MGGZ01 - JERUSALEM AUGUST 21 SITREP

UNCLAS JERUSALEM 003708 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS; USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM ASEC CASC KPAL KWBG SUBJECT: MGGZ01 - JERUSALEM AUGUST 21 SITREP ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) units arrested PA Deputy Prime Minister Nasir al-Din Ashair and Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Secretary General Mahmoud al-Ramahi. Two Palestinians were killed and several injured in clashes between Palestinian militants and the IDF in Gaza between August 18 and August 21. Palestinian militants launched seven rockets from Gaza toward the western Negev. In the West Bank, three Palestinians and one IDF soldier were killed in separate clashes between August 18 and August 21. The IDF arrested 24 Palestinians throughout the West Bank. The Rafah and Karni/al-Mintar crossings are closed August 21. The Nahal Oz fuel transfer crossing is open August 21. Military Developments -------------- ¶2. (SBU) IDF units arrested PA Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Nasir al-Din Ashair at his home in Ramallah on August 19. On August 20, IDF units arrested PLC Secretary General Mahmoud al-Ramahi at his home in Ramallah. SIPDIS Their arrests bring to 31 the total number of Hamas PLC members detained by the Israelis. Six Hamas cabinet ministers are also detained. (NOTE: Approximately 36 Hamas PLC members reside in the West Bank; the remainder live in the Gaza Strip. END NOTE.) ¶3. (SBU) One Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) member was killed and another injured on August 18 when a group of gunmen exchanged fire with the IDF in northern Gaza. Palestinian militants in Gaza launched seven rockets toward the western Negev between August 18 and August 21. No injuries or damage were reported. ¶4. (SBU) In the West Bank, an IDF soldier was killed by a gunman at a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley east of Toubas. The IDF returned fire, killing the gunman, an al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades member. The IDF arrested 24 Palestinians throughout the West Bank between August 18 and August 21. Humanitarian Update -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Rafah crossing was closed August 20 and 21, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. Rafah opened August 19, for both entries into Gaza and departures to Egypt. Approximately 2,570 people departed Gaza through Rafah, August 19, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. That number included USAID and PAO grantees scheduled to begin educational programs in the U.S. ¶6. (SBU) The Karni/al-Mintar crossing is closed August 21, according to USAID Gaza-based staff. The crossing was last open August 15. According to USAID Gaza-based staff, there are no reported shortages of basic commodities. While wheat flour is currently available on the market (and expected to last for a week),Gazan flour mills are out of wheat and are not producing flour, according to a USAID survey. The Nahal Oz fuel transfer crossing is open August 21, as it was August 20. WALLES