The Hamas – Israel ceasefire came to a categorical end on December 19, as Palestinian factions in Gaza agreed not to renew the ceasefire due to Israel’s violations of the 6 month deal. This week has witnessed numerous violations of the ceasefire from both sides, with each side claiming it is retaliating against the other. Israel has continued with its closure of Gaza’s borders, allowing in only a token number of deliveries. As a result, Gazans are living in darkness and running out of basic supplies such as baby diapers and grain for bakeries. UNRWA announced with dismay on December 18 that it would cease to operate as its warehouses are empty, with nothing left to distribute.

The day the ceasefire officially expired, Hamas and other factions launched several homemade projectiles at Israel and continued the barrage throughout the morning and later in the evening. No injuries were reported by Israel. On December 16 and 17, Islamic Jihad and other groups fired 18 projectiles towards Israel in retaliation for the death of an Islamic Jihad member in Jenin the day before. Twenty one year old Amin Nawahda was assassinated late Monday evening by an Israeli undercover unit who overtook his car and shot him.

On December 16, 3 Palestinian civilians, including 2 women, were injured when an Israeli aerial drone fired a missile at Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip. On December 17, Israeli Apache helicopters launched 2 missiles at farmland, with no reported injuries. That same evening, a 53-year-old Palestinian man was killed and 3 others injured by an Israeli artillery attack on a house in northern Gaza. This was the third Israeli airstrike in under 24 hours, less than a day before the 6 month old ceasefire was due to expire. One Palestinian fighter was killed and 2 others injured on December 19 when Israeli artillery bombarded the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya.

Israeli newspapers reacted strongly to the finish of the truce, immediately publishing headlines announcing the death of the ceasefire and predicting an increase in violence. One Israeli paper, Maariv, published details of a military report exploring the option of assassinating Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmoud Zahhar, and Jamal Al-Khudari, amongst others. According to the report, military sources said that certain undisclosed Arab countries had advised Israel to assassinate those leaders in the event that the truce was not renewed.

On December 15, Israel released 227 of the promised 250 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, much to the joy of many Palestinian families. One family, however, was not so blessed. A 52 year old mother died of a heart attack upon realizing that none of her 3 incarcerated sons were to be released.

Israel made up for the loss in Palestinian prisoner numbers by conducting raids and arrests throughout the West Bank during the week. On December 14, Israeli forces seized 10 Palestinian youths from an internet café in the village of Zabuba, near Jenin. The next day, they detained 2 Palestinian youths from the Balata refugee camp near Nablus in an early morning raid. That same day, Israeli troops detained a Palestinian television cameraman, confiscating his camera as he was taping for a show on life in Qalqilia. On December 16, Israeli forces detained 24 Palestinians from various locations in the West Bank, again in early morning raids. On December 17, a further 27 Palestinians were arrested in raids in several West Bank villages, including in Bethlehem and Nablus. Israeli troops overran the town of Beit Sahour on December 18 to arrest another young Palestinian. Then on December 19, another Palestinian was seized in Jenin. Most of those seized were taken to undisclosed locations.

Israeli demolitions and land-grabbing tactics continued unhindered this week, when, on December 16, 200 Israeli police raided the Bedouin village of Abdallah Al-Atrash in the Negev desert at 5:00am, demolishing the entire community and forcibly expelling all 20 families living there. After 6 hours of work, no structures were left standing. Some residents said that they planned to sleep amongst the rubble of their demolished homes until new tents could be erected on their land. The residents, previously expelled from their homes farther west, have been living in Abdallah al-Atrash for 20 years.

Ironically, that same day an Israeli court issued some good news for the residents of Bil’in, when they ruled that Israel’s wall route cannot be based on plans to expand West Bank settlements. The residents were happy though suspicious of the decision, which could mean the return of 250 acres of land back to the village. Unfortunately, any sentiments of happiness were dampened when it was discovered that Israeli troops had, on December 15, confiscated 4,000 dunums of land in the village of Ar-Ramadin to clear the way for the separation wall in the far south of the West Bank.

On the international front, the UN Security Council convened on December 16 to vote on Resolution 1850, which encourages a final status peace agreement between Israel and Palestine. Gaza-based PLC member Jamal Al-Khudary criticized the resolution, however, stating that “The most dangerous aspect of this resolution is that it places the criminal and the victim on the same level… This resolution doesn’t include the right of return for Palestinians, the release of detainees, the end of settlement activities or an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip.”

The UN meeting did not stop Israel from denying entry to UN Human Right Rapporteur Richard Falk on December 14. According to Israeli media, Falk is unwelcome in the country because of his harsh and open criticism of Israeli actions in Palestine.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued an alarming report on December 19 indicating that the number of settler attacks against Palestinians in the West Bank had increased this year. Within the first 10 months of 2008, OCHA recorded 290 settler-related incidents targeting Palestinians and their property. This figure “reflects a worrying trend," the UN office said, "since it surpasses the total recorded by OCHA in each of the previous 2 years." Palestinian deaths and injuries resulting from settler-related incidents in 2008 exceeded the number of Palestinian casualties in each of the previous 2 years (131 in 2008, compared to 74 in 2006 and 92 in 2007). The OCHA report coincided with the release of another report by Ariel University Center of “Samaria” earlier in the week, which revealed that the population of Jewish settlements in the West Bank grows at 3 times the rate of the general Israeli population in Israel-proper. The settlers’ birthrate is about 25 births per 1,000 Israelis living in the West Bank, compared to 20 births per 1,000 Israelis living in Israel.

On a more positive note, Dr. Rafiq Al-Husseini, head of the Board of Celebrations for the annual Arab Capital of Culture, announced on December 16 preparations for events to take place next year, when Jerusalem will be the UNESCO Arab Capital of Culture 2009. The opening celebrations will be held on 22 January, 2009, though the location will remain undisclosed till then as Israeli forces will disrupt any such events.

Another positive event this week was the beginning of a Palestinian national campaign to end the division between Hamas and Fatah. The campaign, titled “Nablus Calls for Conciliation and Agreement,” aims to gather one million signatures in the West Bank and Gaza in order to pressure Fatah and Hamas to restore unity amongst Palestinians. In the meantime, Turkey announced it was willing to act as a mediator in conciliation talks between the two factions, replacing Egypt’s role.

Finally, on December 20, a ship loaded with humanitarian aid arrived in the Gaza Strip from Larnaca Port in Cyprus. The SS Dignity, carrying peace activists, representatives of the Qatari People’s Initiative, medicine, high protein baby formula and gifts, was the 5th such ship to reach Gaza since June.