7 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes
escalate, leaving a total of 7 Palestinians, 1 Jewish settler
dead. In Ramallah, an explosion destroys a home, wounding 5 Palestinians,
killing 2 children and a Palestinian wanted by Israel for 1/18 murder an Israeli
civilian in the West Bank. Israel claims the wanted Palestinian
accidentally detonated a bomb he was building; the PA claims the IDF
assassinated him. In Gaza, 2 Hamas mbrs. are killed when a bomb in their
car, parked in a garage, explodes, destroying the building, wounding 4
bystanders. Israel claims a car bomb exploded prematurely; Hamas, noting that 2
IDF helicopters were reported in the area at the time, claims the IDF
assassinated the pair with a remote controlled device. A Palestinian worker
at a Gaza settlement is killed, another is wounded when a bomb in his employer's
car explodes; the IDF claims the men were planting the bomb when it
exploded. Palestinian snipers fire on 2 settler vehicles, wounding 1
settler and causing 1 car to crash, killing another settler. Palestinians
fire mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing no damage. The
IDF responds by heavily shelling residential areas of Khan Yunis. Jewish
settlers open fire on the Palestinian villages of Bazarim and Burqa, causing
no injuries. The IDF also "eases" the blockade on Bethlehem and Qalqilya,
allowing residents "to enter and exit the cities through 1 roadblock for each
city after undergoing stringent security checks." (HA, REU 4/30; LAW, MM, NYT,
WT 5/1; NYT 5/2; al-Quds 5/3 in WNC 5/4; LAW 5/4)
The
State Dept. issues its annual report on global "terrorism," which notes--but
does not support or dismiss--Israeli accusations that PA security
officials, Fatah mbrs. have facilitated and/or taken part in attacks
against Israelis. (MM 5/1, 5/2; AYM 5/3 in WNC 5/7; al-Ahram [Internet]
5/10) (see Doc. D2)
In New
York, Peres discusses Israel's position on the Jordanian-Egyptian
initiative with UN Secy.-Gen. Annan. (HA 5/1; AYM 5/1 in WNC 5/3; MM, WT
5/2; WJW 5/3; SA 5/3 in WNC 5/7; MM 5/4)
Palestinian snipers fire on 2 settler vehicles, wounding 1
settler and causing 1 car to crash, killing another settler. Palestinians
fire mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing no damage.
3 Palestinians killed.
Overnight, the IDF pulls out of Hebron. In Rafah, 3 Palestinians,
including a 2-yr.-old Palestinian girl, are killed by IDF tank, machine
gun fire. In Bethlehem, 26 Palestinians inside the Church of the Nativity
(half civilians, half PSF) surrender to the IDF. The PA says that at
least 53 Palestinians (including 21 civilians) have been confirmed killed
in Jenin r.c., 22 Palestinians are reported missing. The IDF detains 2
Palestinian cameramen working for Reuters; 1 is released later in the
day. (WP, WT 5/1; WP 5/5)
4 Palestinians killed.
Overnight, Jewish settlers fatally shoot 2 Palestinians they
claim were attempting to infiltrate Elon Moreh settlement. A Jewish
settlement guard in the Jordan Valley fatally shoots a 60-yr.-old
Palestinian laborer returning from work, whom he believed was attempting to
infiltrate the settlement. The IDF for no apparent reason fatally shoots
a Palestinian woman tending livestock nr. Qarni crossing, also killing 4
of her animals; demolishes 8 Palestinian homes in Rafah; conducts arrest
raids nr. Jenin; removes another vacant unauthorized settlement outpost nr.
Hebron. The IDF also detains an ISM mbr. in Rafah. (HA 4/30; LAW,
PCHR 5/1; HA 5/2; PCHR 5/8)
After Abbas and his cabinet are sworn in today, the U.S. formally
presents Israel, the PA with the road map. (BBC, HA, NYT
4/30; MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/1; MA 5/1 in WNC 5/2; MEI 5/16)
The IDF fires on stone-throwing youths in n. Gaza, on residential
areas of Rafah; conducts house searches, arrest raids in Beitunia, Bethlehem,
al-Bireh, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Shaked and Hinnanit nr. Jenin,
escorted by IDF soldiers, rampage through the neighboring village of Um
al-Rihan, beating several Palestinians, threatening to destroy an elementary
school, claiming that its students threw stones at their cars. (VOP 4/30 in WNC
5/4; PCHR 5/6)
The IDF fires on residential areas of al-Fawwar r.c. (injuring 7
Palestinians), temporarily occupies at least 1 home; sends patrols into Tamun
nr. Jenin; issues plans for a new settler bypass road south of Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha throw stones at Palestinian vehicles
driving nearby, damaging 7; IDF troops intervene, clash with the
settlers, who beat up the senior IDF field cmdr.; 8 settlers ultimately are
arrested. Jewish settlers fr. Einav also throw stones at Palestinian
cars, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa uproot 10
Palestinian olive trees nr. the settlement. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 4/30; PCHR 5/5)
Palestinians fire a mortar at Gush Katif, causing light damage but no
injuries.
The IDF reopens the Qarni crossing (closed on 4/26); conducts arrest raids,
house searches in Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. Palestinians fire a rocket
fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds by
shelling n. Gaza, causing no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize
Palestinian homes in Hebron for a 2d day. (HA, IMEMC 4/30; B’Tselem press
release 5/1; OCHA 5/3; PCHR 5/4)
The IDF sends troops into Gaza nr. the Sufa crossing to level land in search
of tunnels. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols, fires on residential areas of Bita nr. Nablus,
detaining 3 Palestinian teenagers who threw stones at the troops; conducts
arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, nr. Tulkarm, and in Balata
r.c., Nablus. (NYT 5/1; OCHA 5/2;
PCHR 5/3)
In Gaza, angry Palestinians storm the Egyptian legation in Gaza
City, demanding that Egypt release 5 Palestinians it has jailed without charge
for 3 yrs. after they illegally entered Egypt seeking medical treatment (Egypt
claims they are Hamas mbrs.); PA police force demonstrators out of the building,
firing in the air, causing no injuries; Egypt denounces the incident.
In Hebron, unidentified gunmen fire on the home of the local PSF
head, causing damage but no injuries. Palestinian schoolteachers hold a 1-day
strike to protest the PA’s failure to pay their salaries.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF makes an air strike on a
workshop in Rafah, assassinating Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigade leader
`Awad al-Qiq (whom the IDF attempted to assassinate on 10/5/07), injuring 2
Islamic Jihad mbrs., 2 children; sends tanks, bulldozers into Juhur al-Dik to
level land. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the
Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore, causing no damage or injuries. In
the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas in Fahama
and Yabad nr. Jenin; imposes a curfew on Kafr Haris nr. Salfit to allow Jewish
settlers to conduct ceremonies at a religious site in the village; conducts
late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Aza r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Jenin
town and r.c. In East Jerusalem, scores of Israeli Jewish teenagers
gather at the Pisgat Ze’ev mall, summoned by an instant message to their cell
phones, urging those “with Jewish blood” to meet up to form a mob to attack
local Israeli Arabs who allegedly “hang in our area” and “whistle at the girls, curse, threaten little
kids”; the mob
beats and stabs 2 Palestinian teenagers, seriously injuring them; around 20
teenagers take part in the beating while 80–100 others watch; police arrest and
charge 11. (AP 4/30; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8; HA 5/29)
The Israeli military seized four Palestinians during incursions into the town of Al-Bireh near Ramallah and the Old City of Hebron. Israeli soldiers broke into several homes in the Yatta area and stole 8,000 shekels (approximately $2,000) in cash and jewellery. Nine Palestinians were detained in surrounding villages. In Gaza, Israeli forces also detained a number of Palestinians who they said had approached the Israeli border. (IMEMC, Ma’an News Agency)
Israel’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor called European Commissioner for External Relations and the European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner's recent comments "very militant" and contrary to understandings with other EU officials. Earlier this week, Ms. Ferrero-Waldner had criticized Israel's refusal to endorse a Palestinian State. Israel warned the EU to tone down its criticism of the new Israeli Government or risk forfeiting the bloc's role as broker in Middle East peace efforts. (AP)
Fifteen right-wing Israelis rallied against the separation wall near the Shu’fat refugee camp north of Jerusalem. They were protesting the route of the wall, which they said was cutting their land into separate pieces. They were using the same tactics that Palestinians in Bil’in, Ni’lin and elsewhere used during weekly Friday afternoon protests in the West Bank. Right-wing member of the Israeli Knesset Michael Ben Ari climbed up the wall and shouted “Jerusalem and the Land of Israel will not be allowed to be separated by the wall.” (Ma’an News Agency)
The Israeli authorities released Medhat Tariq Al-Isawi, 35, from an Israeli prison after eight years of detention. (Ma’an News Agency)
A group of Israeli settlers from “Beit Ein” attacked a number of homes in Safa village near Hebron. At least 20 armed settlers opened fire at a number of homes and set ablaze agricultural land. (IMEMC)
Hamas official Ahmed al-Kurd said that 65 per cent of the work force in the Gaza Strip was currently unemployed. Moreover, 80 per cent of people in Gaza were living below the poverty line, and 85 per cent were dependent on aid from international organizations, such as UNRWA, he said. (Ynetnews)
After touring Gaza, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry issued a statement noting the Strip’s hardship and slow pace of reconstruction after the December-January Israeli attacks. "In the absence of real progress on issues like Palestinian reconciliation, open crossings, secure borders and a prisoners’ exchange, the potential for renewed violence is ever-present," Mr. Serry said in a statement. Acknowledging Israel’s security concerns, Mr. Serry said that the goods and materials must be used for their intended purposes. (AP, Reuters)
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Homes said helping Gaza’s most vulnerable must be a top priority, lamenting unmet basic human needs and stalled reconstruction, nearly four months after the end of hostilities there. In an opinion piece published in the European Voice (Brussels), Mr. Holmes noted that while donors had pledged money, the flow of goods was “wholly inadequate” and reconstruction was “almost impossible.” Roughly 75 per cent of Gaza’s 1.5 million residents required assistance, but even the most essential imports were subject to intense limitations by Israeli authorities, he pointed out. “In Gaza, humanity has taken a back seat to politics. A measly trickle of items has become the most the world can offer civilians trapped by a political stalemate,” Mr. Holmes wrote. (UN News Centre)
At a news briefing at EU headquarters in Brussels, John Ging, Director of UNRWA operations in Gaza, said none of the $4.5 billion package of reconstruction aid recently pledged for the Gaza Strip at the International Conference in Support of the Palestinian Economy for the Reconstruction of Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh had gotten through because of border restrictions. He said: "There is no prospect of recovery or reconstruction until we can get access for construction materials". Mr. Ging said the international community should find a solution to the border crossings issue and provide more access to goods and services for the inhabitants of Gaza. (Reuters)