1 Palestinian killed.
Nr. Rafah, IDF troops open fire on stone-throwing Palestinians,
killing a 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. The IDF directs shells, heavy machine gun
fire at residential areas of Bayt Lahia, Rafah, al-Sudaniyya; fire heavy machine
guns at an PSF post in Bayt Sahur; open fire on Palestinians at al-Mintar
crossing and in al-Bireh, Hebron, Khan Yunis, Tulkarm; occupy a Palestinian home
in al-Khadir as a military outpost; seal an entrance to Tulkarm. Jewish
settlers ambush a Palestinian taxi nr. Ramallah, shooting and wounding 4
Palestinians; set fire to 5 Palestinian cars, vandalize several homes in Hebron;
vandalize homes on the Zatara+nNablus road; fire at Palestinians in Tulkarm;
severely beat 3 Palestinians in Jinin. (PMC 7/7; NYT 7/8; NYT, WT 7/9 NYT 7/11; HA 7/11; WJW 7/12)
2 IDF soldiers are injured
by a roadside bomb nr. Nablus. Arafat instructs the PSF to
place a number of Palestinians wanted by Israel in "protective custody."
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF says it captured 2 Palestinians
following a gun battle nr. Aley Sinai settlement. The IDF fires on
Palestinians at a Nablus checkpoint for no apparent reason during a lifting of
the curfew, wounding 2; sends bulldozers into Shaykh Ajlin, damaging part of an
agriculture storehouse and a well, leveling land; sends tanks into Bayt Lahia,
firing on residential areas, crushing a car. A Palestinian child dies of
injuries received on 6/27. (NYT 7/8; LAW, PCHR 7/10; MEI 7/12)
The Israeli cabinet endorses (17-2) a bill that would
amend existing law to bar Israeli Arabs fr. leasing homes built on state
land, declaring state land (90% of land in Israel) to be "for Jewish settlement
only." State land cannot be purchased by anyone, only leased long term. (BADIL
press release 7/7; HA 7/8; MM, NYT, WT 7/9; WJW 7/11; HA 7/12)
1 Israeli killed.
The IDF begins construction of a permanent fence in the Old City of Hebron
separating the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarch fr. the
Palestinian-controlled section of the city; shoots, wounds a Palestinian “acting
suspiciously” in Tulkarm; fires on Palestinians who reportedly attack an IDF
outpost in s. Gaza, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids in Jenin, detaining 15
Palestinians, including a local Islamic Jihad leader.
(BBC, MM, NYT, WT 7/8; MM, NYT, PR, WP 7/9; SFR 7/9 in WNC 7/12; PCHR
7/10; JPI 7/18)
The PSF says it has released 9 PRC mbrs. recently arrested
after the comms. agreed to abide by the Hamas–Islamic Jihad cease-fire. Late in the
evening, an Islamic Jihad suicide bomber detonates a device in a home in
Kfar Yavetz, in central Israel nr. the West Bank, killing 1 Israeli; a
statement by Islamic Jihad’s Jenin cell says it has broken the cease-fire
since Israel has not complied with requirements to free all Palestinian
prisoners, but senior Islamic Jihad officials, including chief spokesman in
Gaza Muhammad al-Hindi, say the attack was not coordinated with the group’s
leadership, which reaffirms its adherence to the cease-fire. Unidentified
Palestinians fire on, detonate a roadside bomb nr. workers building Israel’s
separation wall nr. Qalqilya, causing no injuries. In separate incidents,
the PSF arrests 3 Palestinians nr. the Gaza border with Israel.
1 Palestinian killed.
An IDF drone fires a missile at a Palestinian car in Gaza City; the
3 Hamas mbrs. in the car escape the assassination attempt unharmed, but 3
Palestinian bystanders are wounded. The IDF also assassinates wanted
AMB mbr. Issam Mahamid, fatally shooting him as he walks in Balata r.c.;
bulldozes 240 dunams of citrus trees east of Jabaliya r.c.; fires on residential
areas of Rafah, seriously wounding a 4-yr.-old boy in the head. (VOI 7/7
in WNC 7/9; PCHR 7/8; MM 7/10; PCHR 7/15; PM 7/22)
Palestinians
fire 2 Qassam rockets at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries.
IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. and
nearby Tamun and nr. Hebron, Qalqilya. (XIN 7/7; VOI 7/7 in WNC 7/8; ISM 7/12; PCHR 7/14)
Palestinians fire a mortar
at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. In response to clashes on 7/6, the
AMB and PRCs in Balata r.c. announce that they will no longer
observe the cease-fire.
9 Palestinians killed.
As Operation Summer Rains continues, the IDF pushes deeper into populated
areas of n. Gaza. During the day, the IDF engages in heavy clashes (including
air strikes) with the AMB, Hamas around Bayt Lahiya, killing at least 7
Palestinians (mostly AMB mbrs. but including a 6-yr.-old girl). Palestinians
fire 13 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting an empty schoolyard and factory in
Sederot, lightly injuring 3 Israelis; a 14th rocket lands inside Gaza, causing
no damage or injuries. The Palestinian groups holding Shalit issue a statement
confirming that he is in good condition, calling for negotiations to end the
fighting and release him; Olmert rejects any bargaining. In the West Bank, the
IDF surrounds, raids a Palestinian home in ‘Askar r.c., fatally shooting wanted
AMB mbr. Tamir Kandil in an apparent assassination, firing on stone-throwing
youths who confront the troops, wounding 5; fires on residential areas nr.
Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, causing no injuries; patrols in Qabatya; conducts
arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Unknown gunmen kidnap, kill a PSF
officer nr. Gaza City. A 12-yr.-old Palestinian wounded by IDF fire nr. Erez on
7/5 dies, as do 3 Palestinian militants wounded by IDF fire in Bayt Lahiya on
7/6. (HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 7/8; NYT, WT 7/9; PCHR 7/13; OCHA 7/18)
The IDF conducts arrest
raids, house searches in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Einav nr. Tulkarm
burn 100 d. of nearby Palestinian crops. (OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)
In Gaza City, 3,000 Hamas mbrs.
hold a nonviolent protest march demanding the opening of the Rafah crossing to
allow entry to some 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt.
Israeli forces arrested eight Palestinians in Nablus and Jenin, Israeli and Palestinian security sources said. (Xinhua)
Several Palestinians were wounded by IDF rubber coated bullets during an anti-wall protest in the West Bank village of
Bi'lin, west of Ramallah, local sources said. The IDF troops also barred ambulances from evacuating the wounded to
hospitals in Ramallah, witnesses said. (WAFA)
A public opinion poll released by a University of Maryland research institute showed that 71 per cent of Americans
believed that the United States Government should not take sides in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; 21 per cent said
the United States should take Israel's side and 3 per cent, the Palestinian side. The survey, which measured attitudes
of nearly 19,000 respondents in 18 countries around the world, found that in 14 of the 18 nations studied, a large
majority favoured an even-handed approach to the conflict. In three countries, Egypt, Iran and Turkey, the majority of
respondents favour taking the side of the Palestinians, with 86 per cent of Egyptians, 63 per cent of Iranians and 42
per cent of Turks taking that position. In none of the countries surveyed did a majority support taking Israel's side.
(Haaretz, www.worldpublicopinion.org)
Israeli troops shut down a girls' school and two other facilities of a Hamas-affiliated charity, as well as a medical
centre in Nablus. Computers, documents, cash and furniture were seized, witnesses said. "We consider the Israeli
decision to shut down charities that take care of families of martyrs, orphans and poor people as a moral crime," Hamas
spokesman Fawzi Barhoom said in Gaza. (AP)
Relatives of Israelis killed in a shooting attack in the West Bank in 2001 submitted damage claims against the
Palestinian Authority and the six Palestinians imprisoned in Israel for the amount of NIS 559 million (about $172
million). (Ynetnews)
The chair of the Paris donors' conference, French Minister for Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner, and the co-chairs –
Quartet Representative Tony Blair, European Union Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner and a
representative of Norwegian Minister for Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Střre − met in Paris to assess the follow-up to the
Conference. In a statement issued after the meeting, they "strongly welcomed" the fact that, of the total amount of aid
pledged in Paris of US$ 7.7 billion over 3 years, the international community had already disbursed more than $920
million in six months in direct budgetary support and signed for $1 billion of bilateral agreements with the
Palestinian Authority for development projects. However, they said, "Restrictions by the Government of Israel on
Palestinian movement and access continue to weigh heavily on the economic outlook. Without a significant lifting of
such barriers in the West Bank, and a relaxation of the restrictions on humanitarian and commercial flows to the Gaza
Strip, there is a much-reduced prospect for private sector recovery, public and private investment programmes will
continue to be delayed, and consequently any economic recovery will continue to be inhibited." (Reuters,
www.diplomatie.gouv.fr)
Two mortars struck an open space between the Karni and Nahal Oz crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip, causing
neither casualties nor property damage. (Haaretz, Ma'an News Agency)
PA President Abbas met Islamic Jihad, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine leaders in Damascus. "We told Abbas that Hamas was a main component of the Palestinian people
and stressed the importance of reuniting Palestinian ranks irrespective of the differences between Hamas and Fatah,"
Popular Front leader Maher al-Taher told DPA. "Disagreements (between Hamas and Fatah leaders) are still big and things
seem difficult now," he said. (DPA)
Hamas sources said that more than 100 truckloads had crossed into Gaza through the Sufa crossing for the first time
since Israel had imposed sanctions on Gaza. The shipments included various food products, frozen meat and fish,
cleaning materials and cement, according to the sources who also expected that more construction materials would come
soon. However, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of not being seriously committed to the ceasefire
agreement, adding that the Israeli "violations are continuing." (Xinhua)
The IDF detained two young Palestinian men from Atil and Illar villages, north of Tulkarm, after raiding their houses. The IDF also detained 11 Palestinians during raids in Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem and Hebron. (IMEMC, Ma’an News Agency)
Asked about Gilad Shalit at a news conference in Cairo with visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said, “Communications are ongoing. Shalit is in good condition. I hope that in the coming period, not in a long time, the Shalit issue will be closed.” (AP)
Israeli forces at the Erez crossing forced to turn back a 5-month-old Palestinian infant, his mother and sister, who had been given permission to receive treatment in Israel after Gazan doctors were unable to diagnose the cause of the infant’s chronic fevers. (Ma’an News Agency)
Between 68 and 78 truckloads of humanitarian aid, agricultural and commercial merchandise, including food, would pass into Gaza, as well as limited amounts of cooking gas and industrial diesel fuel, said crossings official Raed Fattouh. (Ma’an News Agency)
A group of Israeli settlers tried to take over a Palestinian-owned home in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. They were prevented from doing so by senior Fatah officials who had gathered in the house. The settlers came to the house accompanied by Israeli forces, claiming that it had been abandoned. The Palestinians present told them that it was Palestinian property. The settlers claimed that they had owned the land before 1948 and that they were the rightful owners. The proceedings relating to the case are pending in the Supreme Court of Israel and are expected to begin in September. (IMEMC)
Israel had protested to the European Union over a statement critical of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The head of the EU delegation to Israel, Ramiro Cibrian Uzal, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry after the European Commission published a statement on 6 July stating that settlements were “strangling the Palestinian economy” and perpetuating Palestinian dependence on donors. The Foreign Ministry said that the statement ignored the fact that the parties had agreed that the issue of settlements would be addressed in parallel with the fulfilment of other obligations and said that it was troubled by the implication that Israel’s security measures in the West Bank were unnecessary and even illegal, did not take into account the activity of Palestinian terrorist groups. The European Commission was accused of ignoring sensitive security concerns and of exceeding its authority by making political declarations. (AFP, Haaretz, Ma’an News Agency)
Israeli settlers bulldozed Palestinian-owned land owned by farmers from Bureen village near Nablus, damaging olive trees and vines. The previous night, settlers attacked houses belonging to the villagers and set fire to animal sheds and small huts near the farmers’ homes. The same day they set fires to summer crops and fruit trees belonging to the same village. (IMEMC)
A representative of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI), testifying in Geneva before the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, said that Palestinians detained by Israel during Operation Cast Lead were held in detention under “disgraceful” conditions and were subjected to violent interrogations and constant threats by the Shin Bet security service. According to the PCATI representative, Gazans had indicated that the IDF had held detainees in ditches that had been dug in advance. PCATI indicated that detainees testified to being held handcuffed and blindfolded with no access to restrooms, food or water. The interrogations by the Shin Bet included the use of physical and verbal abuse and threats to the detainees and their families. Some detainees were allowed very little sleep for days on end and claimed that they were handcuffed in a painful way. (IMEMC, Ynetnews)
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, expressed the League’s appreciation for the efforts of the United States to launch successful peace talks but said that negotiations could not resume amidst ongoing settlement construction. He stated further that the Arab stance for peace is based on the Arab Peace Initiative and that peace talks could not coexist with Israel’s settlement activities in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem. Mr. Moussa said that US President Obama had extended his hand for peace and negotiations and that Israel should act in a reasonable way. (IMEMC)
The United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, headed by Judge Richard Goldstone, completed two rounds of public hearings as part of its ongoing investigations. Judge Goldstone stated at a press conference in Geneva that this was the first time that such a UN fact finding mission had held public hearings and that their aim was to show the human side of the suffering and to give a voice to the victims so that they are not lost among statistics. He said that his four-member team had been shaken by the extent of the destruction in Gaza. He indicated that the Government of Israel was so far not cooperating with the Mission. (BBC, IMEMC, www.ohchr.org)
Top-level Egyptian intelligence officers arrived in Damascus to advance Egyptian-mediated talks aimed at reconciling Fatah and Hamas. They would meet with Syrian officials and Palestinian political leaders to “remove all obstacles and difficulties ahead of the resumption of [Palestinian] talks on July 25,” said Khaled Abul-Majid, Secretary of the committee representing the Palestinian factions in Damascus. Palestinian factions would also discuss the control of the security forces and the conduct of Palestinian elections with Syrian, Egyptian and Saudi officials, Mr. Abul-Majid said. (DPA)
PA President Abbas arrived in Serbia on an official two-day visit, the first by a Palestinian leader in 20 years, for talks with his Serbian counterpart, Boris Tadic. Mr. Abbas was also to meet with Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić to discuss the Middle East conflict, the plight of the Palestinians and the situation in the Balkans and the world, Serbian media reported. (DPA)