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News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (November 25 – December 1, 2020)

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News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (November 25 – December 1, 2020) רמה כ ז מל ו תשר מה ו ד י ע י ן ( למ מ" ) כרמ ז מה י עד מל ו ד י ע י ן ול רט ו ר News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (November 25 – December 1, 2020) Overview In the Gaza Strip, as well as in Judea and Samaria the sharp rise in the number of active Covid-19 cases continues. As of December 1, 2020, there were 9,627 active cases in the Gaza Strip and 11,692 in Judea and Samaria. While Hamas continues implementing local and regional preventive measures, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced it would again impose a full lockdown throughout its territories over the coming weekend. So far the preventive measures taken by Hamas and the PA do not appear to be effective, mainly because the local populations violate them extensively. This past week the Gaza Strip was quiet. In Judea and Samaria a ramming attack was carried out at the al-Za'im roadblock, east of Jerusalem. The terrorist was shot and killed. On the roads in Judea and Samaria there has been a considerable increase in the number of stones, rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at civilian vehicles, including civilian buses. Following the renewal of civilian and security coordination between the PA and Israel, the PA has been looking for creative ways to circumvent Israel's objection to the transfer of salaries to Palestinian terrorist prisoners and the families of shaheeds. In the meantime the Israeli media reported that on November 29, 2020, Israel's political-security cabinet authorized the transfer of 2.5 billion shekels (about $760 million) to the PA. According to the reports, 600 million shekels (about $180 million) a year will be deducted from the payments made to the PA (Kan Hadashot, November 30, 2020). On November 29,2020, Mahmoud Abbas left for a round of visits to regional countries, leaving the PA for the fist time since civilian and security coordination with Israel was ended (May 19, 2020). So far he has gone to Jordan and Egypt, where he met with King Abdallah and President el-Sisi. Apparently the objective of the visits is to coordinate positions in view of the transition to the new American administration. 293-20 2 Covid-19 Infection – Update Gaza Strip The number of active cases in the Gaza Strip continues rising. On December 1, 2020, 815 new cases were detected, bringing the total number to 9,627. So far 111 Gazans have died and 325 are hospitalized, 132 of them in serious or critical condition.1 The Palestinian media reported that Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip has contracted Covid-19; his condition is described as stable. Right: The ICU for patients on ventilators in the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis (Palinfo Twitter account, December 1, 2020). Left: The streets of Gaza City, empty because of the limitations placed on afternoon movement (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, November 30, 2020). Judea and Samaria The sharp rise in the extent of Covid-19 infection in Judea and Samaria continues. As of December 1, 2020, the number of active cases was 11,692, up from 7,843 a week ago. There are 64 patients in ICUs, 13 of them on ventilators. Deaths rose sharply from 584 last week to 636 on December 1, 2020. In the Nablus district the number of active cases rose to 3,216, up from 2,385 a week ago (Facebook page of the ministry of health in Ramallah, December 1, 2020). On November 30, 2020, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh told the weekly Palestinian government meeting that the nightly curfew in the PA territories would continue 1 For further information, see the November 30, 2020, bulletin, "The Spread of Covid-19 in Gaza Strip, Judea and Samaria (Updated to November 30, 2020)" 293-20 3 and that a full lockdown would be imposed on the coming Friday and Saturday (Muhammad Shtayyeh's Facebook page, November 30, 2018). Rocket Fire Rocket fire into Israel This past week there was relative quiet in the Gaza Strip. Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire 700 691 600 578 500 400 300 200 122 100 89 25 2 1 1 2 2 14 13 4 6 15 1 0 1 3 3 15 4 4 0 July July May May June June April April March March Jan-19 Jan-20 August August October October February February December November November September September Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits 3852 4000 3000 2000 1,403 1159 1,119 974 925 845 783 787 1000 375 373 158 193 103 39 24 15 29 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Operation Cast Lead Operation Pillar of Defense Operation Protective Edge 293-20 4 Judea and Samaria Ramming attack On the afternoon of November 25, 2020, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem drove his vehicle to the al-Za'im roadblock (east of Jerusalem). An examination of his license and registration at the roadblock showed they belonged to someone else. As the documents were being examined the Palestinian drove into a Border Policeman who was located at the site, wounding him. The Border Policeman and other security personnel shot and mortally wounded the Palestinian (Israel Police Force spokesman's unit, November 25, 2020). He was pronounced dead at the hospital (Hadassah Hospital spokesman's unit, November 25, 2020). The Palestinian media reported that the Palestinian was Nour Shqeir, 33, from the Silwan neighborhood of east Jerusalem (Palinfo website, November 25, 2020). Hamas expressed their condolences at the death of Nour Jamal Shqeir, who carried out the ramming attack in Jerusalem, and called for an escalation of the "resistance" in all its forms (Dunia al-Watan, November 2, 2020). Nour Shqeir, from Silwan in east Jerusalem, who carried out the ramming attack (Ma'an, November 25, 2020). Other events In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles. The more prominent events were the following:2 November 30, 2020: Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at an Israeli bus southeast of Ariel. A passenger was treated for shock and the front windshield of the bus was damaged. 2 All information and reports are from Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria unless otherwise noted. 293-20 5 November 30, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle in the region of Ariel. No casualties were reported. November 30, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle east of Ariel. No casualties were reported; the vehicle was damaged. November 29, 2020: Stones and bottles of paint were thrown at an Israeli bus and other Israeli vehicles north of Hebron. A man was slightly injured; his vehicle was damaged. November 29, 2020: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli bus southeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. November 29, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus west of Jenin. No casualties were reported. November 29, 2020: Stones were thrown at an IDF ambulance south of Hebron. No casualties were reported. November 29, 2020: Stones were thrown at Israeli vehicles northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. November 29, 2020: Stones were thrown at Israeli vehicles northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported; vehicles were damaged. November 29, 2020: Stones, rocks and bottles of paint were thrown at an Israeli bus and other Israeli vehicles north of Hebron. Two people were slightly injured. Right: Front windshield of the bus damaged by bottles of paint. Left: Glass from the broken front windshield and the rock that broke the window (Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, November 29, 2020). 293-20 6 November 28, 2020: Five Molotov cocktails were thrown at the IDF's Anatot military camp (southeast of Ramallah). No casualties were reported. November 26, 2020: Stones were thrown from a passing vehicle at an Israeli vehicle south of Nablus. No casualties or damage were reported. November 26, 2020: Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near Gush Etzion. No casualties or damage were reported. November 26, 2020: An Israel who worked in the Barkan industrial zone drove into the village of Biddya (southwest of Nablus). Armed Palestinians stopped his vehicle and took his keys and cell phone. They took him to the local police station and later turned him over to IDF forces. November 26, 2020: Israeli security forces identified two suspicious Palestinians near the fence of the community of Psagot (near Ramallah-al-Bireh). The two fled. A pipe bomb and Molotov cocktail ready for throwing were found at the site (United Hatzalah, November 26, 2020). November 25, 2020: Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at Israeli vehicles southeast of Bethlehem. No casualties were reported; damage to the vehicles was reported. Significant terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria since January 20193 7 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 July July May May June June April April March March August August January January October October February February December November November September September 3A significant attack is defined by the ITIC as involving shooting, a vehicular attack, the use of IEDs, or a combination of the above. Stones and Molotov cocktails thrown by Palestinians are not included. 293-20 7 Developments in the Gaza Strip Interview with Saleh al-'Arouri Saleh al-'Arouri, deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau, said during an interview that Hamas and Iran see eye-to-eye on many issues: Iran has not normalized relations with Israel, it opposes Israel and support all the anti-Israeli "resistance" movements, among them Hezbollah, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).
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