1 Israeli killed.
The IDF shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, bulldozes Palestinian
land nr. Rafah. Jewish settlers seize 800 dunams of Palestinian land
btwn. Hebron, Israel. (MM, HP, WP, WT 6/13)
IDF officials confirm that flechette shells fired fr. IDF tanks killed
the 3 bedouin women on 6/9. Flechette weapons are banned under
international law. (WP 6/14)
After another round of security talks this morning, Sharon accepts the
U.S. cease-fire plan with reservations. Tenet continues bilateral
mtgs. with the PA team, while outside the Ramallah venue, 100s of
Palestinians demonstrate against a cease-fire. Late this evening (EST; early
morning 6/13 Jerusalem time), after hrs. of talks during which Egyptian pres.
Mubarak reportedly phoned 3 times to press the PA, Arafat also
accepts Tenet's proposal with reservations. (AFP [Internet], AP, MM, PMC, UPI
6/12; NYT, PMC, WP, WT 6/13; QA 6/13 in WNC 6/15; WP, WT 6/14; SA 6/14 in WNC
6/18; MEI 6/15; AKH 6/15 in WNC 6/20; NYT 6/16; MEI 6/29) (see Peace Monitor;
Doc. D???)
Expressing concerns of possible mass expulsions of West Bank Palestinians by
Israel, Jordan toughens its immigration rules, making it harder for
Palestinians to enter. (al-Quds 6/11 in WNC 6/12; HA 6/12; JT,
al-Quds 6/12 in WNC 6/13; NYT 6/13; JT 6/15 in WNC 6/18; HJ 6/18 in WNC
6/21; Economist [Internet] 6/21) (see Peace Monitor)
Palestinian snipers kill a Greek monk driving nr. Ma'ale Adumim
settlement, wound an IDF soldier nr. Shavei Shomron settlement.
Palestinians also fire mortars at Jewish settlements in Gaza, causing no damage.
9 Palestinians killed.
The IDF continues operations in Ramallah, Tulkarm; conducts arrest
raids in Bayt Furik, Rafah, Tubas (demolishing 2 PSF posts, 2
Palestinian homes, a kindergarten); sets fire to 300 dunams of olive groves
nr. Shavei Shomron settlement, bulldozes 50 dunams of land nr. Khan Yunis. In
Gaza, 8 Palestinians are killed by the IDF; a 9th Palestinian
dies of injuries received earlier. In the evening, the IDF withdraws fr.
most of Ramallah, including removing a cordon around Arafat's offices, lifts
curfew for 3 hrs. but reimposes it; more than 80 Palestinian have been arrested
in Ramallah since 6/9. (HP, PR, PRCS press release, UPMRC 6/12; NYT, PCHR, WP
6/13; LAW 6/19)
Nr. Beersheba, Israeli authorities bulldoze 17 bedouin homes,
bulldozes bedouin land to expand the Omer municipal district. (WAFA 6/13)
MK Uriel Ariel (National Union+nYisrael Beitainu) proposes that the
Knesset establish a committee of inquiry into how the secret Oslo talks came
about in 1993. Israeli FM Shimon Peres in protest suspends the Labor
party's membership in the governing coalition, but the motion fails to pass by a
vote of 34-26. (INN 6/13; HA 6/17)
State Dept. senior adviser on the Arab-Israeli negotiations Aaron Miller
gives a private briefing to a Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)
group, during which some ZOA mbrs. yell "Wrong!" when he says there can be no
"military solution" to the conflict, groan audibly when he mentions Seeds of
Peace camps for Israeli and Palestinian children, walk out, slamming the door,
when he says that Palestinians seek a "democratic, pluralistic, humanistic"
government. ZOA head Morton Klein says the group found Miller
"frustrating" after just having come from a Congressional reception that made an
"incredible show of support" for Israel. (Forward 6/21)
11 Palestinians killed. 2 Israelis killed.
The IDF assassinates senior Hamas mbrs. Ibrahim Abu Srour, Yasir
Taha, firing missiles at their taxi as it drives through Gaza City, also
killing Taha’s pregnant wife and infant daughter, the taxi driver,
3 passersby (including 2 toddlers), wounding 29 bystanders. Late in the
evening, IDF undercover units assassinate wanted Islamic Jihad mbrs.
Fadi Jaradat, Salih Jaradat in Jenin. A Israeli wounded in the
6/11 bus bombing dies, bringing that toll to 17. A Palestinian dies of
injuries received in the IDF assassination on 6/11, bringing that toll to 9.
The IDF obstructs streets in the
Palestinian section of Hebron by digging trenches, creating rubble berms, also
cutting water and electricity lines. (AP, BBC, HA, MM, PCHR 6/12; HA, MM, NYT,
WP, WT 6/13; PR 6/18; LAW, PCHR 6/19)
Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot an Israeli businessman outside
Jenin, fire on Jewish settlers in Hebron, causing no injuries; the AMB,
Hamas each claim responsibility.
The IDF raids, fires on residential areas of Jenin town and r.c.,
exchanges gunfire with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 1 Palestinian wounded;
Palestinians claim the IDF raid targeted local AMB leader Zakariyya Zubaydi
for assassination, but the IDF denies this. The IDF also conducts arrest
raids nr. Nablus, Tulkarm and in al-Bireh, Hebron. (VOP 6/12 in WNC 6/15; PCHR
6/17)
1 Palestinian killed.
Israel seals the West Bank and Gaza through 6/14 for the Shavut
holidays. The IDF patrols in villages nr. Tulkarm, firing live ammunition
at Palestinian stone-throwers who confront them in Saida, seriously injuring 1
bystander; patrols in, fires on residential area of Nablus. An ailing Palestinian dies at a checkpoint nr. Tulkarm
when the IDF bars passage to a private car taking him to a hospital. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinian homes
s. of Hebron, causing damage but no injuries. (IMEMC 6/12; BBC, NYT, WT 6/13; HA
6/14; OCHA, PR 6/15; PCHR 6/16; PR 6/22)
The PA
executes 4 Palestinian prisoners convicted of murder (3 by hanging, 1 by
firing squad), marking the 1st time in 3 yrs. that the PA has carried out the
death penalty. Rival
factions of the AMB exchange gunfire in central Ramallah, leaving 2 AMB
mbrs. wounded.
The IDF sends undercover units into Tulkarm in a car with Palestinian license
plates to arrest a wanted Palestinian; later sends a 2d undercover unit into
Tulkarm that is intercepted by PA security forces, withdraws after an exchange
of fire, causing no injuries; sends undercover units into Jenin, who exchange
fire with local gunmen, withdraw under IDF support, without making any arrests;
demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Jenin next to the separation wall; patrols in
Tubas, firing on residential areas; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and
around Nablus, Tulkarm and in Aida r.c., alFara‘ a r.c. (firing on
stone-throwing youths who confront the troops). Inside Israel, Israeli police arrest 7 Palestinians in Shafa ‘Amr
suspected in the 8/4/05 killing of an IDF soldier who boarded a bus in the town
and opened fire, killing 4 Palestinians before being beaten to death. In
addition, unknown assailants vandalize the Orthodox Christian Church in Majdal
nr. Nazareth; the recently refurbished church, which tends to a growing Russian
Orthodox population, has been threatened on several occasions by local
right-wing Jews. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/13; PCHR 6/15)
In Rafah, at least 100 Fatah,
Hamas gunmen clash, leaving 1 Hamas mbr. and 1 Palestinian bystander dead and 15
Palestinians wounded, with Hamas firing antitank weapons and rocket-propelled
grenades (RPGs) at the local PSF headquarters. (Hamas says that Fatah gunmen
fired on a Hamas funeral procession, precipitating the clash, while Fatah says
that Hamas mbrs. in the procession fired first on the PSF headquarters along the
route.) Soon after, 100s of Fatah-dominated PA security forces and AMB mbrs.
reacting to the Gaza violence rampage through Ramallah, raiding, firing on,
vandalizing, setting fire to the PC building and the cabinet headquarters in a
show of force against Hamas. Later, Fatah gunmen kidnap Change and Reform PC
mbr. Khalil Rabei, set fire to his Ramallah office; Rabei is freed hrs. later at
Abbas’s intervention; 7 other Change and Reform PC mbrs. take refuge in the
Muqata‘a under Abbas’s protection. Abbas declares a state of emergency and
curfew.
The IDF fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Nablus, wounding an 11-yr.-old Palestinian bystander. More
than 1,000 Jewish settlers, escorted by the IDF, reoccupy the evacuated Homesh settlement site nr. Nablus,
closing the local stretch of the Nablus–Jenin road to Palestinian traffic. Inside Israel, the Israel Lands
Authority demolishes a home in the Israeli
Palestinian neighborhood of al-Jawarish in Ramla built without a permit.
(MENA, MNA, OCS, PSCT 6/12 in WNC 6/13; NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 6/13; PCHR 6/14)
In Gaza, Fatah-Hamas
fighting escalates for the 4th day, leaving at least 24 armed Palestinians, 4 civilians dead and more
than 100 wounded (the highest 1-day total in 18 mos. of
factional fighting), as gunmen on both sides continue to ignore appeals by
their political leaders to halt the violence. (Egyptian mediators try to
broker another cease-fire, but the Hamas delegation cannot reach the
talks because of Fatah roadblocks.) By evening, Hamas is reported
to be in control of most of n. Gaza. During the day, Hamas gunmen and ESF mbrs. surround secondary Fatah
and PA security posts across Gaza. In light of increasingly coordinated Hamas attacks, Abbas accuses
Hamas
of attempting to stage a coup, for the 1st time orders his security forces to
defend their positions. Of note: Hamas stages major assaults on Fatah’s
security headquarters in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, where some 200 Hamas
mbrs. firing mortars and RPGs seize the post from 500 Fatah fighters.
After dark, 100s of Hamas gunman raid a major hilltop NSF post in
Jabaliya r.c., using small arms and grenades, taking the post after an intense
gunfight that leaves 21 dead and 60 wounded (included in the figures above). PA
presidential guardsmen fire RPGs at Haniyeh’s home in what Hamas
condemns as an assassination attempt (no one is injured); in retaliation, Hamas mbrs. fire mortars toward
Abbas’s Gaza residence, causing no damage or
injuries (Abbas is in Ramallah). Hamas mbrs. also attack the home of PSF
cmdr. Hassan Muhsin (not home at the time), killing his wife, son, daughter, and niece; ransack the vacant home of
PC mbr. Nabil Shaath; occupy a
PA-funded TV station in Gaza City. Human Rights Watch issues a statement
accusing both factions of war crimes for executing captives and killing
bystanders. In the West Bank, Fatah and Hamas kidnap rival mbrs.
(including the AMB kidnapping of Hamas-affiliated Dep. Transportation
M Fadi Shabanah); PA presidential guardsmen attack, close a Hamas TV station in Ramallah. Palestinians in
Ramallah stage a demonstration
against the interfactional fighting. On the Israeli-Palestinian front, Palestinians fire several rockets
fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 1
Israeli.
10 Palestinians killed.
The IDF troops killed two Palestinians, who were members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, in the Gaza Strip city of
Beit Lahiya, local sources said. They were identified as 20-year-old Mohammed Dawlah and 22-year-old Khalid Zahd.
According to Haaretz, the two men were trying to rig explosive devices near the fence between Israel and the Gaza
Strip. An IDF tank opened fire on one man and forces from the Givati Brigade shot the other. (Haaretz, WAFA)
An explosion destroyed a Hamas member's house and damaged several other homes in Beit Lahiya in what Hamas described as
an Israeli air strike. Israel denied involvement. Seven people, including a 4-month-old baby, were killed in the blast;
another Palestinian died from injuries caused by the explosion. About 50 people were wounded, among them 15 children.
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired some 40 Qassam rockets and mortar shells at the western Negev, leaving
one woman moderately wounded when a rocket directly struck the infirmary in a Moshav in the Ashkelon coastal region.
(Haaretz)
Israeli forces stormed the Al-Mustaqbal Society for Development and Democracy in Nablus. (Ma'an News Agency)
Amos Gilad, Head of the Israeli Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau returned from a meeting with Egyptian
Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman in Cairo on a proposed truce in and around the Gaza Strip. He said the Ministry was
still working to "exhaust" the dialogue with Egypt on a ceasefire with Hamas. Defense Ministry officials said Mr. Gilad
asked the Egyptians for clarifications on the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in conjunction with a truce deal,
as well as on Cairo's promise to step up efforts to curb the smuggling of weapons into Gaza under the Philadelphi
corridor (Salah al-Din area). "The Egyptians are supposed to get back to us with answers in the coming days," a
Ministry official said. (AP, The Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews)
PA Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat warned that any large-scale Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip would destroy the
peace process and push the region into further violence, chaos and bloodshed. He made the remarks in Jericho during the
visit of the Vice-President of the German Parliament, Dr. Susanne Kastner, and her delegation. (Ma'an News Agency)
Israeli warships opened fire on Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Khan Yunis in Gaza, damaging several fishing boats. No injuries were reported, according to Dr. Mu’awiyah Hassanain, Head of Emergency and Ambulance Services in Gaza. (Ma’an News Agency)
Dozens of Israeli troops set up road barriers at the southern entrance of the “Ariel” settlement, in the West Bank during prayers at ancient shrines in the area. Vehicles were detained and identity cards checked. A curfew would be imposed in the nearby villages starting at ten o’clock at night, Israeli troops told a local resident. (Ma’an News Agency)
A telephone poll conducted by Maagar Mohot Survey Institute said 56 per cent of Israelis thought Prime Minister Netanyahu should not consent to the American demand to halt all settlement construction, as opposed to 37 per cent who said he should. Fifty per cent said failure to comply would not provoke a crisis with the US, while 32 per cent said they thought the settlement freeze was a make or break issue for Washington. The majority of the surveyed Israelis (69 per cent) said Mr. Netanyahu should not agree to rescind Israeli sovereignty over the Old City and other parts of Jerusalem. (Haaretz, www.imra.org)
The Kerem Shalom crossing would be the only open point for the transfer of goods into Gaza until 14 June, according to crossings official Raed Fattuh. (Ma’an News Agency)
Hamas security forces reportedly confiscated aid being distributed in Gaza by the international organization At-Ta’awon, attacking the Organization’s Director, Ibtisam Az-Za’anin, when she attempted to intervene. Officials with Al-Mezan Centre for Human Rights said police distributed the aid to a list of recipients different from that prepared by At-Ta’awon. The Centre denounced in a statement the police’s intervention in the work of non-governmental organizations. (Ma’an News Agency)
Tayseer Khaled, Director of Expatriate Affairs of the PLO, called on Palestinians and Arabs to show their solidarity with the imprisoned Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Ahmad Sa'adat, who had begun a hunger strike because of prison conditions at an Israeli jail in Beersheba. (Ma’an News Agency)