2 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
The Brigade of Shalhavet and Gilad takes responsibility for killing 1 Palestinian,
wounding 3 in a 2d drive-by shooting. Jewish settlers also attack
Palestinians in Sha'r and Tammun, severely injuring 3. The IDF directs
shells and heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Nablus; confiscates
100s of dunams of land nr. Khan Yunis to create a buffer zone around Gush Katif
bloc, set up a new IDF post; confiscates 10s of dunams nr. al-Mintar crossing;
conducts an arrest raid into Nablus. (AP, HP, MM 6/14; MA [Internet], NYT, WP,
WT, YA [Internet] 6/15; al-Quds 6/15 in WNC 6/19; AYM 6/18 in WNC 6/20;
WJW 6/21)
The PA-Israeli cease-fire implementation begins. The IDF moves
tanks out of most PA-controlled areas; moves troops out of Netzarim Junction;
reopens major Gaza roads to Palestinian traffic; reopens the Gaza+nEgypt border
crossing. The IDF does not redeploy forces fr. Nablus, Rafah, and Ramallah,
where most of the day's clashes occur; Sharon says Israel will not lift
closures in areas where the cease-fire has not been implemented or has been
violated. West Bank PSF head Rajub announces on IDF Radio that Arafat
has called on all Palestinian security forces to abide by the cease-fire. (AP
6/14; HA, NYT, WP, WT 6/15)
Syrian troops turn over to the Lebanese army 5 strategic positions
in and around Beirut. (RL 6/14 in WNC 6/15; MM, WT 6/15; AFP, RL 6/15 in WNC
6/18; NYT 6/16, 6/20; MEI 6/29) (see Peace Monitor)
An IDF intelligence officer is fatally shot by his Palestinian
informant, who in turn is shot dead by the officer's bodyguard.
1 Palestinian killed.
IDF troops conduct predawn arrest raids in Birzeit, Hebron; sappers
detonate a large bomb discovered in Qalqilya. IDF troops posted at
Keddumim fatally shoot 1 Palestinian who apparently strayed too nr. the
settlement. (NYT 6/15; LAW 6/19)
In Washington, PA Planning M Nabil Shaath presents Powell with
a written outline of a peace proposal that makes concession on the status
Jerusalem, refugees but demands Israel's withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
Powell holds separate mtgs. with Saudi FM Prince Saud, IDF Chief of
Staff Shaul Mofaz. (NYT 6/15; QA, al-Quds 6/15 in WNC 6/17; WT 6/16;
AP 6/17; WP 6/18; DUS, al-Quds 6/18 in WNC 6/19; CNN 6/19; QA 6/19 in WNC
6/20; HA 6/20; HA 6/26; HA 7/3)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing youths in Askar r.c., killing
1 Palestinian; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a
checkpoint to reach a hospital, allowing him to die; places a curfew on villages
northwest of Nablus, patrols streets, firing in the air; fires on stone-throwing
youths in Askar r.c., injuring 2; fires on residential areas of Hebron, Tulkarm;
fires at Palestinians at a roadblock outside Dayr al-Balah for no apparent
reason, causing no injuries; demolishes 7 Palestinian homes and 11
greenhouses, bulldozes 57 dunams of land in Rafah; demolishes 3 Palestinian
homes, a bird farm, and 3 greenhouses, bulldozes 52 dunams of land in Khan
Yunis; conducts arrest raids outside Ramallah. (HA 6/14; VOI 6/14 in WNC 6/17;
PM, WP 6/15; HP 6/16; LAW, PCHR 6/19)
Israeli DMin. security negotiations coordinator Amos Gilad, PA
Security Affairs M Muhammad Dahlan meet in Ramallah to discuss Israel’s
proposal to turn over security control for n. Gaza to the PA. (NYT, WP 6/15; JP
6/15 in WNC 6/17; NYT 6/16; PR 6/18)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF assassinates AMB Balata r.c. cmdr. Khalid Marshud,
firing missiles at his taxi in Nablus, also killing the taxi driver,
seriously wounding 2 bystanders. The IDF also eases a curfew on Nablus,
allowing Palestinians over age 30 to exit and enter; demolishes 3 Palestinian
homes in Bethlehem, 2 in al-Qarara (also bulldozing 6 dunams of land);
conducts arrest raids in, fires on residential areas of Jenin; conducts arrest
raids in Aida r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, al-Mughraqa, Nablus. The IDF
starts construction of a 3.5 km segment of the separation wall east of
Ariel settlement. (AP, HA, MM 6/14; VOI, VOP 6/14 in WNC
6/16; NYT, WP 6/15; PR 6/16; PCHR 6/17; MEI 6/24)
The IDF patrols in Dura, fires on residential areas, then fires on
stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops. 12 Jewish settler
families fr. other West Bank settlements move into Sanur (previous pop. 31
families, 105 individuals), which is slated to be evacuated under disengagement.
Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba poison a horse belonging to Palestinians
living nearby; the same settlers poisoned another horse a wk. earlier. (AFP,
IMEMC 6/14; PCHR 6/16)
The IDF patrols in Kafr Haris, Tubas (firing on residential areas); conducts
arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, al-Til nr. Tulkarm and
nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. (MM 6/14; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/15; PCHR
6/22)
Islamic Jihad fires 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel,
causing no damage or injuries. In Ramallah, 10s of PA employees aligned with
Fatah temporarily take over the PC building, demanding salaries. After Hamas
mbrs. shoot, wound a PSF officer in Khan Yunis, Fatah mbrs. assassinate a senior
Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr.
6 Palestinians killed.
The IDF occupies hills outside Bayt Lahiya to prevent
rocket fire into Israel. IDF sends an
undercover unit into Saida nr. Tulkarm, driving a car with Palestinian license
plates, assassinating wanted AMB mbr. Muhammad Twair in a
drive-by shooting, also wounding 2 bystanders; sends patrols in Ithna nr. Hebron, Kafr Dan and Kafr Ra’i nr. Jenin,
firing on residential areas and on stone-throwing
youths who confront them, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian. Jewish settlers
burn 10s of olive trees nr. Tulkarm; the IDF bars firefighters fr.
reaching the scene. In Gaza, 5 Palestinian children (ages 10–15) are
killed and 4 (ages 9–16) are wounded by IDF UXO nr. Shuka while
collecting scrap metal; the 8 children are from 3 families: 2 Mansour boys are
killed, 2 Hessi boys are killed, and 1 Barbakh boy is killed and 4 are wounded.
(AFP, Jerusalem Post, MENA, MNA 6/14 in WNC 6/15; AP, BBC, NYT, WP, WT 6/15; WP 6/18; PCHR 6/21)
Hamas presses its
offensive in Gaza, taking over all PA ministry offices in Gaza City, securing control of Rafah, forcing PSF
officers to surrender their Gaza City
headquarters (after destroying all equipment, computers, archives; eye-witness
reports say Hamas mbrs. summarily execute at least 7 PSF mbrs.) and other main
security compounds; capturing and executing Fatah’s n. Gaza cmdr. Samih
al-Madhun. At least 27 Palestinians are killed (14 of them in the
fight for the PSF headquarters), 70 wounded in fighting during the day. Nearly 100
senior Fatah security and admin. officials flee Gaza for Egypt by boat (Egypt has already returned the 40 PA
presidential guards who fled on 6/13). With Gaza under almost complete Hamas control, Abbas declares a state of
emergency, fires Haniyeh, and dissolves the national
unity government. He also for the first time orders PA/Fatah forces to take
offensive action against Hamas. Late in the evening, Hamas gains control of Abbas’s Gaza City
offices, the only remaining Gaza institution still in the hands of Fatah/the PA. In the West Bank, PA
forces under
Abbas’s control begin rounding up 10s of Hamas mbrs. In and around Nablus and in Jenin, Tulkarm, masked
AMB mbrs. raid offices affiliated with Hamas, Change and Reform, looting and sometimes setting fire to
them, exchanging fire with
Hamas mbrs., leaving at least 13 Palestinians injured. The AMB also abducts 5 Hamas mbrs. in Jenin.
Meanwhile, Abbas’s national security
adviser Dahlan (the U.S. and Israel’s hope for restoring order to Gaza) returns from an extended stay in
Egypt, where he underwent minor surgery, going to Ramallah instead of Gaza to confer with Abbas.
At least seven Palestinians were wounded when hundreds of people clashed with Israeli troops near Bethlehem,
Palestinian security officials said. The fighting broke out when around a dozen Israeli military jeeps surrounded an
apartment building in Al-Doha village and closed off nearby roads, according to Palestinian witnesses. Hundreds of
Palestinians, mostly young men, massed in the area and hurled rocks at the soldiers, who responded with gunfire and
called in another dozen vehicles, including armoured bulldozers, they said. The seven people wounded were hit by live
rounds and rubber bullets, a security official said. Later, the soldiers began throwing rocks at the protestors,
hitting several people, including an AFP photographer, whose camera was broken, and a photographer from Reuters. (AFP)
Israeli forces swept the Tulkarm area; a number of Palestinian residents were summoned for interrogation by the Israeli intelligence services. Israeli forces also searched a mosque and raided several shops. No arrests or injuries were reported. (Ma’an News Agency)
In a speech at the Begin-Sadat Center of the Bar-Ilan University [in Ramat Gan], Prime Minister Netanyahu, among other things, called on Palestinian leaders to “begin [Israeli-Palestinian] negotiations immediately, without preconditions”, adding that "Israel is obligated by its international commitments and expects all parties to keep their commitments." He said that “… a fundamental prerequisite for ending the conflict is a public, binding and unequivocal Palestinian recognition of Israel as the nation State of the Jewish people. To vest this declaration with practical meaning, there must also be a clear understanding that the Palestinian refugee problem will be resolved outside Israel’s borders. For it is clear that any demand for resettling Palestinian refugees within Israel undermines Israel’s continued existence as the state of the Jewish people.” Mr. Netanyahu stated, “…today we ask our friends in the international community, led by the United States, for what is critical to the security of Israel: Clear commitments that in a future peace agreement, the territory controlled by the Palestinians will be demilitarized: namely, without an army, without control of its airspace, and with effective security measures to prevent weapons smuggling into the territory – real monitoring, and not what occurs in Gaza today. And obviously, the Palestinians will not be able to forge military pacts.” … “If we receive this guarantee regarding demilitarization and Israel’s security needs, and if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the State of the Jewish people, then we will be ready in a future peace agreement to reach a solution where a demilitarized Palestinian State exists alongside the Jewish State. Regarding Jerusalem, the Prime Minister said: “… Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel with continued religious freedom for all faiths”. On the settlements issue, he said, “The territorial question will be discussed as part of the final peace agreement. In the meantime, we have no intention of building new settlements or of expropriating additional land for existing settlements. But there is a need to enable the residents to live normal lives, to allow mothers and fathers to raise their children like families elsewhere.” (www.pmo.gov.il)
In a statement, US Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said that US President Obama welcomed the important step forward in Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech. The President was committed to two States, a Jewish State of Israel and an independent Palestine, in the historic homeland of both peoples. (www.whitehouse.gov)
PA Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat said that Mr. Netanyahu’s speech at Bar-Ilan University set further preconditions for negotiations and announced Israel’s intention to unilaterally dictate a solution, rather than negotiate a peace. "[Mr.] Benjamin Netanyahu spoke about negotiations, but left us with nothing to negotiate as he systematically took nearly every permanent status issue off the table. Nor did he accept a Palestinian State; instead, he announced a series of conditions and qualifications that render a viable, independent and sovereign Palestinian state impossible," Mr Erakat said, adding, "He failed to engage with the Arab Peace Initiative and its promise of regional peace. In this sense, his call to meet with Arab leaders was vacuous". “This speech fell far short of every single one of the benchmarks required of Israel in line with international law and existing agreements, including the Road Map. Palestinians will not be alone in their disappointment over Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to show himself to be a genuine partner for peace," Mr. Erakat added. (Ma’an News Agency)
An explosive device planted by Palestinian fighters exploded while an Israeli military jeep was patrolling the area of As-Sureij Gate, east of Al-Qarara, near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. According to witnesses, several Israeli military vehicles hurried to the scene and two helicopters were seen flying over the area. Clashes then erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian fighters. (Ma’an News Agency)
A homemade projectile fired from Gaza landed south of the Israeli city of Ashkelon. According to Israeli news reports, the projectile caused no damage or injuries. (Ma’an News Agency)
Hamas and Fatah officials held Reconciliation Committees’ meetings in the West Bank and Gaza, three weeks before another formal round of unity talks. Top issue on the agenda was to find ways to calm the situation after a recent flare up in intra-Palestinian violence in the West Bank. In Ramallah, Fatah was represented by Parliament leader Azzam Al-Ahmad, Hamas by former minister Omar Abd Ar-Raziq. In Gaza, Ibrahim Abu An-Naja represented Fatah and Jamal Abu Hashem represented Hamas. (Ma’an News Agency)
The Free Gaza Movement announced that preparations were underway to receive two solidarity vessels which come as part of the group's Summer of Hope campaign. The two vessels would set sail from Larnaca port in Cyprus on 25 June, and were expected to dock at Gaza's port on 26 June around 5 p.m. Several international dignitaries from 17 countries were expected to be on board the two ships, including Máiread Corrigan-Maguire, a Nobel Peace Prize, and former US Congresswoman Cynthia Ann McKinney. (Ma’an News Agency)
Secretary-General of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Ahmad Sa’adat ended a nine-day hunger strike inside an Israeli jail, according to PA Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe. The Israeli army had seized Mr. Sa’adat in a raid on a PA prison in Jericho in 2006, where he had been held since 2001 for the assassination of Israel’s Tourism Minister, Rehavam Ze’evi. (Ma’an News Agency)