4 Palestinians killed.
The IDF assassinates Izzeddine al-Qassam Brigades's Bethlehem
regional cmdr., Omar Saada, firing 2 wire-guided missiles at his home, also
killing a Hamas colleague. When neighbors and relatives come to the scene to
survey the damage, the IDF fires a 3d missile, killing Saada's brother (a peace
activist) and a 4th Palestinian, wounding 10. The PA arrests 5
Palestinians for allegedly collaborating with Israel on the strike. The IDF
directs shells, heavy machine gunfire at Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur in response to mortar attack on Gilo. The
IDF also shells residential areas of Qabatiyya (destroying a Force 17
post), Tulkarm; raids al-Arub, Fajar, al-Fawar, Salfit; places a closure on
Qalqilya, reinforces troops in the area. Jewish settlers vandalize
Palestinian cars in al-Fawar. (AFP [Internet], BBC, CNN, HP, PMC
7/17; AP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 7/18; AYM, SA 7/19 in WNC 7/20; AP 7/21; WT 7/23; MEI
7/27)
Sharon phones Bush to urge him to press for a statement strongly
condemning Arafat at the upcoming G-8 summit. Sharon also
reportedly tells Bush that Israel plans to carry out "preventive operations" in
the near future. An hr. later, Sharon receives a call fr. Powell urging
Israeli restraint, but, late this evening, the IDF sends tank, troop
reinforcements into the West Bank in its largest deployment since the start of
the al-Aqsa intifada, raising speculation that a massive attack is imminent. (MM
7/20)
For the
1st time, West Bank Palestinians fire 2 mortars at the Jewish
settlement of Gilo, outside Jerusalem, causing no damage. The IDF says it defused 2 bombs in
Tel Aviv, outside a West Bank settlement.
9 Palestinians killed. 4 Israelis killed.
The IDF conducts arrest raids in Silat al-Dahir, leaving 2 suspected AMB mbrs.
dead; fatally shoots a Palestinian allegedly attempting to sneak into
Israel nr. Qalqilya; arrests senior Izzeddine al-Qassam Brigades mbr.
Muhammad Nashteh in Ramallah. In Amari r.c., 2 Palestinian children
are killed, 11 are wounded when they trigger an unexploded IDF shell. In
Ramallah, a mysterious explosion kills 2 Palestinians. The IDF
F-16s bomb, destroy a foundry in Gaza that the IDF claims was a Hamas
bomb-making facility. In Ramallah, PalNet Internet service, raided on 7/15, is
restored. The IDF orders the confiscation of 60 dunams of Palestinian
land btwn. Gaza City and Netzarim settlement for construction of a settlement
bypass road. (LAW, PCHR 7/17; MM, NYT, WP, WT 7/18; WP 7/19; PCHR 7/21; MEI
7/26; XIN 7/28 in WNC 7/29)
2 Islamic Jihad suicide bombers stage a double bombing
outside a cafe in Tel Aviv, killing 1 Israeli, 2 foreign workers,
injuring 3. An 8th victim of the Emmanuel bus ambush on 7/16, a baby born
prematurely to a Jewish settler injured in the attack, dies. The IDF
tracks, engages in a 3 hr. gun battle with the 3 Palestinian gunmen
involved in the ambush, leaving 2 Palestinians and 1 IDF officer
dead, 3 IDF officers injured; 1 of the Palestinians escape again.
The IDF says that a 21-km section of the separation wall around
the n. and s. of Jerusalem should be completed by the end of 7/03. The IDF
sends tanks, troops into Ramallah, occupying buildings surrounding Arafat’s
headquarters, conducting searches, withdrawing after 2 hrs.; fires on
residential areas of Rafah, wounding 1 woman; places a curfew on Tulkarm;
bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Rima. Shin Bet arrests 2
Jewish settlers on charges of “security crimes against Palestinians,” places
a gag order on the case. (HA, PMC 7/17; HA 7/18; WT 7/19; MM 7/21; JP 7/23 in
WNC 7/25; PCHR 7/24)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF raids Saida village nr. Tulkarm, killing local Hamas cmdr.
Basil Abu Sha`b, local AMB cmdr. Sahir Ajaj in what may be
assassinations; fatally shoots a stone-throwing Palestinian in Balata
r.c.; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, Rafah. (PR 7/21; PCHR, PM 7/22; HA 7/23)
Suspected Fatah
gunmen fr. Nablus fire on a jeep outside `Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. thought
mistakenly to be driven by rival Fatah mbrs., injuring 2 Palestinians. Armed
PFLP mbrs. exchange fire with armed PA intelligence and Force 17 officers
guarding a Palestinian collaborator (responsible for the deaths of 2 PFLP
cmdrs. in and IDF raid on 7/6) being held in the Nablus governate office; no
injuries are reported.
In light of the 7/16 kidnappings, Arafat declares a state of emergency
in Gaza; issues a decree for a “temporary restructuring” of the security forces
into 3 branches: public security, with his distant cousin Musa Arafat as
its new head; police, with Arafat loyalist Saeb Ajiz as its new head;
general intelligence, with Amin al-Hindi, a loyalist increasingly
critical of Arafat, maintaining leadership of the dept. Soon after, 1,000s of
armed, masked Palestinians gather outside the PC headquarters in Gaza to
protest the appointment of Musa Arafat, whom they say is corrupt, as cronyism.
Qurai` resigns, citing the lack of true reform; Arafat rejects his
resignation. (NYT, WP, XIN 7/17; MENA, PSCT, VOI, VOP 7/17, AYM, HA, MA, XIN, YA
7/18, JP 7/19 in WNC 7/21; AYM 7/18, JP 7/20 in WNC 7/22; al-Quds 7/18;
DUS 7/19 in WNC 7/23; NYT, WP, WT 7/18; MM 7/19; HA, MM 7/20; PR 7/21; WP 7/22;
MEI 7/23; AYM 8/6 in WNC 8/10)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF continues massing tanks, armored vehicles on the n. Gaza
border; Sharon instructs security officials to take "all measures,
without restrictions, in order to stop the wave of terrorism," though his
advisers suggest that any push into Gaza likely would not happen until after
Condoleezza Rice's visit on 7/22. An IDF sniper (reportedly firing
fr. a nearby Jewish settlement) assassinates senior Hamas cmdr. Sa`id Siyam
(not Shaykh Sa`id Siyam, the Hamas spokesman) outside his home in Khan
Yunis. The IDF also lifts the curfews on Tulkarm and surrounding areas
imposed on 7/13; fires missiles at a Palestinian vehicle in Bayt Lahiya,
injuring 1 Hamas mbr., injured 2 bystanders in an apparent assassination
attempt; fires on stone-throwing youths in Tulkarm, wounding 1; shells
residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr.
Bethlehem, Ramallah and in `Azun, Hebron, Kafr Thuluth, Qalqilya, Saida nr.
Tulkarm, Wadi al-Silqa. Israel bars indefinitely all visits to Palestinian prisoners
as punishment for the 7/12 Netanya bombing. A Palestinian injured in the
IDF assassination of 3 Hamas mbrs. in Salfit on 7/15 dies. (HA, IMEMC, PRCS, XIN
7/17; VOI, VOP, YA 8/17, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation 7/18 in WNC 7/18;
NYT, WP, WT 7/18; XIN 7/18 in WNC 7/19; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)
In retaliation to IDF attacks, Hamas fires Qassam rockets
into Neve Dekalim (hitting a house, injuring 6 settlers), Sederot (causing no
injuries).
2 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
In Gaza, the IDF expands ground operations in Bayt Hanun under artillery
fire, occupying the town, firing on residential areas (killing 2 Palestinians),
bulldozing land and homes, occupying houses as military bases, forcing some
residents to flee; fires 2 artillery shells at a group of Palestinian children
playing soccer in al-Bureij r.c., wounding a 14-yr.-old; fires on residential
areas of Abasan, wounding 1 Palestinian. Palestinians fire at least 7 rockets
fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF
makes a raid on Nablus, where Palestinian militants throw an explosive device at
troops, killing 1 IDF soldier, wounding 6; sends undercover units into Bethlehem
to detain a wanted AMB mbr.; conducts late-night arrest raids nr. Nablus,
Qalqilya. For a 2d day (see 7/16), the IDF detains al-Jazeera satellite TV’s
Jerusalem bureau chief for questioning regarding violating Israeli military
censorship rules. (AP 7/17; WP 7/18; PCHR 7/20)
The IDF intensifies attacks on e. and n. Lebanon, hitting Lebanese army
barracks in Tripoli and army bases in Baalbek (killing 9 Lebanese soldiers),
homes of Hizballah officials in the east; conducting heavy bombing of s. Beirut
to destroy underground bunkers where Nasrallah and Hizballah’s senior leadership
may be hiding; hitting fuel depots at the Beirut airport for a 2d time. In
total, at least 38 Lebanese (mostly civilians) are killed during the day,
including 12 civilians killed when the IDF targets a minibus in s. Lebanon.
Hizballah responds by firing at least 30 rockets on n. Israel, including hitting
Haifa with 3 rockets, shearing the front of an apartment building, wounding 6
Israelis. Britain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ukraine, the U.S. begin evacuating
their nationals. (NYT, WP 7/17; NYT, WP, WT 7/18)
Israel releases fmr.
Education M Nasser al-Sha`ir (arrested 5/24, dismissed by Abbas on 6/14)
after he signs a pledge renouncing his ties to Hamas, vowing never to hold an
official position representing the group. In Gaza, 2 Palestinian children are
injured by a roadside bomb planted nr. an ESF post. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian
homes nr. Jerusalem (in Anata, Bayt Hanina); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and
Ramallah, nr. Bethlehem, in Hebron. Some 3,500 Jewish settlers bring construction materials to
the Homesh settlement site with the intention of rebuilding the settlement
vacated under Israel’s 9/05 disengagement plan; settlers set fire to 10s of
nearby Palestinian olive trees, vandalize fuel tanks and cars at a nearby
Palestinian gas station. The IDF closed several main checkpoints (nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Ramallah) and stretches
of Route 60 to block settlers fr. reaching the
site, causing major obstacles to Palestinian movement. (OCHA, WT 7/18; PCHR 7/19)
Two young Palestinians were shot and wounded by the IDF in the Balata refugee camp, in east Nablus, while heading to
their workplaces and 12 others were detained in the Askar refugee camp after a raid in the area. (AFP, Ma'an News
Agency)
Israeli special forces stormed the house of Ahmad Mohammad Al-Aramin in Al-Ei'zariya, east of Jerusalem. His wife and a
son were injured during the raid and his two other sons were beaten and detained. (Ma'an News Agency)
The Israeli military cancelled an earlier decision to shut down the West Bank's largest shopping center in Nablus. One
of the owners said that the company had over 1,400 shareholders, the majority of whom were small investors, and nine
major investors. (DPA)
PA Chief of Civil Affairs Husein al-Sheikh said in a statement that Israel had decided to increase the amount of fuel
allowed into the Gaza Strip. "We were informed by the Israeli side that the amounts of diesel, cooking gas, gasoline
and industrial diesel for operating the Gaza power plant would increase on 18 July," said Mr. al-Sheikh. (Xinhua)
The house of the Al-Kurds family in East Jerusalem was scheduled to be demolished. The decision was a reversal of an
earlier order by the Israeli High Court that had originally decided to allow the family to remain in their home and
ruled that a Jewish group, which took over part of the property in 1999, should leave the house but no action was taken
against the settlers. The International Solidarity Movement had stated that the ruling "sets a dangerous precedent that
could jeopardize the future of another 27 Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem." (Ma'an News Agency)
In a televised statement, Ahmed Youssef, a political adviser to former PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, warned that if
Israel did not continue to meet all the conditions of the truce, Hamas would return to violent means. He pointed out
that the siege of the Gaza Strip, being maintained by Israel forces, constituted a breach of the truce. "If the siege
is not lifted and the crossings are not opened, then to hell with the truce," he said. (Ma'an News Agency)
PA President Abbas said, "We believe that resolving the issue of prisoners between Israel and Hizbullah will help us
resolve our own issues. We are also looking forward to have [IDF soldier Gilad Shalit] held in captivity released in
order to enable thousands of our prisoners to return home." Mr. Abbas was addressing a joint press conference with
Malta Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi following a meeting between the two at Castille during which Dr. Gonzi was invited
to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territory. (www.timesofmalta.com)
Viet Nam's Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dao Viet Trung, representative to the Ministerial Conference on
Capacity-Building for Palestine, held in Jakarta, reaffirmed his country's continued annual provision of $120,000 in
aid to the Palestinians. (www.mofa.gov.vn)
In Gaza, an Israeli military vehicle entered an area near Beit Hanoun, burning 150 dunums of land and destroying an agricultural field of wheat and barley crops. This was the IDF’s deepest incursion into Gaza in months. (Ma’an News Agency)
A PLO Negotiations Affairs Department report, focussing on Israeli settlement outposts, said that outposts were “no different” than settlements, in that they took up Palestinian land and were even more illegal than their parent settlements. The report, which pointed out Israel’s failure to meet its Road Map obligations, said the settlement outposts were detrimental to any possible continuation of peace talks in the future. (www.nad-plo.org)
Israeli settlers vowed to respond to US President Obama's stance against Israeli settlements by rebuilding the settlement of “Homesh” in the northern West Bank, which had been evacuated in 2005. Settler leaders published a message to President Obama, criticizing him for his pressure on Israel on the issue of settlement construction. (DPA)
PA President Abbas, on a two-day visit to Turkey, held talks with Turkish President Abdullah Gül and inaugurated a new Palestinian embassy building. At a joint press conference in Ankara, Mr. Gül stressed the necessity of a two-State solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian State. He also said that the Israeli blockade on Gaza should be lifted immediately. On his part, President Abbas said that Israel was not respecting international law and urged the Israeli Government to freeze construction of settlements. (AFP)
At the Non-Aligned Movement 15th summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, leaders vowed in a final communiqué to continue exerting efforts to achieve just and total peace in the Middle East They voiced solidarity with the Palestinian people's inalienable rights of self-determination, Palestinian refugees' right of return and a viable State with Jerusalem as its capital. They condemned all illegitimate Israeli settlement activities and Israeli attempts to change the legal status and demographic structure of Jerusalem. (NNN-KUNA)
Egypt repaired and sent back a generator to the Gaza power plant, according to power plant chief Jamal Ad-Dardasawi. Once re-installed, the 70 megawatt machine would “provide a noticeable improvement in services for Gazans, particularly in Gaza City”, he said. (Ma’an News Agency)