US embassy cable - 05JERUSALEM1617

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 001617 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NEA FOR FO; NEA/SA/EX FOR AUSTIN-FERGUSON; DEPT FOR 
DS/IP/ITA; DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DANIN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PBTS, PHUM, KWBG, KPAL, ASEC, IS, Sitrep 
SUBJECT: WB/G SITREP: APRIL 19, 2005 (1600 HOURS LOCAL) -- 
TWO ISRAELIS, ONE PALESTINIAN WOUNDED IN THE GAZA STRIP, 
FIVE PALESTINIANS ARRESTED IN THE WEST BANK. 
 
 
This is a joint ConGen Jerusalem/Embassy Tel Aviv cable. 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: In the West Bank, IDF troops arrested three 
Hamas members and two Fatah militants on April 18.  IDF 
troops in Nablus found three kilograms of explosives hidden 
in a house in Askar refugee camp on April 18.  The IDF 
imposed a curfew on Burqa village, north of Nablus, on April 
18 after a firebomb was thrown at an Israeli car.  In the 
Gaza Strip, Palestinian sniper fire wounded one IDF soldier 
and one Israeli civilian April 18 near an IDF outpost north 
of Rafah.  IDF soldiers shot and seriously injured one 
Palestinian April 18 south of Bayt Lahiya.  End Summary. 
 
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West Bank 
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2. (SBU) ATTACKS/SECURITY: 
 
-- Deaths/Injuries: Nil. 
 
-- Arrests: According to Palestinian sources, IDF troops 
arrested two Hamas members from Silwad village, northeast of 
Ramallah, on April 18.  The arrested Palestinians were 
reportedly planning to carry out a shooting attack on Route 
60. 
 
-- Arrests: According to Palestinian reports, IDF soldiers 
arrested a Hamas militant on April 18 when he was driving in 
his car near Surda village, north of Ramallah. 
 
-- Arrests: According to Palestinian media, IDF soldiers 
arrested two Fatah members in Bayt Furik village, near 
Nablus, on April 18. 
 
-- Security Incidents: According to Palestinian sources, IDF 
troops in Nablus found three kilograms of explosives hidden 
in a house in Askar refugee camp on April 18.  The house was 
badly damaged when soldiers defused the bomb.  A Hamas 
activist who was arrested two days ago apparently led the IDF 
to the explosives. 
 
-- Security Incidents: According to Palestinian media, 
Palestinian residents of Hebron complained that Hebron 
settlers vandalized Palestinian cars and homes on April 17-18. 
 
3. (SBU) CURFEWS/DEMOLITIONS: 
 
-- According to Palestinian sources, the IDF imposed a curfew 
on Burqa village, north of Nablus, on April 18 after a 
firebomb was thrown at an Israeli car. 
 
-- According to Palestinian reports, residents of al-Khadr 
village, near Bethlehem, reported that Gush Etzion settlers 
uprooted hundreds of trees outside their village on April 
17-18. 
 
4. (SBU) CHECKPOINTS: 
 
-- According to Palestinian media, the Israeli commander in 
charge of Qalandia checkpoint at the southern entrance to 
Ramallah stated April 18 that the checkpoint will be open 24 
hours as opposed to closing at midnight.  The commander also 
reportedly said that many permits were given to businessmen 
to use the Bayt El checkpoint into and out of Ramallah. 
 
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Gaza 
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5. (SBU) ATTACKS: 
 
-- Deaths: Nil. 
 
-- Injuries: The IDF and Israeli media reported that 
Palestinian sniper fire wounded one IDF soldier and one 
Israeli civilian April 18 near an IDF outpost north of Rafah 
where the two men were carrying out what the IDF spokesman 
described as infrastructure work along the Philadelphi route 
(see "Shootings").  The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) 
took responsibility for the attack. 
 
-- Injury: Palestinians reported that IDF soldiers shot and 
seriously injured one Palestinian April 18 south of Bayt 
Lahiya.  The man was working in his fields when the soldiers 
mistook him for an armed gunman, according to Palestinian 
sources. 
 
-- Mortars/Rockets: The IDF reported that Palestinian 
militants fired one mortar shell at Tel Katifa, in the Gush 
Katif settlement bloc, April. 
 
-- Mortars/Rockets: UNRWA reported that militants fired two 
homemade rockets at Tel Katifa settlement and a mortar shell 
each at Morag and Nissanit April 18. 
 
-- Shootings: According to the IDF, Palestinian militants 
launched a total of three shooting attacks at IDF and Israeli 
settler targets overnight April 18-19.  One IDF soldier and 
one Israeli civilian were injured (see "Injuries"). 
 
6. (SBU) BORDER CROSSINGS: 
 
-- Route Four (Salahadeen Road), the main north-south traffic 
artery, was open April 19, with a major detour at Netzarim 
Junction. 
 
-- Erez Crossing was open April 18, and 4,550 laborers and 
420 merchants crossed into Israel. 
 
-- The Erez Industrial Zone open April 18, and 673 laborers 
entered. 
 
-- Sufa Crossing was closed for Palestinian laborers but open 
for the import of aggregates used in construction April 19. 
 
-- Karni Terminal was open April 19. 
 
-- Rafah Terminal was open for arrivals and departures April 
19. 
 
-- Tel al-Sultan checkpoint was closed April 19.  Toufah 
checkpoint was open for residents of al-Mowassi. 
Pearce