News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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News of Terrorism and the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
(November 24 – 30, 2021)
Overview
Judea and Samaria: This past week Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov
cocktails, mainly at Israeli vehicles driving on the roads.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the Jewish settlement in Hebron. While there he
gave a speech stressing the historical Jewish connection to Hebron and the Cave of the
Patriarchs. The speech led to a wave of furious reactions from Palestinians, who called his
visit an "invasion" and "provocation." Muhammad Shtayyeh called the speech "another
Israeli attempt" to enforce false facts on the Muslim city as part of Israel's desire to Judaize
and take control of it at the expense of its "original residents."
Gaza Strip: For the first time since Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, an
arrangement has been reached and it will now be possible to use the funds donated by Qatar
to pay Hamas employees in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas' military-terrorist wing outlawed in Britain: The British Parliament designated
Hamas' political bureau as a terrorist organization. Hamas-affiliated activists in Britain,
among them Zaher Birawi and Tareq Hamoud, director of the London-based al-Awda
("The Palestinian Right to Return Coalition"), rushed to claim that Hamas did not operate
in Britain and there was no Hamas presence in the country. The Hamas leadership in the Gaza
Strip said it would act on the issue on the Arab-Islamic-international level.
The Palestinian Authority (PA): Mahmoud Abbas visited several countries where he met
with heads of state. He visited Russia and Qatar, where he also met with the Lebanese
president. He met with the Jordanian foreign minister in his office in Ramallah.
The PA security forces continue their activities in a number of locations in Judea and
Samaria with the stated objective of restoring the PA's hold, which has weakened over time.
Six Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) operatives were arrested in the Jenin refugee camp,
some of them released prisoners. The activities of the security forces led to clashes with local
residents and sharp criticism of the PA.
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The coronavirus: The number of active cases of coronavirus continues to rise in Judea and
Samaria, while declining slightly in the Gaza Strip. The PA ministry of health is making
preparations to deal with the omicron variant.
Australia outlaws Hezbollah: Australia announced it was designating Hezbollah as a
terrorist organization. Hezbollah condemned the decision, calling it a humiliating surrender
to American and "Zionist" dictates. Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah gave a
speech dismissing the decision and calling it an attempt that was doomed to fail.
Judea and Samaria
Counterterrorism activities
Israeli police forces stopped a suspicious vehicle at the Tapuah Junction in Samaria. A
search of the vehicle revealed two Carlo improvised machine guns. Three suspects were
detained for interrogation (Israel Police Force spokesman's unit, November 28, 2021).
Guns confiscated ruing the activities
(Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria, November 29, 2021).
Rocks, Molotov cocktails and other events
In Judea and Samaria Palestinians continued throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at
vehicles driving on the roads. The more prominent events were the following:1
November 29, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus on the Husan bypass road,
west of Bethlehem. No casualties or damage were reported.
November 29, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle and an Israeli police
patrol car near Bayt Umar, north of Hebron. No casualties were reported. The vehicles
were damaged.
1
All information and reports are from Rescue Without Borders in Judea and Samaria unless otherwise
noted.
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3
November 29, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle north of the T-junction
southeast of Bethlehem. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
November 29, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Gush Etzion-
Hebron road between Bayt Umar and al-Aroub. No casualties were reported. The
windshield of the vehicle was damaged.
Right: Shattered windshield of vehicle attacked with rocks southeast of Bethlehem. Left:
Damaged windshield of vehicle attacked on the Gush Etzion-Hebron road.
November 27, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus between Anatot and Hizma,
northeast of Jerusalem. The bus driver was injured by flying glass. The windshield of
the bus was damaged.
November 26, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the Gush Etzion-
Hebron road. No casualties were reported. The windshield of the vehicle was damaged.
November 26, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between the village of
Azun and the Ma'aleh Shomron Junction, east of Qalqilya. No casualties were reported.
The vehicle was damaged.
November 25, 2021: Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on the
Husan bypass road, west of Bethlehem. No casualties or damage were reported.
November 25, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Dir Nizam, northwest
of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
November 25, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle on route 60 near Luban
al-Sharqia, northeast of Ramallah. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was
damaged.
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4
November 25, 2021: Rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown and fireworks were
shot at vehicles between Homesh and Shavei Shomron near Burqa, northwest of
Nablus. No casualties or damage were reported.
November 25, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between Tapuah and
Migdalim, south of Nablus. A woman was injured by flying glass.
Rock breaks through windshield and hits the front seat, November 25, 2021
November 25, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus and at an IDF force near the
al-Fawwar Pools, southwest of Hebron. No casualties or damage were reported.
November 24, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli bus near Hawwara, south of
Nablus. No casualties were reported. The bus was damaged.
November 24, 2021: Rocks were thrown at an Israeli vehicle between Tapuah and
Migdalim, south of Nablus. No casualties were reported. The vehicle was damaged.
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5
Significant Terrorist Attacks in Judea and Samaria since January
20202
20
18
16 14
14
12
10
8 7
6 6 6
6 4 4 4 4
4 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
2 1 1 1 1
0
0
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar-20
Apr-20
May-20
Jun-20
Jul-20
Aug-20
Sep-20
Oct-20
Nov-20
Dec-20
Jan-21
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The Friday prayer on the Temple Mount
The Palestinian media reported that Israel permitted the entrance of 40,000 Muslims into
the Temple Mount compound for the Friday prayer (Twitter account of journalist Hassan
Aslih, November 26, 2021). Recently, the Palestinian media had been accusing Israel of
preventing Muslims from entering the Temple Mount compound on Fridays, erecting
roadblocks and delaying the worshippers' entrance.
Friday prayer on the Temple Mount
(Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, November 26, 2018).
2A significant attack is defined by the ITIC as involving shooting, stabbing, a vehicular attack, the use of
IEDs, or a combination of the above. Stones and Molotov cocktails thrown by Palestinians are not
included.
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6
Israeli President Isaac Herzog visits the Cave of the Patriarchs
Israeli President Isaac Herzog held the candle-lighting ceremony in the Jewish settlement
of Hebron for Hanukkah. He gave a speech stressing the historical connection of the Jewish
people to Hebron and the Cave of the Patriarchs (Israeli media, November 28, 2021).
When his plan for his visit to Hebron became known, Palestinians called for Muslims to
come en masse to the Cave to hold prayers. (In effect, the visit passed relatively quietly.)
Hafzi Abu Sneineh, in charge of the mosque at the Cave, claimed President Herzog
presence was a serious violation, gross aggression and deliberately intended to provoke
Muslim sensibilities (Watan TV, November 29, 2018). The Palestinian waqf (office of Muslim
endowments) called the visit "provocation against Arab-Muslim sensibilities and an attack on
the holy sites of Islam" (Palestinian waqf Facebook page, November 28, 2021).
Invitation to a mass prayer at the Cave of the Patriarchs to protest the visit of Israeli
President Herzog
PA Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh issued an official condemnation of the Israel's
president's "provocative invasion" of the Cave of the Patriarchs and warned of severe
consequences. He called on the UN and its agencies to act swiftly to stop the desecration of
the sites holy to Muslims and Christians, especially al-Aqsa mosque, the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher and the Cave of the Patriarchs (Muhammad Shtayyeh's Facebook page, November
28, 2021).
The PA foreign ministry issued an announcement condemning the president of the State
of Israel's "invasion" of the Cave of the Patriarchs, which used the lighting of the first
Hanukkah candle as an excuse. The foreign ministry claimed it was a "dangerous precedent"
which served to emphasize the extent of the involvement of official Israeli agencies in
Judaizing the Cave of the Patriarchs (Wafa, November 28, 2021). Hussein al-Sheikh, PA
minister of civilian affairs, said the Israeli president's presence in Hebron was a way of
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legitimizing the settlements and the settlers, a violation of international law and a political,
moral and religious provocation (Hussein al-Sheikh's Twitter account, November 28, 2021).
Senior Hamas figure Isma'il Radwan called on the residents of Judea and Samaria to go
to the Cave of the Patriarchs to confront and "resist" the candle-lighting ceremony. He said
Israel would be responsible for the consequences of the "challenge." He also called for
Palestinians to go en masse to the Temple Mount to "resist" the "Judaization" Israel was
planning to carry out by putting a menorah in front of the Western Wall, since, he claimed,
not only the Cave of the Patriarchs but also the Western Wall and al-Aqsa mosque were
"Muslim assets" (QudsN, November 28, 2021). Hamas spokesman Abd al-Latif al-Qanua said
President Herzog's visit demanded an immediate response from the "resistance" [i.e., the
Palestinian terrorist organizations] in Judea and Samaria (Shehab, November 28, 2018).
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also condemned the visit. Tareq Izz al-Din, PIJ
spokesman for Judea and Samaria affairs, claimed it was a hostile activity that demanded
"everyone's resistance." He said the "invasion" was part of the Judaization plan to Judaize
the Cave of the Patriarchs and the city of Hebron. He added they remined Israel (the "Zionist
enemy") and the entire world that the second intifada had begun in response to Ariel
Sharon's "invasion" of al-Aqsa mosque in 2000 and warned that the Palestinian people would
not allow attempts to harm its holy places to pass without "resistance" (al-Mayadeen,
November 28, 2021).
The speech made by President Herzog during the ceremony was also criticized and
condemned. Muhammad Shtayyeh claimed Herzog's remarks were an attempt to distort the
truth about the Arab-Muslim city [of Hebron] to Judaize and take control of it by enforcing a
racist regime on the city's original residents (al-Ghad, November 28, 2021). Shtayyeh was
criticized for calling Herzog "president of Israel" and not "president of the occupation."
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8
Palestinians clash with IDF forces in Hebron after Israeli President Herzog visits the Cave of
the Patriarchs (Palinfo Twitter account, November 28, 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 since January
2020
3,319
400
350
300 261
250
200
122
150
100 43
15 25 15
50 1 0 1 3 3 4 4 2 3 0 1 0 0 3 3 0 0
0
"Guardian of the Walls"
Jan-20
Feb-20
Mar-20
Apr-20
May-20
Jun-20
Jul-20
Aug-20
Sep-20
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Nov-20
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Jan-21
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Sep-21
Oct-21
Nov-21
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Annual Distribution of Rocket Hits
3,852
4000
3500 3319
3000
2500
2000
1,403
1500 1,159 1,119
974 925
1000 783 787 845
375 373 313
500 158 103 196
39 24 15 29
0 …
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ud
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
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20
20
20
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Developments in the Gaza Strip
Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar's National Committee for
the Reconstruction of Gaza, holds meetings in the Gaza Strip
Mohammed al-Emadi, chairman of Qatar's National Committee for the Reconstruction
of Gaza, met with Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip.
They discussed the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip (Hamas Telegram channel, November 26,
2021). Two days previously Mohammed al-Emadi met with Thomas White, the interim
UNRWA director in the Gaza Strip, and the two reportedly discussed cooperation.
Mohammed al-Emadi thanked White for UNRWA activity in the Gaza Strip, stressing the
importance of the continuation of aid from the international community to UNRWA, which
went to improving the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip (Facebook page of Qatar's
National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, November 24, 2021).
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Mohammed al-Emadi meets with Thomas White, interim UN director in the Gaza Strip
(Facebook page of Qatar's National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, November 24,
2021).
Possible restoration of payment to Hamas employees
According to a diplomatic source, for the first time since Operation Guardian of the Walls in
May 2021, with Egyptian support, technical procedures were completed to enable funds from
Qatar to be used to pay the salaries of Hamas employees in the Gaza Strip. After the
operation Israel objected to the transfer of funds in cash from Qatar to the Gaza Strip.
However, a new arrangement was formulated and Qatar promised to transfer the funds by
purchasing fuel from Egypt at a cost of $10 million. Hamas, which will not pay for the fuel, will
be able to use the money from the sale of the fuel, transferred from Egypt, to pay its
employees (Sawa, November 29, 2021).
UNRWA facilities strike for one day
Given UNRWA's financial hardships and its lack of response to the workers' demands
regarding their salaries and working conditions, on November 29, 2021 the UNRWA workers'
union declared a one-day warning strike of all the agency's facilities in the Gaza Strip,
Judea and Samaria, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria (Ma'an, November 29, 2021).
General UNRWA strike (Twitter account of journalist Hassan Aslih, November 29, 2018).
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EU delegation visits the Gaza Strip
On November 24, 2021, a delegation from the EU of 20 representatives and ambassadors
entered the Gaza Strip through the Erez Crossing. Their visit lasted for 24 hours and they met
with members of the Hamas administration and local businessmen, and visited the Kerem
Shalom Crossing and several infrastructure projects being funded by the EU (al-Andalou
News, Ma'an, November 24 and 25, 2021).
EU delegation visits the Kerem Shalom Crossing (al-Quds al-Arabi, November 25, 2021).
Further Palestinian reactions to Britain's designation of Hamas
political bureau as a terrorist organization
On November 26, 2021, the British Parliament approved the proposal by the home
secretary to designate the Hamas political bureau as a terrorist organization. According
to its announcement, support for Hamas will now be considered illegal and membership in
Hamas or supporting it may lead to 14 years' imprisonment (British government website,
November 26, 2021).
The previous day representatives of the Palestinian organizations met to express their
objections to Britain's intended designation. During the meeting Zakariya Abu Maamar, a
member of Hamas' political bureau, said Hamas had begun instituting political and legal
measures, including abroad, in response to Britain's decision, which as far as Hamas was
concerned was a crime against all the liberation movements around the globe and against
the Palestinian people (al-Risalah, November 25, 2021).
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Representatives of the Palestinian organizations hold a press conference after the
announcement (Gaza Post, November 20, 2021).
Hamas-affiliated activists operating in Britain, among them Zaher Birawi and Tareq
Hamoud, director of the al-Awda Center, rushed to claim Hamas did not operate in Britain
and there was no Hamas presence in the country. Isma'il Haniyeh, head of Hamas' political
bureau, said the British decision had been motivated by support for Israel and attempts to
destroy the growing support for the Palestinian cause and the "resistance" of the Palestinian
people. Hamas spokesman Taher al-Nunu said Haniyeh had given instructions to enlist
Arab, Islamic and international support to confront Britain, noting that in recent years Hamas
had made great strides in gaining international support (al-Aqsa, November 27, 2021). Khaled
al-Qadoumi, Hamas representative in Tehran, met with 50 representatives of Iranian
organizations who wanted to express solidarity and support for Hamas (Hamas website,
November 28, 2021).
Khaled al-Qadoumi meets with Iranian representatives (Hamas website, November 28, 2021).
PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah interview
PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah was interviewed by Hezbollah-affiliated al-Mayadeen TV.
Some of the topics he related to were the following:
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Israeli activity: Ziyad al-Nakhalah dismissed the idea of another round of fighting
with Israel in the near future, but did not reject the possibility that Israel would
carry out a targeted killing of one of the heads of the organizations in the Gaza
Strip. The targeted killing of a PIJ commander, operative or member would lead to
rockets fired at Tel Aviv, which he called his "personal promise and commitment."
The military buildup of the organizations in the Gaza Strip: The organizations
in the Gaza Strip have already replaced the losses incurred during Operation
Guardian of the Walls and their workshops are operating at full capacity.
Criticism of Hamas: Ziyad al-Nakhalah criticized Hamas for everything related to
giving Gazans work permits for Israel. He said they were surprised Hamas had
allowed such permits because residents of the Gaza Strip might turn from
supporting the "resistance" to looking for benefits from Israel.
The indirect negotiations held in Cairo between Israel and the
"organizations:" Israel has transferred a series to relief measures for the Gaza
Strip through the Egyptian mediators without being required to commit to a lull in
return. The relief measures include initiating projects funded by Qatar, the UAE
and Saudi Arabia for building a tourism and entertainment city in the northern
Sinai Peninsula for Palestinians. Such proposals, he said, like the decision to let
dozens of Gazans work in Israel, were nothing more than an attempt to use
economic means to neutralize the "resistance."
Criticism of statements from Turkey's president
Turkish President Erdogan told a press conference that he was planning to improve the
country's relations with Israel and Egypt, as it had recently improved relations with the UAE,
resulting in foreign investments in Turkey (Reuters, November 29, 2021). His remarks were
criticized by the PIJ, including by senior figure Da'ud Shehab, who said such remarks
contradicted previous statements regarding Israel, and that Turkey had clearly submitted to
pressure to change its position. He claimed the announcement would "shock" the Turks
because they supported the Palestinian cause (al-Mayadeen, November 30, 2021).
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Senior member of the Hamas leadership dies of coronavirus-related
causes
Hamas announced the coronavirus-related death of Abd al-Salam Badr Siam. According to
the mourning notice, Siam had been office manager for Yahya al-Sinwar, head of the Hamas
political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and his right-hand man. He had also filled a number of
military roles and had had "military achievements" (Dunia al-Watan, November 29, 2021).
The Palestinian Authority (PA)
Mahmoud Abbas meets with political figures
This past week Mahmoud Abbas held a series of political meetings, including the following:
Russia: Mahmoud Abbas met with Russian President Putin in Sochi. He updated
Putin about the most recent developments in the Palestinian cause and discussed
coordinating their positions and strengthening bilateral relations (Wafa,
November 23, 2021). Putin told him that the Russian position regarding the
Palestinian cause had not changed and the issues had to be resolved by means of
previous UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions (Ma'an, November
23, 2021).
Jordan: Mahmoud Abbas met with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at
his office in Ramallah. Safadi had been asked by Abdallah, the king of Jordan, to
go to Ramallah to coordinate Jordanian-Palestinian positions. Mahmoud Abbas
and Safadi discussed preserving the lull in the Gaza Strip, finding a politician
channel for the peace process, and the issues of support and aid for UNRWA, and
Sheikh Jarrah (Mahmoud Abbas' Facebook page, November 27, 2021).
Right: Mahmoud Abbas meets with Russian President Putin in Sochi. Left: Mahmoud Abbas
meets with the Jordanian foreign minister (Mahmoud Abbas' Facebook page, November 23
and 27, 2021).
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Qatar: Mahmoud Abbas went to Doha, the capital of Qatar, where he met with
Emir Tamim bin Hamad. They discussed recent developments in the Palestinian
cause, strengthening bilateral relations and Israel's [alleged] "desecrations" of
places sacred to Islam and Christianity. While in Qatar he also met with Lebanese
President Michel Aoun (Wafa, November 29, 2021).
Financial aid for the PA
Muhammad Shtayyeh signed an agreement with the German Development Bank and a UN
development plan according to which Germany would donate €10 million to promote
initiatives in the PA. Muhammad Shtayyeh said the projects would boost the PA's economy,
help local residents and provide them with better service. He claimed they would also help
"end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state" (Dunia al-Watan,
November 23, 2021).
On November 28, 2021, Muhammad Shtayyeh attended the signing of a financial aid
agreement with Japan, which will provide the PA with $10 million. The agreement was signed
by the Japanese ambassador to the PA and Shukri Bishara, the PA minister of the treasury
(Muhammad Shtayyeh's Facebook page, November 28, 2021).
PA debts to Palestinian construction companies leads to one-day
strike
On November 29, 2021, the Palestinian contractors' association declared a one-day strike
and stopped work on all its projects and work it was carrying out for the PA to protest the
government's unpaid debts. At a joint press conference Ahmed al-Qadhi, chairman of the
PA contractors' association in Judea and Samaria, and Alaa al-Araj, chairman of the
contractors' association in the Gaza Strip, reported that protests could be expected to
increase if their demands were not met. They said the PA owed Palestinian construction
companies about $222 million dollars to companies in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip (al-
Hayat al-Jadeeda, November 30, 2018).
PA security force activities
This past week Palestinian security forces continued their activities with the stated
objective of restoring the PA's influence on the ground after a long period of weakening
control. The security forces' activities led to clashes between security force operatives and
local residents, especially in the refugee camps. Detentions led to sharp criticism of PA policy.
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The PIJ issued a press release claiming the PA security forces had abducted a group of
released PIJ prisoners.
Many Palestinians attacked the security force activities, claiming they prevented
"resistance" [i.e., terrorist] activity in Jenin, which was known as the "city of resistance." In
response, Akram Rajoub, the Jenin district governor, said no one would argue Jenin was
not the "city of resistance," or that Jenin residents would surrender to the "occupation."
However, he said, the security measures were not directed against them, only against "the
weapons of chaos," the weapons of gangsters and criminals. He said there were no weapons
of the "resistance" in the streets and they were not used to attack Palestinian society (Ma'an,
November 23, 2021).
Hisham's Palace reopens
Muhammad Shtayyeh participated in the reopening of the Hisham's Palace, an
archaeological site in Jericho. He called it a historic Palestinian site with cultural and Islamic
value and said its reopening would make it possible for tourists from all over the world to
come and visit. He thanked Japan for donating $12 million to restore the site (Muhammad
Shtayyeh's Facebook page, November 23, 2021).
Shtayyeh at the reopening of Hisham's Palace in Jericho (Muhammad Shtayyeh's Facebook
page, November 23, 2021).
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visits Morocco
In the wake of Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz's visit to Morocco and the impact of
the signing of an agreement for the sale of Israeli weapons to the Moroccan army, the
Palestinian media published cartoons condemning the visit, claiming that the normalization
of relations with Israel only served to widen the rift in the Arab world. The cartoons related to
Israeli weapons' alleged being used to attack Palestinian children (Alaa' al-Laqta's Facebook
page, November 26, 2018). Hamas formally called on Morocco to renege on the military-
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security agreement with Israel. According to Hamas, it would not strengthen Morocco's
sovereignty, but rather lead to Palestinian bloodshed (al-Andalou News, November 28, 2018).
Right: Normalization with Israel widens the rift within the Arab world (Alaa' al-Laqta's
Facebook page, November 26, 2021). Left: The Israeli defense minister visits Amman (Alaa'
al-Laqta's Facebook page, November 24, 2021).
The Coronavirus
In light of the rise in the number of active cases and in order to prevent the spread of the
omicron variant, as of November 30, 2021, Palestinians will be banned from entering Israeli
territory from Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip unless they have had three coronavirus
vaccine shots – with the exception of humanitarian cases (Israeli Coordinator of Government
Activities in the Territories website, November 28, 2018).
Judea and Samaria
According to data from the ministry of health in Ramallah, as of November 29, 2021, the
number of active coronavirus cases was 1,555, up from 1,086 on November 22, 2021. There
were 79 Palestinians in ICUs, 42 of them on ventilators. So far, 2,888 Palestinians have died of
coronavirus-related causes. The number of fully vaccinated (two shots) Palestinians was
1,034,699, up from 1,024,151 on November 22, 2021 (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook
page, November 29, 2021).
In light of the spread of the omicron variant, Mai al-Kayla, PA minister of health, called a
meeting of the Palestinian epidemiological committee to examine the situation and ways to
fight the new variant. The committee is expected to provide the government with
recommendations (ministry of health in Ramallah Facebook page, November 29, 2018).
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Right: A new coronavirus variant (al-Quds, November 28, 2021). Left: Big pharma tries to
decode the omicron variant (Alaa' al-Laqta's Facebook page, November 27, 2021).
The Gaza Strip
The ministry of health in Gaza reported that on November 30, 2021, there were 1,433
active cases, down from 1,475 on November 23, 2021. Of the 765 tests administered between
November 29 and 30, 2021, 121 were positive, a positive rate of 16%. So far 1,647 Gazans have
died of coronavirus-related causes, up from 1,635 on November 23, 2021. There are 59 Gazans
in hospitals, 36 in serious or critical condition. The number of vaccinated Gazans was 507,263,
up from 498,349 on November 23, 2021 (ministry of health in Gaza Facebook page, November
30, 2021).
The Northern Arena
On November 24, 2021, Karen Andrews, the Australian Minister for Home Affairs added
Hezbollah's political wing to the country's list of terrorist organizations. Hezbollah's
"external security organization" was outlawed in 2003. Therefore any public, covert or
financial support for the organization is now a criminal act. Australia is the 17th country to
designate the entire Hezbollah movement as terrorist (The Jerusalem Post, November 24,
2021). The designation is particularly important because in Australia Hezbollah conducts
extensive "political" activities, including raising funds from Lebanese expatriates living in
Australia and promoting support for the organization and its ideology.
Hezbollah condemned the designation in an announcement, calling it a humiliating
surrender to American and "Zionist" dictates in the service of Israeli interests and its policies
of terrorism, killing and slaughter. The designation, continued the announcement, along with
similar previous decisions made by some Western countries, are biased against the people of
the Middle East, the justice of their issues and their right to liberation and freedom. Such
decisions will not influence Hezbollah's position or its right to "resist," defend its territory and
people, and to support the "resistance" movement [i.e., the terrorist operatives] against the
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Israeli "occupation" and its [alleged] "aggression." Hezbollah secretary general Hassan
Nasrallah said he would disregard the designation, which was an attempt that was doomed
to fail (al-Manar, al-Mayadeen, November 24, 2021).
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said Hamas condemned the Australian designation
and viewed it as surrender to Israel ("the Zionist enemy") and support for its ongoing
aggression. He said the "resistance" movements, headed by Hamas and Hezbollah, would
continue to "resist" the "cruel occupation" (Hamas Telegram channel, November 25, 2021).
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