April 30, 2008

The IDF makes an air strike on a workshop in Rafah, assassinating Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigade leader ‘Awad al-Qiq (whom the IDF attempted to assassinate on 10/5/07), injuring 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., 2 children; sends tanks, bulldozers into Juhur al-Dik to level land. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas in Fahama and Yabad nr. Jenin; imposes a curfew on Kafr Haris nr. Salfit to allow Jewish settlers to conduct ceremonies at a religious site in the village; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Aza r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Jenin town and r.c. In East Jerusalem, scores of Israeli Jewish teenagers gather at the Pisgat Ze’ev mall, summoned by an instant message to their cell phones urging those “with Jewish blood” to meet up to form a mob to attack local Israeli Arabs who allegedly “hang in our area” and “whistle at the girls, curse, threaten little kids”; the mob beats and stabs 2 Palestinian teenagers, seriously injuring them; around 20 teenagers take part in the beating, while 80–100 others watch; police arrest and charge 11. (AP 4/30; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8; HA 5/29)