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The Gaza Strip
Escalation Continues

On December 5-6 another barrage, this one of seven rockets (one of which fell inside the Gaza Strip) and eight mortar shells, was fired into the western Negev . One rocket fell in Ashqelon 's industrial area. Four mortar shells of the nine fired at Kerem Shalom fell in Egyptian territory.

In response to the rocket and mortar shell fire, the Israeli Air Force attacked squads of rocket launchers south of Beit Hanoun and the Jabaliya refugee camp on December 6. The Palestinian media reported that Hamza Shahin, an Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades operative, was killed in the attack on Jabaliya (PalMedia website, December 7). Following the rocket fire, the Israeli defense minister ordered the Gaza Strip crossings to remain closed. On December 7, seven rockets and four mortar shells were fired into Israeli territory. December 8 was quiet and the defense minister ordered the reopening of the crossings on December 9. As of 1600 hours on December 9, quiet has been maintained.

The dynamic which began on November 4 with the prevention of an abduction continued : Hamas and operatives of the other terrorist organizations attempt to carry out attacks (placing IEDs, firing rockets and mortar shells), the IDF responds to prevent the attacks (IAF activity, firing at terrorist squads near the fence), the terrorist organizations respond to the IDF activity and continue daily sporadic rocket and mortar shell fire, Israel responds by closing the crossings into the Gaza Strip. Hamas has not forced the other terrorist organizations to stop their sporadic fire (which would lead to the crossings' being reopened) but rather prefers launching a propaganda campaign designed to pressure Israel into opening them. ¹

Police demolitions expert carrying a rocket from an open field
(Photo: Zeev Trachtman, December 5).

Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire in December

Judea and Samaria

Evacuating the Disputed House in Hebron

On the afternoon of December 4, large numbers of Israeli security forces evacuated the disputed house in Hebron , which had been held by a group of extreme right-wing hooligans. Settlers in Hebron and other locations in Judea and Samaria rioted before the evacuation to make it more difficult. On December 2 the house and its environs were declared a closed military area and the Israeli security forces prevented civilians from entering (IDF Spokesman's website, December 2). After the evacuation, groups of settlers rioted in Hebron and other locations in Judea and Samaria , during which they set fire to a Palestinian house and a number of vehicles. During a confrontation between settlers and Palestinians, a Palestinian father and son were shot at close range and wounded. The shooter was detained following documented footage taken by the human rights organization B'Tselem, and his trial is being prepared.

Evacuating the disputed house in Hebron
(Photo from http://www.hebron.org.il/, December 4).

The Palestinian Authority severely criticized the rioting settlers in Hebron and other areas in Judea and Samaria , and placed responsibility for the events on the government of Israel . PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas threatened he would appeal to the international community to intervene (Wafa News Agency, December 2). The UN Security Council praised the evacuation and criticized the rioting settlers (Agence France Presse, December 6).

Hamas exploited the opportunity to defame the PA. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that violent events had become worse since the increase in security coordination between the PA and Israeli security forces, adding that Hamas stressed the need "to increase the resistance [i.e., terrorism] in the West Bank against the settlers and Zionist soldiers to make them pay the price for the attacks..." (Al-Bayan website, December 2). Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan warned that the events "would not go unmarked" (Filastin al-‘An, December 4). Hamas also attacked the Arab countries for ignoring the Palestinians' circumstances (Al-Aqsa TV, December 6). Hamas held demonstrations and marches in the Gaza Strip on December 5 to protest the events in Hebron (Hamas's PALDF Forum, December 5).

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip holding a demonstration to identify
with Palestinians in Hebron (Al-Aqsa TV, December 6).

Stone- and Molotov Cocktail-Throwing Continues 

This past week incidents of stone- and Molotov cocktail-throwing at Israeli civilians continued. The more prominent incidents were the following:

•  December 7 - Two Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israel bus northeast of Ramallah. There were no injuries; the bus was damaged.

• December 4 - An Israeli baby girl was hurt when stones were thrown at her parents' car near a village southwest of Nablus . Three vehicles were damaged in the attack. The baby was given emergency treatment and then taken to a hospital for further medical care.
• December 2 - An Israeli civilian was injured when a stone was thrown at his vehicle northwest of Ramallah.

Judea and Samaria

On December 8, two Kalashnikov assault rifles, a number of magazines and a barrel of acid were found during an IDF activity south of Jenin. The equipment was confiscated and the barrel was detonated in a controlled explosion.

On December 8 the ‘Awarta and Beit Furiq crossings south of Nablus were opened to the free passage of Palestinian vehicles into Nablus, enabling civilians to pass freely into the Palestinian villages southeast of the city (IDF Spokesman's website, December 8).

The Gaza Strip Crossings

This past week the Gaza Strip crossings remained closed, with the exception of passage for Gazans with humanitarian issues. The reason was the continuation of the rocket and mortar shell fire into Israeli territory. On December 8, after 24 hours without attacks, the Israeli defense minister authorized the crossings' reopening. They were reopened on December 9 (closed since December 4). 

Hamas announced that on December 7 the Gaza Strip power plant closed down completely for lack of fuel, after having run at 20% capacity for three days. Jamal al-Khudeiri, head of the Committee to Lift the Siege, tried to make propaganda gains from the plant's inactivity, claiming that " Gaza has returned to total darkness" (Agence France Presse, December 7). Note : The Gaza power plant provides 30% of the Strip's electricity. The remaining 65% from Israel and 5% from Egypt continued uninterrupted, so actually the Gaza Strip was not blacked out.

Hamas Consultations regarding the Future of the Lull Arrangement

Ten days before what the Palestinians consider the final date of the lull arrangement, Hamas held a round of consultations with representatives of the other Palestinian terrorist organizations. Such talks were also held with Khaled Mashal, chairman of Hamas's political bureau in Damascus (Hamas's Al-Quds TV, December 4).

Palestinian sources said that a final position had not yet been reached and that deliberations would continue after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. According to Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum , the representatives of the various organizations expressed their dissatisfaction with Israel 's fulfillment of the lull's conditions, pointing to Israel 's counterterrorism activities and the closing of the crossings, including the Rafah crossing (Al-Ayyam, December 7). According to media reports, the trend in most of the smaller organizations is not to extend the lull, although sources in Hamas said that their final position would be announced only after deliberations had been held with all the organizations (Al-Aqsa TV, December 3).

Heads of the terrorist organizations meeting with Khaled Mashal in Damascus
(Al-Quds TV, December 3).

Some of the remarks made public were the following:

• Fawzi Barhoum , Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, expressed doubt as to where the lull would be renewed. He said that the facts on the ground did not encourage its renewal (Fars News Agency, December 7).
• Ayman Taha , senior Hamas figure, said that any decision would be made jointly (Al-Aqsa TV, December 2). He added that in his opinion, there were no positive opinions about extending the lull despite the fact that Hamas still adhered to it (Al-Alam TV, December 7).
• Khaled al-Batash , senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad figure, said that his organization objected to extending the lull arrangement following Israel 's policy of "daily attacks on the Palestinian people." He said that "resistance" (i.e., terrorism) was the only way to restore Palestinian national unity and to lift the "siege" (Nidaa al-Quds website, December 6).

Attempts to Establish a Continuous Maritime Supply Line to the Gaza Strip 

The Hamas movement, which bears full responsibility for the closing of the crossings from Israel and Egypt , is trying to find alternative ways to bring supplies into the Gaza Strip. Following the success had by three boats in reaching the Gaza Strip, Hamas is now trying to encourage the more such voyages and to institutionalize them (the so-called "intifada of ships"). The boats' cargoes are not inspected (and Hamas can therefore smuggle in weapons, as they do through the tunnels under the Philadelphi route), the rocket and mortar shell attacks have not stopped (their cessation is Israel 's condition for reopening the crossings) and the voyages are exploited for Hamas's propaganda campaign .

This past week Hamas attempted to enable a Libyan cargo ship to unload in the Gaza port; the ship was prevented from docking by the Israeli Navy. Following the incident the Arab League appealed to the UN Security Council to take measures to make it possible for the cargo to reach the Gaza Strip (Middle East News Agency, December 4).

Jamal al-Khudeiri , chairman of the Popular Committee to Lift the Siege, said that " the intifada of ships " would continue despite the fact that Israel prevented the ships from reaching the Gazan shore (PNN website, December 7). At the same time, many countries and humanitarian organizations announced that they would work to lift the "siege" of the Gaza Strip. There have been media leaks to the effect that supply ships would leave from Kuwait , Jordan , Yemen , Lebanon and Qatar . The following is a table of past and planned voyages to the Gaza Strip:
 

Past and Planned Sea Voyages to the Gaza Strip

Egypt Attacks Hamas after the Movement Prevented Pilgrims
from Leaving the Gaza Strip for Mecca