This day in the History of the 2nd Intifada

November 21 2000

6 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 5 Palestinians dead. A 6th Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. The IDF demolishes a nearby abandoned PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) post thought to be the source of the gunfire. IDF helicopter gunships, tanks shell residential areas of Dayr al-Balah (targeting the home of senior PSF official Ahmad `Abd al-Karim), Jericho, Khan Yunis, Nablus, al-Shaykh, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fire on Palestinian homes in Huwarra (nr. Nablus), in Kafr Deek (nr. Salfit). The IDF bulldozes 60 dunams of Palestinian land along setter bypass roads nr. Kefar Darom, 10s of dunams of olive groves nr. Salfit, a Palestinian road and water network in Ramallah. (ADM, LAW, MM 11/21; AFP, MENA 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; SA 11/22 in WNC 11/24; HJ 11/22 in WNC 11/29; MEI 11/24; WJW 11/30)

Israel informs the U.S. it will delay the start of the Mitchell Comm.'s investigation into the causes of the al-Aqsa intifada because "the timing is wrong." (MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; ATL 11/22 in WNC 11/24; MEI 11/24; WJW 11/30) (see Peace Monitor)

A Palestinian sniper fatally shoots a Jewish settler driving through Gaza.

In protest over Israel's 11/20 shelling of PA offices, Egypt recalls Amb. Muhammad Bassyouni but does not suspend diplomatic relations. (MM 11/21; AFP, MENA 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MENA 11/21, MENA 11/22, HJ, MENA, al-Quds, SA 11/23 in WNC 11/24; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; MEI 11/24; MENA 11/25 in WNC 11/29; MM 11/27; JP 12/1; SA 1/22 in WNC 1/23)

November 21 2001

1 Palestinian killed.

The IDF raids a village outside Tulkarm, captures PSF officer Samir Kayid and his brother. A Palestinian dies of a heart attack at an IDF checkpoint in Gaza after soldiers bar his ambulance fr. taking him to a hospital. The IDF also raids the PA Interior Min. offices in Azariyya, confiscating files; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis (damaging a school), Rafah, Tal Sultan; demolishes a Palestinian home in Hebron; reinforces closures in n. Gaza, Hebron. (HP, NYT, WT 11/22; LAW 11/26)

November 21 2002

1 Palestinian killed. 11 Israelis killed.

After Jerusalem bomb, Sharon convenes his security cabinet; does not invite fmr. PM and current FM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is challenging him for the PM candidacy in the upcoming Likud primaries on 11/28. Fearing that Sharon will stage a major retaliatory attack, the PSF evacuates its offices in Bethlehem. After the mtg., Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin states that in light of U.S. military intentions against Iraq, “We are not going to allow any kind of escalation.” The IDF shells a PA military intelligence post nr. Netzarim settlement, killing 1 PA intelligence officer; makes a predawn raid on 3 villages nr. Khan Yunis in s. Gaza, demolishing the home of a senior DFLP mbr., firing on residential areas, wounding 4 Palestinians; bulldozes 39 dunams of Palestinian land e. of Dayr al-Balah, 11.5 dunams and several structures nr. Bayt Lahia. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 11/21; ATL, Interfax 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; QA 11/22, MA 11/24 in WNC 11/25; LAW, PCHR 11/27)

A Palestinian suicide bomber fr. Bethlehem detonates a device on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 11 Israelis, wounding 48 (8 of them seriously). Hamas, Islamic Jihad both take responsibility, but family, friends of the bomber say he supported Islamic Jihad.

November 21 2003

The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus; conducts arrest raids nr. Nablus. (HA 11/21; IRNA, VIRI 11/21 in WNC 11/25; NYT 11/22; PCHR 12/4)

On the last Friday of Ramadan, Muslims across the Middle East hold Jerusalem Day rallies in support of the Palestinian claim to Jerusalem. In Tehran, 10,000s of Iranians demonstrate; some 10,000 rally in Bahrain; 1,000s rally in Beirut; Iraqis in Baghdad, Najaf hold rallies for the 1st time in yrs., chanting “Sharon is God’s enemy! America is God’s enemy!” and “No to America!”; in the West Bank, Gaza 1,000s of Palestinians protest against the Geneva Accord.

November 21 2004

4 Palestinians killed.

The IDF assassinates a senior al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Muhammad Liftawi, firing on his car as he drives nr. Beitunia, also killing 2 AMB mbrs. traveling with him; "deports" 4 Birzeit University students detained on 11/18 to their homes in Gaza without explanation; fires on Palestinians demonstrating against expansion of Israel's separation wall into Hebron, wounding 20; fires on residential areas of Rafah. The IDF also fires on 2 armed Palestinians approaching a settler-only road nr. Khan Yunis, killing 1 Palestinian while the other escapes; conducts arrest raids nr. Khan Yunis in search of the escapee, also demolishing 1 Palestinian home, bulldozing 57 d. of land. (HA, UPI 11/21; XIN 11/21 in WNC 11/23; NYT, WT 11/22; PCHR 11/25; Sunday Herald 11/28)

November 21 2005

The IDF bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Anata nr. Jerusalem conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c. The Israeli Housing Min. approves plans for 350 new housing units in Ma'ale Adumim settlement. (IMEMC, PM 11/22)

After several days of mtgs. with advisers and Likud colleagues, Sharon asks Israeli pres. Moshe Katsav to dissolve parliament, announces his departure fr. Likud and plans to form a more moderate centrist Forward party (Kadima) to run in 2006 elections; 15 of Likud's 40 MKs pledge to follow Sharon. (AP, BBC, JTA, NYT, REU, WP, WT 11/21; CSM, HA, WP 11/22; WP 11/25)

November 21 2006

4 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.

Overnight, the IDF sends troops back into Gaza City, surrounding the home of senior Hamas military cmdr. Ayman Dayif Allah Hassanian, ordering him to surrender, fatally shooting him and 2 bystanders (including a 70-yr.-old woman) in an exchange of gunfire, also bulldozing 20 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of olive, citrus groves. Early in the morning, the IDF sends troops back into n. Gaza, clashing with Palestinians in Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Jabaliya and also shelling the area, killing 1 Palestinian gunman, wounding at least 17 Palestinians; also leaving 2 IDF soldiers injured. The IDF also fires on Palestinian fisherman off the s. Gaza coast, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians, wounding 2) and Nablus, in al-Bireh, Jericho, Tulkarm r.c. (MM 11/21; MM, NYT, OCHA, WP 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

Palestinians fire 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a factory, killing an Israeli.

In Gaza City, an unidentified gunman shoots, wounds fmr. Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Shahin (Fatah) as he leaves a radio studio after giving an interview criticizing Hamas. In Khan Yunis, unidentified gunman kidnap, hold for several hrs. 2 Italian Red Cross employees, releasing them unharmed without comment.

November 21 2007

1 Palestinian killed.

Israel agrees to allow Gazans to export flowers and strawberries, now at peak harvest, via the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing. The IDF sends troops into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, where they exchange fire with Palestinian gunmen, wounding 3. A Palestinian bystander wounded during an 11/19 IDF raid on Khan Yunis dies. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah, and in Jenin town and r.c., Nablus. Jewish settlers fire on a Palestinian bus nr. Beit Lid Junction btwn. Nablus and Tulkarm, forcing the bus off the road but causing no injuries. (PCHR 11/22; OCHA 11/28; PCHR 11/29)

In Jabaliya r.c., unidentified assailants blow up a patrol car belonging to the Hamas-affiliated Gaza police (by this date, the Hamas government in Gaza has dissolved the Executive Support Force, reorganizing members into 4 units that previously existed under the PA Interior Min.: police, internal security, national security, and naval police), causing no injuries. At Ramallah’s Birzeit University, a large fight breaks out btwn. student groups affiliated with Fatah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), leaving 1 student injured; the university suspends classes until 11/26 to contain the violence.

November 21 2008

Dozens of Palestinian and international peace activists marking World Children's Day suffered tear gas inhalation during demonstrations in the village of Bil'in in the West Bank. According to the demonstrators, Israeli soldiers "showered the protesters with rubber-coated metal bullets, injuring dozens." (Ma'an News Agency)

Israeli troops attacked with rubber-coated bullets, tear gas and percussion grenades a peaceful demonstration against the continued construction of Israeli settlements and of the separation wall near the "Homesh" settlement located between Jenin and Nablus in the West Bank. Ten people were injured by rubber-coated bullets. (Ma'an News Agency)

An Al-Watan TV cameraman was injured by the firing of tear gas canisters by Israeli forces during his coverage of a peaceful march in the village of Bi'lin west of Ramallah. (Ma'an News Agency)

Israeli security forces were bracing for violence in Hebron as some 20,000 Jewish pilgrims were expected to arrive in the city for Shabbat. Officials feared that the size of the crowd and tensions over the planned evacuation of settlers from a house located near the Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi (Tomb of the Patriarchs) could prove to be an explosive mix. Dozens of police and troops took up positions outside the house which some 100 settlers and their supporters were refusing to evacuate despite a High Court order. The IDF indicated that violence against security forces would not be allowed to continue and that they would respond with means at their disposal. (AFP, BBC, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Ma'an News Agency, Ynetnews)

Israeli police removed for the third time that week a tent erected in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem to protest the demolition of a house owned by the Al-Kurd Palestinian family. At 9.30 a.m., representatives of the municipality came with an eviction order and ten minutes later a bulldozer, backed by a massive number of Israeli soldiers, arrived. (Ma'an News Agency)

UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd stated that Gaza faced a humanitarian catastrophe if Israel continued to prevent aid reaching the territory by blocking crossing points. She said that the human toll of the sealing in November of Gaza's goods crossings was the gravest since the early days of a Palestinian uprising eight years ago. Ms. AbuZayd said that "it's been closed for so much longer than ever before… and we have nothing in our warehouses. It will be a catastrophe if this persists, a disaster." (Haaretz, Reuters)

Three activists from the International Solidarity Movement, who were arrested off the shore of Gaza with 15 Palestinian fishermen, announced that they were going on a hunger strike. Briton Andrew Muncie, Italian Vittorio Arrigoni and American Darlene Wallach were being held in a prison near Tel Aviv awaiting trial and facing possible deportation. They announced that their protest would continue until the three impounded fishing boats were returned. Andrew Muncie was subsequently placed in solitary confinement. (BBC, IMEMC, Ma'an News Agency)

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh stated that Hamas remained interested in its informal ceasefire with Israel. He said that Palestinian armed groups in Gaza remained committed to a truce with Israel if it reciprocated. After two weeks of barrages, Hamas had stopped firing rockets and was working to rein in the smaller groups. (DPA, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Ynetnews)

The following statement was issued by the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
The Secretary-General continues to express his concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He has underscored the importance of having Israel urgently permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population of Gaza, and regrets that his calls have not yet been heeded. The Secretary-General has been briefed on the humanitarian situation in Gaza by the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, and supports the statement just released by his office.
The Secretary-General reiterates his condemnation of rocket and other attacks by Palestinian militants against Israeli civilian targets. He calls for an end to such attacks and urges full respect by all parties for the calm that has been in effect since 19 June. (UN press release SG/SM/11945)

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, urged all parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip to refrain from violence and to allow the immediate and sustained reopening of border crossings, and stated that "measures which increase the hardship and suffering of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip as a whole are unacceptable and must cease immediately." Mr. Holmes expressed particular concern that the human dignity and wellbeing of the civilians in Gaza, over half of whom were children, did not appear to be a major issue for the parties to the conflict. He called upon the parties to refrain from actions that could directly or indirectly result in the disruption of essential services to the most vulnerable and urged Israel to ensure the sustained and sufficient flow of goods in and out of Gaza and to make sure that aid organizations could reach people, whenever and wherever needed. (www.reliefweb.int)

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in an open area in the industrial zone of Ashkelon, some 17 kilometres inside Israel. Two mortar shells were fired at the Kissufim area in southern Israel. There were no injuries or damage. The military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees claimed responsibility for firing the mortars. (AP, The Jerusalem Post, Ma'an News Agency, Ynetnews)

NEWS

Electronic Intifada:

MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://electronicintifada.net/sites/default/files/2024-11/maura_finkelstein_audio.mp3

MEDIA ENCLOSURE: http://electronicintifada.net/sites/default/files/2024-11/day_404.mp3

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