News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 18 – 24, 2019)

The return march of December 20, 2019

• On December 20, 2019, the 85^th return march was held in the Gaza Strip with the theme, “Hebron against Judaization.” There were relatively few participants (about 2,600 Palestinians), who gathered at the five traditional sites. The level of violence was similar to that of recent weeks. Several dozen rioters threw stones, burned tires and threw Molotov cocktails and IEDs at IDF forces. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the ministry of health, reported that 30 Palestinians had suffered various degrees of injury (Ashraf al-Qidra’s Twitter account, December 20, 2019).

    
Right: Palestinian rioters clash with IDF soldiers in eastern Khan Yunis (Facebook page of journalist Maryam Riad Abu Daqa, December 20, 2019). Left: Palestinian rioters climb the security fence east of Rafah (picture from a video posited to the Facebook page of journalist Bader al-Najadi, December 20, 2019).

• After the activities the Supreme National Authority of the Great Return March held a press conference, announcing that the return marches would continue in their “popular format.” The public was called on to participate in the activities on December 27, 2019, whose theme will be “The blood of the shaheeds leads the way to liberation” to mark the anniversary of Operation Cast Lead. The Authority said that in the near future it would announcement details of the program for the return marches of 2020 (Palinfo, December 20, 2019).
• Deliberations were recently held by Hamas and the other participating terrorist organizations to examine the continuation and nature of the return marches. Various proposals were made for a new format. Apparently, after almost two years and 85 return marches, Hamas has come to the conclusion that the marches, with their inherent violence, have exhausted themselves. In addition, to achieve a short-term, minimalist arrangement with Israel of the sort Hamas is interested in, there is no need to continue the marches in their present format, especially since the Gazans seem to be growing tired of them (which Hamas is obliged to take into consideration).
• Nevertheless, in ITIC assessment Hamas does not intend to completely stop the marches and their inherent violence, and prefers to continue holding them less frequently and with a lower level of violence. In ITIC assessment there are two main reasons for that: one, Hamas wants to keep pressuring Israel, even with a lower level of violence; and two, Hamas wants to mitigate or, if possible, prevent internal Palestinian criticism from both the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (the PIJ is more belligerent and is interested in maintaining ongoing violence) and the Palestinian Authority (which can be expected to represent a cessation of the marches as a sign of the failure of Hamas’ policy).^[1]

Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel

• Sporadic rocket fire into Israeli territory continues, which actually never stopped after the most recent round of escalation (November 2019). This past week there were two instances of rocket fire into Israel territory from the Gaza Strip. The identity of the organization firing the rockets has not been revealed:
  • On December 18, 2019 (while a delegation from Qatar was visiting the Gaza Strip) a rocket was fired at the southern Israeli city of Sderot. It was intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defense system. No damage was reported. Several people were treated for shock and one woman was injured while running to a shelter (spokesman’s unit of Barzilai Hospital, December 18, 2019). In response Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked a Hamas arms manufacture site in the northern Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman, December 19, 2019). After a period during which Israel did not impose sanctions in response to rocket fire, Israel announced that until further notice the fishing zone off the Gaza Strip coast would be restricted to ten nautical miles.
  • On December 19, 2019, a rocket was fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip. It blew up in an open area. No casualties or damage were reported. In response IDF aircraft attacked a Hamas underground infrastructure and a naval target (IDF spokesman, December 19, 2019).
  • In the wake of the IDF attacks Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the attacks on the “resistance” and Hamas’ military wing, the destruction of its resources and threats to human lives and will not bring security to Israel. He also said that past experience has shown it is dangerous to use a “stupid” policy against Hamas’ military wing (Sawa, December 20, 2019).

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since January 2018

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Prevention of infiltrations into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip

• This past week Palestinians made a number of attempts to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip:
  • On December 23, 2019 IDF forces detained a Palestinian who had crossed the security fence into Israeli territory from the southern Gaza Strip. When the soldiers arrived he threatened them with a knife. He was shot, wounded and taken for medical treatment and interrogation (IDF spokesman, December 23, 2019).
  • On December 19, 2019, IDF forces detained three suspects who had crossed the security fence into Israeli territory from the northern Gaza Strip. They had knives in their possession and were taken for interrogation (IDF spokesman, December 19, 2019).
  • On December 17, 2019, IDF forces identified an armed suspect near the security fence in the southern Gaza Strip. IDF aircraft shot and killed him while he was still inside the Gaza Strip (IDF spokesman, December 17, 2019). The Palestinian media reported that his name was Abdallah Ahmed Abu Nasr (Abu Tir), 18, from Absan al-Kabira, east of Khan Yunis. His brother, Ahmed Ahmed Abu Nasr, who was a PIJ military-wing operative, carried out an attack in the same region (Ma’an, December 18, 2019; al-Mashhad, December 17, 2019).

     
Right: Picture from a video documenting a Palestinian terrorist armed with a rifle approaching the security fence (IDF Twitter account, December 17, 2019). Left: Abdallah Ahmed Abu Nasr (Twitter account of journalist Hasan Aslih, December 17, 2019).

• In the meantime, “security sources” in the Gaza Strip reported that Hamas restraint forces prevented an attempt by three Palestinians to infiltrate into Israeli territory from the Khan Yunis area (Filastin al-Yawm, December 23, 2019).

Other events on the ground

• In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli security forces and civilian targets (primarily vehicles). The more prominent events were the following:
  • December 24, 2019 – Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near the village of Dir Abu Mishal (northwest of Ramallah). No casualties were reported. The windshield of the vehicle was damaged. Earlier in the day stones were thrown north of Ofra (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, December 24 2019).
  • December 23, 2019 – A 16-year-old Palestinian went to one on the check points at the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. His behavior aroused the suspicions of Border Police fighters stationed at the site. He was asked to raise his shirt, revealing a hidden knife. He was taken for interrogation (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit, December 23, 2019).
  • December 22, 2019 – IDF forces in the Jordan Valley noticed three suspicious figures. They detained the three and searched the area, finding bags containing about 50 hand guns, parts of M16 assault rifles and ammunition. The three were taken for interrogation (IDF spokesman’s Twitter account, December 23, 2019).
  • December 20, 2019 – Security guards of the Border Crossings Authority at the Meitar Crossing (south of Mt. Hebron) prevented an attempt to smuggle four crates of ammunition into the Palestinian Authority. The crates were in the trunk of a car driven by an Israeli (Israeli ministry of defense spokesman’s unit, December 20 2019).
  • December 20, 2019 – In the village of Furata in Samaria two cars were set on fire and anti-Arab graffiti were sprayed. The police are investigating the event (Judea and Samaria police force spokesman’s unit, December 20, 2019).
  • December 19, 2019 – An IED and burning tires were placed near the security fence of the new Givon community (northwest of Jerusalem). No casualties or damage were reported (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, December 19, 2019).
  • December 19, 2019 – Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus near Hizmeh (near Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem). No casualties were reported. The front windshield of the bus was damaged (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, December 19, 2019).
  • December 19, 2019 – Stones were thrown at a vehicle on the Jerusalem-Gush Etzion road between Efrat and the al-Khader Junction. No casualties were reported; the front windshield of the vehicle was damaged (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, December 19, 2019).
  • December 17, 2019 – IDF forces identified a Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli vehicles near Bayt Jala (south of Jerusalem). They shot at the terrorist, who tried to escape. He was caught and detained (IDF spokesman, December 17, 2019).

Significant terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria since September 2017^[2]

Exposure of large Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist network

• Following the solving of the case of the IED attack at Ayn Bubin in August 2019, in which an Israeli girl was killed and her father and brother were wounded, the Israeli security forces revealed that a large PFLP network had carried out the attack. In the wake of the exposure of the network about 50 operatives were detained, among them senior organization figures. Interrogations of the detainees led to the seizure of a large quantity of weapons which belonged to the operatives, including M16 rifles, Kalashnikov assault rifles, a Galil rifle, a carbine, a mini-Uzi, hand guns and noise suppressors. Also seized were fertilizers used in the manufacture of IEDs, ball bearings and ammunition, communications equipment, telescopic sights and a portable battery for detonating IEDs remotely (which was how the IED at Ayn Bubin was detonated). Interrogations of the detainees revealed that the network operatives had carried out shooting attacks and were planning showcase attacks for the near future (Israel Security Agency website, December 18, 2019).
• The network was headed by senior, experienced PFLP operatives, most of whom had either been detained or imprisoned by Israel. They instructed the network operatives to carry out terrorist attacks. Among them was Khaldah Jarar, a 56-year-old woman who heads the PFLP in Judea and Samaria and is responsible for all the organization’s activities (Israel Security Agency website, December 18, 2019).
• After the detentions the PFLP said Israel’s activities would have no effect on the strong structure of the organization or weaken the “resistance” [i.e., terrorist organizations] and warned they would prove it in the near future, They said they had no verbal response to Israel’s announcement but that the organization “knows how to act” (Filastin al-Yawm, December 19, 2019).
• Hamas issued a statement praising the PFLP and the operatives who were detained. According to Hamas, the detainees (“victims”) show that the West Bank continues on the path of the “resistance” and continues its activities against the IDF and the settlers. Hamas called on the operatives to “ignite” the “resistance” in the West Bank (Sawa, December 19, 2019).

The Rafah Crossing

• After two days during which the Rafah Crossing was closed, the Egyptians reopened it on December 22, 2019. According to reports, after it was opened reinforcements were sent to the Egyptian side to accelerate the passage of civilians in both directions (al-Masry al-Youm, December 22, 2019).

Bringing funds into the Gaza Strip

• Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, arrived in the Gaza Strip on December 17, 2019, for another two-day visit (Palinfo Twitter account, December 19, 2019). In addition to money he brought fire-fighting equipment donated by Qatar for the Gaza Strip. He said Qatar would continue donating funds for needy families and the Gazan power plant until March 2020. He said Qatar was favorably considering the Gaza Strip’s request that Qatar continues donating funds (Sawa, December 18, 2019). According to a report, Isma’il Haniyeh, who is currently in Qatar, will try to have the donations extended to the end of 2020 (al-Akhbar, December 21, 2019).
• UNRWA announced it will allot $5.51 million for food for families in the Gaza Strip, and $5.64 million for constructing a school (Sawa, December 21, 2019).

Medical aid for the Gaza Strip

• Mai Kayla, PA minister of health, reported that the Turkish hospital in the Gaza Strip would open its doors in 2020, the Turkish government having approved a budget of $13 million. She said that for the Gazans, the hospital would replace the hospitals in Israel and the West Bank.
• During his visit to the Gaza Strip, Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of the Qatari Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, signed an agreement with a Gazan construction company for a medical center for dialysis patients, to be established near the Indonesian hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. The cost of the project, which will be supervised by the ministry of health in the Gaza Strip, is $1.2 million, of which the Qatari Committee will fund half a million dollars (Facebook page of the Qatari Committee, December 18, 2019).

• On December 23, 2019, it was reported that a convoy from Jordan with medical equipment had entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing (Filastin al-Yawm, December 23, 2019).

Hamas delegation visits Malaysia

• On December 18, 2019, a delegation of senior Hamas figures arrived in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, to participate in an Islamic summit meeting. The delegation is headed by Musa Abu Marzouq, a member of the Hamas political bureau. Other delegation members include Khalil al-Haya, Izzat al-Rishq and Husam Badran, all members of the political bureau, and senior Hamas figures Sami Abu Zuhri, Usama Hamedan and Jemal Issa (Hamas website, December 18, 2019). Khaled Mashaal, former chairman of Hamas’ political bureau was also in attendance. About 500 Muslim delegates from various countries participated in the summit and discussed the issue of finding solutions for the problems plaguing the Islamic nation (al-Andalou News, December 18, 2019). Khaled Mashaal gave a speech entitled “The role of politics in development in light of Hamas’ experience.” He said that the Palestinians opposed economic development based on the principles of economic peace with Israel. He stressed that the Palestinians’ top priority was the “resistance” [i.e., terrorism] and the “struggle” (Palinfo, December 19, 2019, Hamas website, December 19, 2019).
• Members of the Hamas delegation held meetings on the sidelines of the conference, among them a meeting with the Malaysian prime minister and senior ministers. They also met with Turkey’s president, foreign minister, defense minister and other senior Turkish officials. In addition, they held meetings with the emir of Qatar, the Qatari foreign minister, the Iranian president and foreign minister, and the heads of Islamic political parties from around the globe (Shehab, December 19, 2019).

    
Meetings on the sidelines of the summit. Right: Khaled Mashaal and Iranian President Rouhani (tabnak website, December 19, 2019). Left: Khaled Mashaal with the Iranian foreign minister (donya-e-eqtesad.com, December 19, 2019).

Isma’il Haniyeh visits Qatar

• Isma’il Haniyeh did not join the Hamas delegation in Malaysia, and he went to Qatar as head of a delegation which included Saleh al-‘Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, Maher Salah, Nizar Awadallah and Sami Khater, all members of Hamas’ political bureau. According to a Hamas source, Haniyeh may remain in Qatar for a number of months, and from there, go to Russia, Lebanon, Mauritania, Kuwait and possibly Iran (al-Sharq al-Awsat, December 17, 2019). While in Qatar Isma’il Haniyeh met with Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, former emir of Qatar and father of the current emir. At the meeting Haniyeh praised Qatar for the aid it gives the Gaza Strip (Hamas website, December 19, 2019).

   
Reception for Isma’il Haniyeh at a mosque in Qatar for the Friday prayer
(Shehab Twitter account, December 20, 2019).

Ceremony launching the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s shaheed encyclopedia

•  The PIJ held a festive ceremony in the Gaza Strip where it launched its book, The Encyclopedia of Palestinian Shaheeds, which contains biographies of hundreds of dead PIJ operatives. PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah gave a speech in which he stressed that his organization continues the path of jihad and “resistance,” and that the Palestinian forces would be united in their response to any act of aggression, as had been agreed on with Hamas and the “forces of the resistance” (PIJ website, December 19, 2019).

   
Launching the shaheed encyclopedia in the Gaza Strip. Right: Ziyad al-Nakhalah gives a speech. Left: The encyclopedia (PIJ website, December 19, 2019) 

Decision reached by the International Criminal Court’s attorney general

• On December 20, 2019, Fatou Bensouda, the attorney general of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, announced that after having finished her preliminary examination (which began in 2015) she was of the opinion that there is a basis for opening an investigation of everything related to the situation in the Palestinian territories regarding the [so-called Israeli] “war crimes” committee in Judea, Samaria, east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. She said she had the authority to decide the issue since in her opinion there is a Palestinian state in the 1967 territories, but she asked an additional panel of judges in The Hague to hold deliberations before the trial and to give their opinion within 120 days as to the authority of the Court to judge the matter and to determine the limits of the investigation. She said an investigation would also be held against “armed organizations” in the Gaza Strip which used the population as human shields and are also accused of torture (ICC website, December 20, 2019).
• The attorney general’s decision was welcomed by the Palestinians, who see it as an achievement for their intense activity with the ICC and other international organizations. The PA and other Palestinian bodies have begun preparations for the court’s legal activity (the Palestinians’ responses will be detailed in a separate bulletin).
•  Israel (which is not a member of the ICC) rejected the attorney general’s decision on the grounds that it is unreasonable and unacceptable. According to Avichai Mandelblit, the Israeli attorney general, Israel is a democratic state where the law prevails and which respects and follows international law and humanitarian principles. That commitment, he said, is ensured by a strong, independent legal system and there is no place for international legal intervention.

Condemnation of the trade center opened in Jerusalem by Brazil

• On December 15, 2019, the son of the Brazilian president opened an official office of the Brazilian ministry of trade in Jerusalem. It will not be considered an official diplomatic legation. The opening of the office caused the Palestinians to protest. Diab al-Louh, the Palestinian representative to the Arab League, called for an emergency meeting of the League Council of Representatives to discuss steps to counter the Brazilian measure (Wafa, December 17, 2019). On December 19, 2019, the League held a meeting. Alaa Rashdi, the Egyptian representative to the League, said that any changes to Jerusalem’s status are illegal and that Brazil’s action violated UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions regarding Jerusalem (al-Shuruq, December 19, 2019).

German aid for the PA

• Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh reported he had signed an agreement with the German government for a €76 million aid package for implementing various projects in education, vocational training, the water sector, tourism, information technology, etc. (Wafa, December 17, 2019).

American aid for the PA

• President Trump signed bills funding most federal agencies on December 20, 2019, finalizing budgets for the 2020 fiscal year. One of the bills was an amendment to the 1998 Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act (ATCA), cancelling the part of the bill according to which American aid to the Palestinians exposes the PA to the American judicial system. The amendment enables the restoration of American aid to the PA. Therefore, $150 million will be transferred to the PA, $75 million for its security forces and $75 million for humanitarian needs and development projects (Middle East Monitor, December 18, 2019).

Electricity crisis in the PA

• The Israeli electric company stopped supplying a number of areas in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem with electricity because of the PA’s growing debt to the company. As a result, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh announced that the government had decided to pay the electric bills of all the refugee camps and to give economic support to 106,000 needy families, 70,000 of them in the Gaza Strip (Wafa, Dunia al-Watan, December 19, 2019).
• Zafer Milhem, the PA’s minister of energy, said the PA was in the final stages of a project to increase the amount of electricity supplied from Jordan, which would be 16% of the electricity used in the Palestinian territories. He said he expected to sign a trade agreement with Jordan for the supply of electricity in Jerusalem and Jericho, and that the initiative would begin within six months (Palestinian TV, December 17, 2019).
• Khaled al-Asili, PA national economy minister, reported the launching of a project for Palestinian industrial development using alternative sources of energy. The project, established with support from UNRWA and in cooperation with the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), is supposed to help in the significant reduction of electricity provided by Israel, part of the PA’s economic separation from Israel (Sawa, December 18, 2019).

Elections in the PA

• Delays continue in holding elections in the PA. The main (although in ITIC assessment not the only) obstacle is the issue of holding elections in Jerusalem. According to reports, the issue of Jerusalem is also what is keeping Mahmoud Abbas from issuing a presidential edict for the date of the elections. On December 21, 2019, Fatah’s Revolutionary Council held its seventh conference. In its final summation, in the spirit of a speech given to the conference by Mahmoud Abbas, the Council stressed that it was important to have national agreement that the elections would be held in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem (Wafa, December 21, 2019).

   
Right: Conference of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council, held in Ramallah (Palestinian TV Facebook page, December 21, 2019). Left: “No elections without Jerusalem” (Facebook page of Isma’il al-Bazam, December 20, 2019).

• A public opinion poll carried out by Khalil Shiqaqi and the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research showed that a majority (52%) of the public believes that elections will be held for the Palestinian Legislative Council. Fifty percent of the public are of the opinion that elections will not be free and fair. Fifty-six percent support holding elections even if Israel does not allow them to be held in east Jerusalem. As for the results of elections, 40% of the votes will be cast for Fatah and 32% for Hamas.
• Regarding the question of Hamas’ not participating in the recent round of escalation in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the PIJ, 46% of the Palestinian public supported Hamas’ decision and 32% opposed it, 46% supported it in the Gaza Strip and 22% in the West Bank (PCPSR, December 17, 2019).

Student activity at Birzeit University

• About two weeks ago the Birzeit University administration decided to prevent student factions from holding military-type activities. That meant that the factions representing the PFLP and Hamas could not hold activities to mark the anniversaries of the founding of their organizations. According to Ghassan al-Khatib, university vice president, the decision had been made several years ago but had never been implemented because of student opposition. The university president also said the university would not oppose supporters of the “resistance” but its job was to talk about the issue and not hold military-type events which Israel might exploit to damage the university’s reputation. Sameh Abu Awad, secretary of the union of university employees, said that because of the student associations’ activities a number of university donor had stopped their contributions. Among them he mentioned France, which has not donated funds to the university for the past four years.
• Despite the order, students marked the anniversary of Hamas’ founding with a march and rally. Some students were masked and held flags of Hamas’ military wing. The march and rally were held after the university administration evacuated the campus and suspended classes for a day (Birzeit University Facebook page, December 16, 2019). In light of the university’s decision the student council announced an unlimited strike until the policy of limiting their freedom of action was rescinded (Shehab Twitter account, December 18, 2019).

   
Masks, green headbands and flags of Hamas’ Izz al-Din Qassam Brigades at events held by the Islamic bloc at Birzeit University to mark the anniversary of Hamas’ founding (Facebook page of east Jerusalem photographer Muhammad Qarout, December 16, 2019).