By Dell Cameron
July 25, 2014
The recent explosion of violence in Gaza may have been initially sparked by false or inaccurate claims, according to Israeli police.
The ongoing conflict began last month when three Israeli teenagers were kidnapped from a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank. Their bodies were later discovered in a field outside the city of Hebron. Before police were able to determine who was responsible, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu placed blame for the tragic deaths squarely on Hamas, Gaza’s elected political leadership—an accusation that may prove to be false.
On Friday, Chief Inspector Micky Rosenfeld, foreign press spokesman for the Israel Police, reportedly told BBC journalist Jon Donnisonhe that the men responsible for murders were not acting on orders of Hamas leadership. Instead, he said, they are part of a “lone cell.” Further, Inspector Rosenfeld told Donnison that if Hamas’ leadership had ordered the kidnapping, “they'd have known about it in advance.”
Naftali Fraenkel, 16, Gilad Shaer, 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, were kidnapped on June 12 from Gush Etzion, an Israeli settlement south of Jerusalem. After an exhaustive search that lasted over two weeks, security forces discovered the boys’ bodies in a field just north of Hebron, close to where they were abducted. The night of their disappearance, one of the boys called a police hotline and whispered, “They kidnapped me.” Police speculate that he may have been caught, leading the perpetrators to kill the teenage boys.
Husam Dofsh, a former member of Hamas, was arrested on suspicion of his involvement on July 5. After learning that he was a suspect, Dofsh called the Times of Israel and insisted he’d taken no part in the kidnapping. “I saw online, and people also told me, that I was tied to the mess, but I did not kidnap and didn’t do anything. I just want to continue my life,” Dofsh told reporters.
During the course of Israel’s investigation, some 400 Palestinians were arrested and up to 10 others were killed. Among those detained were Aziz Duwaik, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and West Bank-based member of Hamas; and Mahmoud al-Khatib, a Hamas legislator was also reportedly abducted by the IDF during a dawn raid in the city of Bethlehem.
Israel's crackdown in the West Bank instigated Hamas to begin firing rockets into Israel—a move that quickly escalated the conflict.
In early July, several members or activists connected to Hamas were killed, including a 14-year-old boy, which led the group to intensified their rocket attacks. Although there were no resulting deaths, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) began successive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay,” Netanyahu said in reference to the kidnapping. However, Inspector Rosenfeld’s statements, along with a number of reports concerning the identities of known police suspects, seem to indicate that Hamas leadership was not involved in the vicious crime.
The two more-likely suspects are Amer Abu Aysha and Marwan Kawasme, who have been missing from their homes since the night of the kidnapping. Police found cellphones and prepared food caches in their homes. Both had recently opened bank accounts in their wive's names. Palestinian security forces reported that Abu Aysha and Kawasme were missing to the Israelis the day after the kidnapping occurred, according to Al Monitor.
“That was the first clue in the investigation and the reason why Israel pointed an accusatory finger at the Hamas infrastructure in Hebron,” wrote Shlomi Eldar, a veteran journalist who has covered the Palestinian Authority for the past two decades.
Abu Aysha and Kawasme are known members of the Qawasameh tribe, according to Palestinian security forces. While members of Hebron-based Qawasameh clan identify with Hamas, they have a history of undermining its efforts to end violent conflicts with Israel. In 2003, for instance, the family sent two suicide bombers to blow up a bus in Jerusalem after a tahadiyeh (ceasefire) had been successfully negotiated between Israeli and Palestinian fighters, which was endorsed by Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin.
At the time of writing, a reported 848 Palestinians and 35 Israelis have been killed, including 208 children in Gaza, since July 8 when Israel launched Operation Protective Edge.
A number of Middle East journalists have written articles accusing the Israeli government of politicide—launching Israel into renewed conflict with Hamas in order to sabotage the formation of the unified Palestinian government that it so adamantly opposed. Vanetia Rainey, a Lebanon-based correspondent for The Week, wrote: “Israel must have known that [the] Palestinian Authority would not want to be seen to condone violence and would have to cooperate with the campaign of raids, something Hamas has been sharply critical of, calling it ‘harmful to Palestinian reconciliation’.”
This week, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas backed Hamas’ conditions for a ceasefire.
"The Gaza demands of stopping the aggression and lifting the blockade in all its forms are the demands of the entire Palestinian people and they represent the goal that the Palestinian leadership has dedicated all its power to achieve," he said.
The killing of 15 women and children by the Israel Defense Force at a UN elementary school in Beit Hanoun appears to be unifying Palestinians, but not through a shared interest in diplomacy. Roughly 10,000 protesters in the West Bank marched on Jerusalem Thursday after the school bombing. Two were killed and hundreds injured when the march clashed with Israeli police near the Qalandiya refugee camp.
On Friday, Hamas called for a third intifada and Abbas called for a “Day of Rage” marked with increased protests. “This is your opportunity,” a Hamas spokesperson said in response to the protests.
If the reported findings of the Israeli Police hold up and Hamas is officially cleared of any wrongdoing in the case of the three kidnapped Israeli teens, Netanyahu and the Israeli government may have to explain why a massive military operation, with an 80 percent rate of civilian casualties, was instigated under a false premise. And if violence in the West Bank continues to spread, the IDF may find itself divided on two fronts.
Correction: Israel's crackdown in the West Bank—not Gaza—following the discovery of the three murdered Israeli teens instigated Hamas into firing rockets on Israel. We regret the error.
Allan Petree
I am deeply ashamed over the falsehood of fanatic Jews in Israel. They accuse Hamas for exaktly the same autrocities as they themselves commit ! When more fact will emerge, we will see that the whole situation emanated from the Israelis ! Historys judgement over this will be HARCH !
I am comitting myself to help the international crime tribunal to PROSECUTE Israel for CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY !
I am very sad to see that Israel seems to copy Hitlers falsehood in accusing other wrongly !
The western countries also have a blame in this. They did not have any interest to HELP the situation after 1948. In view of the economic factors of Gas outside Gaza, more and more people are beginning to understand WHY Israel will sow split between Faatah and Hamas. Specially when they temselfes need to export this Gas and steal it from Palestine !
IF they wanted to live in peace, WHY pour gasoline on the fire instead of water ???
Peter Attwood
Stephen, can you provide any evidence that the Hamas leadership danced and celebrated when these teens were murdered, or are you lying, or are you just displaying reckless disregard for the truth? It is one of the three, isn't it?
2Shahidul Islam-AliMalek AliLikeReply
Jørgen Nielsen
Another important point is that Israel as the occupying power in East-Jeruslaem and the West-Bank, is obliged to ensure that its citizens, do not dwell in the occupied territories. Had Israel done this, the three settlers would not have been killed in the occupied territories.
Stephen Akins
Hamas seems to have little control over their fighters; and I have no trouble believing some rouge fighters or splinter group did it on their own. But even if the leadership didn't know about it; it certainly didn't keep them from dancing and celebrating when those teens were murdered.
Malek Ali
@Stephen Akins You always have to find something don't you. They didn't kill the 3 teens, but wait, they celebrated and danced when it happened (even though that didn't happen), but then let's assume you realize that didn't happen either, so you'll find something else to criticize. Do you expect them to be perfect? Need I remind you that Israelis were sitting atop a hill in lawn chairs eating snacks and cheering and clapping every time a bomb fell and killed innocent Palestinian civilians?
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/07/18/Video-Israel...
Need I remind you that since the year 2000, Israel has killed an average of 1 child every 3 days?
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/6185-one-palestinian-...
Need I remind you that in 1948, Al-Nakba (The Catastrophe) took place, in which Israel has forcefully expelled 750,000 Palestinians, committed 31 massacres and destroyed 531 Palestinian towns?
http://ifamericansknew.org/history/ref-nakba.html
Need I remind you that Israel owns 3870 tanks, 9436 Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), 680 aircraft, while Palestinians own 0?
http://www.globalfirepower.com/country-military-strength-detail.asp?coun...
Need I remind you that Gaza sits upon 4 BILLION dollars worth of gas resources that Israel is desperately trying to get their hands on because they are rapidly running out?
http://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/middle-east/12971-the-truth-ab...
Need I remind you that over 1000 Palestinians (80% of them civilians, many children) were killed by Israel in the last 2 weeks, whereas 35 Israelis were killed (mostly soldiers)?
[I don't think you need a source for that]
Need I remind you that Israel has broken more UN resolutions than any other country in UN history?
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2010/01/27/rogue-state-israeli-viola...
Need I remind you that Israel has, and continues to use, illegal weapons on innocent civilians, including white phosphorus bombs and flechettes?
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/07/20/372108/israel-using-illegal-ussu...
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/20/israel-using-flechette-shel...
Need I remind/inform you that Israel has broken nearly 120 cease-fire violations with Gaza, while the number of Hamas cease-fire violations by Hamas is negligible?
http://antiwar.com/blog/2014/02/06/the-truth-about-cease-fire-violations...
Need I remind you that Israel pays students in the West to spread propaganda on the Internet (That's right, they're getting desperate)? Just google it.
http://www.hangthebankers.com/israel-paying-students-to-spread-propagand...
The list goes on and on and on... if I sat here listing every atrocity committed by Israel, I'd have no time for anything else.
And you're talking about people dancing and celebrating because 3 Jewish teens were killed? Hamas's 'crimes' pale in comparison to the atrocities Israel has committed. The Western media may lie, but numbers and facts do not. If you want real reporting from real reporters, check out http://www.channel4.com/news
Mark my words, the world is finally waking up. And these recent events mark the beginning of the end of Zionism.
BONUS: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2014/07/facts-us-citizens-need-know-israe...
Malek Ali
@Stephen Akins Need I remind you that Israel is now intentionally targeting journalists in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to silence the truth? No journalists are allowed in or out until further notice.
https://www.google.ca/search?q=israel+targeting+journalists&ie=utf-8&oe=...
Need I remind you Israel is intentionally bombing hospitals?
https://www.google.ca/search?q=israel+bombing+hospitals+in+gaza&ie=utf-8...
Peter Attwood
What apparently happened is actually that when Netanyahu blamed Hamas and promised to start attacking Hamas, Hamas had to prepare and could no longer send out teams to stop others from launching rockets. So the rockets began to fly.
Anas Suhaimi
It is so Israel... Knew it all along.
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