Ad Hoc Studies

A Weaponizing the Law Conference in the Gaza Strip to discuss the legal battle against Israel

Within the framework of the legal battle the Palestinians are waging against the State of Israel, on March 18, 2023, a conference was held in the Gaza Strip with the theme, "Jurists Confronting the Occupier." Speakers at the conference stressed the importance of using the law to attack Israel, claiming it was no less important than the "military" and political activities against it. The conference offered recommendations, including the need to use the law as a weapon against Israel as a fundamental "resistance" [anti-Israeli activity] method at every level and in international forums. Using the law as a weapon against Israel is not new, and for years has been an integral part of the political "struggle" waged by the Palestinian Authority (PA) and often part of its activity to delegitimize Israel. The political, propaganda and military objectives are the following:
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Hamas threatens escalation and encourages terrorist attacks during Ramadan

Ramadan officially begin on March 23, 2023 and end on April 21, 2023. Given the current tension in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem and the events of past years, Palestinian sources, especially in the Hamas leadership, reiterate that the situation is unstable and likely to deteriorate sharply. They threaten escalation and worse if Israel continues its "activities against the Palestinians and al-Aqsa mosque," for them the red line which could ignite the region. Marwan Issa, the deputy head of Hamas' military-terrorist wing, gave a rare interview where he claimed that any change in the status quo of al-Aqsa would cause "a regional earthquake." The security prisoners in Israeli jails also claimed they would go on hunger strikes throughout the month.
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Protests in Israel and the rejection of the government’s new legal reforms from the perspective of the Palestinians and Hezbollah

The Palestinian media are systematically covering the demonstrations held in Israel to protest the legal reforms advanced by the Israeli government. Their reports are generally informative . Several Palestinian political commentators related to the issue. Some stressed that its unity was being eroded. Some even called on the Palestinians to unite and exploit the crisis to advance the "liberation" and to continue the "resistance." The Iranian and Arab channels also devote a large part of their airtime to events in Israel and encourage the division in Israeli society. High-ranking Hezbollah figures relate to the protests and push their own narrative, which stresses the "temporary nature of the Zionist entity" and quote Hassan Nasrallah's speech about the "spider web.
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The Use of Social Networks by the Palestinian Public – Facts and Assessments

iPoke, a company based in the Gaza Strip, issued its 2022 annual report examined the Palestinian public's consumption habits. One of the most important findings was that TikTok, Telegram and WhatsApp were the most popular apps, and were widely used by Palestinian society in general and by Palestinian youth in particular. The report also noted that the apps were used almost equally by both genders, but certain ones were used more by women than by men.
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Reactions to the IDF Activity in Nablus (February 22, 2023)

On February 22, 2023, the Israeli security forces operated in Nablus to detain three wanted Palestinians. The activity developed into extensive riots and exchanges of gunfire. Eleven Palestinians were killed, most of them armed, and more than 100 were wounded. An examination of the names of the Palestinian fatalities revealed that six of them were Lion's Den operatives The unusually large operation was one the Israeli security forces' ongoing activities, mainly in northern Samaria, to prevent terrorist networks from carrying out attacks
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Children in the Service of Palestinian Terrorism: Security tensions, incitement in the social networks and favorable public reactions may influence more children to carry out terrorist attacks

During the past three weeks children between the ages of 13 and 14 carried out three terrorist attacks in Jerusalem, two stabbing attacks and one shooting attack. They were not extraordinary because in effect, since the latest wave of Palestinian terrorism began in 2022, we have witnessed adolescents and even children participating in clashes with Israeli security forces and carrying out terrorist attacks. However, their ages have recently decreased significantly. If in the past the attackers were adolescents and young adults aged 16 or more, today they are children barely in their teens. The attacks and young attackers have been widely praised, especially on the social networks popular with that age group, which may encourage other children to emulate them. As opposed to past instances, where organizations were found to have directed the children, apparently the most recent attacks were carried out by children acting independently. They were influenced by the growing tension in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, accompanied by strong, pervasive online incitement. The activities of individual children make it particularly difficulty for the Israeli security forces to have advance knowledge of their intentions and prevent the attacks. For the most part, Palestinian children grow up in a society that incites violence, and they absorb and are influenced by the general atmosphere in the Palestinian street, the anti-Israeli incitement in their textbooks and formal and informal educational environments, and particularly by the social networks. According to a survey conducted about Internet use in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, TikTok is the platform watched most by children of the relevant ages. Formerly, internal criticism was heard in the Palestinian Authority (PA) and within Palestinian society of exploiting children for terrorist attacks. However, at the present time not only does the PA not appear to be taking effective steps against using children as terrorist
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