2 Palestinians killed.
As Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, the IDF assassinates
Islamic Jihad mbr. Ahmad As`ad. 1 Palestinian dies of injuries
received earlier. The IDF shells 10 mobile trailers used by the GIS
in Jericho, injuring 9 GIS mbrs.; shells residential areas in Bayt Hanun, nr.
Jericho; begins bulldozing wide tracks of land nr. Yabad for a new settler
bypass road. (LAW 5/5; WT 5/6; PCHR 5/10; LAW 5/11; HA 5/16)
Pope John Paul II arrives in Damascus on a 4 day trip to Syria, is
greeted by Pres. Asad. (NYT, WT 5/6; AFP 5/7 in WNC 5/8; MM, WP, WT 5/8;
MM 5/9; WJW 5/10; MEI 5/18) (see Peace Monitor)
5 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
The IDF conducts a predawn raid into Tulkarm r.c., conducting
house-to-house searches, fire live ammunition at a group of children protesting
the incursion, killing a 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy. Nr. Jenin, IDF
soldiers, believing the sound of a tank tread breaking to be a roadside bomb,
fire on Palestinians harvesting an orchard nearby, killing a Palestinian
woman, 2 children. Also nr. Jenin, the IDF bars a
Palestinian woman in labor fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital;
the woman gives birth in a taxi, the newborn dies. An Israeli civilian
dies of injuries received in the 3/27 Netanya bombing, bring the toll of that
attack to 29. (NYT, WP 5/5; UPMRC 5/6; WP 5/7; HA 5/12; JP 5/16)
1 Israeli killed.
The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Hebron; raids 2
medical clinics in Nablus and Ramallah, destroying computers, vandalizing
the offices, stealing equipment, arresting 1 doctor, 1 administrator, 2
paramedics; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; bars several
international aid workers fr. entering Gaza, without giving a reason (see
5/1); arrests an East Jerusalem Palestinian for driving a suicide bomber
to West Jerusalem to stage an attack in 2002. (HA,
Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees 5/5; NYT 5/6; SA 5/3, MA 5/4 in
WNC 5/5; VOI 5/6 in WNC 5/7; NYT 5/7; PCHR 5/8; AIDA 5/12)
AMB gunmen fire on a Jewish
settler vehicle nr. Ramallah, killing 1 Jewish settler, wounding 2.
3 Palestinians killed.
The IDF fatally shoots wanted senior Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades
mbr. Imad Janajra (target of assassination on 4/23 when the IDF killed a
college professor in a case of mistaken identity) outside Nablus in an apparent
assassination; raids Dayr al-Balah, demolishes 1 building, fires on
stone-throwing Palestinians, killing 1 Palestinian, seriously wounding
17, including a Palestinian photographer covering the scene for AFP;
fires on 2 Palestinians who approach Gaza’s Qarni crossing through a closed
military zone, killing 1 Palestinian while the other escapes; begins
construction of the separation wall nr. Qalandia; conducts large-scale
arrest raids in Hebron, taking at least 60 Palestinians to an unknown
destination; conducts smaller arrest raids in Bethlehem, Nablus, Tulkarm
(reportedly detaining Hamas’s Tulkarm head Rifat Nafif); confiscates 22
dunams of Palestinian land in Far`un nr. Tulkarm; bulldozes 7 dunams of land, 1
Palestinian home in Wadi al-Silqa; demolishes a 3-story apartment
building and 7 Palestinian homes, severely damages 9 homes, bulldozes
3 dunams of land in Rafah; fires at stone-throwing youths outside Nisanit
settlement. Without explanation, Israel releases Hamas cofounder
Muhammad Taha, held in administrative detention since 3/03, in Gaza. (VOI,
VOP, XIN 5/5 in WNC 5/7; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 5/6; VOI 5/6 in WNC 5/8; VOP 5/8 in
WNC 5/11; PCHR 5/13)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF issues military orders to "restore" a 500 d. area nr.
Bethlehem to its original state, requiring some 450 olive trees planted since
the early 1990s to be uprooted; bulldozes Palestinian land in Sammu` nr. Hebron
for construction of the separation wall; suspends the cmdr. in charge of
troops involved in the fatal shooting of 2 Palestinian teenagers on 5/4. Jewish settlers fr. Tapuach nr. Nablus stone Palestinian
vehicles driving nearby, injuring 1 Palestinian. An Islamic Jihad mbr.
dies fr. injuries received in clashes with the IDF on 2 May in Saida. (MM, NYT
5/6; NYT 5/9; OCHA 5/11; PCHR 5/12)
Palestinians fire Qassam rockets at Sederot, causing no damage or
injuries.
Palestinians in 76 locales in the West Bank and 8 in Gaza participate in the
3d round of Palestinian municipal elections. Fatah wins 56% of the
vote, Hamas 33%, independents and smaller parties 11%. (AFP, HA, MM, REU
5/5; BBC, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/6; NYT, WP, WT 5/7; HA 5/8; CSM, HA, MM 5/9; AYM,
HJ, al-Quds, XIN 5/9 in WNC 5/10; MM 5/10; MEI, MM 5/13)
6 Palestinians killed.
In the 1st attacks authorized by new Israeli DM Peretz, the IDF makes 3 air strikes on a PRC camp in Gaza in retaliation for 5/4 rocket fire, killing 5 PRC mbrs. (Hamada Daghmash, Juma’ Daghmash, Mahmud Daghmash, Wahid Daghmash, Khalid Wakid), wounding 2 in an apparent attempt to assassinate PRC cmdr. Mumtaz Daghmash, who lives nearby. The IDF also closes Gaza’s Sufa crossing for 2 days and Kerem Shalom crossing indefinitely; prevents Palestinians fr. Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm in the n. West Bank fr. crossing checkpoints into the s. West Bank; shells a rocket launch site in n. Gaza, causing no injuries; fires on stone- throwing youths who confront troops during an arrest raid by an undercover unit in Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 1, also occupying part of an apartment building as an observation post; patrols in Jenin, Yatta (firing on residential areas); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. In Gaza, 1,000s of Hamas mbrs. rally in support of the PA government. (IMEMC 5/5; NYT, WP, WT 5/6; HA 5/7; OCHA 5/10; PCHR 5/11) In a formal protest to Israel, UNRWA notes that the IDF has barred access to Jerusalem fr. the West Bank for 4 days, which the agency says is unprecedented, hindering the movement of its personnel, undermining humanitarian operations. Israel has not formally announced a closure. (Prensa Latina 5/5)
The IDF releases 3 Palestinian farmers fr. Bayt Lahiya arrested on 5/4; sends
troops into Gaza to level land along the border fence nr. ‘Abasan. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids,
house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem.
Jewish settlers fr. Eli settlement nr. Nablus occupy a Palestinian home, leave
after several hrs. when the IDF intervenes. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron detain,
beat a Palestinian traveling by their settlement. Separately, Jewish settlers
fr. Bayt Hadasah in Hebron beat an international peace activist escorting a
Palestinian woman in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron (H2). (WT 5/6; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10)
Retaliating
for the death of 2 mbrs. on 5/4, Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets fr. Gaza into
Israel, damaging a house in Sederot, but causing no injuries; the IDF sends
troops into Gaza n. of Bayt Lahiya to capture the Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding
and arresting 1. A Palestinian is killed in Jabaliya r.c. when explosives he is
handling detonate prematurely.
In Tubas,
armed Palestinians fire on the local Palestinian Detainees Comm. offices, beat
the office manager; no motive is stated.
1 Palestinian killed.
Israel delivers fuel to UNRWA in Gaza to keep UN operations going
(see 5/4). The IDF sends troops, bulldozers into Abasan, imposing a
curfew, firing on residential areas (causing damage but no injuries),
bulldozing 3 d. of land before withdrawing in the afternoon; makes a late-night
incursion into Bayt Lahiya to raid and search several homes, arresting 3
Palestinians and remanding them to Israel. Also late at night, IDF
troops on the Gaza border e. of Bayt Lahiya fire on a group of armed
Palestinians nr. the border, killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 1. A smuggling
tunnel under the Rafah border collapses, killing 1 Palestinian, injuring
4. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house
searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron. (WP 5/6; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8)
The Israeli military seized five Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron and Nablus. (IMEMC)
All three Gaza crossing points would be open for commercial and humanitarian deliveries for the second time this week, said crossings official Raed Fattouh. He said Kerem Shalom was expected to allow the passage of 125 trucks of humanitarian aid and goods for the commercial and agricultural sectors. He added that the Gazan side was told that the Karni crossing would open for a few hours to allow 45 trucks of grain and fodder through. Nahal Oz was also expected to be open for the shipment of an unknown quantity of industrial diesel fuel and cooking gas. (Ma’an News Agency)
Since the axe-murder early last month of 13-year-old Shlomo Nativ in the West Bank settlement of “Bat Ayin”, many settlers had begun to climb to the hilltop known as "Mukhtar Hill," holding Torah sessions, lectures and meetings with the intention of turning the location into an outpost. (Haaretz)
Israeli military courts announced longer prison terms for three Hamas lawmakers and added time to the sentence of former Palestinian Legislative Committee Speaker Abdel-Aziz Dweik. Before a military judge, the sentences of Jerusalem Governorate lawmaker Muhammad Abu Teir and Hebron Governorate lawmaker Nayef Arjoub were increased from three and half to four years with no further charges against them. Bethlehem Governorate lawmaker Mahmoud Al-Khatib’s term was increased to three and a half years, up from three years. There were currently 40 Hamas lawmakers and ministers in prison. (Ma'an News Agency)
The United Nations Committee Against Torture asked Israel to grant the International Committee of the Red Cross access to a secret detention facility where torture was allegedly being practised. “Allegations of torture, ill-treatment, and poor detention conditions in this facility have been reported to the Committee,” the Committee said in a document prepared for a hearing held on Israel’s record on torture. The Committee said that it had received reports alleging that Palestinian detainees had been “subjected by Israeli security officials to acts in violation” of the anti-torture convention, including beatings, sleep deprivations and sharp twisting of the head. The Committee also asked Israel to explain a law allowing for Palestinian detainees, including children from the age of 12, to be held for a period of up to eight days before being brought before a judge. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on the protection of human rights, while countering terrorism, some 700 Palestinian minors were arrested in 2006, with 25 held on “administrative detention” orders. Solitary confinement was also used to get confessions from minors and as a punishment, said the Rapporteur. The Committee was scheduled to publish a report on the hearing on 15 May. (AFP)
King Abdullah II of Jordan and President Mubarak, meeting in Cairo, underlined the need for effective international action to create the appropriate atmosphere for launching serious Palestinian-Israeli negotiations in line with the two-State solution as soon as possible. (The Jordan Times)
Quartet Representative Tony Blair said that the Obama Administration and international negotiators were drafting a new strategy for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and were expected to unveil it within six weeks. "We're about to get a new framework," Mr. Blair said, adding, "I can only speculate right now about what that framework is going to be. The reason I say people should be more hopeful, is that this is a framework that is being worked on at the highest level in the American administration, [and] in the rest of the international community." He said that after President Barack Obama had met with the Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian leaders, the Quartet was to convene in Washington to discuss and present the new strategy. (AP)
At a press conference at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he had transmitted to the President of the Security Council a summary of the report of the Board of Inquiry regarding incidents affecting United Nations personnel, premises and operations during the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel. He highlighted the independent nature of the Board, emphasizing that it was not a judicial body or court of law. It did not make legal findings and did not consider questions of legal liability. Mr. Ban said the report was an internal document that contained information shared with the Board in strict confidence. It also contained information whose disclosure could prejudice the security or proper conduct of the UN's operations. For that reason, the Secretariat was releasing a summary of the Report for the purposes of sharing its findings with the Security Council and other bodies. He said that the Government of Israel had its reservations and objections to elements of the summary. At the same time he was pleased that the Israeli Government had agreed to meet United Nations officials to address some of the Board's recommendations, in so far as it related to Israel. The Israeli Government was also eager to improve existing coordination mechanisms. The report reflected the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the Secretary-General said, adding, we should keep in mind that Israeli civilians in southern Israel faced and continued to face indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas and other militant groups. The report indicated that there had been no progress on the critical elements that would secure long-term peace for the people of the region. Mr. Ban stated that there was a need for a durable ceasefire, which included an end to arms smuggling, the opening of the crossings, recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, and steps toward Palestinian reconciliation. More importantly, there was a need to give new momentum to the direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and the international community must get engaged. He referred to US President Obama’s forthcoming meetings with the Israeli President Peres, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas. He concluded by commending Russia for convening a special meeting on the Middle East in the Security Council on 11 May, hoping it would be an opportunity for the international community to reinvigorate the process. (UN press release SG/SM/12224))
Speaking to Israel Radio in Arabic, PA Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat rejected Prime Minister Netanyahu's statements in an address to AIPAC, suggesting that Mr. Netanyahu should be asked whether he would be willing to begin negotiations on Jerusalem, Palestine refugees and borders from the point at which the talks ended. Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said that Mr. Netanyahu was playing with words and trying to mislead the world in order to continue creating facts on he ground by building settlements. (The Jerusalem Post)