WB/G SITREP: ONE ISRAELI SHIN BET OFFICER AND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEL AVIV 000331 SIPDIS SENSITIVE NEA FOR BURNS/SATTERFIELD/DIBBLE; NEA/SA/EX FOR RICHIE; DEPT FOR DS/IP/ITA; DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DANIN; USAID FOR DCHA, DCHA/FPP, PRM FOR DEWEY/GREENE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWBG PHUM PREL PTER ASEC CASC GZ IS SUBJECT: WB/G SITREP: ONE ISRAELI SHIN BET OFFICER AND EIGHT OTHER ISRAELIS KILLED BY SUICIDE BOMBER IN GAZA STRIP; 17 PALESTINIANS ARRESTED IN WEST BANK; JANUARY 19, 2005 (1300 HOURS LOCAL) This is a joint ConGen Jerusalem/Embassy Tel Aviv cable. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: As newly elected PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met with leaders of several armed militant factions in the Gaza Strip on January 18 at Gush Katif junction, a suicide bomber detonated explosives, killing one Shin Bet officer and wounding eight other Israelis. Hamas claimed credit for the attack. In the West Bank, one Palestinian man was found shot to death under mysterious circumstances and 17 others, mostly Hamas activists, were arrested January 18. End Summary. -------------- West Bank -------------- ¶2. (SBU) ATTACKS/SECURITY: -- Death: The body of a 66-year-old Palestinian was discovered January 18 in Yatta village south of Hebron. The man had been shot three times in the head. Palestinian police are conducting an investigation. -- Injuries: Nil. -- Incursion/Arrests: The IDF launched an incursion into Nablus January 18 and arrested 13 Palestinians, mostly Hamas activists. -- Arrest: IDF soldiers January 18 entered a Palestinian village north of Ramallah and arrested a Hamas activist. -- Arrest: The IDF January 18 arrested a PFLP activist in Ramallah. -- Arrests: The IDF January 18 arrested a Palestinian married couple from Tulkarm at the Allenby Bridge crossing. The circumstances surrounding the arrests are unknown. ¶3. (SBU) DEMOLITIONS: -- The IDF January 18 demolished two Palestinian homes during an incursion into Nablus. One of the homes belonged to a wanted Hamas militant. ¶4. (SBU) POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: -- An unnamed PA official quoted in AFP January 19 said that a new Palestinian cabinet would be formed within the next two weeks. -- The Palestinian Authority will observe Eid al-Adha for four days beginning January 20. All PA offices starting January 19 are closed for the holiday and will reopen on January 24. -------------- Gaza -------------- ¶5. (SBU) ATTACKS: -- Death: Israeli media reported that a Shin Bet (Israeli security) officer was killed on January 18 after a suicide bomber from Khan Yunis detonated explosives at Gush Katif junction (see "injuries"). Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. -- Injuries: According to Israeli news reports, eight persons (five IDF soldiers and three Shin Bet staffers) were injured at Gush Katif junction by a suicide bomb attack on January 18 (see "death.") -- Mortars/Rockets: According to Palestinian media, the Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, launched a Qassam rocket at Nisanit, another at Netzer Hazani and a third at Morag all on January 18. On January 18, the same Palestinian publication claimed that the group fired a rocket at Eley Sinay and another at Nisanit. It further claimed that the Al-Qassam Brigades fired an RPG and a Yasim mortar at an Israeli bulldozer and at the "the Zionist special forces" during an Israeli incursion into east Al-Shuja'iyah. -- Shootings: Nil. -- Explosions: Palestinian media reported January 18 that the Al-Qassam Brigades exploded a large roadside bomb next to an Israeli bulldozer in the western refugee camp in Khan Yunis. ¶6. (SBU) INCURSIONS/DEMOLITIONS: According to UNRWA, the IDF began an incursion into Beit Hanoun on January 19. No further details were available. ¶7. (SBU) BORDER CROSSINGS: -- Route Four (Salahadeen Road),the main north-south traffic artery, was closed at Abu Houli Junction, with a major detour at Netzarim Junction on January 19. -- Erez Crossing was open for diplomats and internationals, and for a limited number of Palestinians January 19. -- The Erez Industrial Zone was closed January 19. -- Sufa Crossing was closed for Palestinian laborers January 19 and for the import of aggregates used in construction. -- Karni Terminal was closed January 19. -- Rafah Terminal was closed for arrivals and departures January 19. -- Tel al-Sultan checkpoint was closed January 19. Toufah checkpoint was closed for residents of al-Mowassi, with a few exceptions. ¶8. (SBU) POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: -- Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmud Abbas held separate meetings January 18 with PA security chiefs and Hamas representatives in the Gaza Strip. Additional meetings are expected to take place January 19. Palestinian press reports quoted ,Abd al-Razzaq al-Majaydah, the head of the National Security Forces as stating that an arrangement is underway to deploy forces on the borders of the Gaza Strip within the next two days to prevent violations, namely Qassam rocket and mortar attacks against Israeli targets. ********************************************* ******************** Visit Embassy Tel Aviv's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/telaviv You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website. ********************************************* ******************** KURTZER