The IDF tightens its closure on the Palestinian section of the
city. The IDF also sends 5 armored vehicles into Silat al-Dahir (under
curfew for 7 days) to occupy several homes under construction for use as
military outposts; confiscates 100s of dunams of Palestinian land nr. Morag
settlement; bulldozes Palestinian land in al-Qarara; conducts arrest sweeps in
Dayr Istya (occupying 1 home as an observation post), Kfar Dik; reinforces the
closure on Nablus by digging a trench across a road, establishing a new
checkpoint; recloses the Birzeit+nRamallah road. Jewish settlers destroy
Palestinian olive groves in Bizarya, Burqa, Ras Karkar, Tulkarm; attack a
Palestinian farm in Bani Odeh, killing 50 sheep; throw stones at Palestinian
cars on the Qalqilya+nNablus road. (HP, MM 6/26; NYT, WT 6/27)
In Washington, Bush, Powell hold "an unusually blunt" mtg. with
Sharon on how to proceed with the cease-fire plan. Sharon says he will
not move onto the 6 wk. cooling-off stage until violence completely ceases for
10 days; only after 8 wks. of total calm would Israel make any
confidence-building gestures. Bush stresses the PA's progress in reducing
violence to date, urges Sharon to be "more receptive" to the cease-fire
proposals, recommends that the cooling-off period begin immediately. (AP, MM
6/26; AYM, al-Quds 6/26 in WNC 6/27; BBC, HA, JP [Internet], MM, NYT, WP,
WT 6/27; NYT, WJW, WP 6/28; MA 6/29, 7/1 in WNC 7/2; JP 7/6; see also WP 6/20)
Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire on the Jewish enclave of Hebron, causing no
injuries.
1 Palestinian killed.
In Jenin r.c., the IDF fires on children throwing stones at a tank,
killing a 6-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding a 12-yr.-old; a similar
incident in Amari r.c. leaves 2 children wounded. In Hebron, the IDF
bulldozes sections of the PA headquarters, shells and fires on others; around
130 PSF officers inside the complex have surrendered since 6/25, 10+n40 are
still thought to be inside. The IDF also imposes a curfew on Halhul,
Hussam; conducts house-to-house searches in Hussam; bulldozes a PSF post,
arrests 22 Palestinians in Tubas; fires on a PRCS medical center in
Hebron; lifts curfews on Jenin, Ramallah for several hrs.; lifts curfew entirely
on al-Funduq. (LAW 6/26; MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/27)
At the G-8 mtgs. in Canada, Bush presses his view that Arafat
must go, says that he would cut off all U.S. aid to the Palestinians if they
fail to make structural, leadership reforms. (HA, NYT, REU, WP 6/27; AFP, MA
6/27 in WNC 6/28; MM 6/28; SA 6/29 in WNC 7/1; AN 7/8 in WNC 7/9; MEI 7/12)
2 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
As PA-Israeli talks on an IDF redeployment fr. n. Gaza continue, the IDF
demolishes 13 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanun, bulldozes 54 dunams of
land in Bayt Hanun and Jabaliya r.c.; fires on residential areas of Balata r.c.,
Bayt Hanun; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Tubas, Palestinians waiting
to cross a checkpoint nr. Khan Yunis. The IDF attempts
to evacuate settlers fr. 2 unauthorized outposts for the 4th time in 24
hrs. (HA, MM 6/26; NYT, WP 6/27; NYT, WP 7/1; PCHR 7/3)
A Palestinian teenager fatally
shoots an Israeli telephone worker in Baqa` al-Gharbiyya, inside Israel,
and is captured; AMB takes responsibility. Later, in the same area,
Israeli police fatally shoot 2 Palestinians, arrest 2 others
allegedly carrying explosives. A Palestinian gunman shoots, wounds a
Jewish settler driving nr. Bethlehem. Palestinians fire 2 Qassam
rockets at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries.
8 Palestinians killed.
In ongoing operations in Nablus, the IDF finds 5 wanted AMB mbrs.
it has been hunting since 6/24 (including Nablus head Nayif Abu Sharq) hiding in
a house with Islamic Jihad West Bank cmdr. Fadi al-Bahti (also known as
Shaykh Ibrahim) and Hamas local cmdr. Ja`far al-Masri; opens fire and
tosses grenades into their hiding space, assassinating all 7. In a separate
incident in Nablus, the IDF fatally shoots AMB mbr. Nidal Wawi in
an apparent assassination. The IDF also fires on residential areas of
Rafah; fires rubber bullets at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace
activists holding a nonviolent demonstration against the wall n. of Tulkarm;
conducts arrest raids in Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, Hebron. (REU 6/26; NYT, WT 6/27;
HA 6/28; PR 6/30; PCHR, WJW 7/1; PR 7/7; MEI 7/9)
1 Israeli killed.
The IDF demolishes 11 long-abandoned bungalows along the s. Gaza shore
outside Shirat Hayam settlement being used by some 100 West Bank Jewish
settlers who recently came to Gaza to block disengagement; the settlers
scuffle with soldiers, break into a nearby Palestinian clinic, damage 12 d. of
Palestinian crops and an irrigation network nearby; 1 IDF soldier is
arrested, ordered jailed for 56 days for refusing to follow orders to carry out
the demolition. The IDF also conducts arrest raids in, fires on
residential areas of `Azun nr. Qalqilya; fires on residential areas of Khan
Yunis; imposes a curfew on Saffa nr. Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house
searches nr. Hebron, Bethlehem, Tulkarm; begins construction of a new
separation wall segment northeast of Jerusalem nr. `Anata. In Rafah, 4
Palestinian children are injured when they trigger either a roadside bomb or
unexploded IDF ordnance. A Jewish settler beats, injures a
Palestinian man in Hebron; the IDF intervenes, arrests the settler. Another
group of Jewish settlers fr. Beit Haggai beat 2 Palestinian employees of
the Hebron Reconstruction Comm. doing work on local Palestinian homes. Jewish
settlers fr. Avraham Avino in Hebron burn down a Palestinian shop, vandalize
several others. A Jewish settler wounded in the 6/24 shooting outside
Hebron dies. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 6/26; VOI 6/26 in WNC 6/27; NYT, WP, WT 6/27; PCHR
6/28; OCHA, PR, WP, WT, XIN 6/29; PHRC 6/30)
A Palestinian stabs, wounds an IDF soldier in
East Jerusalem, is arrested.
During the day, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around
Bethlehem and Ramallah, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm;
begins work on a new segment of the separation wall nr. Tene settlement s. of
Hebron that will annex at least 100 d. of Palestinian land to the settlement.
Jewish settlers fr. Suissa burn 10 tons of hay stored by local Palestinian
farmers. Meanwhile, the Israeli High Court rules that the government and IDF
cannot bar Palestinians farmers in the West Bank fr. reaching their lands on the
grounds that it is protecting them fr. Jewish settlers; must prevent settlers
from harming Palestinian land, property, persons. (HA, IMEMC, MM, XIN 6/26;
MENA, OSC, VOI 6/26 in WNC 6/27; HA, NYT, WP, WT 6/27; VOP 6/27 in WNC 6/28;
PCHR 6/29)
Palestinian gunmen holding Shalit issue a statement demanding the release of
all 113 Palestinian women and 318 children fr. Israeli jails in return for
information on Shalit’s condition; Israel refuses, proceeds with plans to free
Shalit itself, sending 3 additional armored battalions (more than 3,000 troops)
to the Gaza border in warning. Egypt deploys 2,500 border guards along the Rafah
border to prevent the kidnappers fr. trying to sneak Shalit into Egypt. Abbas,
Haniyeh coordinate deployment of Abbas’s presidential guard, other PA security
forces to conduct house-to-house searches to find Shalit. Haniyeh urges the
gunmen to “respect [Shalit] as a prisoner” but does not call for his release;
calls on all militant groups to maintain a cease-fire so as to avoid a massive
Israeli retaliation. Egyptian envoys begin attempts to mediate Shalit’s release.
Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries.
1 Palestinian killed.
Meanwhile, the
IDF withdraws fr. an area n. of Jabaliya
r.c. occupied on 6/22; bulldozes 3 plots of Palestinian land nr. the Erez
crossing, the border fence e. of Dayr al-Balah, and the Sufa crossing. The Israeli
navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza City coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the
IDF raids Jenin r.c., surrounds the home of a wanted Islamic Jihad mbr., sparking an exchange of gunfire
that
leaves 1 Palestinian bystander (a relative of the wanted man) dead;
conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. (firing percussion
grenades that spark a fire, damaging a restaurant) and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Hadasah
severely beat a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy in Hebron. (OCHA, WP 6/27; PCHR, WP 6/28)
Abbas issues a
presidential decree banning all militias, including the AMB, which vows to ignore the order.
Israeli military liaison official Peter Lerner said that the border crossings with the Gaza Strip would remain closed
for a second day. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of breaching the ceasefire that began a week ago,
adding, "If this closure continues it will render the deal for calm meaningless". (Haaretz)
IDF arrested seven Palestinians in separate incidents in Tulkarm, Nablus and Ramallah. (WAFA)
Fourteen Palestinians were wounded during a protest against the separation wall in the West Bank village of Bi'lin,
Palestinian medics said. As 300 protestors approached the wall, Israeli troops used tear gas and rubber bullets to
disperse them, a protester said. (AFP, Haaretz)
Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called for an immediate military response to any infringement of the ceasefire
agreement. However, Israel would refrain from retaliating militarily against the rocket fire, IDF sources said.
(Ynetnews)
Israel Army Radio reported that the Israeli Government had asked Hamas to include additional Gazan prisoners in the
exchange list, rather than the West Bank prisoners who were originally on the list. Israel also wanted the PA to
determine which of the prisoners would be released to the Gaza Strip and which to the West Bank, the report stated.
(Haaretz, Ma'an News Agency)
The PA Presidency spokesperson said that President Abbas had reiterated PA support for the ceasefire agreement reached
under Egypt's auspices. The President affirmed that the preservation of calm served the interests of the Palestinian
people and provided suitable conditions for lifting the blockade of the Gaza Strip, stopping the Israeli aggression,
and national cohesion and détente among the Palestinian factions. (WAFA)
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a Qassam rocket at the western Negev without causing any injury or
damage. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack. Abu Qusai, a spokesman for the Brigades
said, "The rocket attack was in response to Israeli violations. Any calm deal must end Israeli attacks on our people in
the West Bank too." (Haaretz)
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said the poverty rate in the Gaza Strip had climbed from 47.9 per cent in
2006 to 51.8 per cent in 2007. In the West Bank, however, the poverty rate had been declining owing to increased
international aid, from 22 per cent in 2006 to 19.1 per cent in 2007. (www.pcbs.gov.ps)
Israel's Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) group accused Israeli doctors of ignoring what it described as the torture
of Palestinian detainees during interrogations. The findings were based on testimony from two Palestinians who
developed trauma-related symptoms. PHR urged the Israeli Health Ministry in a letter to forbid doctors from
participating in interrogations carried out by Shin Bet. Israel said those findings were "fraught with mistakes,
groundless claims and inaccuracies". (Reuters)
1 Palestinian killed.
One Palestinian was killed and four others were injured when a tunnel collapsed in the Al-Salaam neighbourhood of Rafah on the Egypt-Gaza border. (IMEMC, Ma’an News Agency Ynetnews)
The United States praised Israel for what it described as “actions taken to ease the daily life of the Palestinians in the West Bank” after the Israeli army removed some roadblocks. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly added that the US “recognized Israel’s security concerns that must remain protected”. Mr. Kelly said that efforts to “maintain security while maximizing movement of Palestinian people and goods were critical, and of course our ultimate goal is a comprehensive peace based on a two-State solution. This is our objective and we’re pursuing it vigorously”. In a report issued this week, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs indicated that there were now 613 obstacles in the West Bank, five fewer than a month ago, including 68 permanently manned checkpoints. It indicated that other restrictions on Palestinians included the West Bank separation wall, restricted roads, the permit regime, closed military zones, nature reserves and settlements. (The Guardian, Haaretz, IMEMC, Ynetnews)
Meeting in Trieste, Italy, the Group of Eight (G8) leaders said that they wanted to revive direct peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians this year. The Chairman’s statement reiterated the G8’s full support for the two-State solution, with the establishment of an independent, democratic, viable and contiguous Palestinian State living in peace with Israel and its other neighbours within secure and recognized borders. It called on all parties to re-enter direct negotiations on all standing issues consistent with the Road Map, the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the Madrid principles, and called on all parties to fulfil their obligations under the Road Map, including a freeze in settlement activity (as well as their “natural growth”) and an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism. US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell said that they hoped that they would be able to move into real and productive negotiations between Israelis, Palestinians and the Arab world in the near future. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “we the world, we the Arab League, we the parties, we the UN Security Council … want to achieve full-fledged resumption of direct negotiations on the peace process between the parties themselves”. (AP, DPA, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Reuters, Ynetnews)
Meeting in the margins of the G8 summit in Trieste, the Quartet statement affirmed its determination to actively and vigorously seek a comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions 242, 338, 1397, 1515, 1850, the Madrid principles including land for peace, the Road Map, and the agreements previously reached between the parties. The Quartet underscored that the only viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one that ends the occupation that began in 1967 and fulfils the aspirations of both parties for independent homelands through two States for two peoples, Israel and an independent, contiguous, and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. The Quartet urged the Government of Israel to freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth; to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001; and to refrain from provocative actions in East Jerusalem, including home demolitions and evictions. The Quartet expressed serious concern at the humanitarian and human rights situation of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and reiterated the urgency of reaching a durable solution through the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1860. (AP, DPA, Haaretz, www.un.org)
Speaking in Trieste after a formal meeting of the Quartet, its Special Envoy Tony Blair said that the only way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was to help ordinary Palestinians rebuild their economy, especially in Gaza. Mr. Blair said that “we are all worried that we support Gaza and then there’s a further outbreak of conflict, but the best way of preventing that … is to help the people, because that is the way of preventing extremism gaining ground”. He added that “the one thing that I’ve learned in the last two years is that you can never separate politics and security and economics – they go together, and the West Bank and Gaza are going to be one Palestinian State, not two”. (DPA)