2 Palestinians killed.
In a predawn operation, the IDF bulldozes at least 17 Palestinian
homes, 12 stores in Rafah refugee camp, leaving 150 Palestinians homeless
and sparking a gunfight that leaves 5 Palestinians, 3 IDF soldiers
wounded. Terming the demolitions "highly provocative," the U.S. announces plans
to send Dep. Asst. Secy. of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Satterfield
to the region to push U.S. cease-fire initiatives. A Palestinian woman
gives birth at an IDF checkpoint when soldiers deny her passage, the
baby dies before reaching a hospital. For the 2d time in 2 days, a
Palestinian man dies of a heart attack at an IDF checkpoint when soldiers
refuse to allow him passage to a hospital. Jewish settlers set fire to 50
dunams of Palestinian agricultural land nr. Avni Hefets settlement. (MEZ, MM, WP
7/10; HP, NYT, PMC, WP, WT 7/11; JT 7/11 in WNC 7/12; HJ, IRNA 7/12 in WNC 7/13;
ATL 7/12 in WNC 7/16)
Palestinians
fire a mortar at Nahal Oz kibbutz, causing no injuries but marking the 1st
confirmed mortar attack inside the Green Line since 5/4.
2 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
The IDF directs tank fire at Palestinian youths
violating the curfew in Nablus and throwing stones at soldiers, killing a
17-yr.-old Palestinian, injuring an 11- and a 13-yr.-old; directs heavy
machine gun fire at residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes 86 dunams of crop
land nr. Qarni crossing, Shuhada Junction. A
Palestinian heart attack victim dies in an ambulance detained at an IDF
checkpoint for over an hr. (LAW, PCHR 7/10; NYT, UPMRC, WP 7/11)
Fmr. Christian Coalition leader Gary Bauer and Rabbi
Daniel Lapin, head of the ultraconservative Jewish-Christian group Toward
Tradition, announce the formation of the American Alliance of Jews and
Christians (AAJC), which they will co-chair. AAJC aims to "unite Christians
in support of Israel and work with American Jews and Christians on behalf of
traditional values." Among the mbrs. of the AAJC board are Rev. Jerry Falwell,
Rev. Pat Robertson. A similar Christian right lobbying group, Stand
for Israel, cofounded by fmr. Christian Coalition exec. dir. Ralph Reed
and IFCJ head Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, is doing a $400,000 media campaign
targeting major newspapers, conservative radio talk shows. (Toward Tradition
press release 7/10; MEI 7/26) (see 7/9)
In Gaza, AMB gunmen fire on an
IDF patrol nr. the Rafah border, killing 1 IDF soldier.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF issues order for the
confiscation of 424 dunams of land n. of Tulkarm (for construction of the
separation wall), 100s of dunams of land in al-Khadir (reportedly to expand Ofra
settlement); tightens roadblocks around Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah; fires on a
PSF post in Rafah, causing no injuries; fires on residential areas of Dayr
al-Balah; demolishes a Palestinian home in Rafah; conducts arrest raids
in Hebron. Jewish settlers scuffle with IDF soldiers
attempting to evacuate an unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Nablus. A
Palestinian boy is hit and killed by a Jewish settler driving nr.
Nablus. (AP, HP, ISM press release 7/10; NYT, PMC 7/12; PR 7/16; PCHR 7/24)
In Dayr al-Ghasun, Palestinians, accompanied by ISM volunteers,
for the 1st time attempt to gain access to farmland newly cut off by Israel’s
separation wall to plant fall crops, but the IDF denies them passage; the
wall cuts off 500 farmers fr. 3,000 dunams of village crop land. Nr. Nablus, the
IDF arrests 6 ISM mbrs. who remove 2 earthen roadblocks barring
Palestinian traffic on a local road. Palestinians rally in Khan Yunis to call for Israel’s release
of Palestinian prisoners.
5 Palestinians killed.
In continuing operations in the Bayt Hanun area, the IDF fires on
residential areas of Bayt Hanun; shells residential areas nr. Jabaliya. The
IDF also fires on residential areas of Rafah, fatally shooting a
16-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her home; conducts arrest raids in
Tulkarm. Nr. Gaza City, 3 PRC mbrs. are killed when their car
mysteriously explodes, also killing a Palestinian bystander, in what may
be an assassination. (PSCT, VOI,
VOP 7/10 in WNC 7/13; NYT 7/11; VOI 7/11 in WNC 7/13; PCHR 7/15)
Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets at the
Negev, causing some damage to 1 home in a kibbutz; detonate a roadside bomb
nr. an IDF vehicle in southern Gaza, causing no damage or injuries.
A senior Islamic Jihad military cmdr. escapes assassination when a
remote controlled bomb destroys his car moments after he parks and enters his
Gaza City home. The IDF imposes a curfew on al-Mughayyir nr. Ramallah;
conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Qalqilya, nr.
Tulkarm; occupies a Palestinian home nr. Tulkarm as an observation post; fires
on, arrests 2 Palestinians attempting to sneak into Israel fr. s. Gaza to find
work. Heeding appeals by the IDF, Jewish
settlers voluntarily evacuate an unauthorized settlement outpost built east
of Ofra settlement in 1995. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 7/10; YA, IDF Radio 7/10 in WNC
7/12; PCHR 7/14)
Palestinians throw an explosive device at an IDF patrol nr.
Ramallah, lightly wounding 1 IDF soldier; fire a mortar at a settlement
in n. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries.
8 Palestinians killed.
The IDF conducts 4 air strikes on Palestinian militants in n. and s. Gaza,
killing at least 7 Palestinians (including 1 Hamas mbr., 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs.,
1 other armed Palestinian, 3 Palestinian teenagers playing soccer in a field),
wounding at least 9 (7 militants, 2 civilians); allows the Erez crossing to open
for several hrs. for the import of food. In the West Bank, the IDF occupies a
Palestinian home nr. Hebron as an observation post; patrols in Nablus, firing on
stone- throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 1; conducts arrest
raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Hebron, Tulkarm. A 15-mo.-old Palestinian
dies of injuries received in the 6/21 IDF attack on Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Khan
Yunis. (WP 7/10; IFM, MEZ, PCHR, NYT, WP 7/11; PCHR 7/13)
The Israeli navy fires on
Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Bayt Lahiya, forcing them to return to
shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts
arrest raids in and around Nablus (targeting the Fatah tanzim), in Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem,
Hebron, Qalqilya. Fatah officials complain
that in the past 2 wks., IDF arrest campaigns in the West Bank have detained
at least 300 Fatah mbrs., more than offsetting a planned release of 250
Fatah prisoners. (IFM, MNA 7/10; NYT, PCHR 7/12)
Palestinians fire 10 mortars at the IDF post at Kerem
Shalom crossing, causing no damage or injuries, but prompting Israel to close the transit point, which had been allowing
limited food aid into Gaza. Meanwhile, 3,000 Hamas mbrs. hold a nonviolent demonstration at the Rafah crossing,
demanding that Israel allow entry to some 6,000 Palestinians stranded in Egypt. Egypt reinforces border guards
on the Rafah border, fearing that Hamas mbrs. might
try to force open the crossing.
1 Palestinian killed.
Israeli troops killed an unarmed Palestinian near the border in the southern Gaza Strip, an IDF spokesman said. The Al
-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed the victim had been one of its members. The head of Gaza emergency services identified
the victim as Salim Jumaa al-Hamedi, 18. The death brings to 526 the number of people, nearly all Palestinians, killed
since Israeli-Palestinian peace talks resumed in November 2007, according to an AFP count. (AFP)
In the fourth day of operations in Nablus, Israel closed a clinic and a TV station, and raided a mosque, a newspaper
and other offices, which it said were linked to Hamas. (AP)
Israeli forces arrested five Palestinians in Dura, west of Hebron, and in Nablus. (Ma'an News Agency)
Israeli troops demolished two houses, razed land and arrested seven men in Hebron. (Ma'an News Agency, Reuters)
Israeli troops arrested eight Palestinians in the village of Issawiya, north of East Jerusalem. Subsequently Israeli
police charged the men with belonging to a cell that used Molotov cocktails to attack cars. (Ynetnews)
The Dutch Government had asked Israel for clarification about the treatment of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer
when he entered the West Bank from Jordan en route to Gaza after receiving an award in London. Dutch diplomats had
escorted Mr. Omer from the West Bank to Gaza after he claimed to have been abused and humiliated by Israeli officials
during an interrogation. The Dutch claim came after an internal Israeli investigation dismissed Mr. Omer's claim as
being "without foundation". (AP)
Following the closing of a shopping mall in Nablus which the Israeli authorities claimed "supported terrorism", PA
Prime Minister Salam Fayyad encouraged shopkeepers to re-open their businesses. Mr. Fayyad went on to say that the
Israeli army orders and decisions were not valid and that the Palestinian Authority would deal with them as if they did
not exist. (Ma'an News Agency, Reuters)
Palestinians fired two Qassam rockets into Israel's western Negev region, hours after Israeli troops shot to death a
Palestinian along the Israel-Gaza border. The rockets struck open areas, causing no injuries or damage. (Haaretz)
Hamas arrested three militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades immediately after they launched rockets at targets in
Israel. Following the arrest, senior Hamas spokesman Moussa Abu Marzouk stated that his organization would uphold the
ceasefire and attempt to stop the firing of rockets into Israel. (AFP, AP, Ma'an News Agency, Reuters, Ynetnews)
Islamic Jihad and five factions affiliated with the PLO called for an end to Palestinian internal strife, after a
workshop the factions organized in the Gaza Strip. "We have [an] opportunity to have a Palestinian national dialogue
that brings all Palestinians together, and there is no alternative [to] the Yemeni initiative," Fatah leader Ibrahim
Abu Al-Naja said. (Ma'an News Agency)
Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the PLO, said that the Palestinians were considering
freezing their peace talks with Israel over Israeli settlement construction plans for East Jerusalem. Since renewing
negotiations with the Palestinians in November 2007, Israel had disclosed plans to build more than 3,000 apartments in
East Jerusalem and adjoining areas in the West Bank. (Haaretz)
A lawsuit was filed in Quebec's Supreme Court on behalf of the citizens in the West Bank village of Bil'in. The
plaintiff alleged that two Montreal-based construction companies had violated Canadian law by building settlements on
Palestinian-owned land. The plaintiff's attorney, Michael Sfard, said that the people of Bi'lin would seek $2 million
in punitive damages, as well as an immediate order to halt construction. (AP, BBC, The Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews)
France condemned the Israeli decision to expand the "Har Homa" settlement, east of Jerusalem. A statement from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the expansion contributed to the weakening of the peace process and demanded that
Israel commit itself to a "complete freeze on settlement activity, including that linked to 'natural growth', in the
whole of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem" as promised at Annapolis. (www.ambafrance-us.org)
In a report entitled, "Four years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the barrier," the
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and UNRWA said, "Four years on, barrier construction continues,
with approximately 57 per cent of the barrier constructed and 9 per cent under construction. The majority of the route,
approximately 87 per cent, runs inside the West Bank and East Jerusalem, rather than along the 1949 armistice line
(Green Line). This has a major impact on Palestinian villages, towns and cities, isolating communities and separating
tens of thousands of people from services, lands and livelihoods. (www.ochaopt.org)
Israeli soldiers detained a Palestinian in Ramallah for interrogation. (Ma’an News Agency)
Israeli soldiers attacked Palestinian villagers and international and Israeli peace activists during the weekly non-violent protest against the wall in the village of Ni’lin, west of Ramallah. As the villagers marched towards the wall, undercover Israeli soldiers attacked them and beat up and arrested three local youth. The protesters were attacked with tear gas when they reached the wall and scores were treated for gas inhalation. Local youth subsequently started throwing stones at Israeli troops. (IMEMC)
Israeli troops attacked the weekly protest against the wall in the village of Bil’in, near Ramallah. International and Israeli supporters joined the villagers and representatives of the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) who were marking the 7th anniversary of the Initiative. They marched from the village centre after Friday prayers, demanding a halt to illegal Israeli settlement activity and the construction of the wall. Israeli troops fired a barrage of sound bombs, tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets and so-called “bad smell” bombs. Two persons were arrested while dozens were treated for tear gas inhalation and vomiting. Among the persons affected was Palestinian parliamentarian Mustafa Barghouthi, Secretary-General of the PNI. (IMEMC)
Egyptian security forces seized 700 kg of explosives en route to Gaza, according to Israeli sources. (Ma’an News Agency)
The Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF was considering allowing the PA to train a special squad to carry out operations against Hamas and Islamic Jihad infrastructure in the West Bank. France had already offered to train such a team. (The Jerusalem Post)
The President of the World Medical Association, Dr, Yoram Blachar, a citizen of Israel, blasted the Physicians for Human Rights organization for giving a first aid course to persons protesting against the separation wall in the West Bank village of Bil’in, saying that “they had proved that they were a radical political group disguised as a medical organization”. The humanitarian group said in a pamphlet that it gave the demonstrators the course “in solidarity with their struggle against Israeli occupation”. A representative of Physicians for Human Rights said that “by not opposing the occupation, it is Blachar who is taking a political stand while claiming to be apolitical”, explaining that “not resisting occupation is a political action since it supports the occupation’s existence.” (Haaretz)
Egyptian authorities said they planned to destroy a large amount of expired humanitarian aid bound for Gaza, including 680 kg of peanuts, agricultural pesticides and medicines. The aid had expired while the authorities awaited Israel’s permission to transfer it. (Ma’an News Agency)
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told foreign journalists in Berlin that new settlements and the existing ones in East Jerusalem or the West Bank were “not acceptable” and remained an obstacle to the peace process, even though chances for peace in the Middle East were better than at any time in the past 15 years. “A solution has to be found … but a solution will not be found as long as the settlements continue to be expanded,” Mr. Steinmeier said. (AFP, DPA, Reuters)
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights called on the Israeli Government to: “comply with the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ and dismantle the Wall within the OPT and make reparation for all damage suffered by all persons affected by the wall's construction; end the current regime of restriction of movement within, to and from the OPT, in order to ensure that Palestinian residents are able to exercise their rights, including their right to freedom of movement, right to work, right to education, and right to the highest attainable standard of health.” (www.reliefweb.int)
During an international conference held in The Hague, on the fifth anniversary of the ICJ Advisory Opinion, Richard Falk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, said, “There will be no peace between these two peoples [Israelis and Palestinians] until Israel shows respect for Palestinian rights under international law, and a good place to start would be with the wall.” Mr. Falk asked the world for renewed attention to the Advisory Opinion, adding, “This rejection of the rule of law with respect to the wall is part of a broader pattern of unlawful conduct on Israel’s part that includes the expansion of the settlements, a gradual engagement in ethnic displacement in East Jerusalem, and the imposition of a severe regime of collective punishment on the entire population of Gaza.” (www.ohchr.org)
Egyptian sources told Al-Hayat that talks between Israel and Hamas on a prisoner swap involving Palestinian prisoners and Gilad Shalit would resume soon. (Haaretz)