This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TEL AVIV 002388 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
NEA FOR BURNS/SATTERFIELD 
NEA/SA/EX FOR AUSTIN-FERGUSON; DEPT FOR DS/IP/NEA; 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/ITA; DRL FOR A/S CRANER; 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/DANIN; 
USAID FOR DCHA, DCHA/FPP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KWBG PTER ASEC PHUM CASC KPAL IS GZ
SUBJECT: THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND: APRIL 26, 2004 -- 
(1300 HOURS LOCAL) -- ONE BORDER GUARD KILLED AND THREE 
WOUNDED APRIL 25 IN WEST BANK ATTACK 
 
THIS IS A JOINT MESSAGE FROM EMBASSY TEL AVIV AND CONGEN 
JERUSALEM. 
 
------- 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Palestinian gunmen killed one Israeli 
border policeman and wounded three others April 25 near Idna 
village in the West Bank.  The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades 
claimed responsibility for the attack.  Also on April 25, an 
Israeli undercover unit killed two al-Aqsa militants and 
wounded a third in Janin; a civilian bystander was also 
killed.  In the Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers shot and injured 
four Palestinians April 24-25, and Palestinians injured two 
settlers April 25 in a rocket attack on Netzarim.  Gazans 
turned out to demonstrate in support of Yasir Arafat April 
24-25, after statements by PM Sharon that he no longer felt 
bound by his commitment to the United States not to target 
the PA chairman.  End Summary. 
 
--------- 
West Bank 
--------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) ATTACKS: 
 
-- Death/Injury: Palestinian gunmen killed one Israeli border 
policeman April 25 near Idna village, west of Hebron.  Three 
other border policemen were wounded in the attack.  The 
gunmen escaped; al-Aqsa Martyrs, Brigades claimed 
responsibility for the shooting. 
 
-- Death: Palestinians killed a suspected collaborator April 
25 in Bayt Rima village. 
 
-- Death: An Israeli undercover unit killed two al-Aqsa 
Brigades members and wounded a third in Janin April 25.  A 
civilian bystander was also killed. 
 
-- Death: An Israeli undercover unit killed one PIJ member 
and wounded another in Qabatiya April 25. 
 
-- Death: al-Aqsa Brigades members killed a collaborator 
April 23 in Tulkarem. 
 
-- Injury: The IDF injured five Palestinians during clashes 
in Nablus April 25. 
 
-- Injury: The IDF injured four Palestinians April 26 during 
clashes in Bayt Sahour.  The IDF entered Bayt Sahour in 
response to a shooting attack mounted from the village 
against Har Homa settlement (see "Shooting"). 
 
-- Shooting: Palestinian gunmen fired shots at Har Homa 
settlement south of Jerusalem April 26 from the direction of 
Bayt Sahour village, east of Bethlehem.  No one was injured 
in the incident. 
 
-- Shooting: Palestinian gunmen fired shots from Bayt Jala 
village at Gilo settlement, south of Jerusalem, April 25, but 
no one was injured.  The IDF subsequently imposed a curfew on 
Bayt Jala, which was still in effect as of the morning of 
April 26, and entered the village to conduct searches. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) ARRESTS: 
 
-- Palestinian sources reported that two international peace 
activists, one of whom was reportedly American, were detained 
by Israeli forces April 25 during a protest against the 
separation barrier near Biddu village, northwest of 
Jerusalem.  The IDF used tear gas to disperse the 
demonstrators. 
 
-- Israeli police announced the arrest April 25 of three 
Palestinians suspected of killing one person and wounding 
another in two separate shooting attacks in East Jerusalem 
over the past month.  Two of the suspects are from Kafr Aqab, 
and one is from Ramallah. 
 
-- The IDF arrested six Palestinians throughout the West Bank 
April 25. 
 
---- 
Gaza 
---- 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  ATTACKS: 
 
-- Deaths: Nil. 
 
-- Injuries: Israeli media reported that two settlers were 
lightly wounded April 25 in Netzarim when Palestinians fired 
homemade rockets at the settlement. 
 
-- Injury: One Palestinian was shot and injured April 25 when 
the IDF fired on the Khan Yunis refugee camp, according to 
UNRWA (see "Shootings"). 
 
-- Injuries: UNRWA reported that a 15-year-old Palestinian 
boy was moderately wounded April 23 when the bomb he was 
making exploded prematurely in Burayj camp.  His two sisters 
were also wounded by shrapnel in the blast. 
 
-- Injury: UNRWA reported that a 60-year-old Palestinian man 
and a 12-year-old Palestinian girl were shot and seriously 
wounded April 23 in two separate incidents of IDF fire into 
Block O of the Rafah refugee camp (see "Shootings"). 
 
-- Injury: One Palestinian was shot and injured April 23 when 
IDF soldiers fired at a group of farmers working north of 
Karni Crossing (see "Shootings"). 
 
-- Mortars/Rockets/Hand Grenades: The IDF reported that 11 
mortar shells and one anti-tank missile were fired at 
settlements and IDF outposts April 24-16. 
 
-- Shootings: The IDF reported a total of three shooting 
attacks initiated by Palestinians against IDF targets April 
24-26, and another three IDF-initiated shootings in the same 
time frame.  One Palestinian was wounded in each of the 
IDF-initiated shooting incidents, according to the IDF. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) ARRESTS: 
 
-- UNRWA reported that the IDF arrested one Palestinian from 
the Jabaliyah refugee camp April 23 at the Abu Khouli 
checkpoint during routine vehicle checks. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) BORDER CROSSINGS/CHECKPOINTS: 
 
-- Route Four (Salahadeen Road), the main north-south traffic 
artery, was open for Palestinians. 
 
-- Erez Crossing and the Erez Industrial Zone were both 
closed April 24-26. 
 
-- Sufa Crossing was closed for Palestinian laborers April 
24-26.  Sufa was also closed for the import into Gaza of 
aggregates used in construction. 
 
-- Karni Terminal was open April 24 for the import and export 
of goods into the Gaza Strip, but closed April 25. 
 
-- Rafah Terminal was open April 24-25 for Palestinian 
travelers. 
 
-- Tel al-Sultan checkpoint was closed April 24-26.  Toufah 
checkpoint was open for residents of al-Mowassi April 24-26. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS: 
 
-- PM Sharon said in a speech April 23 that he no longer 
feels bound by his commitment to the United States not to 
target PA Chairman Yasir Arafat.  Following Sharon's 
statements, UNRWA reported that approximately 5,000 Fatah 
supporters, PA officials and armed men marched from the PLC 
compound to the Presidential Office in Gaza April 24 in a 
show of support for PA Chairman Yasir Arafat.  Additional 
demonstrations in support of Arafat were held throughout the 
Gaza Strip April 24-25. 
 
-- Approximately 25,000 Palestinians held a rally April 23 in 
the Khan Yunis stadium to commemorate the death of former 
Hamas leader Abdul al-Aziz al-Rantisi. 
 
********************************************* ******************** 
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