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The Palestinian terrorist organizations, led by Hamas, reacted immediately by launching several dozen rockets and mortar shells at western Negev population centers, in gross violation of the lull arrangement. The massive bombardment ended at noon on November 5, however, during the week sporadic rocket fire continued . Sixty one rockets were fired, 16 of which fell inside the Gaza Strip. Three landed in the Ashqelon region, one in the center of a residential area; three women were treated for shock. One rocket fell in an Israeli village and caused damage to a greenhouse. In addition, 18 mortar shells were fired. The Israeli Air Force attacked a number of rocket-launching and mortar shell-firing squads. For the daily distribution see below.

The escalation this past week was the worst since the lull arrangement went into effect in June. Since then 81 rockets (19 of which fell inside the Gaza Strip) and 36 mortar shells have been fired. It was the most difficult test, the first of its kind, for the lull arrangement .

The rocket which fell near Sderot on November 7 (Zeev Trachtman, November 7).

Rocket Hits during the Past Week

Monthly Distribution of Rocket Hits since the
Inception of the Lull Arrangement

Hamas claimed responsibility for most of the rocket and mortar shell immediately after the Israeli operation. The PIJ and Fatah, which had participated in the attack, continued sporadic rocket fire in the following days, even after Hamas publicly clarified its interest in continuing the lull. However, Hamas also did not prevent the other terrorist organizations from firing rockets. The other organizations publicly claimed responsibility for the attacks for the first time since the lull arrangement went into effect. Ziyad al-Nahleh, deputy secretary general of the PIJ, denied that Hamas had asked his organization to stop firing rockets, adding that in his opinion the lull with Israel had expired (PalPress website, November 6). 

Judea and Samaria 

In Judea and Samaria attacks involving Molotov cocktails and stones thrown at the Israeli security forces and Israel civilians continued.

During the past week the Israeli security forces' counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria continued:

• November 10 - A pipe charge was discovered among the tools of a Palestinian at the Taysir crossing, southeast of Jenin. It was detonated in a controlled explosion.
• November 6 - During an Israeli security forces' action in Nablus , a wanted Hamas operative who had taken part in many terrorist attacks was detained.
• November 6 - During an Israeli security forces' action in Qalqilya, a Fatah-Tanzim operative who had planted IEDs was detained.

The Gaza Strip Crossings 

Following the massive rocket and mortar shell fire and the continued sporadic fire, the Israeli defense minister decided to close the Gaza Strip crossings. They have been closed since November 6 , and neither fuel nor consumer goods have been delivered to the Gaza Strip. Electricity continues to be supplied and Palestinians with humanitarian issues continue to leave the Gaza Strip.

The closing of the crossings has caused stress for many Gazans, especially with regard to diesel fuel used in industry, which is not smuggled in through the tunnels (that which is smuggled in is of extremely poor quality). Sources within Hamas have complained that there is not enough fuel to operate the power plant, and that from November 9 there have been partial power outages throughout the Gaza Strip. Some of the owners of flour mills and bakeries have also reported work stoppages (Filastin al-Yawm, November 10).

Power outage in Gaza City (Al-Jazeera TV, November 9).

In view of the difficulty of operating the power plant, and following an international appeal, Defense Minister Ehud Barak authorized the delivery of a limited quantity of fuel, mainly diesel fuel intended for the renewed activity of the plant. As of November 11 Israel approved the delivery of about two million liters (about 530,000 gallons ) of diesel fuel a week . However, Barak left the commercial crossings closed. Daily deliberations will be held and decisions will be made according to the situation on the ground.

While the sporadic rocket fire into Israel continues, Hamas (as usual) has initiated a propaganda campaign though the various media to motivate Israel to open the crossings, even if the rocket and mortar shell fire do not stop completely . The Palestinian energy authority announced it would shut down on November 10 because of lack of fuel, caused, it claimed, by the closing of the crossings. On November 10 Jamal al-Khudeiri, secretary of the Popular Committee for Ending the Siege, said that the power plant would shut down completely at 1830 hours and that there was a genuine danger to hospital generators, emergency rooms and the water supply. He said that the plant needed 3.5 million liters (about 925,000 gallons ) a week to operate properly (Al-Jazeera TV, November 10). At 1830 hours the power plant shut down and about half of the Gaza Strip residents were left without electricity. Hundreds of Gazans held a candlelight procession to denounce the "siege," creating the image in the media that the Gaza Strip was in darkness. 

The Rafah Crossing 

The Rafah crossing was open for three days (November 6-8) to allow for the passage of several hundred sick residents, students and civilians holding Egyptian entrance and exit visas (Radio Sawt al-Quds, November 5).

The Egyptians continued their counterterrorism efforts:

• The Egyptian security forces detained a truck on its way to northern Sinai. It was found to be carrying half a ton of explosives. Three passengers were detained and admitted during interrogation that they had been on their way to smuggle the explosives into the Gaza Strip (Al-Khaleej, November 10).
• The Egyptian security forces in Sinai found a ton of explosives which had been hidden in a hilly region. Apparently they were intended for smuggling into the Gaza Strip (Reuters, November 7).

However, Egyptian anti-smuggling is not sufficiently effective, and wide-spread smuggling activities continue.

A Third Protest Boat Reaches the Gaza Strip

On the morning of November 8 a boat named "Dignity" reached the Gazan shore with 13 members of the European parliament and European and Arab media figures on board. According to the organization calling itself "Free Gaza," the boat was sent because of Egypt 's refusal to allow 53 members of world parliaments to attend a meeting which was supposed to be held in the Gaza Strip on November 8-11 (Free Gaza website, November 4). Members of the delegation remained in the Gaza Strip for three days, during which they toured and met with senior public figures, among them Hamas administration prime minister Ismail Haniya (Al-Jazeera TV, Al-Aqsa TV, November 8). On November 10 the boat sailed with a number of students and civilians who had been prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip, and patients in need of medical treatment.

Hamas administration prime minister Ismail Haniya told the members of the delegation that in response to the conditions of the Quartet, one of which was recognition of the State of Israel, that Hamas would be willing to accept Israel within the 1967 borders. "If Israel recognizes our rights as a people, we will be willing to institute a long-term cease fire [ hudna ]." In response to a question asked by the head of the British delegation regarding Hamas's connections with Iran , Haniya said that "We have no conflict with the Jews, our problem is the occupation" 2 (Amira Hass Israeli daily Haaretz correspondent who was on board the ship, Haaretz, November 9). The remarks, intended for Western ears, are in direct contradiction of Hamas strategy, which refuses to recognize the existence of the State of Israel 3 and which regards terrorism (the "resistance") as a strategic weapon to destroy it, even if gradually and in stages. In addition, his soothing words are contradicted by the fact that Hamas harshly denounced the Quartet meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh (See below).

A press conference was held on board the boat, at which Jamal al-Khudeiri , of the Popular Committee for Ending the Siege, said that in the coming month another boat would arrive with parliament members of Islamic, Arab and European countries and Arab countries, accompanied by other European parliament members "to be a force which would exert pressure to lift the siege" (Al-Aqsa TV, November 8). On November 10 he told Al-Ayyam that the Popular Committee for Ending the Siege had contacted sources in Cyprus to enable commercial boats to reach the Gaza Strip carrying consumer goods and raw materials for industry (Al-Ayyam, November 10). Apparently Hamas is trying to set up a shipping line to the Gaza Strip to circumvent its dependence on the Gaza Strip crossings .

The protest boat Dignity, the third in a series, leaves the Gaza harbor
on November 10 (Hamas's PALDF Forum, November 10).

Hamas Cancels its Participation in the National Dialogue 

On November 8 Hamas announced to Egypt that it would not participate in the national dialogue which was set to begin in Cairo on November 9 (Egyptian New Agency, November 8). Following the Hamas announcement the PIJ and other terrorist organizations cancelled their participation as well, claiming that if Hamas did not attend, the dialogue could not be held (Felesteen, November 10). So far no new date has been set for the meeting. Hamas's cancellation illustrates the deep schism between Hamas and Fatah and is a blow to the prestige of Egypt , which spent the last weeks in intensive mediation with the various organizations to get the national dialogue on track.

Reactions to Hamas's Cancellation

Hamas 

Hamas made its participation in the Cairo meeting conditional on the cessation of the detention of Hamas activists in Judea and Samaria . Khaled Mashal, head of Hamas's political bureau in Damascus, said that "we are have been working for a year and a half to make the dialogue a success and we seek reconciliation...but unfortunately, there are problems and obstacles...In the West Bank there has been a security operation against more than 400 political detainees and public institutions have been persecuted, all under the supervision of General Dayton and the security services subordinate to him in the West Bank" (Al-Aqsa TV, November 8). Senior Hamas activist Musheir al-Masri said that "there will be no dialogue...as long as Mahmoud Abbas and his security services slaughter the men of the Palestinian resistance and Hamas" (Al-Jazeera TV, November 7).

At a news conference held by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas and American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice after they met in Ramallah on November 7, Mahmoud Abbas denied that Fatah had detained Hamas activists for political reasons (Palestinian TV, November 7).

Fatah's central committee issued a statement saying that Fatah was doing everything it could to reach a dialogue "despite the difficulties raised by Hamas," and would continue its efforts (Wafa News Agency, November 10)

Chairman of the Fatah faction in the Palestinian parliament, Azzam al-Ahmed , said that Hamas was looking for a way out of the dialogue. He added that there was a serious crisis within Hamas between the leadership in the Gaza Strip, the political bureau [in Damascus ] and the leadership in the West Bank . He said that Hamas was trying to export its internal crisis to the dialogue to evade its responsibilities (Al-Arabiya TV, November 8).

Egypt

A high-ranking Egyptian source said that despite Hamas's decision to boycott the dialogue, Egypt would continue its efforts to renew it and that a new date would be set in the near future (Filastin al-Yawm, November 9). Ahmed Abu al-Ghiat , the Egyptian foreign minister, said that Egypt adhered to the reconciliation document it had authored, noting that it would make an effort to overcome the differences of opinion which had surfaced (Filastin al-Yawm, November 10).

The Egyptian media blamed Hamas (and Israel ) for the failure of the meeting to take place. Jalal Dawidar , a columnist for the Egyptian daily Al-Akhbar , wrote that "both sides, Israel and Hamas, want to prevent an internal Palestinian reconciliation, proof of which is Israel's military action against Hamas activists...and the Hamas rocket fire against Israeli settlements...Hamas explained its position by saying that its criticisms of the Egyptian document for reconciliation had not been accepted, but that could have been discussed at the meeting..." (Al-Akhbar, November 9). The Egyptian establishment newspaper Al-Ahram wrote that "Hamas tried to impose its conditions on the dialogue...and when that failed, it refused to surrender to the dialogue's fundamental logic. That made it postpone the Palestinian national dialogue, which harms the Palestinian people's most important interests" (Al-Ahram, November 9).

The Palestinian Security Services' Activity Continues in Judea and Samaria 

This week as well the PA security services continued their activities in the Hebron region. According to Hamas media reports, public figures, teachers and university professors were detained, as were activists affiliated with charitable societies in Hebron (Al-Aqsa TV, Palestine-info website, November 5-11).

Reactions to the Election of Barack Obama as the Next
President of the United States 4

The Palestinians

Khaled Mashal congratulated Barack Obama on his victory, adding that his election meant a great change because he was an African-American. He said that Hamas was ready to "hold a dialogue with Obama and the new American administration with an open mind based on respect for our rights." He added that if the American administration wanted to be part of the solution for the Israeli-Arab conflict, it would have to work with Hamas, which was the movement which had won the support of most of the Palestinian people (Skynews, October 8).

Lebanon

Hezbollah issued an announcement on its Al-Manar TV stating that "Barack Obama won, but that does not mean a new American foreign policy. Democracy will be in force only for internal American affairs. As far as the rest of the world is concerned the situation will be different, because first of all Israeli interests will be considered" (Al-Manar TV, November 6).

Muhammad Ra'ed , Hezbollah activist and head of the "Faithful of the Resistance" faction in the Lebanese parliament, told an interviewer that there was no difference between a Democratic or Republican administration in the United States . "The strategic objectives of both administrations are fundamentally to preserve the Zionist entity and to ensure its superiority over the Arab world, and thus to ensure the flow of oil" (Al-Safir, November 8).

The International Quartet Meets in Sharm el-Sheikh 

On November 9 representatives of the Quartet met at Sharm el-Sheikh. They were updated on the results of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations which took place this past year in the wake of the Annapolis meeting. The Sharm el-Sheikh meeting was attended by the secretary general of the UN, the American secretary of state, and the foreign ministers of Russia, France and the European Union. Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni also attended, as did PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. On November 8 the Quartet representative met with Arab foreign ministers and the secretary general of the Arab League. One of the issues discussed was the meeting in Moscow at the beginning of 2009 to continue the Annapolis process, when the new American administration begins its term (Middle East News Agency, November 9).

The Quartet representatives were updated by the Israeli foreign minister and the PA chairman. According to a November 9 announcement from the office of the Israeli foreign minister, at the end of the meeting the Quartet representatives said they would support the process between Israel and the Palestinians and enable bilateral negotiations without international intervention, according to the principles set down by the two sides themselves. The Quartet reiterated its position that only the Palestinian leadership which accepted the Quartet's three basic conditions would receive international support, and that the Israeli-Palestinian agreement would only be implemented after the terrorist networks and infrastructures had been dismantled.

The following are some of the comments made by the various parties:

• Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni said that "we recognize the need to establish a Palestinian state, on the condition that it is not a terrorist state. The negotiations are serious and intensive and have made progress." She also said that so far there have been hundreds of meetings and that both sides believe that the foundations, principles and mutual trust for creating a good basis for an agreement exist (Foreign minister's office, November 9).
• American foreign minister Condoleezza Rice lowered expectations regarding the chances of a breakthrough in the negotiations this year, although she noted that a firm base had been established for rapid progress toward the end of the conflict (Agence France Presse, November 6). She said, "I do think that what we heard today from the parties, which is the most important element of this, is that they believe in the Annapolis process. They believe in the integrated nature of this process that builds peace, both from the bottom up and from the top down. They believe that their negotiations are producing an atmosphere of trust, as well as a foundation on which to build" (American State Department website, November 8).
• PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas , at a joint press conference with Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, said that the PA had made it clear that the negotiations would continue in the interim period, when Israel expected to hold general elections and the new American administration would take office. During that time all the issues would be examined by both Palestinians and Israelis: prime minister Ehud Olmert, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and the Israeli and Palestinian officials.
• UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon said he was satisfied with the Israeli and Palestinian strong commitment "to vigorous, ongoing, and continuous negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues, without exception, as specified in previous agreements." He also said that "The Quartet reiterated its call to the parties to fully implement their obligations under phase one of the Roadmap, including in relation to freezing settlement activity and the dismantlement of the infrastructure of terrorism" (US State Department website, November 9).

Hamas attacked the remarks made by the Quartet representatives. Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip Sami Abu Zuhri criticized the Quartet's support of the secret negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel. He said that its "objective was to destroy what remained of Palestinian rights," at the center of which were Jerusalem and the so-called "right of return." He claimed that Mahmoud Abbas was negotiating with Israel illegitimately , and that the movement he led [Fatah] represented less than half of the Palestinian people. He also said that in less than two months Mahmoud Abbas would lose his legitimacy as president of the PA and therefore he was too weak to "sign a document waiving the right of the Palestinian people" (Hamas's Radio Sawt al-Aqsa, November 19).

Announcements of Terrorist Operatives Belonging to Fatah al-Islam Broadcast by Syrian TV Lit a Propaganda War between Syria and the anti-Syrian Camp in Lebanon 

On November 6 Syrian TV broadcast a video documenting the announcements made by terrorist operatives belonging to Fatah al-Islam, which has links to Al-Qaeda, 5 who were detained by the Syrian security services. The terrorist operatives were involved in a car bomb attack which took place in Damascus on September 27, 2008. The video exposed the extensive activities of Fatah al-Islam operatives in Syria, of various Arab nationalities, some of them having escaped to Syria after the Lebanese army overcame the Fatah al-Islam stronghold in the refugee camp of Nahr al-Barad (September 2, 2007).

According to Syrian TV, the organization leader Shaqr al-Abbasi and other terrorist operatives fled to Syria, from where they planned to carry out a series of terrorist attacks against the Syrian regime. They planned to attack Syrian security and diplomatic targets as well as economic institutions, using car bombs and explosive belts. Their detention by the Syrian security services kept them from carrying out the planned attacks. Notice of their detention exposed the passage of terrorists and weapons from Tripoli (which served as a launching ground for terrorists) to Syria (Al-Akhbar, November 8).

The announcement ignited an exchange of serious accusations between Syria and the anti-Syrian opposition in Lebanon (the March 14 Forces and the Al-Mustaqbal faction). The detainees (the reliability of the announcement is uncertain) indicated a link between Fatah al-Islam operatives and the anti-Syrian opposition. One of them even claimed that Fatah al-Islam based itself on instructions from the Al-Mustaqbal faction (headed by Sa'ad Hariri). That led to furious reactions from the anti-Syrian camp and caused a propaganda war.

The March 14 Forces issued a statement according to which the Syrian regime's accusations were a new attempt to evade its responsibility for the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri before the publication of the report of the international committee and the establishment of an international court. The statement says that the use of murder and terrorism are "the unique specialty of the Syrian regime" used to achieve its political ends (Lebanese News Agency, November 7). The announcement issued by Al-Mustaqbal said that the Syrian regime was involved in Fatah al-Islam activity and called on the Arab League to appoint a committee to investigate the facts concerning the Fatah al-Islam gang (Lebanese News Agency, November 10). In addition, the Hariri's television station Future TV announced that Syrian intelligence agents who had been detained in Iraq had admitted that they financed terrorist attacks in Iraq on the authority of instructions given by Syrian intelligence, (Future TV, November 8).

1 For further information see our November 5, 2008 Bulletin entitled "Escalation in the Gaza Strip" and the November 6 update .

2 Ismail Haniya's remarks were translated from Hebrew.

3 See Articles 7, 15, 20, 22 and 31 of the Hamas Covenant at http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/hamas.asp.

4 For further information see our November 9, 2008 Bulletin entitled "Initial reactions on the Palestinian scene to Barack Obama's victory in the US presidential elections" .

5 For further information see our September 10, 2007 Bulletin entitled "Achievement for Fuad Siniora's government: victory over Fatah al-Islam, the Al-Qaeda branch in Lebanon, after three and a half months of battles" .