In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces open fire on Palestinians close to the border fence nr. Jabaliya, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF violently disperses Palestinian protesters outside of Silwad village nr. Ramallah, causing no injuries. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 3 villages nr. Salfit, Dahaysha r.c. in Bethlehem, and 1 village nr. Qalqilya at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the morning, in Hebron and in 1 village each nr. Ramallah and Salfit in the afternoon, and in al- ‘Arub r.c. and 5 villages nr. Hebron and 1 village each nr. Jenin, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Salfit. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements, and occupation in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin and Nabi Salih) and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). There are no serious injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces clash with Palestinians outside Haram al-Sharif after tight restrictions are imposed on worshippers. (MNA 4/18; PCHR 4/24)
Gaza’s Ministry of Interior says that Egyptian authorities have kept the Rafah crossing closed for a total of 81 days thus far in 2014 (out of a total of 108). Officials also say that the repeated closures of the Kerem Shalom crossing over Jewish holidays have led to a severe fuel shortage, with the crossing shut on 4/14, 4/15, and 4/18, and scheduled to be shut again on 4/20–21, 4/25, 5/5–6, and 6/3–4 (along with the routine weekly closures on Fridays and Saturdays). (MNA 4/18)
Jewish extremists set fire to the door of a mosque in Umm al-Fahm in Israel, also leaving racist and “price tag” graffiti. (YA 4/18)
U.S. Special Envoy Indyk meets separately with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Jerusalem and Jericho respectively. According to an unnamed Palestinian official, he does not present any new proposals. (AFP, ToI 4/18)
EU foreign affairs chief Ashton calls on Israel to reverse recent steps, such as settlement construction, and expresses “great concern” over a decision this week to declare an area in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc “state land.” Ashton also condemns the recent killing by Palestinians of an Israeli man nr. Hebron. In response, Israeli FM Lieberman criticizes Ashton’s remarks, sarcastically commenting that “the EU knows how to identify the world’s critical problems.” (AFP, HA 4/18)