The IDF demolishes a Palestinian apartment building under
construction in Bayt Hanina, East Jerusalem, destroying 8 empty
apartments, a kindergarten, and 6 stores; shells residential areas of Beitunia,
Bethlehem, Rafah; bulldozes land along the Egyptian border nr. Rafah, in
al-Arub; places a closure on al-Jalma village on the Green Line nr. Jinin;
reinforces the closures on Jinin, Qalqilya; flies low-level F-16 sorties
over Gaza. The Temporary International Presence in Hebron withdraws its
forces fr. the Jewish enclave of the city because of ongoing attacks on their
vehicles by Jewish settlers. Jewish settlers also place new
caravans on Palestinian property in nr. Yatta in the Hebron district. IDF
soldiers occupy 2 Palestinian houses in the Hebron area, 3 nr. Netzarim
Junction as observation points; bulldoze Palestinian land in al-Dura, west of
Hebron. (HP 8/20; WT 8/21; LAW 8/22; HA 8/26)
German FM Joschka Fischer, in the region on a 3-day visit aimed at
securing a cease-fire, discusses with Israeli FM Peres the idea of a
phased truce, which would "eventually" be followed by implementation of the
Mitchell Comm. recommendations. The U.S. welcomes Germany's involvement.
(HP 8/20; MENA 8/20 in WNC 8/21; NYT, WT 8/21; NYT, WT 8/22; AYM 8/22 in WNC
8/24)
4 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
In Ramallah, IDF commandos assassinate senior Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mbr. Muhammad Saadat, brother of PFLP head
Ahmad Saadat; the IDF also raids Tulkarm r.c., fatally shoots wanted
tanzim mbr. Afsam Salima in an apparent assassination. IDF also
shells Khan Yunis, Tulkarm r.c. (killing 1 Palestinian); raids Dayr
al-Balah (conducting house-to-house searches), Jenin r.c. (firing live
ammunition and tank shells at stone throwers, injuring 5), al-Yamun (occupying 2
Palestinian homes). (MM 8/20; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR, WP 8/21; PCHR 8/26; MEI 8/30)
Israel's American PR consultants urge Israel, American Jewish
groups to adhere to a new PR strategy based on equating Israeli and U.S.
values, not attacking PA head Yasir Arafat directly, being more hopeful.
The changes come as a result of polls showing that Americans are increasingly
blaming both sides in the conflict. (JTA 8/20)
A Hamas
sniper fatally shoot an IDF soldier nr. Gadid settlement in retaliation
for the IDF sniper shooting of a Hamas mbr. a wk. ago; IDF forces in the area
return fire killing a 15-yr.-old Palestinian bystander.
The IDF seals the West Bank and Gaza; surrounds, tightens closures on
all Palestinian cities; sends additional tanks to the outskirts of Ramallah;
conducts arrest raids in Hebron, detaining 17 Palestinians, including relatives
of the 8/19 bomber; fires on residential areas of Rafah. Late in the evening,
the IDF imposes curfews on, sends tanks and troops into Hebron (raiding,
searching 3 mosques), Jenin, Nablus (where residents report hearing helicopters,
machine gun fire through most of the night), Tulkarm (where the IDF fatally
shoots 1 Palestinian, wounds 7). Israel also opens the Temple
Mount/Haram al-Sharif to non-Muslims without agreement of the Waqf; some 150
Jews under police protection visit the site. (HA, REU 8/20; YA 8/20 in WNC 8/22;
MM, NYT, PCHR, PM, WP, WT 8/21)
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon convenes his security cabinet, which
approves “a series of military steps” against Hamas, Islamic Jihad,
which Israel would launch only if the PA fails to take action itself. (HA
8/20; JP, YA 8/20 in WNC 8/22; NYT, WP 8/21; IDF Radio, QA, VOI, YA 8/21 in WNC
8/23)
U.S. Pres. George W. Bush phones Sharon to tell him that Israel
has a right to defend itself following the “vicious” 8/19 bombing, reportedly
does not urge restraint. U.S. Secy. of State Colin Powell phones Abbas
to urge him to take action against Palestinian militant groups immediately. (HA
8/20; WP 8/21; HA 8/24; AYM 8/24 in WNC 8/26)
Abbas convenes the PA Executive Authority (EA, or cabinet) to
discuss how to respond to the 8/19 suicide bombing; puts 4 recommendations to
PA head Yasir Arafat for approval, threatening to resign if he does not
accept them all, which he does. (HA 8/20; HA, NYT, WP 8/21; AYM 8/24 in WNC
8/26)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF continues bulldozing operations in Khan Yunis, pulling out
early in the morning; imposes a daylong curfew on Wadi al-Hussein nr. Hebron,
also transforms an empty Palestinian house into an observation post; conducts
arrest raids, house searches in al-Aza r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Dayr Ghassana nr.
Ramallah. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 8/19 in Brazil r.c.
(PRCS 8/20; PCHR 8/26)
The IDF occupies a Palestinian home in Badala nr. Tulkarm as an
observation post, demolishes a store next door; conducts arrest raids, house
searches in al-Til nr. Tulkarm; completes a segment of the separation wall
nr. Qalandia crossing s. of Ramallah. Some 50 armed Jewish settlers fr.
Homesh raid Burqa village, stone Palestinian homes. Jewish settlers fr.
Beit Hadasah in Hebron attack international peace activists on a solidarity
visit to Palestinians, lightly injuring 4. (PCHR, PR 8/25)
2 Palestinians killed.
IDF troops and Shin Bet agents abduct Change and Reform Palestinian Council
(PC) mbr. and PC secy. Mahmud Ramahi nr. Ramallah. Also in the West Bank, the
IDF fires on a taxi attempting to bypass Hawara checkpoint nr. Nablus, killing 1
Palestinian, wounding 2; raids, searches an Islamist charity nr. Hebron,
confiscating computers, a fax, some files; conducts arrest raids, house searches
in and around Tulkarm r.c., nr. Nablus. In Gaza, the IDF shells residential
areas nr. Dayr al-Balah, damaging a house and car, wounding 2 Palestinians;
fires on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. Erez industrial zone, wounding
1; fires on Palestinian farmers working a field nr. al-Bureij r.c., wounding 2;
bulldozes 20 d. of Palestinian olive groves in Rafah. A
Palestinian woman dies of injures received fr. IDF fire in al-Shuka on 8/5.
(NYT, WP, WT 8/21; OCHA 8/23; PCHR 8/24)
The UN reports that Lebanon has deployed only about 3,000 troops to s.
Lebanon (2,000 along the border with Syria, 1,000 along the coast). Israel
continues daily overflights of Lebanon in violation of the 8/14 truce, IDF
troops are still in s. Lebanon, and the Israeli air and naval blockade are still
in place, but no new clashes btwn. IDF and Hizballah forces in Lebanon are
reported. (AP, NYT, WP, WT 8/21)
A Palestinian is injured
in an exchange of gunfire btwn. rival Fatah factions in Gaza’s al-Maghazi r.c.
7 Palestinians killed.
The IDF shells a car driving nr.
al-Bureij r.c., assassinating 2 ESF officers (Muhammad Abu `Arab, Ali Baroud) and 4 Hamas mbrs. (Ismail Abu Abda, `Abid Abu Hilu, Ahmad al-Qrainawi, Muhammad al-Qrainawi), wounding 1 bystander; sends troops into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, bulldozing land , firing on residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian. An Islamic Jihad mbr.
is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. Gaza’s sole power plant, which produces 25% of Gaza’s electricity, shuts down after depleting its fuel reserves (see 8/19; 70% of Gaza’s electricity is provided
by Israel, 5% by Egypt). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, Tulkarm; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths outside `Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c., wounding 2; later patrols in `Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a, exchanging fire with local gunmen, killing 1 armed Palestinian. (HA, NYT 8/21; OCHA, WP 8/22; PCHR 8/23)
Israeli Defence Minister Barak ordered the closure of all crossing points to the Gaza Strip after Gaza militants fired a rocket into Israel, causing no damage. The attack came as Israel was planning to reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Gaza Strip later in the week, officials said. Trials had been under way during the past two days to see how the reopened crossing would function in practice, and the previous day, some 55 truckloads of goods entered southern Gaza via the crossing. Kerem Shalom was closed after a suicide bomb attack in April, for which Hamas claimed responsibility. (IRIN)
The Israeli army shut down three local radio stations in Hebron, arrested two workers, including One FM director Mohammad Qafisha, and confiscated the transmitting equipment. All three stations are now off the air. (Ma'an News Agency)
Israeli forces detained four Palestinians in Hebron after troops entered several homes. In a separate incident, Israeli soldiers, stationed near the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, seized a Palestinian teenager allegedly in possession of a 10-cm knife. (Ma'an News Agency)
Israeli troops entered houses in the northern West Bank town of Qabatiya in a pre-dawn raid. Local sources said seven military vehicles arrived at 3 a.m. and soldiers ransacked houses, forcing sleeping residents into the street. No arrests were reported. (Ma'an News Agency)
UN officials said that the volume of goods crossing into the Gaza Strip today was 46 per cent of that in May 2007. Pursuant to the ceasefire on 19 June 2008, Israel decided to expand the list of goods allowed into the Gaza Strip but there was no explicit determination of what would be added to the list of allowed goods. The once-busy Al-Muntar (Karni) and Kerem Shalom crossings remained closed to trucks, leaving the Sufa crossing open, where traffic was capped at 90 trucks a day. Yair Moshe of the Karni transport company said that there was still a ban on products such as blankets, raw materials for industry, construction equipment like trowels and tiles, chocolate and chocolate spread, ground coconut, most nuts and seeds, and hygiene products like creams and gels. (Haaretz)
Israeli authorities blocked the construction of a road in the West Bank village of Al-Walaja on the grounds that the land was claimed by the Israeli municipality of Jerusalem. The road led to the oldest olive tree in the world, an international tourist attraction. Sa'id Abu Ali, representing Al-Walaja's agricultural charitable organizations, said that the village's municipal council wanted to improve the route to the olive tree. The project was funded by the Italian Government. (Ma'an News Agency)
Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe briefed the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question. In his statement, Mr. Pascoe told the Council that Israeli-Palestinian negotiations as part of the Annapolis process were continuing "on both political and technical levels." He cautioned that the sides still seemed to differ on key issues. He reiterated the Secretary-General's call for the need to press ahead to make real progress in overcoming the differences to reach the goal of agreement by the end of the year, despite the political constraints. (UN press release SC/9431)
Palestinian unity talks were scheduled to start on 25 August in Egypt, according to the Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Nabil Amr. Mr. Amr said Egyptian officials had contacted the leaders of the various Palestinian political factions, and they had begun to receive responses. Hamas officials confirmed that they had sent a document in response to the Egyptian inquiry which included Hamas' suggestions on how the national dialogue should take place. Officials representing the independent Palestinian National Initiative and Hamas officials met in the Gaza Strip a day earlier as part of the efforts to restore national unity. (Ma'an News Agency)
The EU provided an additional €40 million to the PA to help meet its recurrent expenditures and ensure the continued delivery of public services. The funds would be used to help pay for salaries and pensions, social allowances to vulnerable Palestinian families and fuel for the power plant to provide electricity for the Gaza Strip. The EU and the PA also launched, using part of the earlier pledged €440 million sum, a €37 million public infrastructure investment programme that would improve the delivery of services. All funds were channelled through the EU PEGASE mechanism. (http://ec.europa./eu)
Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida warned that IDF soldier Gilad Shalit would face a fate as uncertain as that of Israeli airman Ron Arad missing since 1986 if Israel continued to stall negotiations for the prisoner exchange. (Haaretz, Ma'an News Agency)