7th 29th of December

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7th 29th of December
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West Bank Suicide Bombing

• Thursday, December 29th, 0930, an Israeli
  officer and three Palestinian civilians were
  killed, and at least three Israelis and three
  Palestinians were wounded after a suicide bomber
  detonated himself at a makeshift IDF checkpoint
  south of Tulkarem in the West Bank.
• The checkpoint was set up following high security
  alerts warning of a suicide bomber intending to
  infiltrate into Israel and carry out a bomb
  attack during the holiday season.
• The bomber, who was traveling in a Palestinian
  taxi, was stopped by IDF soldiers upon arrival at
  the checkpoint, at which point he exited the
  vehicle, approached the soldiers, and detonated
  his explosive device.

• Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), whose HQ is
  situated in Damascus, claimed responsibility,
  once again, for this terror attack, intended to
  be carried out in a heavily populated civilian
  location inside Israel and to cause even more
  devastation.

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Qassam Rocket Firing
Qassam Barrage

• Over the past couple of weeks, Israel has fallen
  under a growing barrage of Kassam fire on its
  cities and town surrounding the Gaza Strip
• Thursday December 22nd, 5 IDF soldiers were
  wounded when a Qassam rocket struck their base
  early that morning south of the Israeli city of
  Ashkelon. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) claimed
  responsibility for the attack.
• Monday, December 26th, a Kassam rocket landed
  near a childrens kindergarten in Kibbutz Saad
  in the south of the country. The rocket landed
  while the children and their families were
  attending Chanukah festivities. By a strike of
  fortune, no one was injured in the attack.
• Thursday December 15th, 5 Qassam rockets were
  fired from the northern Gaza Strip landing in
  the western Negev, south of Ashkelon The rockets
  each landed in the Israeli villages of Moshav
  Shuva, Kibbutz Nahal Oz, Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha,
  and near the northern security fence. No
  casualties were reported.
• Friday December 16th, three Qassam rockets landed
  in the western Negev, two near the town of Sderot
  and the other near Mefalsim. No casualties or
  damage was reported. No responsibility has yet
  been taken for the attack.

4
More Bloodshed

• Thursday, December 8th, 1535, a soldier
  belonging to the IDF military police was stabbed
  to death by a Palestinian terrorist at the
  Qalandiyah checkpoint in Jerusalem. Al-Aqsa
  Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the
  attack, but it was later discovered that the
  terrorist acted independently.
• Shooting Attack in Hebron
• Friday, December 16th Yossi Shok, 35, husband and
  father of five from the West Bank settlement Beit
  Hagai was murdered in a drive-by shooting near
  Hebron at 1230. Two sisters, also from Beit
  Hagai who were traveling with Shok, were lightly
  wounded.
• Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
  claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it
  was to avenge IDF activities this week against
  operatives of the terrorist organizations.
• IDF officials stated that the attack would result
  in the addition of more checkpoints in the West
  Bank and the tightening of inspections.

5
Attacks Continue

• On Monday December 12th, IDF soldiers discovered
  a tunnel between the Beit Hanun area and the
  Erez crossing, near Israeli communities.

• Thursday December 15th, a car filled with
  gasoline cans and canisters of cooking gas was
  discovered close to the northern entrance of one
  of the tunnels on Tunnel Road (the road
  connecting Jerusalem to Gush Etzion).
• Information about the car bomb was given to the
  IDF by Palestinian Police. The bomb was
  neutralized by the IDF, preventing damage or
  injury.
• Tuesday December 20th, Palestinians opened fire
  on Israeli soldiers carrying out regular security
  duties in the city of Nablus. The soldiers
  returned fire, injuring an armed Palestinian.
• Tuesday December 20th, a member of the Border
  Guard Force was moderately injured in his leg
  from fire that erupted during an operation to
  arrest wanted Palestinians in the city of Jenin.

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Comments

• The period covered by this report is wrought with
  violent events, some of which present new
  precedents in the nature of the security threats
  faced by Israel.
• The violent murder of three Israelis by
  Palestinian terrorists in three separate
  incidents marks a sudden swing in the severity of
  Palestinian violence.
• While the last two attacks were carried out by
  PIJ, PA reluctance to take any proactive steps
  against terrorist activities facilitates the
  carrying out of such attacks.
• Todays attack is another gruesome example of the
  terrorists unscrupulous disdain for human life
  as they killed and maimed not only Israelis, but
  innocent Palestinian civilians as well.
• If ever there were doubt, todays tragedy
  demonstrates the essential role played by
  checkpoints in preventing such terrorists from
  penetrating the Israeli heartland and causing
  even greater death and destruction.

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Comments

• Furthermore, despite pressure on Syria
  surrounding its complicity in the Harari
  assassination, Damascus continues to taunt the
  international community by continuing to permit
  PIJ and its fellow terrorist organizations to
  operate from within its sovereign territory.
• The most dramatic event that took place however
  was the Qassam rocket attacks on Israels
  southern coastal city of Ashkelon.
• Israel left the Gaza Strip leaving in its wake an
  explicit obligation with the PA to prevent ANY
  ALL terrorist activity from being launched from
  its territory over which it had received FULL
  control.
• Not only has the PA failed to fulfill this
  responsibility, but the terrorist organizations
  have interpreted their inaction as both a signal
  and an opportunity - a signal that the PA does
  not disapprove of such attacks, and an
  opportunity to extend the range of their attacks
  to include previously unimagined targets such as
  large Israeli cities.

8
Comments

• Israel has made tremendous sacrifices for the
  sake of creating and encouraging a renewed
  negotiating process. Israel will not stand by
  idly as its security falls victim to the
  machinations of the regional forces of evil.
• Determined and unrelenting international pressure
  must be brought to bear on both Damascus and the
  PA to take drastic action against the forces of
  terrorism before the present developments
  escalate into a vicious cycle of chaos and
  violence.