The Palestine Chronology

IDF undercover units raid Jenin, assassinate West Bank head of Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigades Nidal al-Sadi, his aide Ahmad Tubasi in a shootout that leaves 1 IDF soldier wounded; also open fire on angry Palestinians who gather to throw stones at the troops, wounding 11. The IDF reinforces troops in Hebron’s old city; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Bethlehem for being built without permits and being too close to the separation wall; bulldozes 2 d. of agricultural land adjacent to a settler bypass road nr. al-Khadir; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. and nr. Hebron (occupying a home as an observation post), Nablus, Tulkarm. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers angry over the plans to evacuate Amona outpost bar Palestinians fr. traveling a stretch of the Nablus–Ramallah road nr. Shilo settlement. Also in protest of the Amona evacuation, 100s of Jewish settlers storm an IDF base at the nearby Ofra settlement. Meanwhile, Jewish settler families who have been squatting in Palestinian stores in the Hebron market leave voluntarily in exchange for the Israeli government’s promise to look into speeding up legal proceedings to expropriate the market and allow Jewish settlers to rent it. (NYT 1/31; NYT, WP 2/1; PCHR, WP 2/2; see also HA 1/18)

The IDF halts and blows up a Palestinian vehicle nr. Qalqilya, without giving a reason; conducts arrest raids in and around Hebron (occupying 1 home as an observation post), nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, and Ramallah, and in Aida r.c., Nur al-Shams r.c. (firing on residential areas), Tulkarm (firing on residential areas). Some 20,000 Fatah mbrs. angry over their election defeat stage marches, rallies across Gaza; Fatah mbrs. also temporarily take over the PC buildings in Gaza City, Ramallah calling for the Fatah leadership to resign; some 2,000 Fatah mbrs., some armed, march through Nablus, 500 march in Hebron, and 100s rally outside the Muqata in Ramallah, making the same demand. Hamas gunmen ambush, wound 2 PA policemen in Khan Yunis, apparently in retaliation for a clash that left a Hamas mbr. wounded on 1/27. Palestinian farmers in Gaza dump rotting produce at the Qarni crossing to protest Israel’s closing of the export point despite its pledge to the U.S. to keep it open on “an urgent basis.” (Israel sealed the crossing on 1/14 citing intelligence reports that a tunnel was being dug nearby; PA security forces have been looking for a tunnel without success, and Israel won’t say where intelligence indicates the tunnel may be.) Palestinians export tens of millions of dollars of produce through Qarni during this time of yr. (HA 1/28; NYT, WP, WT 1/29; PCHR 2/2)

The IDF conducts late night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. In retaliation for the killing of a Palestinian girl on 1/26, the AMB, PRCs fire 4 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron. Across Gaza, 1,000s of Hamas supporters hold peaceful rallies after midday prayers to celebrate Hamas’s election victory. Meanwhile, some 15,000 Fatah mbrs. carry out angry marches across Gaza, burning cars, firing in the air, demanding that the party’s leadership resign over the party’s failure in the 1/25 elections; more than 1,000 armed Fatah mbrs. protest outside Abbas’s Gaza residence alone (he is in Ramallah); in Khan Yunis, Hamas mbrs. trade fire with Fatah mbrs. tearing down Hamas campaign protesters and PA security forces in 2 incidents, leaving 6 Palestinians (including 1 Hamas mbr., 2 PA security officers) wounded. (IMEMC, NYT, REU, YA 1/27; NYT, WP, WT 1/28; PCHR 2/2)

The IDF fires on a “suspicious figure” nr. the Gaza border with Israel nr. Khan Yunis, killing a 9-yr.-old Palestinian girl; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron nr. Qalqilya throw stones at Palestinians, vandalize homes in nearby Kafr Laqif. Hamas, Fatah mbrs. scuffle in Ramallah over Hamas’s big election win there. (IMEMC, YA 1/26; HA, IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 1/27; Voice of Palestine 1/27 in WNC 1/28; WP 1/29; PCHR 2/2)

The IDF bars CEC officials fr. transporting election boxes through a Tulkarm checkpoint to 21 al-Sha‘rawiyya polling stations; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin. The Shin Bet summons PNN correspondent Mais Abu Ghazaleh for questioning, releases her with an “offer” to “consider cooperating with them to inform them on her future work with PNN.” Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into the Negev, causing no damage or injuries. Israel’s Jerusalem Municipality fines Fatah, Hamas, the PFLP $100,000 each for hanging campaign posters in East Jerusalem. Fatah gunmen in Nablus fatally shoot Fatah election official Yusif Hassuna after he tells them to stop shooting at campaign posters for Ghassan Shaka‘a (opposed by some Fatah mbrs.) on his house; 1,000 Palestinians later march to Nablus’s main police station to protest the killing, the police’s failure to end lawlessness. Some 40 Islamic Jihad mbrs. march in Tulkarm, demanding the release of prisoners fr. Palestinian jails, calling for an election boycott, firing on a PA police station (causing no injuries); PA police disperse the crowd. (AP, HA, IMEMC, PCHR, YA 1/24; PCHR 1/26; PNN press release 1/28)

The IDF announces that it is suspending all military operations in the Palestinian areas until after the 1/25 elections, will act only in response to immediate threats; will allow PA security forces to patrol armed in Palestinian cities during elections; will ease restrictions on Palestinian movement to facilitate voting. The IDF fires on 4 Palestinian children playing nr. Ramallah, thinking they are militants laying a roadside bomb, killing a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 2; arrests independent Jerusalem candidate Said Yaqin while campaigning in East Jerusalem; arrests Palestinian News Network (PNN) correspondent Mustafa Sabri in his Qalqilya home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Hebron, Qabatya, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Tulkarm town and r.c. and nr. Jenin. Palestinians fire on an IDF patrol in the n. West Bank, wounding 1 soldier; fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza towards Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, IMEMC, YA 1/23; HA, IMEMC 1/24; HA 1/25; PCHR 1/26; PNN press release 1/28)

A Tel Aviv court issues a landmark ruling that Israel cannot use the 1950 Absentee Property Law to seize West Bank lands abandoned by Palestinians during the 1967 war. Coming fr. a lower court, the ruling constitutes a directive to other district courts and is not binding, as it would be had the High Court issued the ruling. (HA 1/24)

The IDF raids Yatta, detains several candidates in the 1/25 elections after they conclude a rally; bars Fatah candidates fr. crossing a checkpoint nr. Qalqilya to attend a campaign rally in Azun Itma village; raids a Fatah campaign rally in East Jerusalem, detaining Fatah candidate Uthman Abu Gharbiyya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Dura (occupying 3 Palestinian homes as observation posts), Jenin and in Bethlehem, Hebron, Yatta. IDF troops stationed on the central Gaza border detain 7 Palestinian teenagers (ages 13–15) fr. Nussayrat r.c. attempting to sneak into Israel to find work. Some 3,000 Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters led by several Palestinian candidates to the 1/25 elections take part in the weekly nonviolent march against the separation wall in Bil‘in; the IDF fires tear gas to disperse the crowd. A Jewish settler moderately injures a Palestinian in a hit-and-run nr. Nablus. (IMEMC 1/20; Gush Shalom press release, JAZ 1/21; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23; PCHR 1/26)

An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber fr. Nablus detonates a device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing only himself, wounding 24 Israelis (1 critically). The PA accuses Islamic Jihad of trying to derail the 1/25 elections. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at troops in Hebron; arrests Fatah candidate fr. Jerusalem Ahmad ‘Abd al-Rahim at a campaign rally in Shu‘fat, East Jerusalem; raids, seals an office in East Jerusalem linked to Change and Reform campaigning, confiscating computers, documents; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes nr. Jenin for construction of the separation wall; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and nr. Hebron, nr. Ramallah, and in Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. n. Gaza towards Israel, but it lands in Bayt Lahiya, damaging a Palestinian home, lightly injuring a 7-yr.-old girl. (AP, IMEMC, JTA 1/19; HA, NYT, IMEMC, WP, WT 1/20; WT 1/21; PCHR 1/26)

Responding to the 1/17 Ayadi assassination, an AMB gunman fires across the Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun, fatally shooting an IDF soldier inside Israel. In response, the IDF recloses Gaza’s Erez crossing (reopened on 1/16 after 1 mo.) and Sufa commercial crossing. The IDF also arrests 7 Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa list candidates in Jerusalem as they prepare to hold a press conference on the upcoming elections; raids Jenin town and r.c., exchanges fire with wanted Palestinians, leaving 2 soldiers, 3 Palestinians wounded; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn al-Bayda nr. Jenin, Amara r.c., Dura, Qalqilya and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Qabatya, Tulkarm. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; one lands inside Gaza. Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Palestinian candidates (including Change and Reform, Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa) slated to speak at an election rally, accusing them of belonging to outlawed groups and forcing the cancellation of the rally. (IMEMC, JP, YA 1/18; HA, NYT, PCHR, REU, YA 1/19; PCHR 1/26)

The IDF raids the Alternative campaign offices in East Jerusalem, confiscates campaign posters and leaflets, arrests at least 5 workers, claiming they have ties to terrorism because the Alternative coalition includes the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP); bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina and Silwan on the outskirts of East Jerusalem; smashes the windshields of at least 10 Palestinian taxis traveling a road leading north out of Nablus; conducts arrest raids in al-Arub r.c. nr. Nablus, Qalqilya and in and around Jenin, Ramallah. The IDF also declares the Jewish section of Hebron a closed military zone, banning all nonresidents, seizing buildings and rooftops, welding shut Palestinian stores raided by settlers after 5 days of settler rioting sparked by plans to evict Israeli squatters who have occupied the market area. Late in the evening, Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire on the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no injuries. (HA, IMEMC, YA 1/16; NYT, WP 1/17; IMEMC 1/18; PCHR 1/19)

The IDF patrols in Bethlehem, Tubas nr. Jenin; imposes a curfew on Kafr al-Dik nr. Nablus, raiding and searching homes (an IDF dog attacks an 84-yr.-old Palestinian woman); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm and in Jenin, Yatta. The AMB fires 5 rockets fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Some 30 Jewish settler teenage girls fr. Tal Rumayda (some wearing ski masks), angry over IDF plans to evacuate settlers fr. the Hebron market and the Amona unauthorized outpost, rampage through Palestinian areas of Hebron while 6 settler boys attempt to occupy a Palestinian home; the IDF intervenes. (IMEMC 1/13; PCHR 1/19)

The IDF bars Third Way candidate Salah al-Masri fr. entering Gaza to campaign although he has the proper permits; prevents 2 of the PFLP’s Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa list candidates fr. crossing a checkpoint nr. Tulkarm; arrests 6 Palestinians hanging campaign posters for independent candidates in East Jerusalem; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in al-Khadir for being constructed without permits; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., nr. Ramallah, and in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Qabatya. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also scuffles with some 300 Jewish settlers blocking the dismantling of an unauthorized outpost nr. Neve Daniel s. of Jerusalem. A PA police officer wounded in Gaza clashes on 1/7 dies. (BBC, IMEMC 1/11; HA, IMEMC, NYT 1/12; PCHR 1/19)

The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement around Tulkarm; bars Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa candidates in the 1/25 elections fr. crossing a checkpoint outside of Tubas; tears down campaign posters for Fatah candidate and AMB mbr. Muhammad Khadir in Kafr Sur nr. Tulkarm, as well as other campaign posters on the road leading fr. Hebron to Dura; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c., fires on stone-throwing youths who confront them, seriously wounding a 12-yr.-old boy; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Azza r.c. nr. Bethlehem, nr. Nablus and Ramallah, in and around Hebron (occupying several homes as observation posts). Palestinians fire 4 rockets fr. n. Gaza towards Israel, 3 of which land inside Palestinian territory, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire, causing no injuries. PA police exchange gunfire with wanted Palestinians during an arrest raid in Dayr al-Balah, leaving 10 Palestinians wounded (including 8 policemen); 11 policemen are wounded in clashes with suspected drug smugglers during an arrest raid in Khan Yunis; 1 Palestinian is killed in a clash btwn. PA police and gunmen in Gaza City. The AMB–Jenin faction warns foreign election observers to leave the city immediately. (IMEMC 1/7; NYT 1/8; YA 1/9; PCHR 1/19; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)

The IDF conducts air and artillery strikes on the n. Gaza no-go zone, also hitting a PA security post nr. Bayt Lahiya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Aida r.c., Hebron, Jenin r.c. (firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 6), Tulkarm. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. At least 1 Jewish settler wounds 2 Palestinians in a drive-by shooting nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians, damage property in Hebron. The PA releases AMB’s Hams (see 1/4). (HA, IMEMC 1/5; BBC, WP 1/6; YA 1/9; PCHR 1/19)

As the campaign period for the 1/25 Palestinian elections opens, Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Independent Palestine candidate Mustafa Barghouthi as he campaigns, releases him after 4 hrs.; detain 7 Fatah candidates campaigning in the city; disperse a Third Way rally led by Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Hanan Ashrawi (Jerusalem); in 2 separate incidents, bars Central Election Commission (CEC) staff mbrs. fr. crossing a Tulkarm checkpoint to attend an election-related mtg. in nearby Dayr al-Ghusun and the Jordan Valley; blocks the transportation of election campaigning material fr. the West Bank to Gaza; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. Meanwhile, the IDF opens the new Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border; fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Mustafa Muhammad during an arrest raid nr. Hebron; raids a Palestinian school in Anata n. of Jerusalem, firing rubber bullets, injuring 1 teacher, 1 student and then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jalazun r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya; dismantles 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Bat Ayin, Efrat, Pdu’el. In response to the 1/2 assassination, Islamic Jihad fires at least 12 rockets at the Negev, the ARB fires a rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire on 8 roads leading to the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no injuries. The AMB, ARB claim joint responsibility for detonating an explosive device nr. an IDF bulldozer operating on Jenin r.c., seriously injuring 1 IDF soldier. PA police arrest Gaza AMB leader Ala’ al-Hams for plotting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino break into, rob, vandalize several Palestinian shops in Hebron. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ 1/3; IMEMC, PMC, WP, WT, YA 1/4; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA 1/6; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)

The IDF launches an air strike on a PA municipal building nr. Khan Yunis, causing heavy damage; conducts mock air raids over Gaza; patrols in al-Khadir, firing on stonethrowing youths who confront the troops; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c., nr. Bethlehem and Jenin; dismantles an unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Hebron. The AMB, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PRCs confirm that their unilateral truce is over. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also announces that around 3 wks. ago, the AMB fired a crude rocket fr. the n. West Bank towards, but not into, Israel, causing no damage or injuries, marking the 1st confirmed rocket fire fr. the West Bank. Jewish settlers attempt to bar Palestinian farmers fr. working their land nr. Qalqilya, but the IDF intervenes. In Khan Yunis, armed AMB mbrs. ambush a minibus of EU diplomats, kidnap 1 Italian official; PA security forces quickly identify and raid the kidnappers’ hideout, free the diplomat in an exchange of fire; no injuries are reported. Armed Palestinians storm a UN social club in Gaza (the last public bar in Gaza, open only to foreigners) after closing, throwing 2 explosives, injuring a security guard. (HA, XIN, YA 1/1; HA, IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 1/2; PCHR 1/5; NYT 1/31)