US embassy cable - 05JERUSALEM3005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JERUSALEM 003005 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; 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, CASC, IS, SItrep 
SUBJECT: WB/G SITREP: OPERATIONS IN TULKARM, GENERAL 
CLOSURE OF WEST BANK AND GAZA STRIP ONGOING: JULY 14, 2005 
(1600 HOURS LOCAL) 
 
This is a joint Embassy/ConGen cable. 
 
1.    (SBU) Summary:  IDF operations in Tulkarm continued for 
a second day following the July 12 suicide bombing in 
Netanya, which killed five Israelis.  A general closure 
remains in effect for the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip. 
In Nablus, the IDF on the evening of July 13 shot and killed 
a local leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).  The IDF 
on July 13-14 arrested 10 PIJ activists in several West Bank 
locations.  In the Gaza Strip, Qassam rockets were fired in 
the direction of the Israeli town of Sderot and at the Gush 
Katif settlement in Gaza, but there were no reported 
injuries.  Other sporadic rocket, mortar, and shooting 
attacks on July 13-14 resulted in no reported injuries. 
Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas is 
scheduled to travel to the Gaza Strip to confer with the 
leaders of Palestinian factions, including Hamas and PIJ, in 
what Palestinian media reports described as an attempt to 
preserve the calm agreed to by the PA and the factions in 
Cairo last March.  End summary. 
 
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West Bank 
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2.    (SBU) ATTACKS: 
 
-- Deaths: IDF soldiers operating in Nablus the evening of 
July 13 shot and killed a Palestinian man alleged to be a 
local Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader.  According to 
Israeli sources, IDF soldiers shot the PIJ member, who was 
reportedly armed, as he attempted to evade capture. 
Palestinian witnesses say that the man was meeting with a 
British journalist when the IDF broke into his house and 
chased him outside.  Following the incident, the IDF withdrew 
from Nablus. 
 
-- Injury: Israeli settler youths on July 13 attacked and 
lightly injured a Palestinian girl in Hebron. 
 
-- Stoning/Injury: Israeli settlers on July 13 stoned 
Palestinian vehicles in the vicinity of Jit village, west of 
Nablus.  One Palestinian sustained light injuries. 
 
-- Settler Violence: Israeli settlers from Yizhar settlement 
on July 13 set fire to a Palestinian vehicle and stoned homes 
in Asira al-Qibliya village, south of Nablus.  There were no 
reported injuries from these incidents. 
 
3.    (SBU) ARRESTS/SECURITY: 
 
-- Arrests: The IDF on July 13-14 arrested a total of 10 PIJ 
activists in several localities throughout the West Bank, 
including Hebron and Nablus. 
 
-- Closure: The IDF is continuing operations in Tulkarm and 
nearby Attil village following the July 12 suicide bombing in 
Netanya. 
 
4.    (SBU) POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: 
 
-- Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas is 
scheduled to visit the Gaza Strip to meet with the leaders of 
the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and PIJ.  According 
to Palestinian sources, the purpose of the meeting is to 
reaffirm the calm agreed to between the PA and the factions 
in Cairo last March.  Abbas is also expected to raise the 
issue of coordination with the factions on Israeli 
disengagement from Gaza. 
 
---- 
Gaza 
---- 
 
5.    (SBU) ATTACKS: 
 
-- Deaths: Nil. 
 
-- Injuries: Nil. 
 
-- Explosive Devices: The IDF reported that Palestinian 
police found three explosive devices July 13: one near the 
Dugit settlement, one near the Kissufim Crossing, and one 
near the Gush Katif settlement.  IDF soldiers dismantled the 
latter two, according to the IDF.  No injuries were reported. 
 
-- Kidnapping: According to media reports, the British and 
Austrian engineers who had been kidnapped and detained by 
Palestinians in Gaza July 13 have been released following 
negotiations between Fatah and the abductors.  The two are 
reportedly in good health. 
 
-- Mortars: According to the IDF, a mortar was fired at 
Israeli civilians July 14 in the vicinity of the Gadid.  No 
injuries were reported. 
 
-- Rockets: According to Israeli media reports, one Qassam 
rocket was fired at the Sapir College near Sderot causing 
some property damage, and one was fired at Gush Katif 
settlement, causing damage to a home.  No injuries were 
reported. 
 
-- Shootings: The IDF reported two shootings July 13 aimed at 
IDF targets: one near Rafiah Yam settlement and one near the 
Kissufim Crossing.  No injuries resulted. 
 
-- Shootings: According to the IDF, one shooting occurred in 
the early morning of July 14 targeting IDF soldiers near the 
Rafiah Yam settlement.  No injuries resulted. 
 
6.    (SBU) BORDER CROSSINGS/INTERNAL CHECKPOINTS: 
 
-- Erez Crossing was open to internationals only on July 14. 
 
-- The Erez Industrial Zone was closed July 14. 
 
-- Sufa Crossing was closed for Palestinian laborers on July 
14, but was open for construction materials. 
 
-- Karni Terminal was open on July 14. 
 
-- Rafah Terminal was open on July 14 in both directions 
without age restrictions. 
 
-- Route Four (Salahadeen Road), the main north-south traffic 
artery, was open on July 14 with the exception of the closure 
noted below, with a major detour at Netzarim Junction. 
 
-- Kissufim Junction, the main entry point to Gush Katif 
settlement bloc, was closed to non-residents July 14. 
 
-- Toufah checkpoint was open July 14, except to males aged 
16-30. 
 
7.    (SBU) POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: 
 
-- The IDF is maintaining a general closure of the Gaza Strip 
starting the morning of July 13.  According to UNRWA, as a 
result of the closing, thousands of Palestinians who have 
work permits will not be allowed to enter Israel.  The IDF 
announced that the closure will remain in effect "until a 
renewed security assessment is held." 
 
-- After the IDF implemented a GOI order to bar non-resident 
Israelis from entering the Gaza Strip and those areas to be 
evacuated in the northern West Bank, a large traffic jam 
formed at the Kissufim checkpoint, the main point of entry to 
the Gush Katif settlement bloc in Gaza.  The Israeli media 
reported that the IDF arrested five protesters in the early 
morning of July 14 and towed cars blocking the Kissufim 
junction.  The IDF is allowing non-resident Israelis who 
obtain a permit to enter the Gaza Strip. 
PEARCE