Ramallah as a Center of Terror: Background Information

Ramallah is located on a major crossroads in the West Bank, with a commanding view of its surroundings, ensuring a continuity of population from the city of Jerusalem northwards.

The Ramallah area is composed of two main sectors: the lower city of Ramallah and the city of el-Bira (a separate municipality) to the east. South of the city is the el-‘Amari refugee camp and to its north is the town of Bir Zeit (known for its university, the largest on the West Bank), and the Jalazoun refugee camp.

Ramallah is one of the two major Palestinian seats of power. The central Palestinian governing institutions are located within Ramallah, including: offices of the Legislative Council, the executive branch and a large number of Palestinian West Bank security forces’ headquarters.

Arafat, until recently, had divided his time between Gaza and Ramallah, due to the presence of central governing institutions presence in both cities.

Ramallah is a relatively modern city with Jerusalem-style high-rise buildings. In the past, Ramallah constituted a tourism and entertainment center. The Ramallah district contains 220,000 residents. Of these some 57,000 are located in the cities of Ramallah and el-Bira.

Ramallah Axis of Terrorism

Since the beginning of the current conflict, Ramallah has stood out as a major center of terrorist activity against Israeli civilians and security personnel. The terrorist infrastructure in the city, and at times in the entire West Bank, are dependant on senior Fatah leadership and senior commanders of the Palestinian security apparatus.

Since the death of Raed Karmi on January 14, 2002, the city has become the capital of Palestinian terrorism, from which many terrorist attacks have emanated. Among those we may count the suicide attack in Tel Aviv’s Sea Food Market restaurant, the terrorist infiltration of ‘Ayn ‘Arik, and the attack on civilians and IDF soldiers at the British Police roadblock.

Palestinian Security Forces

Due to the fact that Ramallah constituted an administrative and governmental center, the Palestinian Authority security forces established their headquarters in the city. The National Security headqarters is located in Ramallah’s Mukt’ah as are the headquarters of Force-17, Preventive Security and Civil Police.

The Palestinian security forces, and especially Force-17, have played an active role in major terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops perpetrated within in the Ramallah area, in Jerusalem and elsewhere in Israel. The mutual relationship existing between the Fatah in Ramallah and members of the security forces (often on a personal basis, due to the fact many security force personnel were originally from the Fatah) has blurred the distinction between the Palestinian security forces and the Fatah. The former participate actively in terror operations, either as individuals or on an organizational level (e.g. Force-17).

Terrorist Organizations

The major terrorist organization operating out of Ramallah is the Fatah, headed by Arafat. Marwan Barghouti, Secretary General of the Fatah, who is also head of the Tanzim, serves directly under him. Many senior Fatah leaders have established themselves in Ramallah. Fatah is responsible for a long list of deadly terrorist attacks (suicide operations, shooting attacks, kidnappings and bombings) which took the lives of many dozens of Israelis. Following the death of local Tanzim leader Raed Karmi on January 14, 2002, the Fatah changed its modus operandi from shooting attacks on roads to suicide bombings in Israeli cities, and terrorist attacks against IDF checkpoints.

Other terrorist organizations operate from the city, among them the Hamas which had carried out the major suicide bombings in Jerusalem (e.g. the Sbarro pizzeria bombing, the Jerusalem pedestrian mall double-suicide bombing and the recent Cafe Moment attack which claimed the lives of 11 Israelis). Their operatives enjoy protection of the security forces who do not stop the activities in the city. Even though Ramallah is not the primary site of Hamas activity on the West Bank, Ramallah does constitute a “relay station” for suicide attacks in Jerusalem.

An additional terrorist organization that operates in and from the city is the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. This organization, even though it is relatively small, has chosen Ramallah as the main focal point for its military and political operations. The leadership of the terrorist organization within the territories are situated in Ramallah. It has carried out a large number of spectacular attacks which have claimed the lives of many victims. Among these: the bombings in the Ariel hotel and the Karnei Shalom mall, and the assassination of the late Minister of Tourism Rechavam Ze’evy, whose murderers departed from and returned to Ramallah. The organization now specializes in suicide bombings.

The remaining Palestinian terrorist organizations, such as the Islamic Jihad, maintain “representatives” in Ramallah. They cooperate together and with the official security forces of the Palestinian Authority.

List of Major Terrorist Attacks Emanating from Ramallah

• 12 October 2000 – Lynching of two IDF reserve soldiers who entered the city by mistake. The incident took place in the Ramallah Police Station.

• 30 October 2000 – A shooting attack in which Eish-Kodesh Gilmor, a guard at the East Jerusalem National Insurance branch was killed.

• 13 November 2000 – A shooting attack near Neveh Tzuf, in which Sarah Leisha and two Israeli soldiers were killed.

• 24 November 2000 – A shooting attack at the Tapuah Junction, in which an Israeli civilian Ariel Jeraffi was killed.

• 21 December 2000 – A shooting attack on the Modi’in-Jerusalem highway (Route 443), in which an Israeli civilian, Eliahu Cohen, was killed.

• 31 December 2000 – A shooting attack near Ofra, in which Binyamin Zeev Kahane and his wife Talia were killed.

• 18 January 2001 – Ofir Rahum, a high school student, was seduced by a female terrorist who he met in an Internet chat room and was murdered in Ramallah.

• 8 February 2001 – A car bomb was detonated in Jerusalem, wounding five.

• 27 February 2001 – A shooting attack near Ofer Camp. Three civilians were wounded, one severely.

• 21 March 2001 – A car bomb in Jerusalem’s Mea Sharim district.

• 23 April 2001 – A car bomb was detonated in Or Yehuda.

• 1 May 2001 – A shooting attack at an Israeli car in Beth El in which an civilian, Assaf Hershkowitz, was killed.

• 8 May 2001 – Initiation and direction of a shooting attack in Itamar, in which an Israeli civilian, Arnaldo Agranionic, was killed.

• 27 May 2001 – A car bomb in Jerusalem’s Russian Compound.

• 12 June 2001 – A shooting attack in Ma’aleh Adumim, in which a Greek Orthodox monk was killed.

• 18 June 2001 – An explosive device (which did not explode) on a motor scooter in Haifa.

• 2 July 2001 – Two car bombs exploded in Yahud.

• 24 July 2001 – An 18-year-old boy, Yuri Gushchin, was murdered. His body was found in Ramallah.

• 9 August 2001 – The Sbarro pizzeria suicide bombing, in which 15 people were killed and 100 wounded.

• 4 September 2001 – Suicide attack on Jerusalem’s Nevi’im Street, in which 12 were wounded, three seriously.

• 17 October 2001 – Assassination of the former Israeli Minister of Tourism, Rechavam Ze’evy.

• 11 December 2001 – Terrorist attack on the Jerusalem pedestrian mall, which claimed the lives of 11 civilians.

• 22 January 2002 – Shooting attack on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem in which Sarah Hamburger and Svetlana Sandler were killed and 33 injured.

• 27 January 2002 – Suicide attack on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem, by a female terrorist, in which one person, Pinhas Tokatli, was killed and 101 wounded.

• 19 February 2002 – Shooting attack in ‘Ayn ‘Arik, in which six Israelis were killed and one wounded.

• 22 February 2002 – Shooting attack on a car near Atarot, in which Valery Ahmir was killed.

• 25 February 2002 – A shooting attack in Neveh Ya’akov, in which Galit Arbiv was killed.

• 27 February 2002 – Gad Rejwan killed by a Palestinian worker in the Atarot industrial zone.

• 27 February 2002 – A female suicide bomber blew herself up in the Maccabim checkpoint, injuring two people.

• 3 March 2002 – Shooting attack at the British Police roadblock near Ofra, in which 10 were killed in six injured.

• 5 March 2002 – A shooting and grenade attack in the Sea Food Market restaurant in Tel Aviv, in which three people were killed.

• 9 March 2002 – Suicide bombing in Jerusalem’s Cafe Moment, in which 11 people were killed and 50 wounded.