Spotlight on Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (July 20-26, 2022)

Stabbing attack in Jerusalem

• On July 19, 2022, a Palestinian armed with a screwdriver attacked a passenger on a bus in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem. The driver stopped the bus, and the Palestinian and several passengers got off. A civilian who saw what happened shot and wounded the stabber. The wounded Israeli passenger was evacuated to a hospital.
• The stabber was Isma’il Nimr, 44, from Bitunia in Ramallah, married and father of three (Safa, July 19, 2022). He held a Palestinian businessman’s permit to enter Israel, issued only after a security examination (Facebook page of the Israel Police Force, July 19, 2022).

• In reaction to the attack, Hamas political commentator Ibrahim al-Madhoun^[1] wrote hat the “hero” Isma’il Nimr from Ramallah, who carried out a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, had a businessman’s permit to enter Israel. It allowed him to move freely throughout the country, proving the failure of the idea of economic peace. Palestinians, he said, did not carry out attacks to improve their economic conditions, but rather to end the “occupation” and live in freedom and independence (Ibrahim al-Madhoun’s Twitter account, July 20, 2022).

Attempted stabbing attack south of Nablus

• On the evening of July 24, 2022, an IDF fighter securing the Tapuah Junction south of Nablus saw a Palestinian armed with a knife approaching him. The fighter initiated procedure for halting a suspect, which includes firing a weapon into the air. The Palestinian halted and was taken for interrogation (IDF spokesman, July 24, 2022).

Israeli security force activity in Nablus

• On the night of July 24, 2022, Israeli security forces operated against a number of Palestinians who had barricaded themselves in a house in the Old City of Nablus. Other Palestinians gathered at the site, throwing IEDs and shooting at the soldiers, who returned fire. A search of the house revealed a large quantity of weapons and IEDs (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit, July 24, 2022). The Israeli media reported that one of the targets for detention was Ibrahim al-Nablusi, a wanted Fatah terrorist operative, who managed to escape. He was also a target in the counterterrorism activities in Nablus on February 8, 2022, in which three terrorist operatives were killed (Israeli TV Kan 11, July 24, 2022).

• The ministry of health in Ramallah reported that two Palestinians had been killed, Muhammad Bashar Aziza, 25, and Abd al-Rahman Jamal Suleiman Sabah, 28;^[2] six Palestinians were wounded (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook page, July 24, 2022). Abd al-Rahman Sabah was the nephew of Anan Sabah, a senior operative in the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, Fatah’s military-terrorist wing, in Nablus. He was killed by the Israeli security forces on December 26, 2009 (RjalNablsAlashdalyAlada Facebook page, July 24, 2022).
• Fatah’s military-terrorist wing said in an announcement that both had belonged to the Nablus Battalion of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. During the heavy fighting locally-produced Aqsa1 IEDs had been thrown at the IDF forces, which prevented them from detaining Ibrahim al-Nablusi and some of his comrades (al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades Telegram channel, July 24, 2022).

  
Right: al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades mourning notice for Bashar Aziza (left) and Abd al-Rahman Sabah (right) (al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades Telegram channel, July 24, 2022). Left: Aziza and Sabah (Jerusalem Brigades website, July 24, 2022).

   
Right: The funeral held in Nablus (Shehab Twitter account, July 24, 2022). Left: Wanted Palestinian terrorist Ibrahim al-Nablusi at the funeral held for Aziza and Sabah in Nablus carrying the stretcher of one of the bodies (RjalNablsAlashdalyAlada Facebook page, July 24, 2022).

• The Nablus Battalion of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) Jerusalem Brigades said in an announcement that Jerusalem Brigades operatives had fought alongside the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades operatives, and that some operatives from the Jerusalem Brigades in Jenin had managed to arrive and joined in the fighting (Paltoday, July 24, 2022).
• The PA strongly condemned the killing of the two, justifying the activities of armed operatives in Nablus:
  • Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the killing of Aziza and Sabah and claimed Israel was fully responsible for their deaths. He added that such “war crimes” would not dampen the spirits of the Palestinian people or crush their determination (Wafa, July 24, 2022).
  • PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh condemned the “revolting crime carried out by the soldiers of the occupation” in Nablus, and claimed Israel was fully responsible for the deaths and their consequences (Muhammad Shtayyeh’s Facebook page, July 24, 2022).
  • Hussein al-Sheikh, general secretary of the PLO’s Executive Committee, strongly condemned the “crime” carried out by the Israeli forces and claimed Israel was responsible for the deaths and their consequences. He said that international defense of the Palestinians would guarantee such actions ended (Hussein al-Sheikh’s Twitter account, July 24, 2022). On the evening of July 24 he paid a condolence call to the mourning tent erected for the two Palestinians (PLO website, July 24, 2022).

• • Deputy Fatah chairman Mahmoud al-‘Aloul called the IDF operation in Nablus “unreasonable” because a large IDF force had entered Nablus to carry out a security activity which included intensive gunfire at the houses of local residents and caused serious damage. He claimed the only language that could be used to demand Israel take responsibility was the language of “resistance” [terrorist attacks] (Mahmoud al-‘Aloul’s Facebook page, July 24, 2022).
• Hamas said in a statement that they supported the Palestinians in every West Bank city and in the heart of Jerusalem, [urging them] to display greater courage in repelling Israel’s aggression, initiating attacks and sowing fear in the settlements until “humiliated, they ran away” (Hamas website, July 24, 2022).
• The PIJ called on the Palestinians to unite around the operatives of the “resistance” [terrorist organizations], who defended the land and Palestinian honor with all their strength, and to give them aid, defense and support to fulfill their duty of jihad (PIJ website, July 24, 2022).

Counterterrorism activities

•  The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities in Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. They detained Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist activities and confiscated weapons. In several instances Palestinians threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the forces (IDF spokesman, Israel Police Force Twitter account, July 21 to 26, 2022).

Detention of armed suspect

• On July 16, 2022, IDF forces identified a suspicious Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at the settlement of Migdal Oz in Gush Etzion. They apprehended the suspect and detained him. An improvised gun with a bullet ready for firing was found in his possession; he was taken for interrogation. Searches revealed a fake IED (IDF spokesman, July 26, 2022).

   
Right: Improvised gun found In the suspect’s possession. Left: X-ray of the gun with a bullet in the barrel, ready for firing (IDF spokesman, July 26, 2022).

Stabbing attack prevented

• Before dawn on July 22, 2022 IDF surveillance which monitors Palestinians who come to east Jerusalem to pray detected a suspicious person. Border Police fighters operating in the Old City detained a 33 year-old Palestinian from east Jerusalem. He threw a knife on the ground; apparently he had planned to use it to carry out a stabbing attack (Israel Police Force spokesman’s unit Facebook page, July 22, 2022).

Detention of terrorist operative involved in the shooting attacks at the Tomb of Joseph

• The Israeli security forces exposed a terrorist network in the Nablus region involved in the shooting attacks near the Tomb of Joseph in May 2022. They detained Alam al-Ra’i, 42, from Nablus, a Fatah-Tanzim terrorist operative. Interrogation revealed he had been recruited by a Gazan named Muhammad Madi to carry out terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria, for which he received money. Investigation revealed evidence related to his involvement in a terrorist squad that carried out a number of attacks against IDF forces in Nablus between 2005 and 2007. They included detonating an IED to attack IDF forces operating in the Ofra Junction of Nablus on July 17, 2006, killing First Sergeant Osher Damri and wounding several soldiers (Israeli Security Agency spokesman’s unit, July 21, 2022).

Demolition of houses of terrorists who carried out the shooting attack in Ariel

• On the night of July 25, 2022, IDF forces demolished the houses of Yahya Mar’i and Yusuf Mar’i in the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, west of Salfit (near Ariel, north of Ramallah), who carried out a shooting attack at the end of April 2022, killing the security guard. The houses were demolished after the appeal lodged by the families with the Israeli Supreme Court was rejected (IDF spokesman, July 26, 2022).

Significant Terrorist Attacks in Judea and Samaria since January 2020^[3]

Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel

• This past week no rocket or mortar shell hits were identified in Israeli territory.
• Eye witnesses reported that on the morning of July 23, 2022, six experimental rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards the sea, part of the organizations’ attempts to improve their military capabilities (Ma’an, July 23, 2022). The name of the organization was not revealed.

Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire since January 2020

Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits

Smuggling from the sea prevented

•  On the night of July 24, 2022, the Israeli Navy sank a Palestinian boat off the coast of the Gaza Strip on the Egypt-Rafah naval border. It had come from the direction of Egypt and was beyond the limits of the Gaza Strip fishing zone. The boat was hailed and instructed to halt, and when it did not it was attacked in accordance with the orders for opening fire, and sunk. The suspects aboard swam ashore. In IDF assessment, it was carrying ammunition and anti-tank missiles for Hamas (IDF spokesman, July 24, 2022).

• Following the sinking of the boat, Hamas’ naval police issued a warning to fishermen not to engage in smuggling from Egypt, and threatened that anyone who did would be punished in accordance with the law (qudsnet.com, July 24, 2022).

Distribution of financial aid from Qatar for July 2022

• Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, reported that on July 21, 2022, the payment of financial aid from Qatar would begin, $100 to each of 100,000 needy Gazan families. The payments will be made through the UN at 300 distribution centers in the Gaza Strip (Qatar’s National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza’s Facebook page, July 20, 2022).
• According to Aziza al-Kahlout, spokesman for the ministry of social development in the Gaza Strip, payment would suspended for those who had gone abroad until their return, and for those who had permits to work in Israel. It was also suspended for families who had received finds at least 28 times (Facebook page of the ministry of social development in the Gaza Strip, July 20, 2022).

Financial distress of the Hamas administration

• Awni al-Basha, deputy ministry of the treasury in the Gaza Strip, confirmed that the administration in the Gaza Strip was distressed financially and his ministry was working to overcome the situation. He said the main cause for the crisis was the rise in the price of a number of commodities, which the government had absorbed to ease the lot of the civilian, especially the price of fuel. Regarding the influence of the crisis on salaries, he said that in recent months his ministry had been forced to borrow money from local banks to be able to pay salaries on time. He added that the ministry of the treasury had prepared a program to overcome the deficit and would reduce the operational budgets of the ministries and the expenditure of funds (al-Ra’i News Agency, July 23, 2022).

Khaled Mashaal against normalization of relations with Israel

• During a forum of Islamic youth in Istanbul, Khaled Mashaal, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, called normalization [of relations with Israel by Arab states] “completely evil” and said all available measures had to be taken to stop it. He said Hamas was doing everything in the power of the “resistance” to develop the capabilities and means to implement its plan for “liberation,” balance principles and ideology, and adhere to its identity and “values.” However, he said, Hamas had also made mistakes, but had learned from them, changed itself and developed its course of action (Palestine Online, July 20, 2022).

   
Khaled Mashaal at the forum (Hamas website, July 20, 2022).

Reactions to the dismissal of a senior official in Bahrain

• Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, the king of Bahrain, dismissed Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, who was head of Bahrain’s Authority for Culture and Antiquities, for refusing to shake the hand of the Israeli ambassador at a ceremony held in the American embassy in Manama (Ra’i al-Youm, July 22, 2022).
• Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem praised Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa for opposing the normalization measures of her country. He claimed her position reflected the genuine opinion of the Bahraini people, who supported Palestinian rights and objected to the integration of Israel into the Middle East because it was the “main enemy” (Hamas website, July 23, 2022). PIJ spokesman Tareq Salami also praised her, saying her position represented the Bahraini people and adhered to the fundamental principles of the [Muslim] nation (PIJ website, July 23, 2022).

Hamas’ summer camps begin

• Hamas held a press conference in Khan Yunis to announce the opening of its summer camps, whose theme this year is “Rooted in Jerusalem.” According to Dr. Muhammad Abu Ascar, chairman of Hamas’ summer camp committee, this year more than 100,000 male and female students will participate in 500 summer camps throughout the Gaza Strip. He said the camps would show the whole world that they were bringing up the younger generation on the love of “Palestine,” whose center was Jerusalem and whose “crown” was al-Aqsa mosque. He said they explained to the campers that “Palestine from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea and from Rafah to Rosh Hanikra [the Israeli-Lebanese coastal border]” was their “historic right” [sic], and that they had to “liberate it from ‘the Zionist occupation’ ” (Facebook page of the “Rooted in Jerusalem 2022” summer camps, July 23, 2022). The summer camps will be held until the middle of August (alresala.net, July 24, 2022).

   
The press conference held in Khan Yunis to announce the opening of Hamas’ summer camps (Facebook page of the “Rooted in Jerusalem 2022” summer camps, July 23, 2022).

 
Right: A camper in the western part of Gaza City learns how to hold and aim a rifle (Facebook page of the “Rooted in Jerusalem 2022” summer camps, July 24, 2022). Explaining a rifle to campers in Khan Yunis (Facebook page of the “Rooted in Jerusalem 2022” summer camps, July 26, 2022).

Diplomatic activity

• This past week, after the visit of President Joe Biden to the PA, Mahmoud Abbas went to Romania, France and Jordan:
  • On July 18, 2022, he visited Romania, where he met with the Romanian president and prime minister. They signed a number of agreements for cooperation in education, scientific research, security and the war on crime (Wafa, July 19, 2022).
  • On July 19, 2022, Mahmoud Abbas visited France, where he met with French President Emanuel Macron. Mahmoud Abbas again complained about Israel’s actions “against the Palestinian people,” including, he claimed, expanding the settlements, taking control of Palestinian territory and attacking the Islamic and Christian holy sites. He called for the end of Israel’s unilateral actions which harmed the idea of the two-state solution (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, July 20, 2022).
  •   On July 24, 2022, Mahmoud Abbas met with King Abdallah of Jordan (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, July 24, 2022). They discussed the results of Biden’s visit to the Middle East and agreed to continue Jordanian-PA coordination (Wafa, July 24, 2022).

   
Right: Reception held for Mahmoud Abbas upon his return from Romania (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, July 19, 2022). Left: Mahmoud Abbas and French President Emanuel Macron hold a joint press conference in Paris (Mahmoud Abbas’ Facebook page, July 20, 2022).

President Biden’s visit intensifies the internal dispute in the Fatah leadership

• A “senior Fatah figure,” a former prisoner who spent more than twenty years in Israeli jails, revealed that after Mahmoud Abbas’ meeting with President Biden, deep disputes surfaced between a number of factions in Fatah’s Central Committee, especially between Jibril al-Rajoub, the Committee’s secretary, Deputy Fatah chairman Mahmoud al-‘Aloul, Hussein al-Sheikh, general secretary of the PLO’s Executive Committee, and Majed Faraj, head of Palestinian general intelligence. According to the “senior figure,” the difference of opinion focuses on how to make the critical decisions that will return the Palestinian cause to the center of the world stage, which the al-Sheikh and Faraj factions oppose (Quds Press, July 17, 2022).

Attempt on the life of senior Hamas figure Nasser al-Din al-Shaer

• On July 22, 2022, an attempt was made on the life of senior Hamas figure Dr. Nasser al-Din al-Shaer,^[4] who was driving his car in the village of Qalil, near Nablus. He was wounded in the leg and taken to a hospital in Nablus (Ma’an, July 22, 2022).
• Hamas-affiliated websites claimed he was shot by Fatah operatives (Shehab and alresala.net, July 22, 2022). Other websites which customarily attack the PA, claimed the shooters were operatives of Talat Sayil, head of security at al-Najah University, and that the attack was carried out on instructions from Tawfiq al-Tirawi, a member of Fatah’s Central Committee and a friend of Talat Sayil (al-Shahed website, July 23, 2022).
•   Mahmoud Abbas condemned the incident and instructed the PA security forces to investigate and detain the shooters. He telephoned al-Shaer to wish him a speedy recovery (Wafa, July 22, 2022). Fatah issued a condemnation, saying the incident exceeded the boundaries of Palestinian customs and traditions (Palestinian TV website, July 22, 2022). Isma’il Haniyeh and Khaled Mashaal also called al-Shaer to wish him a speedy recovery (Hamas website, July 22 and 23, 2022).

   
Right: The vehicle al-Shaer was driving, with bullet holes in the door (Twitter account of Hashem Qassem, head of Hamas’ “external” information department, July 22 2022). Left: Nasser al-Din al-Shaer in his hospital bed (al-Araby al-Jadeed, July 23, 2022).

Palestinian reactions to the establishment of outposts in Judea and Samaria

• On July 20, 2022, six new outposts were established in Judea and Samaria. According to reports, dozens of people came to participate in the various ceremonies. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the security forces to declare the sites closed military areas and to act immediately to evacuate the outposts. Five participants were detained in clashes with the Israeli security forces (Israeli media, July 20, 2022).
• The PA foreign ministry said in an announcement that it regarded as very serious the exploitation of the upcoming Israeli elections to “steal and confiscate” more Palestinian lands in order to expand the settlements and construct “colonial outposts.” The ministry warned of the consequences and called on the international community to act quickly and pay attention to what was being planned (Wafa, July 19, 2022). Dozens of Palestinian popular resistance committees activists held protest demonstrations (al-Araby al-Jadeed, July 21, 2022).
•  Hamas issued an announcement calling it was an “organized crime” and a gross violation of international agreements and conventions. Hamas claimed it was the product of normalization of relations with Israel and the United States’ unlimited support for Israel and its policies of settlement and “Judaization.” Hamas also called on the Palestinians to react by “escalating the general resistance by every means” (Hamas website, July 19, 2022).

   
Demonstration at the entrance to one of the villages (Facebook page of the Authority for the Struggle against the Fence and the Settlement, July 21, 2022; Facebook page of Issam Rimawi, July 20, 2022).

International discussion of PA torture

• Human Rights Watch^[5] reported that in collaboration with a Ramallah-based organization called Lawyers for Justice, it had presented the UN Committee Against Torture^[6] its report on abuse in PA and Hamas prisons. The report was presented in preparation for a survey, which will be held in July 2022 to examine the degree to which the Palestinians obey the UN convention against torture. According to the report, Palestinian general intelligence, PA preventive security and the PA’s joint security committee torture prisoners in the prison facility in Jericho (Human Rights Watch website, June 30, 2022). UN Watch^[7] gave the UN Committee Against Torture a report accusing the PA and Hamas of systematically torturing human rights activists, women, LGBTs, political rivals, “collaborators,” and Palestinians who sell land to Jews (UN Watch website, July 14, 2022).
• Ziad Hab al-Reeh, Palestinian minister of the interior, claimed in response that a unit had been established in collaboration with the UN to examine violence against women. He also said a designated court had been established and judges had been trained to deal with the issue of violence against women. As to the conditions in Palestinian prisons, he claimed they had allotted resources to establish a new jail in Hebron to deal with crowding in the local jail, but funding from the United States for the project had been cut off in 2017. Another maximum security prison was being constructed in Jericho according to the highest international standards, he claimed, funded by the International Red Cross.
• In recent months, demonstrations have been held almost daily to protest PA political detentions in the West Bank. A Palestinian activist gave a speech at a rally, stating that her brother Ahmed had been imprisoned in Jericho for 60 days and she accused the PA of torturing him and abusing him and the other political prisoners in the facility, which she called the “slaughterhouse” (QudsN Twitter account, July 16, 2022).

The Coronavirus

• On July 24, 2022, the ministry of health in Ramallah reported a sharp rise the number of active cases in Judea and Samaria, 2,642, up from 1,283 on July 17, 2022. The number of active cases in the Gaza Strip also rose sharply, 5,250, up from 1,924, July 17, 2022. The number in east Jerusalem remains stable, 1,555 active cases, 1,550 on July 17, 2022. (corona.ps website, July 24, 2022).
• Tareq Hawash, head of the health administration in Jericho, said that despite the rise, the situation is still under control, especially regarding the number of hospitalized Palestinians. He said the sixth wave was spreading rapidly and its symptoms were more serious than those of the fifth wave (Dunia al-Watan, July 24, 2022).
• In the Gaza Strip, Yusuf al-Aqqad, director of the European Hospital, said the current wave of coronavirus was spreading rapidly. He said 14 people were hospitalized in moderate condition, and he expected the wave to peak in the coming weeks (Sabaq24, July 24, 2022).
• On July 25, 2022, the United States provided the Gaza Strip with 197,730 doses of coronavirus vaccine through the COVAX program (Khabar, July 25, 2022).

Rocks, Molotov cocktails and other attacks

• In Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads. The more prominent events were the following:^[8]
  • July 24, 2022: Rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between Arial and the Gitai Avishar Junction, north of Ariel. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • July 23, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between the Gitit Junction and Mitzpe Alon, on the Jordan Valley-Samaria border. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • July 22, 2022: A Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Abud, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.
  • July 22, 2022: Rocks were thrown from a passing car at an Israeli vehicle north of Jaba Surif, north of Hebron. No casualties were reported; the windshield of the vehicle was damaged.
  • July 21, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus on route 465 near Umm Safa, north of Ramallah. No casualties were reported; the bus was damaged.
  • July 21, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between Adam and Hizma, east of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported; the windshield of the vehicle was damaged.
  • July 21, 2022: A Molotov cocktail was thrown between Ariel and Gitai Avishar Junction. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • July 20, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Hawwara, south of Nablus. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • July 20, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between Givat Asaf and Beit El, north of Ramallah. No casualties or damage were reported.
  • July 20, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near the Jordan Valley road. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.
  • July 19, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Sinjil, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.
  • July 19, 2022: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near the al-Khader Junction, southwest of Bethlehem. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged.