minor injuries. Police arrived at the scene and detained the stabber. Investigation revealed that he had a one-time permit to enter Israel. The permit had been granted at the request of an organization called Natural Peace Tours, which organizes trips and visits to Israel for Palestinians. After the attack the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories ordered a freeze on all permits to enter Israel obtained by Palestinians through institutions and organizations.
• The Palestinian media reported the stabber was Imad Daghar al-Aghbar, 18, from Nablus (Twitter account of Palinfo, April 23, 2017). He studied mathematics at al-Najah University in Nablus (quds.press, April 23, 2017).

Left: From the security camera video documenting the stabbing attack in a hotel store in Tel Aviv (Facebook page of QudsN, April 24, 2017). Right: Imad Daghar al-Aghbar, the Palestinian terrorist who carried out the stabbing attack (nnpress.com, April 23, 2017).

Riots, Clashes and Popular Terrorism

• In the meantime, demonstrations, clashes and riots continued throughout Judea and Samaria, mainly involving Palestinians throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. Most of them were held for Palestinian Prisoners' Day and in support of the prisoners on hunger strikes in Israeli jails. The events were well-attended but there were no exceptional occurrences. The Israeli security forces detained suspected terrorists in Judea and Samaria and confiscated weapons. The more prominent incidents were the following:

• April 24, 2017 – Palestinians threw stones at the Gush Etzion Junction. Two soldiers, one male, one female, sustained minor injuries (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 24, 2017).
• April 24, 2017 – A Palestinian about 30 years old drove his vehicle to the light railway station at the Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. He swerved out of his lane and drove onto the tracks. Police arrived on the scene and detained him, and he was taken for interrogation (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 24, 2017).
• April 24, 2017 – Palestinians threw stones at a bus near Hizma (southeast of Ramallah). A civilian sustained minor injuries. The bus was damaged (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 24, 2017).
• April 24, 2017 – An IDF force shot at two Palestinians throwing stones during a riot in the village of Malek in the Beit El region. One Palestinian was mortally wounded and the other was seriously wounded (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 24, 2017).
• April 22, 2017 – Palestinians threw stones at Israeli security forces in the Shuafat neighborhood of east Jerusalem. An Israeli policeman sustained minor injuries and was evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 22, 2017).
• April 22, 2017 – Palestinians clashed with settlers near Hawwara, south of Nablus. A Palestinian woman was injured. During the clash the settlers threw stones at Israeli security forces. An IDF officer sustained minor injuries (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 22, 2017).
• April 22, 2017 – Palestinians threw stones at Israeli vehicles near the gas station on route 443 (the Jerusalem-Modi'in road. There were no casualties (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 22, 2017).
• April 22, 2017 – Palestinians set fire to tires near Israeli security forces in Kafr Qadoum (Samaria). In response the security forces fired rubber bullets. One Palestinian sustained minor injuries (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 22, 2017).
• April 22, 2017 – Border Policemen detained two Palestinian minors from Dheisheh. The two went to a Border Police base in the Gush Etzion region carrying bags with Molotov cocktails. They were detained and taken for interrogation (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 22, 2017).
• April 20, 2017 – The Israeli security forces detained a 20 year-old Palestinian at the junction between Yatta and Hebron. He was found to be carrying a knife, detained and taken for questioning (Facebook page of Red Alert, April 20, 2017).

Detention of Operative Recruited by Hamas

• In February 2017 the Israeli security forces detained Malek Nizar Yusuf Qizmar, born in 1994, from the region of Qalqilya. Interrogation revealed that he had recently lived in Turkish Cyprus. In 2015, while in Jordan, he was recruited by Hamas. In January 2016 Hamas sent him to a training camp in Syria, where among other things he learned how to manufacture IEDs and explosives. In January 2017, before he returned to Judea and Samaria, he met with Hamas operatives in Istanbul. They instructed him to recruit other operatives from Judea and Samaria. He received encrypted memory cards from his handlers which contained security instructions and information that would help him carry out his missions (Israel Security Agency, April 4, 2017).

Rocket Fire Attacking Israel

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

Attempted Smuggling of Explosives into Israel from the Gaza Strip

• Security inspectors from the Israeli crossings authority at the Erez crossing found explosives used in the manufacture of IEDs inside tubes of medical material. They were found in the possession of two sisters from the Gaza Strip when they entered Israel April 20, 2017 so that one sister could receive treatment for cancer on. According to the results of the initial investigation, the explosives were apparently sent by Hamas for the purpose of carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel (Israel Security Agency, April 20, 2017).

The Electricity Crisis

• Hamas-PA tensions continue in the wake of a series of economic measures implemented by Mahmoud Abbas, including cancelling the so-called "blue tax" exemption on fuel entering the Gaza Strip. The electric company in the Gaza Strip announced that its power plant was almost completely inoperative because the funding for fuel donated by Qatar had run out. As a result the plant now provides electricity in cycles of four hours followed by a 12-hour hiatus (the plant usually provides electricity in cycles of eight hours followed by an eight-hour hiatus).
• Hamas used its media to spotlight the damage expected from the electricity crisis in order to exert pressure on the PA. The energy authority in the Gaza Strip accused the PA of responsibility for the present electricity crisis because it was unwilling to subsidize the so-called "blue tax" on the price of fuel used by the power plant. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip, warned that because of the crisis in electricity, his ministry would be unable to provide the Gazans with services. He said the fuel that remained would be enough for his ministry for only three days (al-Ra'i, April 23, 2017). Senior Hamas figure Salah al-Bardawil said the real reason for the crisis was the Palestinian national consensus government, which had dealt severe blows to the electric company, such as charging the "blue tax" (al-Aqsa, April 21, 2017).

Meeting of Senior Fatah and Hamas Figures Is a Failure

• On April 18, 2017, Fatah Central Committee members Ahmed Hilles and Rawhi Fattouh met with senior Hamas figures Khalil al-Haya, Fawzi Barhoum and Salah al-Bardawil. The meeting was held in the Gaza Strip and was an attempt to settle their differences; however, it failed to ease the tension between Hamas and the PA. The Palestinian Legislative Council in the Gaza Strip said in an official statement that the administrative committee, established by Hamas to deal with the affairs of the Gaza Strip, had been appointed because of the failure of the Palestinian national consensus government, and it was not a replacement for it (alresalah.net, April 20, 2017). Senior Hamas figure Ismail Radwan said the Fatah delegation had not offered Hamas any suggestions (Dunia al-Watan, April 23, 2017). Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum also said that so far Fatah had not offered solutions for easing the suffering of the Gazans (Hamas website, April 23, 2017).
• Other statements included:

• Salah al-Bardawil, a member of Hamas' political bureau, accused Mahmoud Abbas of deliberately hurting the Gaza Strip by cutting budgets. He said Fatah had not yet formulated its conditions for resolving the crisis. However, he said, if the national consensus government fulfilled its role in the Gaza Strip, Hamas would dissolve the governmental committee it had established to administer the Gaza Strip (al-Sharq al-Awsat, April 20, 2017).
• Mahmoud al-Zahar, a member of Hamas' political bureau, said cutting salaries would not keep Hamas from operating above ground or below ground. He claimed Hamas would continue to work for the liberation of the Palestinian territories and al-Aqsa mosque. He added that Hamas' military wing would continue its military activities through the tunnels (Safa, April 23, 2017).

Chairman of UNRWA Staff Union Resigns

• On April 22, 2017, Suhail al-Hindi, chairman of the UNRWA staff union in the Gaza Strip and principal of an UNRWA boys' elementary school, announced he was resigning and taking early retirement. UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness also said in a statement that Suhail al-Hindi was no longer employed by the agency. Al-Hindi was forced to resign after the media and political reactions to his election to Hamas new political bureau in the Gaza Strip, which violated UNRWA's position that its employees could not belong to Hamas or any other organization. So far it is unclear if al-Hindi also resigned as principal of the UNRWA boys' elementary school.^[4]

Hamas Political Document To Be Published

• Khaled Mashaal, head of Hamas' political bureau, said in an interview that in two weeks Hamas' new political document would be published, at which time he would step down. He claimed Hamas was prepared to recognize the 1967 borders but would not recognize the State of Israel before the establishment of a Palestinian state. He added that the right to decide the question of recognition of Israel was reserved for the Palestinian people (al-Hayat, April 23, 2017). "An exclusive Hamas source" reported that the Hamas leadership in Qatar would officially publish the movement's political document on April 30, 2017. According to the source, the document would define Hamas' identity, objectives, external and internal relations, its position on the liberation of Palestine and various political positions (Shehab, April 21, 2017).

Palestinian Prisoners on Hunger Strike

• The hunger strike begun by approximately 1,200 Palestinian prisoners on April 18, 2017, continues. Issa Qaraqe, chairman of the authority for prisoners' affairs, denied a report that 88 prisoners stopped striking (Wafa, April 23, 2017).
• Beyond the prison walls activities continue in support of the prisoners, including rallies, marches, the erection of protest tents and demonstrations attended by senior Palestinian figures. The activities are held in many locations in Judea and Samaria and attract a relatively large following. In some instances Palestinians have rioted against the Israeli security forces, but no exceptional incidents were reported. The Fatah movement called on all the districts in Judea and Samaria to join in supporting the prisoners and to form a united front standing behind the prisoners' demands. In addition, a general strike was called for April 27,2017, and a so-called "day of rage" for April 28, 2017, when confrontations would be held at all the friction points between the Palestinians and Israel (Ma'an, April 22, 2017).

The Fatah announcement published in Judea and Samaria calling for a "day of rage" on April 28, 2017, with confrontations at the friction points (official Fatah Facebook page, April 23, 2017)

• In the meantime, senior PA figures are trying to receive international support for the prisoners' hunger strike. Ibrahim Kharisha, PA representative in Geneva and UN agencies, called for a meeting of representatives of the Red Cross, the UN High Commission of Human Rights and the chairman of the UN Human Rights Council to discuss the issue of the hunger-striking prisoners (Facebook page of the Voice of Palestine, April 23, 2017). Fatah spokesman Osama Qawasmeh called on Palestinians living abroad and on Arabs to act quickly at every level to help the prisoners win the struggle for their rights and respect. He also called for protest rallies and mass marches in various locations around the globe (Wafa, April 20, 2017).

Preparations for Mahmoud Abbas' Visit to the United States Continue

• Preparations continue for Mahmoud Abbas' visit to the United States, expected to be held at the beginning of May 2017. On April 23, 2017, a PA delegation left for Washington, DC, to prepare and coordinate the visit with the American side. The members of the delegation included Saeb Erekat, secretary of the PLO's Executive Committee; Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian general intelligence; Muhammad Mustafa, chairman of the Palestinian Investment Fund and currently general advisor to Mahmoud Abbas; Sabri Sidam, Palestinian minister of education; and others (Ma'an and the Facebook page of Husam Zomlot, April 23, 2017). According to Riyad al-Maliki, foreign minister of the Palestinian national consensus government, in preparation for the visit the delegation will meet with senior figures in the American State Department, the White House and the National Security Council. The delegation will return on April 27, 2017 to present Mahmoud Abbas with a report that will help him prepare for the visit (Dunia al-Watan, April 23, 2017).
• According to Riyad al-Maliki, Mahmoud Abbas is expected to meet with Donald Trump to discuss several matters, among them the two-state solution; the Palestinians' refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state; and the Arab peace initiative. Regarding Jerusalem, its status will be discussed, as will the [alleged] damage done to al-Aqsa mosque by Israel and the issue of relocating the American embassy to Jerusalem. Among the issues also to be discussed are the prisoners, the settlements and administrative detentions. (Voice of Palestine radio, April 20, 2017).