November 10, 2010

In Gaza, IDF helicopter gunships fire on Palestinians scavenging construction material fr. the destroyed Dahaniyya airport in s. Gaza, causing no injuries. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, wounding 1. IDF troops make a brief incursion into n. Gaza to level lands along the border fence n. of Bayt Hanun to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF seals Issawiyya in an effort to contain ongoing stone-throwing clashes with local Palestinians angry over Israel’s recent Judaization efforts, tax raids, and increased arrests of local youths (see 11/9). After weeks of monitoring by the PA General Intelligence Service, PA police in Qalqilya arrest atheist blogger Walid Husayin for posting satirical rants against the Qur’an on Facebook, marking the first time the PA has arrested anyone for their religious views; the charges against him of heresy for “insulting the divine essence” can carry a sentence of life in prison. (AP, PCHR, WorldMag online 11/11; NYT 11/12, 11/16; OCHA 11/24; PCHR 11/25)