This page is a partial listing of incidents of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2007.
Timeline of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict: | |
The shaky six-month cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians collapsed when the military wing of Hamas, one of the leading Palestinian factions, resumed rocket attacks against Israel on May 15 in an apparent attempt to draw Israel into the ongoing Palestinian factional violence. [1] Hundreds of rockets were fired since then, many of them landing around Sderot, causing several frightened residents to flee and others are treated for wounds and shock.
In the months since November 2006, smaller Palestinian factions continued to fire rockets at Israel. They included Islamic Jihad, which rejected the cease-fire, and Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, which is nominally affiliated with the mainstream Fatah faction headed by the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. Israel said it was ending its policy of restraint against the rocket fire on May 16. Since then, the air force has struck mainly at Hamas structures and cells that the army said were involved in terrorist activity. [2]
Representatives from some Palestinian factions have denounced the rocket attacks. A Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine official called it "stupid" [3] and Fatah president Mahmoud Abbas called it "pointless and needless" after a meeting with then European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana. The rival Hamas party rejected the statement, saying "Abbas hates the rockets just like we hate the Jews." Hamas suspects that Israel's attacks are part of an effort to weaken Hamas in favor of Fatah. [4] Then Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said that no one involved in terrorist activities is immune. The position of the United States State Department is that the conflict "all started with Hamas not only attacking the legitimate security forces in the Gaza Strip, but also starting a stepped-up campaign of rocket launches against Israel." Israel does not target Fatah's security forces, although it has had clashes with the al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of the group.
(Clarification note: A May 18 article reads: "On Thursday, Israel had hit Hamas targets with three air strikes, killing at least three Palestinians, while five more Palestinians died in factional fighting." [emphasis added] [88] A May 19 article reads: "Saturday's attacks were part of Israel's bombing campaign against Hamas that has killed at least 14 Palestinians since Wednesday." [emphasis added] [89] A May 20 article reads: "Sunday's [May 20] air strike raised to 27 the number of Palestinians Israel has killed in Gaza since it stepped up air raids in response to heightened rocket attacks that have wounded a dozen Israelis in the past week." [90]