IICC
Overview
Sporadic daily rocket and mortar shell fire targeting the western Negev towns and villages continued this past week. In one instance a long-range Grad rocket fell south of the city of Yavneh , the first such occurrence since the end of Operation Cast Lead. In addition, a number of IEDs were detonated in attacks against IDF forces carrying out routine security activities along the border security fence. A basic difficulty has arisen in the negotiations for an Egyptian-brokered lull arrangement around the linkage between the arrangement itself and the release of abducted Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert publicly stated that Israel would not accept the lull arrangement or agree to open the Gaza Strip crossings before Gilad Shalit's release. Hamas spokesmen stated that negotiations for his release were not related to the lull arrangement and accused Israel of placing obstacles in the path of the Egyptian efforts. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that the issue of Gilad Shalit could not be linked to the negotiations concerning the lull arrangement.
Important Events
The Gaza Strip
The sporadic daily rocket and mortar shell fire continues
During the past week sporadic daily rocket and mortar shell fire continued targeting western Negev towns and villages, as well as IDF forces operating along the border security fence. This week there was a certain increase in the number of rockets and mortar shells fired. There were 13 rockets , one of them a 122mm long-range Grad rocket, which landed southwest of the city of Yavneh . In addition, six mortar shells were fired, mostly at IDF forces. Two mortar shells were fired at an Israeli Navy vessel near the Gaza shore, and a number of IEDs were detonated against IDF forces. In all the above incidents there were no casualties and no property damage was reported.
The most prominent incidents were the following:
• February 13 – Two rockets landed in the western Negev , one near the Sderot industrial zone. Four mortar shells landed four kilometers (2.5 miles) south of the Karni crossing.
• February 14 – Shots from light arms and two mortar shells were fired at an Israeli Navy vessel, and an IED was detonated against IDF forces two kilometers (1.25 miles) south of the Karni crossing. Another IED was discovered about 50 meters (55 yards) south of the border security fence.
• February 14 – A 122mm long-range Grad rocket landed in an open area southwest of the city of Yavneh , apparently fired from the Beit Lahiya region in the northern Gaza Strip. It was the first time a long-range Grad rocket had been fired since the end of Operation Cast Lead ( January 18, 2009 ). The long-range Grad rockets in Hamas's possession have a maximum range of 40 kilometers (25 miles).
• February 15 – An EFP (explosively formed penetrator) was discovered by IDF forces three kilometers (almost 2 miles) northeast of the Kissufim post.
• February 16 – During the day six rocket hits were identified in various regions of the western Negev .
In most instances the Palestinian terrorist organizations refrained from claiming responsibility for the attacks in an attempt to prevent identifying themselves with the continued violations of the ceasefire. In isolated incidents a fictitious group called “The Hezbollah Battalions in Palestine ” claimed responsibility (Ma'an News Agency, February 13, 2009 ). The Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for mortar shell fire (Sawt Al-Hak website, February 15, 2009 ). Responsibility for placing the IEDs was claimed by the Jerusalem Battalions of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Jerusalem Battalions website, February 14, 2009 ).
Daily Distribution of Terrorist Attacks in the Gaza Strip
Daily Distribution of Terrorist Attacks in the Gaza Strip
The IDF response
In response to the terrorist attacks, the Israeli Air Force struck terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip hitting smuggling tunnels in the Rafah region a number of times, a Hamas post in Khan Yunis on February 11, a vehicle carrying a suspect Palestinian in Gaza City on February 12, two weapons-manufacturing sites in Jabaliya on February 13, two terrorist operatives on motorcycles in Ibsan (east of Khan Yunis, on February 14). At least one of the motorcyclists, who belonged to the Popular Resistance Committees, died of his wounds (Paltoday website, February 16, 2009 ).
Judea and Samaria
Terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria continue
This past week in Judea and Samaria there were shooting attacks, IEDs, and Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown. The most prominent incidents were the following:
• February 9 – A number of Molotov cocktails were thrown at the Israeli settlement Pnei Kedem, southeast of Bethlehem , damaging its security fence. During searches conducted by IDF forces two Palestinians were detained. One had a knife in his possession. The two admitted having thrown the Molotov cocktails.
• February 10 – An Israeli vehicle was shot at near Ramallah. There were no casualties but the vehicle was damaged. A group calling itself “the Imad Moughnieh squads of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades” claimed responsibility for the attack (Ma'an News Agency, February 11, 2009 ).
• February 12 – An Israeli civilian sustained slight injuries from stones thrown at her vehicle near Hares, southeast of Qalqilya.
• February 14 – A pipe bomb was thrown at an IDF position near Beit Umar, southwest of Bethlehem . The bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion by Israeli demolitions experts.
Two life sentences for the planner of the suicide bombing attack in Dimona
On February 15 a military court sentenced Hamas operative Yehiye Himouni to two terms of life imprisonment after he was convicted of involvement in the suicide bombing attack carried out in the southern city of Dimona on February 4, 2008 . An Israeli woman was killed in the attack and 30 other civilians were wounded. Himouni, a resident of Hebron , admitted to being one of the planners of the attack and to enlisting two suicide bombers. After finding the potential bombers, he personally gave them explosive belts and was present when they were taught how to use them. He then gave them 200 shekels ($55 at the time) to enable them to reach the site of the attack. They hired a driver who left them off near Dimona, and from there they walked into the city.
At 10:30 a.m. the two reached the commercial center, and one of the terrorists detonated the explosive belt he was wearing. The other was wounded by the explosion, and lying on the ground attempted to detonate his explosive belt as well. Police who were present in the commercial center opened fire and killed him before he could act, preventing more civilian casualties.
The Gaza Strip after Operation Cast Lead
The Israel-Gaza Strip crossings
This past week humanitarian aid continued being delivered through the crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip, with a daily average of 150-200 trucks passing through . The deliveries of fuel and cooking gas through the Nahal Oz crossing also continued. Palestinians with special humanitarian issues continued leaving the Gaza Strip through the Erez crossing.
On February 11, for the first time in more than a year and acceding to a request from Holland , Israel authorized the export of carnations from the Gaza Strip to the European market. They were released through the Kerem Shalom crossing on February 12, and from there were sent to Europe .
The Rafah crossing
The Rafah crossing remained closed to merchandise and humanitarian aid. Sick and wounded Palestinians used the Rafah crossing to leave the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Egypt , and Palestinians who had been in Egypt returned to the Gaza Strip.
Aid convoy leaves Britain
This past week a decrease was noted in international contributions to the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip. On March 2 a conference of donor countries is expected to be held in Egypt , where countries and various international bodies are expected to announce intentions to make additional contributions to the Gaza Strip.
On February 14 a convoy of more than 100 vehicles (including 12 ambulances and fire engines) left Britain for the Gaza Strip. They are expected to drive through France , Spain , North Africa and then through the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip. The convoy will bring humanitarian aid worth more than one million euros (Agence France Presse, February 14, 2009 ). According to Sky News ( February 14, 2009 ), nine men who were supposed to join the convoy were detained in Britain on suspicion of involvement in terrorism .
Hamas Continues Smuggling Weapons into the Gaza Strip
At a government meeting on February 15, Israel Security Agency head Yuval Diskin reported on arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip. He said that since Israel the fighting ended, Hamas and the other terrorist organizations had managed to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip on several occasions, adding that Hamas was making an effort to rebuild the tunnels. With regard to steps being taken by Egypt to prevent arms smuggling, he said that the Egypt approach in dealing with the smuggling was positive but slow ( Haaretz , February 16, 2009 ).
Media Reports of Intensive Egyptian Activity to Prevent Smuggling
According to media reports, Egypt has increased its efforts to stop smuggling through the tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. Additional Egyptian security forces have been deployed in Egyptian Rafah and there are routine ambushes, suspicious vehicles are stopped and merchandise intended for smuggling into the Gaza Strip is confiscated. (Dozens of trucks have been stopped whose merchandise was intended for the Gaza Strip.) In addition, dozens of ambushes have been set up along the road from El-Arish to Rafah ( Al-Basha'air , February 12, 2009 ).
At the end of January, the Egypt security forces in El-Arish detained two brothers who belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood and were suspected of providing aid to Hamas. In their possession were found shells and bullets, books and documents relating to the manufacture of explosives and books about Hamas and its military-terrorist wing (Al-Hayat, February 13, 2009 ). On February 14 a senior official in the Egyptian security services stated that a ton of explosives and anti-aircraft missiles had been uncovered in a hiding place at Al-Dahaniya in Sinai, near the border with Israel , which were apparently supposed to be smuggled into the Gaza Strip (Ilaf website, February 14, 2009 ). Additional searches of the area revealed a cache of 19 sacks of TNT and a number of anti-aircraft missiles, apparently old ( Al-Basha'air , February 14, 2009 ).
On February 13, Al-Hayat printed an article about smuggling activity in the Gaza Strip. “Abu Ahmed,” operator of two tunnels who was interviewed, mentioned the increase in Egyptian security activity along the Egypt-Gaza border. He said it was “ nothing more than a strainer with large holes ,” and that the activity was meant to exert pressure on Hamas to agree to the Egyptian-brokered lull arrangement. According to another report, smuggling activity has slowed down and there is evidence that the difficulties posed by Egypt in recent days make it hard to operate the smuggling tunnels (Agence France Presse, February 9, 2009 ).
On February 12, Hamad Nizal , a member of Hamas's political bureau, spoke about the smuggling at a conference called “the committee of the global campaign against aggression” held in Istanbul . His speech was broadcast live by Al-Jazeera TV. His main points were the following:
• He called on “brothers” throughout the world to provide the “resistance groups” [i.e., the terrorist organizations] with rockets more sophisticated than those they currently possessed . He said there were Arab regimes which “have taken a noble stand,” but the other preferred to be apathetic towards Hamas and had even chosen “to collaborate and betray Hamas.”
• “Arms smuggling” was a term Hamas did not recognize, because “arms are not smuggled” the way other commodities were. Rather, he said, arms were the legitimate right of the Palestinians and they would not stop their efforts to obtain them : “If our brothers managed to obtain Grad rockets with a range of 40 kilometers [25 miles], we are interested that they obtain Grad rockets with a range of 80 kilometers .” [I.e., rockets which, if launched from the Gaza Strip, will reach further than Tel Aviv.]
A UK Guardian Article about the Gaza Strip Tunnels
On February 10 the British daily Guardian printed an article by Rory McCarthy about smuggling activity through the tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza Strip border. It described the lively activity on the Palestinian side to repair the tunnel entrances and the lack of concern of the Egypt police at their border posts . The article's main points were the following:
• The article expresses surprise at the lack of damage done to the tunnels themselves in comparison with the extensive damage to life and property during Operation Cast Lead. According to the smugglers, the tunnels are deep enough so that even Israel 's heaviest bombs did not destroy them. Most of the damage, according to the article, was done to the tunnel openings, and they were repaired in a few days once the fighting stopped .
• Electricity is supplied to the tunnels by the Rafah municipality . The tunnels are registered and payments are made to the municipality. In addition, drinking water for the workers is also provided courtesy of the Rafah municipality.
• Hamas has forbidden the smuggling of drugs and alcohol. In addition, cigarettes, which are heavily taxed, are not profitable. Weapons “ come in through more discreet tunnels far from the public eye .”
• “The original owners of the land are given a 10% commission and Egyptian security officials on the other side earn healthy bribes ...one of the owners took out a thick fold of dollar bills, from which he was to send the equivalent of L13,000 to the Egyptians, enough to provide protection for the tunnel for around 10 days …”
Smuggling tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt
Smuggling tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt
(Egypt, Russia al-Youm TV, February 13, 2009).
Hamas Criticism of the Amnesty Report
On February 10, Amnesty issued a report dealing with the retribution exacted by Hamas from its opponents in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, Hamas and its militias began a campaign of murder, torture and abduction immediately after the inception of Operation Cast Lead on December 27, 2008 , and it continued after Israel unilaterally announced it was holding its fire on January 18, 2009 . The report stated that Hamas operatives had shot and killed 24 men , and that dozens of others had been shot in the leg or kneecap, beaten or tortured. The wounds to the legs and knees, according to the Amnesty report, cause “permanent disability.” 1
In response, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum expressed criticism of the Amnesty report, saying that it was biased and published without hearing Hamas's side of the story. An official press release said that the report was based on lies and that Amnesty representatives only heard one side. 2 According to the notice, it would have been better if Amnesty had collected evidence pointing to the suffering of the Palestinians and the war crimes committed by Israel , and presented them to international organizations (Palestine-info website, February 12, 2009 ).
The Palestinian Authority also issued an extensive report about the Hamas violations of human rights in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, Hamas exploited the difficulties experienced by correspondents in moving around the Gaza Strip and reporting from it, and secretly committed the murders of 30 men while wounding 250 by beating them or shooting their legs, imprisoned 150 Fatah operatives , used prisoners as human shields during Operation Cast Lead, and other violations (PA's Wafa News Agency, February 12, 2009).
The Diplomatic Arena
The Egyptian Initiative for a Lull Arrangement – Update
On February 12 and 16, a Hamas delegation was in Cairo for another series of talks with Omar Suleiman, head of Egyptian general security. It was composed of representatives of the Hamas “internal” and “external” leadership (i.e., the Gaza Strip and Syria ), headed by Musa Abu Marzuq , deputy head of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus . Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that four main issues had been discussed: the lull arrangement, the dialogue with Fatah, the opening of the Rafah crossing and rebuilding the Gaza Strip. Before the talks Hamas consulted with the other Palestinian terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip and based in Damascus about formulating a joint position for the talks. So far, no agreed-upon lull arrangement between Israel and Hamas has been reached.
The Israeli media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made it clear that Israel would not accept a lull arrangement and would not agree to open the Gaza Strip crossings before the release of Gilad Shalit ( Haaretz , February 16, 2009 ). According to reports, on February 18 Prime Minister Olmert will ask the Cabinet to decide that the release of Gilad Shalit is a pre-condition for the lull arrangement ( Haaretz , February 17, 2009 ).
In response to the Israeli position, Khaled Mashaal , head of the Hamas political bureau in Damascus , said that Israel was trying to link the issue of Gilad Shalit to the opening of the crossings. That was unacceptable as far as Hamas was concerned, which would be made clear to senior Egyptian officials (Agence France Presse, February 13, 2009 ). Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan also strongly stated that negotiations for the release of Gilad Shalit had no connection to the lull arrangement, and claimed it was posing difficulties for the Egyptians (Al-Quds TV, February 15, 2009 ). Palestinian and Egyptian “political sources” said that Hamas did not object to parallel negotiations concerning the lull arrangement and the release of Gilad Shalit, on condition that the negotiations led to two separate agreements and that the implementing of each would not be dependent on the other (IslamOnline website, February 16, 2009 ).
In media interviews, three senior Hamas figures involved in the negotiations with Egypt – Musa Abu Marzuq , Mahmoud al-Zahar and Usama Muzeini – discussed Hamas's positions regarding the various components of the lull arrangement. The main points were the following (Egyptian TV, February 15; IslamOnline website, February 15, 2009 ):
• The duration of the agreement : According to Usama Muzeini, Hamas and the other organizations maintained that the agreement be valid for a year and a half , after which they would make a reassessment of the situation regarding its continuation. He said that through an Egyptian intermediary, Israel insisted that the agreement not be limited in time.
• Guarantees for maintaining the agreement : Mahmoud al-Zahar said that at a later stage a joint monitoring committee would have to be set up with Egypt , the UN, “representatives from Gaza ” [i.e., Hamas] and “other factors,” which would be agreed upon.
• Opening the crossings : According to Mahmoud al-Zahar, it had been agreed on the full opening of the crossings (between Israel and the Gaza Strip), but that did not mean that all the merchandise would enter through them. He said it had been agreed that four basic products which could be used to manufacture explosives would not be delivered.
• Implementing the ceasefire : Musa Abu Marzuq said that Hamas was clearly committed to the ceasefire and the end of rocket fire. He claimed that Israeli violations had been responsible for the collapse of the previous lull arrangement ( Note : in reality, the methodical violations of Hamas and the other terrorist organizations eroded the lull arrangement and Hamas ended it with a unilateral announcement).
• Smuggling weapons in to the Gaza Strip : Mahmoud al-Zahar said that Hamas would not allow “illegal smuggling,” such as the smuggling of drugs. However, he added that Hamas would allow weapons to be smuggled in , because it was “[the Palestinians'] right to arm themselves with weapons and anything else to fight aggression.” Therefore, he added, Hamas would not commit itself not to smuggle weapons because it could not . He said that “the tunnels solved many problems” of the supply of drugs, food and fuel, but when the crossings were opened the importance of the tunnels would not be as great.
• Opening the Rafah crossing : According to Usama Muzeini, on March 15 a meeting was expected to be held of all the groups dealing with the issue of the Rafah crossing. Its objective would be to create a new mechanism for its opening , in which Hamas would be involved. He added that Hamas had reservations regarding the 2005 agreement, would insist on having a presence at the crossing and would object to cameras and computers linked to “the Zionist enemy.” He claimed that in the meantime, the Rafah crossing would operate partially for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
• The security buffer zone : Usama Muzeini claimed that Israel had demanded a one-kilometer wide security buffer zone be set up along the Israeli-Gaza Strip border. After that, he claimed, Israel agreed to a zone 200 meters wide. Both Musa Abu Marzuq and Usama Muzeini claimed that such a zone was unnecessary but that it was necessary to implement the agreement. Musa Abu Marzuq claimed that such a buffer zone would made it legal for Israel to shoot civilians who entered it.
• The release of Gilad Shalit : Usama Muzeini said that “from the first day we said that Gilad Shalit was a separate issue.” He said that Hamas objected to every attempt to link the issue of Gilad Shalit to the opening of the crossings. Hamas also strongly objected to the expulsion from Palestine of prisoners who would be released. Musa Abu Marzuq said that the release of Palestinian prisoners was a “fundamental issue” as far as Hamas was concerned but that the issue of the crossings was “ more urgent .”
According to a report in Haaretz , on February 16 Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that as far as Israel was concerned, Gilad Shalit had to be released before the lull arrangement ( Haaretz , February 17). Mubarak said that as far as Egypt was concerned, the issue of Gilad Shalit was separate and could not be linked to negotiations concerning the lull arrangement (Middle East News Agency, February 16, 2009 ). Articles in the Egyptian press were extremely critical of Israel for linking the lull arrangement with the release of Gilad Shalit, calling it “blackmail” and “evasion.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad Secretary General Thanks Iran for Its Aid
On February 11, Palestinian Islamic Jihad secretary general Ramadan Shallah met with Iranian president Ahmadinejad . Shallah congratulated Ahmadinejad on the 30 th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, saying that “the day of celebrating the victory of the Islamic revolution is a happy day for all Muslims and the Palestinian people and the resistance [i.e., the terrorist organizations].” He praised the stance taken by Iran regarding the recent events in Gaza , saying that “the firm resistance of the Iranian people gave hope…to the Palestinian people and resistance, and today we have the feeling that we can win a great and final victory” ( Iran 's Fars News Agency, February 11, 2009 ).
At a separate meeting Ramadan Shallah met with Saeed Jalili, secretary of Iran 's national security council. Shallah expressed the tanks of the Palestinian people and “resistance” [i.e., terrorist organizations] for the help and support Iran had given them “in the confrontation with the Zionist regime, and especially for the help given during the last attack of the regime against Gaza ” (ISNA News Agency, February 11, 2009 ). During his visit he also spoke at a rally in Tehran , where he thanked the Iranians for their support of the Palestinian people and “resistance.” He said that the bond between the Palestinians and Iran was “the bond of Islam and the unity of the past, present and future,” and that “ Israel will always be our enemy” (Al-Jazeera TV, February 10, 2009 ).
Ramadan Shallah at the rally in Tehran
Left Ramadan Shallah at the rally in Tehran (Al-Jazeera TV, February 11, 2009).
Right: Ramadan Shallah meets Iranian Leader Khamenei (Al-Alam TV, February 11, 2009).
Initial Palestinian Responses to the Elections in Israel
Hamas
Usama Hamdan , Hamas representative in Lebanon , said that the Israeli government could be expected to be rightist and it remained to be seen how conditions set down by Lieberman and Netanyahu would complicate the lull arrangement issue. “We may possibly find ourselves regressing in regard to the lull arrangement if the extreme rightist parties force their conditions on the new government” (Al-Arabiya TV, February 10, 2009). On February 10, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum was asked by Al-Jazeera TV whether the result of the elections in Israel surprised Hamas. He said that they had not, and that apparently “the Israeli people voted for extremists and those who wanted to carry out terrorist attacks against the Palestinian people and even against the entire region.”
The Palestinian Authority
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that any coalition which would be formed would be unable to “respond to the demands of peace, not according to the Palestinian path and not according to the Syrian path” (Al-Jazeera TV, February 10, 2009 ). He told Al-Arabiya TV that the new government would concentrate on the Iranian issue, not the Palestinian or Syrian, and that if American-Iranian negotiations failed, Israel would try to form a coalition against Iran (Al-Arabiya TV, February 10, 2009 ). He called on Israel to send a message it was committed to two states for two peoples, the end of the “occupation” and a solution for the problem of the refugees (Wafa News Agency, February 11, 2009 ).
On the eve of the elections, residential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina said that the Palestinian Authority would not collaborate with any Israeli government which was not fully committed to the peace process, the solution of two states, the road map, the Arab peace initiative and stopping the growth of the settlements (Wafa News Agency, February 9, 2009 ).
The Internal Palestinian Arena
The Hamas-Fatah dialogue
On February 12 a meeting was held in Egypt between the Hamas delegation headed by deputy chief of its political bureau Musa Abu Marzuq, and the Fatah delegation, headed by Abu Alaa'. The subject of the meeting was the internal Palestinian dialogue expected to begin in Egypt on February 22 . It was the first meeting of high-ranking officials of the two rival sides since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007. A joint announcement stated that Hamas and Fatah had agreed to stop their mutual hostile propaganda in the media and that they would discuss ways to stop the detentions and the closing of charitable societies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (PalMedia website, February 12, 2009 ).
Both sides reported on the meeting favorably:
• Musa Abu Marzuq told Egyptian TV that Hamas supported the internal Palestinian dialogue for national unity. He said that at the meeting expected to be held on February 22, the Palestinian organizations would try to nominate a committee to examine all the pending problems and to organize a summit meeting which would culminate in a reconciliation announcement and a solution for all internal problems (Egyptian TV, February 15, 2009 ).
• Azzam al-Ahmed , a member of the Fatah delegation to the talks, expressed optimism regarding the chances for a dialogue. He said that the talks had focused on stopping incitement in the media and releasing prisoners, adding that practical steps were being taken to release prisoners in Gaza and the West Bank, and that 21 Hamas activists had already been released on February 14 and 15 (Voice of Palestine Radio, February 16). ( Note : We have no proof that that was actually done.) On the other hand, it was reported that Hamas had released some Fatah activists in the Gaza Strip from house arrest and had made it easier for Fatah representatives to attend the meeting of the revolutionary council in Ramallah (Palestinian News Network interview with Nabil Shaath, February 16, 2009 ).
Actually, the confrontation between Hamas and Fatah has been accompanied by a media war : the main Hamas website claimed that the Palestinian Wafa News Agency continued its propaganda attacks against Hamas (Palestine-info website, February 13, 2009 ). An announcement issued by the Hamas leadership in the West Bank on February 17 cast doubts on Fatah's willingness to have the dialogue succeed, noting that the Palestinian security forces continued detaining and abusing hundreds of Hamas operatives. The announcement called on Egypt and the Arab League to deal with the matter quickly and seriously (Palestine-info website, February 17, 2009 ). On the other hand, the religious endowments ministry of the Salam Fayyad government announced that its ministry would change its policies and institute activities “against mosque preachers and teachers [who] have recently exploited the freedom given them…” The announcement stated that “anyone interested in [media] exposure and election propaganda should appeal to the radio and television stations…” (QudsNews website, quoting the German News agency, February 15, 2009 ). In response, Dr. Taleb Abu Shaar , head of the religious endowments ministry in the Gaza Strip, said that the decision of the government in Ramallah to take steps against a number of imams in the West Bank was a blow to the efforts to reconcile Fatah and Hamas (PalMedia website, February 15, 2009 ).
13 prisoners escape from the Palestinian jail in Jericho
On February 13, 13 Palestinian prisoners escaped from the jail in Jericho , which is overseen by the Palestinian Authority's military intelligence service (Ma'an News Agency, February 13, 2009 ). Most of the escapees belonged to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military-terrorist wing, and were imprisoned as part of the wanted terrorists arrangement between the PA and Israel (Ynet, February 13, 2009 ). On February 14, six of them were recaptured and the PA's security forces continue looking for the others (Ma'an News Agency, February 14, 2009 ).
The Northern Arena
Hezbollah continues to threaten revenge
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reiterated that his organization was committed to avenging the death of Imad Moughnieh: “Our vow and promise to Haj Imad are still binding…” He also related to news items that Hezbollah (“the resistance”) had acquired “defensive” aerial weapons and advanced anti-aircraft missiles. He refused to confirm or deny the information, saying “the resistance has both the desire and courage to use such weapons…It is our right to possess arms to protect our homeland and our people…” (Al-Manar TV, February 16, 2009 ).
1 For further information see our February 12, 2009 bulletin entitled “Oppression of Hamas Opponents in the Gaza Strip” .
1 Note : According to the Amnesty report, its representatives requested a meeting with Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip for a response, but Hamas cancelled a scheduled meeting and would not arrange another one.
No comments:
Post a Comment