News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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News of Terrorism and the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
(March 10 – 16, 2021)
Overview
Coronavirus: In the Gaza Strip there was a moderate increase in the number of active
cases. Vaccines donated by the UAE and with the personal involvement of Muhammad
Dahlan arrived and Gazans are being vaccinated. In Judea and Samaria the number of
active cases continues rising. In light of the increase and the almost total occupancy of the
hospitals, a five-day general lockdown was announced. The ministry of health in Ramallah is
working to enlarge existing coronavirus wards and to open new ones. In the meantime, the
PA continues its efforts to acquire vaccines. Israel continues vaccinating Palestinian day
laborers working in its territory.
Terrorist attacks: The Gaza Strip has been relatively quiet. In Judea and Samaria
Palestinians continue throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at Israel vehicles and
communities.
The Gaza Strip: The ministry of the interior in Gaza announced that according to the results
of the investigation into the explosion on the fishing boat off the Khan Yunis coast on March 7,
2021, which killed three fisherman, Israel was responsible for the deaths. During a press
conference pieces of the boat and of a quadcopter which was claimed to have caused the
explosion were exhibited.
Yahya al-Sinwar won a close race in Hamas' internal elections and will serve as head of
Hamas' political bureau for four more years. The difficulties accompanying the elections were
reflected the dissatisfaction and internal tensions, which were unwillingly exposed by the
Hamas movement. After the elections, for the first time, a woman was appointed to the
bureau, and Hamas divulged the names of the political bureau members. That may have
been done to show Hamas' "democratic spirit" in preparation for the upcoming general
Palestinian elections.
The Palestinian Authority (PA): Preparations continue for holding the elections, and on
March 16, 2021, representatives of the Palestinian organizations met again in Cairo.
Mahmoud Abbas ordered that senior Fatah figure Nasser al-Qudwa be removed from his post
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2
after refusing to retract his intention to run on a separate ticket, funding for the Yasser Arafat
Foundation, in whose administration al-Qudwa and Yasser Arafat's widow are involved, was
cut off. The Prisoners' Affairs Commission is looking for ways to pay the terrorist prisoners
and the families of the shaheeds.
The Spread of Covid-19
The Gaza Strip
In the Gaza Strip this past week there was a moderate rise in coronavirus infection, with 1,259
new cases, up from 925 a week ago. In the 24 hours between March 15 and 16, 298 new cases
were detected and 2,130 tests were administered with a positive rate of 14%. There are
currently 2,291 active cases, up from 1,901 a week ago. Eighty-six patients are in ICUs, 55 of
them on ventilators. The number of coronavirus-related deaths is 568, up from 560 a week
ago (Facebook page of the ministry of health in Gaza, March 16, 2021).
Dr. Majdi Dheir, director of preventive medicine in the ministry of health in Gaza, said the
slight rise in the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients shows they were infected in the
second wave, which has a very slow infection rate (Palinfo Twitter account, March 16, 2021).
Vaccines
Forty thousand doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine were delivered to the Gaza Strip
through the Rafah Crossing. The vaccines were donated by the UAE, reportedly the result of
the efforts of Muhammad Dahlan (Sawa, March 11, 2021). (Dahlan is a former senior Fatah
figure and a rival of Mahmoud Abbas; he was expelled from Fatah in 2011.) Following the
arrival of the vaccines the ministry of health called on all Gazans over the age of 75 to go to
the vaccination centers open throughout the Gaza Strip to be vaccinated. Dr. Ashraf al-
Qidra, spokesman for the ministry of health in Gaza, reported that on March 15, 2021 they
began administering second shots of the vaccine (Sawa, March 15, 2021).
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3
Right: Vaccines from the UAE arrive in the Gaza Strip (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih,
March 11, 2021). Left: Beginning the rounds of the second shot (Twitter account of journalist
Hassan Aslih, March 16, 2021).
Judea and Samaria
This past week the number of active cases in Judea and Samaria continued to climb, with
12,285 new cases. In the 24 hours between March 15 and 16, 1,891 new cases were detected
and 7,528 tests were administered with a positive rate of 25.1%. There are currently 19,427
active cases, up from 18,168 a week ago. One hundred eighty-three patients are in ICUs, 54 of
them on ventilators. This past week there were 136 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the
number to 1,746. In east Jerusalem there are 1,772 active cases, down from last week. The
main epicenter is in the Nablus district (Facebook page of the ministry of health in
Ramallah, March 16, 2021).
The overall situation
According to Dr. Kamal al-Shakhra, spokesman for the ministry of health in Ramallah, the
situation is extremely serious, and the Palestinians are now facing a large, previously-
unknown and aggressive outbreak of the virus (Facebook page of the ministry of health in
Ramallah, March 13, 2021). On another occasion, he said the number of active cases was
double the number reported by the ministry of health in Ramallah because many people
refused, for personal reasons, to be tested despite the fact they were showing symptoms
(Wafa, March 15, 2021).
Anan Rashad, a senior figure in the ministry of health, said that many of the people with
active cases suffered from very serious symptoms which necessitated urgent medical
intervention and that many of the patients were young. According to Usama al-Najar, a
member of the coronavirus emergency committee in the ministry of health, 90% of today's
cases were infected by the British and South African variants. He said they had recently
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4
received equipment to test for the mutations and the devices had been distributed to seven
laboratories.
"The first wave, the second wave"
(al-Quds, March 12, 2021).
The increase in coronavirus infection in Judea and Samaria
(According to the ministry of health in Ramallah)
22,000
19,427
20,000
18,168
18,000
16,000 14,703
14,000 12,013
12,000 10,137 12,285
9,688
10,000
8,000 7,213
5,973
6,000 4,894
3,736 2,924
4,000 1,941 2,357
2,000
0
27.1-2.2.2021 9-3.2.2021 16-10.2.2021 23-17.2.2021 24.2-2.3.2021 3-9.3.2021 10-16.3.2021
Active cases New cases
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5
Number of coronavirus-related death
(According to the ministry of health in Ramallah)
2,000
1,746
1,750 1,610
1,510
1,404 1,449
1,500 1,326 1,365
1,250
1,000
750
500
250
0
27.1-2.2.2021 9-3.2.2021 16-10.2.2021 23-17.2.2021 24.2-2.3.21 3-9.3.2021 10-16.3.2021
Situation in the hospitals
Mai al-Kayla, PA minister of health, said the hospitals in all the districts had reached
between 90% and 100% capacity, and 48% of the ventilators were in use. Given the difficult
situation in the hospitals, the ministry of health is currently working to enlarge the existing
coronavirus wards and has demanded that all the private hospitals open coronavirus wards
(Wafa, March 14, 2021). At the weekly government meeting PA Prime Minister Muhammad
Shtayyeh reported that existing coronavirus wards had been enlarged and the hospital
medical staffs had been increased (Wafa, March 15, 2021).
Dr. Kamal al-Shakhra said the Palestinian health system had not collapsed and was
completely competent. He denied rumors of a shortage of oxygen in the hospitals (Wafa,
March 15, 2021). The ministry of health in Ramallah reported that all the hospitals in the PA
had backup from reserve oxygen stations, and not one coronavirus-related death had been
reported as caused a shortage of oxygen. The ministry threated that legal action would be
taken against anyone who spread false information on the social networks regarding a
shortage of oxygen (Wafa, March 15, 2021). Note: That happened after seven coronavirus
patients in Jordan died because of a shortage of oxygen.
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The PA minister of health opens a new ICU in the Ishtarshi Arab Hospital in Ramallah (Facebook
page of the ministry of health in Ramallah, March 14, 2021).
Renewal of the lockdown
Given the rise in infection and the situation in the hospitals, PA spokesman Ibrahim Melhem
announced a series of measures that would go into force on March 15, 2021 (Wafa, March 13,
2021):
A five-day full general lockdown would be imposed on all the districts.
Passage from district to district and movement within the districts was banned with
the exception of medical staff.
The entire education system would close down. The ministers would be responsible
for how work was carried out in their ministries. Banks and courts would work with
skeleton crews. Emergency services would continue operating.
The various district governors had received the authority to decide about the opening
of vital sectors.
The private hospitals would have to allocate wards for coronavirus patients.
Roadblocks in Hebron (Wafa, March 15, 2021)
Acquiring vaccines
Despite the promises received from various sources (among them Russia and China), the PA
is apparently having problems acquiring vaccines and having them delivered. PA Prime
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Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said the delay in the vaccines' arrival was due to international
factors and the companies producing the vaccines, which were supposed to fulfill their
commitments and supply the vaccines on the promised dates (Facebook page of Muhammad
Shtayyeh, March 10, 2018).
Muhammad Shtayyeh later told the weekly government meeting that significant progress
had been made in obtaining vaccines, which, he said, would be donated through the COVAX
initiative1 (Wafa, March 15, 2021). Yasser Bouzia, director of public health in the ministry of
health in Ramallah, said that in the coming days they expected the delivery of the first 37,000
doses of Pfizer vaccine. He added that they also expected to receive two million doses from
COVAX during the coming year (Wafa, March 14, 2021).
In the meantime, as instructed by Muhammad Shtayyeh, the ministry of health launched an
Internet campaign to register local residents to receive the vaccine. According to reports, so
far 100,000 people have already signed up on the site (Facebook page of the ministry of
health in Ramallah, March 15, 2021). The ministry of health also issued a video to counter the
anti-vaxxers with the theme, "Not everything you hear about COVID-19 vaccines is the truth")
(Facebook page of the ministry of health in Ramallah, March 14, 2021).
Right: Campaign to register local residents for vaccination (Facebook page of the ministry of
health in Ramallah, March 10, 2021). Left: Video countering anti-vaxxers (Facebook page of the
ministry of health in Ramallah, March 14, 2021).
Israel continues vaccinating Palestinian day-laborers in Israel
The Arabic Facebook page of the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the
Territories (COGAT) reported that Israel continues to vaccinate Palestinian day laborers
working in Israel. So far 50,000 Palestinians have been vaccinated. The first phase of
1
COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) is a global initiative, including UNICEF and the W.H.O.,
aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. Its objective is to provide two billion doses to
countries with low incomes at a nominal price by the end of 2021.
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vaccinations is expected to end on March 18, 2021. The second phase is expected to begin on
April 4, 2021, and will continue for two weeks (Arabic Facebook page of the COGAT, March 14,
2021).
Israel's South
Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israel
This past week no rocket hits were identified in Israeli territory.
Monthly Distribution of Rocket and Mortar Shell Fire
691
700
600 578
500
400
300
200
122
100 89
6 15 25 15
2 1 1 2 2 1413 4 1 0 1 3 3 4 4 2 3 0 0
0
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Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits
5000
4500
3,852
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1,403
1500 1,159 1,119
974 925
1000 783 787 845
375 373
500 158 103 39 195
24 15 29 3
0
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
d
se
ge
ea
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
en
Ed
tL
ef
e
s
fD
Ca
tiv
ro
ec
n
tio
ot
lla
a
Pr
Pi
er
n
n
Op
tio
tio
a
a
er
er
Op
Op
Hamas announces results of investigation of the three fishermen's
deaths
On March 11, 2021, Iyad al-Buzum, spokesman for the ministry of the interior in Gaza, held a
press conference where he summarized the results of the investigation of the explosion of a
fishing boat off the Khan Yunis coast in the southern Gaza Strip on March 7, 2021. Three
fishermen died in the explosion. He claimed the investigation revealed Israel was responsible
for the deaths. The press conference was widely covered by the Palestinian media. Pieces of
the fishing boat and of a quadcopter were exhibited, which Hamas claimed had been
retrieved from the sea about half an hour after the explosion.
Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua said the fact that Israel "plant[ed] quadcopters
carrying explosives" in the area around where the fishermen worked was "aggression and a
crime against humanity" which demanded international action, including legal action. He
said they would not remain silent (Sawa, March 11, 2021). The Jerusalem Brigades, the
military-terrorist wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), said in a statement that Israel
("the enemy") had carried out a "stupid crime." It would certainly be answered by the
"Palestinian resistance" [i.e., Palestinian terrorist organizations], which would not allow
Israel to change the rules of engagement (Jerusalem Brigades website, March 11, 2021).
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10
Judea and Samaria
The throwing of rocks and Molotov cocktails, and other events
This past week the Israeli security forces prevented a number of terrorist attacks and
detained several suspects. On March 15, 2021, an IDF ambush caught two Palestinians who
over the past two days had thrown rocks at Israel vehicles northwest of Ramallah from the
back of a motorcycle. They were detained with rocks in their pockets (Ynet, March 15, 2021).
An IDF ambush identified and shot at three Palestinians who had thrown Molotov cocktails at
the community of Beit El. Two of the Palestinians were wounded (IDF spokesman, March 15,
2021). Israeli policemen and Border Police fighters detained a Palestinian in Ras al-Amoud in
east Jerusalem on suspicion of throwing Molotov cocktails (Israel Police Force Jerusalem
spokesman's unit, March 10, 2021).
Confrontations between the IDF and Palestinians during the weekly riots in Kafr Qaddum, east of
Qalqilya (Wafa, March 12, 2021).
In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at
vehicles driving on the roads. The more prominent events were the following:2
March 16, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle southwest of Bethlehem. No
casualties were reported. The windshield was damaged.
March 15, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a bus south of Hebron. No casualties were
reported. The windshield was damaged.
March 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a police car northeast of Jerusalem. No
casualties were reported. The police car was damaged. Stones were also thrown at a
bus northeast of Jerusalem. No casualties were reported. The windshield was
damaged.
2
All information and reports are from Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria unless otherwise
noted.
046-2111
March 14, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northeast of Jerusalem. No
casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
March 13, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle that mistakenly entered the
east Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya. One civilian was slightly injured. The vehicle
was damaged.
The shattered front windshield of the Israel vehicle
(Israel Police Force spokesman's unit, March 13, 2021).
March 13, 2021: An IED exploded northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported.
March 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle north of Hebron. No
casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
March 11, 2021: A Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle north of Hebron.
No casualties were reported.
March 11, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a bus south of Nablus. No casualties were
reported. The bus was damaged.
March 10, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle south of Jerusalem. No
casualties were reported. The windshield was damaged.
March 10, 2021: A Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli bus north of Hebron. No
casualties were reported.
March 10, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a bus northeast of Jerusalem. No casualties
were reported. The windshield was damaged.
March 10, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a bus on a bypass road southwest of
Jerusalem. No casualties were reported. The windshield was damaged.
March 9, 2021: Rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown at Israeli vehicles southwest
of Nablus. No casualties were reported. Two vehicles were damaged.
March 9, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northeast of Ramallah. No
casualties were reported.
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March 9, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a bus southeast of Nablus. No casualties were
reported. The bus was damaged.
March 9, 2021: Rocks were thrown at a bus northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were
reported. The bus was damaged.
March 9, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle in western Samaria. No
casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
Significant terrorist attacks in Judea and Samaria since January
20193
8 7 7
6 6 6 6 6
6
4 4
4 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 1 1 1
0 0 0 0
0
October
October
January
March
January
March
January
March
December
December
August
August
June
June
February
April
February
April
February
November
November
July
July
May
May
September
September
Developments in the Gaza Strip
Economic conditions
The World Bank announced it had transferred an Italian donation of eight million euros
to support the Palestinian government's efforts to improve the supply of drinking water in the
Gaza Strip (Wafa, March 11, 2021).
Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, the EU representative in the PA, arrived in the Gaza Strip
heading an EU delegation. According to Shadi Othman, EU spokesman in the PA, during the
visit an agreement was signed for EU support for a number of agricultural projects at a cost of
four million euros (Dunia al-Watan, March 10, 2021).
The ministry of welfare in the Gaza Strip announced that on March 16, 2021, the financial
support for the wounded and families of those killed during the return marches would be
distributed through the branches of the post office bank (alresala.net, March 14, 2021).
3
A 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.
046-2113
Internal Hamas elections
After four rounds of elections and a close race in the secret internal elections for the
Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip, Yahya al-Sinwar defeated Nizar Awadallah and was
chosen for a second term to head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, a position
he has held since 2017. The rounds of elections provided Hamas spokesmen with an
opportunity to state they had been held, as claimed, transparently, competitively and
democratically. The difficulties accompanying the elections were reflected the
dissatisfaction and internal tensions, which were unwillingly exposed by the Hamas
movement.
After the election results had been officially announced, Yahya al-Sinwar said he would
continue to serve the Palestinian people and invest all his efforts towards realizing their
goals. He added that Hamas would use all its power to stop Israel from taking control of
the land of the Palestinians in the West Bank, and he promised the prisoners in Israeli jails
that Hamas would work to liberate them (Shehab, March 10, 2021).
Immediately after he was elected, Yahya al-Sinwar initiated talks for forming the political
bureau and Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip (Shehab, March 13, 2021). The Hamas political
bureau has 17 members and there are three leadership positions in Hamas institutions. Until
now Hamas election results were kept secret. It is the first time Hamas publicly reported
the names of its political bureau members. That might be to indicate the Hamas'
democratic spirit in preparation for the Palestinian general elections.
An examination of the list of names indicates that no significant changes were made in the
political bureau's composition, and most of the members had previously served on the
bureau. However:
For the first time a woman was elected. She is Jemilla al-Shanti, a member of the
Palestinian Legislative Council in the northern Gaza Strip district (Hamas website,
March 14, 2021).
Marwan Issa, one of the heads of Hamas' military-terrorist wing in Gaza, was
elected to the political bureau.4
4
Marwan Issa (Abu al-Baraa) is a senior figure in Hamas' military-terrorist wing in Gaza. He apparently
inherited the position as head of the military-terrorist wing from Ahmed al-Jaabari, who was killed in a
targeted attack in 2012. In the past he was head of Hamas' military-terrorist wing in the refugee camps
in the central Gaza Strip. He was deeply involved in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange deal. Issa spend
five years in prison in Israel. He speaks fluent Hebrew (Wikipedia in Arabic, March 16, 2021).
046-2114
Nizar Awadallah, who almost defeated Yahya al-Sinwar in the first round of elections,
was also appointed to the bureau, after not having served in the previous one. Ghazi
Hamad, a Hamas media and information figure, returned to the bureau.
Right: The elected Hamas leadership, headed by Yahya al-Sinwar. Marwan Issa, senior military-
terrorist wing figures, fourth from the left in the second row (wearing a mask and circled in red)
(Hamas website in English, March 14, 2021). Left: Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political
bureau in the Gaza Strip, at a press conference held immediately after the election results were
announced. Nizar Awadallah is at the left (Hamas website in Arabic, March 10, 2021).
Responses to the election of al-Sinwar
Isma'il Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political bureau, congratulated al-Sinwar, noting that the
election stressed the institutionalization of the movement and the need for geographic
deployment "inside and outside" [the Gaza Strip]. He said the elections established Hamas'
status as a partner in the leadership of the national endeavor. Hamas' commitment to hold
elections every four years stressed, he claimed, its faith in the principle of change in
leadership, which proved how serious Hamas was in preparation for elections to the
Palestinian Legislative Council, the presidency and the Palestinian National Council (Hamas
website, March 10, 2021).
Senior PIJ figure Muhammad al-Hindi congratulated al-Sinwar on his election and wished
him success. He said al-Sinwar had experience and was capable of preserving the strength of
Hamas and the Gaza Strip (al-Aqsa, March 12, 2021). Senior PIJ figure Nafez Azzam
congratulated Hamas and Yahya al-Sinwar on his election, noting that Hamas' democratic
process proved the accusations made against Islamists were false. He also noted that
relations between the Palestinian organizations had developed greatly under al-Sinwar's
leadership, and they would continue to develop and grow (Filastin al-Yawm, March 10, 2021).
The Hamas newspaper Felesteen elaborated on the issues al-Sinwar will have to deal with
immediately, including the PA elections (especially Israel's attempts to interfere), easing
046-2115
the hardships in the Gaza Strip, strengthening internal support by establishing ties to the
clans, dealing with the issue of the prisoners in Israeli jails and strengthening relations with
Egypt and Iran (Felesteen, March 11, 2021).
Isma'il Haniyeh visits wounded Palestinians in Turkey
On the occasion of Palestinian Wounded Day, Isma'il Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political
bureau, visited wounded Palestinians hospitalized in Turkey. He thanked the Turkish White
Hands organization, which treats wounded people in the country's hospitals, and also
thanked Turkey for opening its gates to wounded [Palestinians]. He thanked Iran, Qatar and
Egypt for their efforts to ease the suffering of the Gaza Strip (White House, March 13, 2021).
Isma'il Haniyeh visits wounded Palestinians hospitalized in Turkey
(Hamas website in Arabic, March 13, 2021).
Statements by Muhammad al-Hindi
During an interview, senior PIJ figure Muhammad al-Hindi called for the continuation of
the "popular resistance" [i.e., popular terrorism] in Judea and Samaria. He said the Fatah
movement had a history of struggle, and the PIJ expected Fatah to return to being the "hub
of popular resistance in the West Bank." He added that in his opinion Fatah was in greater
danger than Hamas and the PIJ because in the West Bank "[Palestinian] lands were being
stolen and given to the [Israeli] settlers." He also said that the "resistance in Palestine"
spearheaded the confrontation with Israel. He said the West Bank had been abandoned and
there was no one there who would stand against Israel. He claimed the PIJ was helping the
Palestinian people oppose armed soldiers with simple weapons and by making
immediate decisions when necessary. As for the PIJ's relations with Hamas, he said they
coordinated at all levels through a committee. As to whether there was also military
coordination, he said they coordinated at all levels and had as well in 2014 [the year of
Operation Protective Edge]. However, he said, he level of connection had to be raised and a
046-2116
unified strategic position had to be formulated that would pave the resistance's way to
confronting Israel (al-Aqsa, March 12, 2021).
The Palestinian Authority (PA)
PA elections
Preparations for elections in the PA continue. This past week a delegation of the
Palestinian organizations went to Egypt for another round of Egyptian-mediated meetings.
The Fatah delegation was headed by Jibril Rajoub, secretary of Fatah's Central Committee,
and the Hamas delegation by Saleh al-'Arouri, deputy head of Hamas' political bureau. A
PIJ delegation also left for Egypt (Shehab, Dunia al-Watan, March 15, 2021), despite the fact
that so far the organization has announced it will not participate in the elections.
Al-Quds cartoon about the disputes and rivalries before the organizations meet in Cairo. The
Arabic reads, "The factions and the elections..." (al-Quds, March 15, 2021).
Jibril Rajoub said in an interview that was meeting and in contact daily with senior Hamas
figures, and in continuous contact with Saleh al-'Arouri. He said the Palestinian
organizations had reached understandings regarding the composition of a national unity
government without having to depend on the results of the election (al-Andalou News, March
8, 2021).
Nabil Sha'ath, advisor to Mahmoud Abbas, said the residents of east Jerusalem would vote
in the upcoming elections through Israel's postal service. That had been achieved by
international agreement because it was the same system used in the previous elections, so
Israel had no objections (al-Andalou News, March 12, 2021).
Disputes in Fatah over party slates
Nasser al-Qudwa
046-2117
On instructions from Mahmoud Abbas, Fatah's Central Committee expelled Nasser al-
Qudwa from the movement. He had been given 48 hours to retract his decision to run
election to the Palestinian Legislative Council on a separate ticket, which Mahmoud Abbas
claimed was in violation of the movement's bylaws and decisions (Wafa, March 11, 2021). Al-
Qudwa's first response was to tweet "Palestine...first and foremost" (Nasser al-Qudwa's
Twitter account, March 11, 2021). He later said the decision against him revealed the
movement's sad state, and he would remain a member of the [Fatah] movement to the end
(Sawa, March 11, 2021).
Mahmoud Abbas then instructed Shukri Bishara, PA minister of the treasury, as of March 11,
2021, to stop the funding for the Yasser Arafat Foundation, headed by Nasser al-Qudwa,
who is Yasser Arafat's nephew. Al-Qudwa confirmed that measures had been instituted
against him, one of which was cutting off funding for the Yasser Arafat Foundation (al-Quds,
March 15, 2021).
Marwan Barghouti
The QudsN website, quoting a "source," reported that Fatah's Revolutionary Council had
given the Central Committee the recommendation to put Marwan Barghouti, a member of
Fatah's Central Committee imprisoned in Israel, at the head to the Fatah slate for the
Palestinian Legislative Council. That was done to prevent Barghouti from running against
Mahmoud Abbas for the presidency (QudsN, March 15, 2021).
Reinstating payments to prisoners and the families of shaheeds
Qudri Abu Bakr, chairman of the commission for prisoners and released prisoners' affairs,
said the Palestinian leadership was in contact with the American administration, the
Europeans and the authorities in Israel to find a way to renew payments to the prisoners,
released prisoners and the families of shaheeds. He said he hoped bank payments could be
reinstituted in April 2021 (al-Quds, March 11, 2021). On March 16, 2021, Fatah-affiliated
released prisoners held a demonstration in front of the prime minister's office in Ramallah,
calling for the immediate renewal of their payments (QudsN, March 16, 2021).
The PA prime minister promotes his plan to end PA dependence on
Israel
On March 7, 2021, PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh met with Tarek Tayil, the
Egyptian representative in the PA, to discuss a way to solve the electricity supply problems in
the Gaza Strip. He suggested a project to develop the gas field in Gaza and pipe the gas in to
046-2118
run the power plant in Gaza. Shtayyeh said they wanted gas for the Gaza Strip to be supplied
directly from Egypt and not from Israel, which would allow them to be released from their
dependence on Israel (Muhammad Shtayyeh's Facebook page, March 7, 2021).
Harsh criticism of the opening of the Kosovo embassy and an office of
the Czech embassy in Jerusalem
Kosovo, which instituted diplomatic relations with Israel a month ago, officially opened its
embassy in Jerusalem with a festive ceremony. It joined the United States and Guatemala,
which also have their embassies in Jerusalem. In the PA Kosovo was harshly criticized. At the
weekly government meeting PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh called it a violation of
European consensus and international law. He added that such decisions would influence
the future of the political process (Wafa, March 15, 2021). Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem
called it a violation of international resolutions and a continuation of the normalization
measures taken by several Arab states.
The Palestinian foreign ministry harshly criticized the opening of the Czech embassy's office
in Jerusalem. According to the ministry, it was a blow to the Palestinian people, a violation of
international law and an attack on the EU regarding Jerusalem. The Palestinian foreign
ministry called on the Czech Republic to reverse the decision, noting the Palestinians were
working with the EU to overturn the Czech move (website of the PA foreign ministry, March
13, 2021).
Criticism of the Israeli prime minister's visit to Susiya, south of Hebron
On March 14, 2021, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Susiya, south of
Hebron. Before his arrival Palestinians called on the general public to demonstrate against
the visit. The PA foreign ministry strongly criticized Netanyahu's visit (Wafa, March 14, 2021).
The Palestinians held a protest demonstration at the site.
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Palestinians demonstrate against Netanyahu's visit to Susiya (Wafa on YouTube, March 14, 2021).
Palestinian reactions to Israeli President Rivlin and Chief of Staff
Kokhavi's visit to Europe
The Palestinian media gave extensive coverage, including quotes from Israeli sources, to the
round of visits made by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and the IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kokhavi
to European countries. According to the Palestinian reports, they will discuss the Iranian
nuclear issue, Hezbollah, and the ICC's decision [to investigate Israel] (al-Quds, March 16,
2021)
The Palestinian media covers the Israeli president and chief of staff's visit to Europe in an
attempt to hinder the ICC's decision (al-Quds, March 16, 2021).
Palestinians accuse Israel of razing buildings, construction in the
settlements and the takeover of Jerusalem
The official Palestinian media continue covering Israel's construction in Judea, Samaria and
east Jerusalem:
For the 12th consecutive week, the official Palestinian TV network held an open
program about construction in the settlements. Palestinian TV reporters deployed
throughout Judea and Samaria report on the enlargement of the settlements. This past
week a Palestinian reporter interviewed the deputy governor of the Jenin district, who
related to the increase in the number of Israel settlements in the district during recent
years. Later, a reporter gave information about IDF activity in the Old City of Hebron
preventing Palestinians from entering their homes in Tel Rumeida (Facebook page of
Palestinian TV, March 15, 2021).
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Right: Open broadcast on Palestinian TV condemning Israel's construction in the settlements and
the IDF's activity in the Old City of Hebron (Facebook page of Palestinian TV, March 15, 2021).
Left: Picture on the Palestinian TV Facebook page showing the razing of Palestinian buildings in
Judea and Samaria. The Arabic reads, "Acts of destruction" (Palestinian TV Facebook page,
March 15, 2021).
Ahmed al-Ruweidi, advisor to Mahmoud Abbas for Jerusalem affairs, strongly
criticized the "construction activities of Israel in east Jerusalem." He said Israel's plans
for the coming years could lead to the destruction of twenty thousand Palestinian
buildings, and Israel's plans for the areas around Jerusalem could cancel the resident
ID cards of 140,000 Palestinians who live beyond the security fence (Wafa, March 15,
2021).
Palestinian TV posted data reported by Ahmed al-Ruweidi in a Wafa interview
(Palestinian TV Facebook page, March 15, 2021).
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