Several hrs. after entering Jinin on 8/13, the IDF withdraws.
Significant exchanges of gunfire btwn. Bayt Jala and neighboring Gilo settlement
prompt the IDF to reinforce positions around Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur,
Bethlehem during the day, raising speculation that a 2d Jinin-style operation is
planned. The IDF does not move into these towns but does direct heavy machine
gun fire at Bayt Jala; occupy 3 buildings outside Bayt Jala; enter, impose
curfews on 3 nearby villages in area C. Israeli DM Ben-Eliezer says he
suspended an incursion after the PA began to restrain gunmen in Bayt Jala.
Israel announces it will allow 459 trucks carrying food and fuel to enter
Gaza. Overnight, the IDF shells residential areas of Hebron. (CNN, NYT,
REU, WT 8/14; AP, HA, IGPO, HP, MEZ, NYT, REU 8/15; NYT, WT 8/16; al-Quds
8/16)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF assassinates wheelchair-bound senior Hamas
mbr. Nasir Jarrar (who had lost an arm, 2 legs in 2 previous assassination
attempts in 5/01 and 4/02) in a friend's home in Tubas, firing rockets fr.
helicopters at the house, then bulldozing it; 1 Palestinian used as a
human shield by the IDF to warn Jarrar to surrender is killed, a 2d Palestinian
bystander is wounded; the IDF says its use of a Palestinian as a
"messenger"--what it says is a 20-yr.-old policy called the "neighbor
procedure"--is not the same as using human shields. The IDF bulldozes 48
dunams of agricultural land btwn. Qarni crossing and Shuhada Junction. (MM, NYT,
WP, WT 8/15; NYT, PCHR, WT 8/16; JP 8/18)
Israel arraigns West Bank Fatah cmdr. Marwan Barghouti
(arrested by the IDF on 4/15/02) in a Tel Aviv court on charges of being an
"arch-terrorist," murdering 26 Israeli civilians in 37 attacks; the indictment
says that 16 Palestinians now in Israeli custody, including 2 of Barghouti's top
aides will testify against him. (AP, LAW, MM 8/14; NYT, WP, WT 8/15; MM 8/16)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF surrounds, fires on, then shells a car workshop where
Islamic Jihad Hebron leader Muhammad Sidr (whom Israel attempted to
assassinate in 12/01) is staying, killing him in an apparent assassination;
demolishes the Nablus home of the 2d 8/12 suicide bomber. The PSF
raids Shati r.c. in Gaza in search of Islamic Jihad mbrs. suspected of
detonating a bomb outside PSF offices on 8/13; the raid sparks an exchange of
gunfire that leaves 7 Palestinians, including bystanders, wounded; 1
senior Islamic Jihad mbr. is arrested. Islamic Jihad accuses the PA of
complicity in Sidr’s assassination. (BBC, HA, MM, PCHR 8/14; NYT, WP, WT 8/15)
Israeli warplanes break the sound barrier over Lebanon’s Biqa` Valley.
Hizballah, after not responding for several days to the flights, fires
antiaircraft missiles at them, but directs the missiles northward, to ensure
that no shrapnel falls in Israeli territory. (HA 8/15)
Mofaz meets with Dahlan, reiterates Israel’s proposal to turn
over control of Jericho, Qalqilya; says it will accelerate the transfer of
another city if the PA accepts. (HA, MM 8/15) (see 7/30; Quarterly Update)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF shells, directs heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of
Brazil r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah (wounding 1 woman inside her home); sends troops
into Balata r.c., Nablus under cover of shelling, fires on stone-throwing youths
who confront the troops, wounding 6; conducts arrest raids, house searches in
Hebron, Yatta. A 13-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received during
the 8/8–9 IDF raid on Rafah. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat
Yishai throw stones at, lightly injure a 15-yr.-old Palestinian in Hebron. (HA,
WT 8/14; WP 8/15; PR 8/18; PCHR 8/19)
A newspaper runs an ad signed by 144 prominent
Palestinians, demanding government reform, new elections. More than 100
unemployed Palestinian university graduates temporarily occupy a PA building
in Gaza, demanding the PA find them jobs.
1 Palestinian killed.
As of midnight local time, the IDF seals the Gaza Strip in preparation
for disengagement implementation beginning on 8/17, making it illegal for
Israelis to enter Gaza. During the day, some 7,500 PA security forces,
overseen by Egyptian security officers, begin deploying nr. Gaza
settlements to prevent Palestinians fr. approaching them. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into
Tulkarm, closes the main street, interrogates residents; conducts arrest raids,
house searches in villages around Tulkarm; occupies a house nr. Nablus as an
observation post. Nr. Qalqilya, a Palestinian dies of heat stroke after
being handcuffed by IDF troops, left in the sun for hrs. In light of
threats by Jewish extremists to storm the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount
and destroy the al-Aqsa mosque, 100s of Israeli police, troops deploy in
and around the Old City of Jerusalem to prevent possible Israeli-Palestinian
clashes; 1,000s of Muslims fr. Jerusalem and Israel attempt to converge
to defend the site, but West Bank Palestinians are barred fr. entering
Jerusalem, Israeli Palestinians under age 45 are banned fr. accessing the mosque
compound. Jewish settlers gather outside Homesh settlement to protest the
disengagement, throw stones at passing Palestinian vehicles. In Gaza, Jewish
settlers block Palestinian access to roads btwn. Kefar Yam and Shirat Hayam.
(AFP, XIN 8/14; IMEMC, WT 8/15; PR 8/17; PCHR, REU 8/18; IMEMC 8/19)
Before dawn,
Palestinian gunmen fire on Kefar Darom, causing no damage or injuries; an
IDF tank returns fire, accidentally targeting an IDF personnel carrier,
wounding 5 IDF soldiers. A French sound technician covering the disengagement in Gaza is kidnapped
by unknown Palestinians; Hamas accuses the PA of not doing enough
to protect internationals working in Gaza, says targeting foreigners should be a
red line. In light of recent kidnappings, the UN moves all nonessential
foreign staff in Gaza to Jerusalem until further notice.
3 Palestinians killed.
In Gaza, the IDF conducts air strikes destroying the Jabaliya r.c. home of an
Islamic Jihad mbr. accused of firing rockets into Israel (residents are warned
in advance to evacuate, but 14 bystanders are injured, 11 nearby houses
damaged), the Bayt Hanun home of a PRC mbr. thought to be holding a weapons
cache (residents are warned in advance to evacuate, but 1 bystander is injured);
shells a group of Palestinian civilians nr. Bayt Hanun attempting to cart away a
disused rocket launcher to sell as scrap, killing 3 Palestinian civilians,
wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Shuka;. Palestinians
fire 4 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West
Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Araba and Fahma, both
nr. Jenin, deliberately damaging 35 water tanks atop homes in Fahma; conducts
arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya, nr. Jenin, in and around Hebron,
Nablus; begins bulldozing 250 d. of agricultural land nr. Qalqilya for
construction of the separation wall (see 8/10). Jewish settlers fr. Mitzvah
Lakhish, Negohot settlements nr. Hebron (escorted by the IDF) bulldoze at least
100 d. of neighboring Palestinian land. (WP, WT 8/15; NYT, WP 8/16; PCHR 8/17;
Roadmap Risk Assessment [Jerusalem] 8/19)
Overnight, the IDF continues air strikes on s. Beirut and in the Biqa‘
Valley, killing at least 7 Lebanese, while Hizballah fires rockets into n.
Israel. Minutes before the 8:00 A.M. local (1:00 A.M. ET) truce deadline,
violence quiets. During the day, 10,000s of Lebanese displaced by the fighting
begin returning to their homes to assess damage, although IDF warnings on
vehicular movement in s. Lebanon remain in place; 1,000s of Lebanese begin
returning fr. Syria. In a televised address, Nasrallah promises Lebanese that
Hizballah will provide funds to rebuild; on the ground Hizballah mbrs. in areas
of s. Lebanon and s. Beirut take charge of clean-up and rescue efforts, with the
help of Lebanese civil defense teams and army units. During the day, Hizballah
holds its fire, whereas the IDF fires on groups of Hizballah mbrs. in 5
incidents, killing at least 5 Hizballah mbrs. it claims posed an immediate
threat (permissible defensive action under UN Res. 1701); flies drones around s.
Lebanon, monitoring the situation. At least 5 Lebanese civilians are killed by
accidentally detonating unexploded IDF ordnance. (WP 8/14; NYT, WP, WT 8/15)
Unidentified Palestinian gunmen
(suspected PRC mbrs.) kidnap 2 Fox News journalists (1 American reporter, 1
cameraman fr. New Zealand) in Gaza City; no group takes responsibility or issues
demands; Hamas condemns the action.
10 Palestinians killed.
Overnight in Gaza, the IDF
launches a major raid on Khan Yunis, Abasan, and al-Qarara, killing a total of 10
Palestinians (6 Palestinians are killed in exchanges of gunfire; 1 Hamas
mbr. and 1 bystander are killed in an air strike; 2 Palestinians are killed
when an IDF tank round hits a home), wounding at least 24; rounding up all men
ages 15–50 for questioning (detaining 143); occupying and searching Palestinian
homes; and bulldozing 80 d. of land, 1 Palestinian home, and several
greenhouses. The IDF launches a smaller raid, land leveling operation in
Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in
East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Jenin. (NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 8/15; PCHR 8/16)
In Gaza City, Daghmash family mbrs. fire on an ESF patrol, killing 2 ESF mbrs.,
wounding 10, sparking clashes btwn. the ESF and Army of Islam that last
into the evening, when clan leaders surrender family mbrs. who attacked the
patrol.
Two Palestinians were arrested after their homes were stormed and ransacked by the Israeli forces. Thirty-six year-old Anwar Aj-Jamal was arrested in central Hebron while 20-year-old Nadir Shawamreh was arrested in the village of Deir Al-Asal Al-Fauqa. (Ma'an News Agency)
The IDF arrested Firas Tashtush in Nablus on the allegation that he had taken part in attacks against IDF troops in the area and was suspected of planning to supply militants with explosives, thereby violating a signed pledge to "cease all terror-related activities". (AP, Haaretz)
The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem indicated that since the beginning of 2007 the IDF had investigated only 4 out of 99 cases in which 189 Palestinians had been killed. (Haaretz)
Two Palestinians, Hamzah Sarawi and Imad Darwish, both aged 18, turned themselves in to Israeli soldiers after their families had received dozens of death threats from Israeli intelligence officials. The same day, seven Palestinians were detained during an IDF raid at the Dheisheh camp south of Bethlehem. (Ma'an News Agency)
The Egyptian Government informed Hamas that it would not reopen the Rafah border crossing until IDF soldier Gilad Shalit was released. A Hamas official described the condition set by Egypt as "completely unacceptable". The same day Egyptian negotiators stated that Gilad Shalit could be home by November. (Ma'an The Jerusalem Post)
Residents of Bi'lin village located in the West Bank said that 11 persons demonstrating against the separation wall were injured by Israeli troops. Most protesters were wounded by rubber bullets while a Swedish national was beaten and her leg broken. (AP, Ynetnews)
Israeli representatives involved in negotiations with the release of soldier Gilad Shalit had been told by Egyptian Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman that he planned to finalize deals with Hamas within three months. Meanwhile, it had been reported that Hamas had toughened stances ahead of a possible resumption of negotiating the soldier's release, and demanded the opening of the Rafah crossing, as well as the additional release of Palestinian prisoners. (Ynetnews)
Israeli military bulldozers uprooted olive trees and destroyed agricultural land between the Salem military camp and Rummana village in the northern West Bank. The land had been confiscated on 12 August. (Ma'an News Agency)
Islamic Jihad said that the ceasefire with Israel in the Gaza Strip was "fragile and was expected to end at any time." "We are using the lull to prepare fighters for the coming phase of confrontation," a spokesman for the group said. The group also said that the ceasefire had witnessed 10 Israeli violations in its eighth week. "Most of the violations, this week, targeted the Palestinian fishermen and their boats in the sea to prevent them from fishing," the group said in its weekly report. (Xinhua)
Israeli Prime Minister Olmert told PA President Abbas that Israel would not allow the return of any Palestine refugee as part of a future statehood deal. "The Prime Minister never offered to absorb 20,000 refugees in Israel. The Prime Minister again reiterates that under any future agreement there will not be any return of Palestinian refugees to Israel in any number … The Prime Minister's stance is that the establishment of a Palestinian State is meant to provide an answer to the absorption of Palestinian refugees. Those refugees who are not returned to a Palestinian State will be dealt with by an international force." (Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, Reuters, Xinhua)
It was reported that 373 additional names were added to the list of Palestinians to be granted family reunification permits in the West Bank. The initial list containing 5,000 names was released on 28 July 2008. (Ma'an News Agency)