1 Palestinian killed. 1 Israeli killed.
In the West Bank, Islamic Jihad activist Imad Abu Thyab is critically
injured when his car explodes. Palestinians suspect it was an assassination
attempt by the IDF. A Jewish settler baby dies of injuries received on
6/5; 1 Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. An Israeli
government demolition crew, guarded by 100s of Israeli police,
bulldozes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. Jewish settlers
stone Palestinian cars in Hebron. (Gush Shalom press release, MM 6/11; MM, NYT,
WT 6/12)
In Jerusalem, Tenet gives Israeli, PA security officials
a revised U.S. cease-fire plan that is based on the PA doing everything possible
to halt Palestinian violence and on Israel slowly removing the blockades on PA
areas and withdrawing to 9/28/00 positions. After 4 hrs. of talks, neither side
is willing to accept it as is, each demanding additional requirements be
included. (AFP [Internet], MM 6/11; NYT, PMC, WT 6/12; AKH 6/12 in WNC 6/13;
al-Nahar, al-Ra'i 6/12 in WNC 6/14; MEI 6/15) (see Peace Monitor)
4 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
The IDF makes new incursions into Bethlehem, Dahaysha r.c., al-Khadir,
Tulkarm and surrounding villages; continues operations in Ramallah, arresting 30
Palestinians (including PFLP 2d-in-command `Abd al-Rahim Malluh),
reportedly uncovering an explosives lab in a Force 17 building; searches a PRCS
office nr. Hebron; delays ambulances at checkpoints in the Bethlehem, Hebron,
Ramallah areas. The IDF
fatally shoots a 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy when he strays too close to
Netzarim settlement; 2 Palestinians in Gaza, who allegedly fired on a
Jewish settler vehicle. A 7th Palestinian is found dead nr. Erez crossing; the IDF claims
a roadside bomb he was planting accidentally exploded. Nr. Hebron, 3 Jewish
settlers are wounded when they accidentally trigger an explosive device in a
field. Israeli authorities demolish 6 Palestinian homes in Sur
al-Bahir in East Jerusalem. (AFP, LAW, MM, PRCS press release, UPMRC 6/11; MM,
NYT, WP, WT 6/12; AYM 6/30 in WNC 7/31)
A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a device in a
restaurant in Herziliya, killing 1 Israeli, wounding 8. The AMB fatally shoots 2 collaborators in
Hebron. A Palestinian stabs, wounds an Israeli policeman in
Jerusalem.
10 Palestinians killed. 16 Israelis killed.
After Jerusalem bomb, Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz immediately authorizes the IDF
to use “whatever means necessary” to “completely wipe out Hamas,” saying
Hamas spiritual leader Shaykh Yasin is a viable target. Half an hr.
later, an IDF helicopter fires on a car stuck in a Gaza City traffic jam,
assassinating senior Izzeddin al-Qassam mbrs. Titu Massud and Suhayl Abu
Nahil, also killing 6 Palestinian bystanders, wounding 35 (including
14 children). In the evening, IDF helicopters strike another car in Gaza
City, killing Hamas mbrs. Muhammad Daghmash and Rawi Abu Kumayl. The
IDF also raids Hebron, imposing a curfew, building roads, blocking streets
with sand barriers, concrete blocks; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in
Rafah (damaging another 11), 1 in Jaba; fires on a funeral procession outside
Khan Yunis, wounding 1. (AP, BBC, HA 6/11; ITAR-TASS, MENA 6/11 in WNC 6/13;
LAW, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/12; AFP, QA 6/12 in WNC 6/14; PR 6/18; LAW, PCHR
6/19; JPI 6/20; HA 6/25; MEI 6/27)
A Hamas suicide bomber dressed as an Orthodox Jew detonates a device
on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 15 Israelis, 1 Eritrean, injuring
more than 60.
The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, al-Qarara;
evacuates, demolishes tin shacks in al-Qarara housing 95 Palestinians;
bulldozes 10 dunams of agricultural land in Wadi al-Silqa; conducts arrest raids
nr. Hebron, Ramallah. (VOI 6/11 in WNC 6/15; PCHR
6/17)
Palestinians fire an antitank rocket at an IDF
patrol nr. Rafah, causing no damage or injuries.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF bars an ambulance transporting a Palestinian heart
attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital in Tulkarm, allowing
him to die; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Yatta. (PR 6/15; PCHR 6/16)
Masked
Palestinian gunmen fire on the PA preventive security forces
headquarters outside Gaza City, causing no injuries.
At its annual conference, the New England United Methodist Church
passes a resolution calling for divestment and economic action against Israeli
occupation. The resolution denounces Israel’s construction of the separation
wall, settlement expansion, confiscation of Palestinian property, as well as the
"unemployment, malnutrition, restrictions on movement, denial of medical cared,
denial of access to their agricultural lands, humiliation at checkpoints, and
extended lockdowns called curfews" caused by the IDF. (United Methodist Church
press release 6/20)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF, which has halted artillery fire until an
investigation of the 6/9 strike that killed 8 Palestinians is completed (the IDF
now argues that an errant Palestinian rocket was to blame), responds with air
strikes on n. Gaza, hitting a group of Hamas mbrs. preparing to fire a rocket
nr. Bayt Lahiya (killing 2 Hamas mbrs.) and targeting a car driven by Hamas
mbrs. (wounding 3 bystanders). An Islamic Jihad mbr. is reportedly killed when a
rocket he is preparing to fire explodes. The IDF also conducts arrest raids,
house searches in Jenin town and r.c., nr. Bethlehem; begins uprooting
Palestinian trees, leveling agricultural land s. of Qalqilya for a new settler
bypass road between Oranit and Sha’are Tikva settlements. (IFM, REU 6/11;
NYT, WP 6/12; PCHR 6/15; OCHA 6/21)
Hamas, Islamic Jihad fire some 30 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, some of which
hit a college campus nr. Sederot (wounding 4 Israelis) and a house (causing
damage but no injuries). A Hamas mbr. dies of
injuries received in clashes with PA security officers on 6/1.
The IDF
demolishes 2 Palestinian homes outside
East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in `Aqabat Jabir r.c., Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm. (WP 6/11; BBC,
NYT, WP, WT 6/12; Guardian, OCHA 6/13; PCHR 6/14)
As fighting in Nahr al-Barid
r.c. continues, a FI mortar hits a Lebanese Red Cross vehicle, killing 2 Red Cross workers, seriously
wounding 1. (WP, WT 6/12)
Despite 6/10 cease-fire appeals, serious Fatah-Hamas fighting continues across Gaza, leaving
at least 15 Palestinians
dead (all believed to be mbrs. of the 2 factions). After Egyptian mediators
broker another cease-fire during the day that collapses within hrs., Abbas, Haniyeh issue separate calls
for a halt to the fighting. Among the most
serious incidents: In Shati` r.c., suspected Fatah mbrs. fire an RPG at
the home of PM Haniyeh in a predawn attack, causing damage but no
injuries (Haniyeh is not home at the time, though his family is). Later in the
day, suspected Hamas mbrs. fire a mortar at Pres. Abbas’s Gaza City residence, causing no injuries. In the
afternoon, Hamas’s IQB makes a
series of major coordinated attacks on Fatah installations across Gaza, dealing Fatah a significant blow in what
is seen (see Guardian 6/13) as its 1st attempt
to seize power in Gaza. Fatah security forces complain that they have
not received orders from cmdrs. on how to respond. Other incidents include a
separate attack on Haniyeh’s Gaza City office and the local PC
headquarters while the PC is in session, forcing PC mbrs. to flee but causing
no injuries; a major ESF raid on the home of senior AMB cmdr. Jamal Abu al-Jidayn, killing him, 4
bodyguards; an ESF raid on Fatah’s
main office in Bayt Hanun, confiscating equipment and documents; gun battles in
and around Bayt Hanun hospital that leave 4 Fatah mbrs., 1 ESF mbr. dead; a drive-by shooting of the Youth and Sports
Min. offices in Gaza City. Fatah-Hamas fighting also spreads to the West Bank, where AMB gunmen
attack a Change and Reform office in Ramallah, causing no injures; unidentified
assailants fire on the Nablus municipal building while a municipal council
mtg. is in session (causing no injuries), set fire to the Nablus mayor’s car
parked outside his home. On the Israeli-Palestinian front, Palestinians
fire 7 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel, 4 of which land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries.
5 Palestinians killed.
Israeli forces killed four Palestinians, including a 9-year-old girl, in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical workers
said. They said that the girl's remains had been recovered from a house in the village of Qarara, north-east of Khan
Yunis, which had been struck by Israeli tank fire. During the Israeli operation, soldiers also shot and killed a Hamas
gunman and a civilian. Another Palestinian civilian was killed in an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza. An Israeli
military spokesman said the ground attack near Khan Yunis had targeted militants attempting to launch rockets into
Israel from a built-up area. The air strike in the northern Gaza Strip had been launched against Palestinians who were
planning to fire mortars at Israel, according to the military. (Reuters)
Israeli troops arrested 28 Palestinians in the West Bank, Israel Radio reported. (Haaretz)
An Israeli Apache helicopter fired on Al-Za'tar area near Jabalya and killed Mohammed Asaliya, 55 and wounded his
granddaughter, as well as a passer-by, witnesses said. (WAFA)
At a meeting of the Ministerial Committee on National Security Affairs led by Prime Minister Olmert, top Israeli
political and security officials decided not to launch broad military action in the Gaza Strip for the time being, but
instructed the army to continue preparations in case the truce talks failed, Government spokesman Mark Regev said.
Security officials said Israel's representative for the truce talks, Amos Gilad, would head to Cairo in the next few
days to try to advance the ceasefire efforts. (AP)
Canada is hosting a two-day meeting on Gaza Counter-Arms Smuggling Initiative in Ottawa. The event brings together Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK and the US. The meeting would coordinate efforts to stop the flow of arms and ammunition into Gaza and work toward the implementation of the program of action developed when the group met in London on 13 March. Canada is committed to “bring about a durable ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, one consistent with United Nations Security Council resolution 1860,” said Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs. (international.gc.ca)
Dozens of settlers, development investors, Israeli municipality workers and Israeli police attempted to confiscate seven dunums of Palestinian land, on the Mount of Olives, in East Jerusalem. Thirty young men rallied to drive the settlers away. The settlers said they would be back the following week. They had first tried to appropriate the land through the courts, by fabricating ownership documents and attempting to have land rights transferred away from the Palestinians residents, according to local experts. (Ma’an News Agency)
PA Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Hatem Abdul Qader told residents of the Al-Bustan area they would be protected from the latest round of Israeli-issued demolition orders by a legal committee. “The recent issuance of demolition orders to Al-Bustan and Silwan area residents,” he said, shows there “is no possibility for peace or for signing any agreement and that Israel will continue with its policies against the Palestinian people and will not be influenced by the US pressure.” (Ma’an News Agency)
Findings indicated that Israel had heavily used uranium materials in its war in Gaza, Haitham Manna of the International Coalition for Trying Israeli War Criminals, told a news conference in Gaza City. (Xinhua)
In Cairo, US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell urged Arab States to take "meaningful steps and important actions" to make peace with Israel. At a press conference after meeting Egypt’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Mr. Mitchell said, "We are working hard to achieve our objective, a comprehensive peace in the Middle East, including a Palestinian State living side by side in peace and security with Israel." Mr. Mitchell also visited Amman, meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah II who told the Envoy: "The US role is crucial in the efforts to reach peace and attain stability in the region," adding that Mr. Obama's address on 4 June to the Muslim world from Cairo "embodied important messages," including the endorsement of a two-State solution. (Haaretz)
Former US President Jimmy Carter said that there could not be any Palestinian-Israeli peace “unless Hamas is involved directly, with Fatah,” after meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, according to AFP
. Mr. Carter declared that he expected US President Obama to engage with Hamas if it formed a unity Government with Fatah under PA President Abbas, according to
DPA. Mr. Carter was expected to meet Osama Hamdan, one of the deputies of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Khaled Mashaal.
(DPA, Ma’an News Agency, Ynetnews)
Khaled Mashaal, Hamas Political Bureau Chief, urged US President Obama to drop conditions for talks, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. Mr. Mashaal pointed out that Mr. Obama had launched a dialogue with Iran and Syria but set conditions for Hamas. Even if the Hamas leader was encouraged by “new, wise language” from the American President, the latter’s “perception regarding the Palestinian State is still vague, due to the fact that he did not address the issue of territory, borders, the capital, the right of return and the timetables for its establishment. These are essential points,” Mr. Mashaal declared. He would present his own policy speech after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address, Al Quds al-Arabi reported. (Ma’an News Agency, Haaretz)
Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman urged Khaled Mashaal to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Al-Jarida
reported. Mr. Suleiman told Mr. Mashaal that Israel was willing to resume negotiations for a prisoner exchange. The Hamas leader welcomed the offer and agreed to resume the talks, according to the newspaper. Mr. Suleiman told Mr. Mashaal his country was determined to have the Palestinian factions sign a reconciliation agreement by the end of the month, and that Egypt would not accept an "endless chain of negotiations."
(Ynetnews)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he would take part in the Quartet meeting later this month in Italy. He also said that the UN Legal Counsel was preparing a detailed evaluation and proposals regarding the US$11.2 million in damage done to UN facilities during the recent Israeli attacks in Gaza. (UN News Centre)
Hamas fighters opened fire on Israeli forces near Kibbutz Bi’iri, along the northern border of Gaza. The IDF responded with shellfire. No injuries were reported from the Israeli or the Palestinian side. (Ma’an News Agency, Haaretz)