Fatah organizes “very violent confrontations” with Israel, says Fatah official

Official PA TV, special broadcast on violent Arab riots and Hamas rocket barrages; see note below

Fatah Nablus Branch Secretary Muhammad Hamdan: “Our message today [May 18, 2021] is that historical Palestine from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River is united in one political identity, one fate, and one goal… and that these young revolutionary people from the sea to the river are emphasizing day after day that Palestine, Almighty Allah willing, will return and be liberated, and that the eternal capital Jerusalem will remain the eternal capital of Palestine (refers to violent Arab riots; see note below -Ed.)… All of these massacres and the new Nazism that the Israeli occupation is using will not have an effect, and the [mentality of] defeatism that existed among our Palestinian people from 1965 (sic., until 1965; refers to Fatah’s first terror attack in 1965, see note below) and from 1948 has changed. The settlers and their project will certainly pass, and they have begun to leave and to go due to this heroic stand from the sea to the river and in the diaspora…

We in the Fatah Movement have called on all our fighters, supporters, and young people to gather at all the routes, and there are a number of central routes: in the direction of Shavei Shomron, in the area of the [refugee] camps, and in the area of eastern Nablus. Following the afternoon prayers they will set out towards the Hawara checkpoint, and in eastern Nablus they will set out to the Beit Furik checkpoint, and in the south they will set out towards Jamma’in and Beita and Burin… Today we expect that there will be violent – and very violent – confrontations, and our young people will be present at all the checkpoints, Almighty Allah willing.”

[Official PA TV, May 18, 2021]

Fatah/Hamas Riot and Rocket War 2021 – On April 30, 2021, facing certain electoral defeat, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas cancelled the first PA elections scheduled in 15 years. Hamas, which expected to win the elections, denounced it as a “coup.” In need of a conflict to divert public discontent, Abbas artificially generated a crisis over Jerusalem. His Fatah party called for "raising the level of confrontation,” and Abbas' spokesman told Palestinians "the battle of all battles is here.” Jerusalem Arabs responded by attacking Jews with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Hamas, Abbas' political rival, could not allow Abbas to lead the battle, so on May 10, 2021, Hamas launched rocket barrages targeting Israeli population centers including Jerusalem. Over the next 11 days, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired over 4,300 rockets into southern and central Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 9 Israelis and 3 foreign nationals, and wounding hundreds. In response, Israel launched Operation Guardian of the Walls to target Hamas terror leaders and terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Already in mid-April, a planned eviction of some Palestinian families illegally living in Jewish-owned buildings in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem had led to clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli police. This dispute provided Palestinians with a pretext for violent rioting. Adding to the crisis, Israeli Arabs started rioting throughout Israel, especially in cities with a mixed Jewish and Arab population. Two Jews were murdered and many were wounded. According to Walla, an independent Israeli news site, 10 synagogues were wholly or partly burned down; fires were set in 112 Jewish homes and 1 Arab home mistaken for a Jewish home; 386 Jewish homes were plundered and 673 were damaged; 849 cars were set ablaze; and there were 5,018 rock-throwing attacks. In response, Jews started attacking Arabs and their properties as well, but on a much smaller scale. No mosques were burned; 13 Arab homes were damaged; 13 Arab-owned cars were burned; and there were 41 rock-throwing attacks by Jews. [Walla, May 16, 2021] The fighting between Israel and Hamas ended with a ceasefire on May 21, 2021.

Bombing of Israel's National Water Carrier - On Jan. 1, 1965, Palestinian terrorists attempted to bomb Israel's National Water Carrier. This was the first attack against Israel carried out by Fatah. Fatah refers to the attack as the “Intilaqa”, meaning “the Launch” of Fatah.