The Palestine Chronology

The Israeli navy fires 4 shells at Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, causing no damage or injuries, but forcing fishermen to retreat to shore. In Rafah, Fatah security officer Maj. Hassan Jarbuh is seriously wounded in a drive-by shooting; Fatah blames Hamas, which denies responsibility. (NYT 12/24; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28)

In Jerusalem, Abbas, Olmert hold talks on resuming the peace process and ways of improving Abbas position relative to Hamas, marking the 1st formal mtg. of PA and Israeli leaders since 2/05. (HA 12/28) (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 12/24; International Herald Tribune 12/27; HA 12/28; NYT 12/29)

Palestinians fire at least 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; 1 rocket lands inside Gaza, injuring a 2-yr.-old Palestinian boy; Hamas says that it has not fired any of the nearly 50 rockets fired since the 11/26 Gaza truce was declared; Islamic Jihad has taken responsibility for many. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda stone a Palestinian girl, vandalize her family’s home in Hebron. Abbas blocks a number of government appointments made by Hamas-led PA offices. In Gaza City, a Fatah-linked clan kidnaps a Hamas mbr., sparking heaving exchanges of fire btwn. Fatah-Hamas supporters that leaves 1 Hamas mbr. dead. In Nablus, PA security forces loyal to Abbas fire on a group of 1,000 Hamas supporters celebrating the anniversary of the movement’s founding, wounding 9; Fatah-Hamas tensions have been high in Nablus, where Fatah protests the Hamas-led PA’s efforts to form an ESF branch under Siyam’s control. (MM 12/22; NYT, WP, WT 12/23; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28; AIC 1/17)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on a group of Palestinian farmers who stray too nr. the border fence, wounding 1. The Israeli navy fire machine guns at Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, damaging several but causing no injuries. Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an overnight arrest raid on Silat al-Harithiyya, exchanging fire with and fatally shooting 2 wanted Islamic Jihad mbrs.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Sahur (raiding the offices of the Islamic Association), Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem. The Fatah-Hamas ceasefire in Gaza generally holds, though just after it is announced, PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) mbrs. controlled by Abbas fire on a group of Hamas mbrs. in Gaza City, sparking an exchange that leaves 2 PSF mbrs. dead. During a funeral process for the men in Gaza City later in the day, Fatah mbrs. fire in the air, set cars on fire, but cause no injuries. (IFM, NYT, PCHR 12/21; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28)

An IDF soldier is lightly injured by a roadside bomb placed along the Gaza border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit into Nablus in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates to ambush a carload of AMB mbrs., assassinating AMB mbr. ‘Inab Abu Kishik, wounding 2 others; sends an undercover unit in a taxi with Palestinian license plates into al-Til where they ambush, assassinate local AMB leader Muhammad Hamad, wounding 1 bystander; fatally shoots a 13-yr.-old Palestinian girl who strays close to the separation wall nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Allar and al-Til nr. Tulkarm, ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Nablus. Jewish settlers leave the Homesh settlement site after camping there overnight. Jewish settlers fr. Emmanuel bulldoze Palestinian land in Qalqilya to expand the settlement. Fatah-Hamas clashes continue across Gaza throughout the day (involving automatic weapons fire, mortars, RPGs), leaving 6 Palestinians dead, at least 22 wounded: an ESF mbr. is shot dead, 11 Palestinians are wounded in an hr.-long exchange with Fatah mbrs. outside al-Shifa hospital; 2 Fatah mbrs. are killed and 9 wounded in an ambush in Gaza City; 2 Fatah mbrs. are kidnapped, killed and a Hamas mbr. is fatally shot elsewhere in Gaza. In the evening, Egyptian mediators in Gaza bring together Interior M Siyam with the heads of the Fatah-dominated PA security forces to broker a new cease-fire agmt. that goes into effect immediately; the sides also agree to form a joint operating center to coordinate all of the security forces. A Palestinian wounded in the 12/14 IDF assassination of AMB mbr. Zaytawi in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. dies. (NYT, WT 12/20; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jenin, searching several stores; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron; demolishes a new addition to a Palestinian home nr. Hebron. In a predawn raid on a Force 17 training camp in Gaza, suspected Hamas gunmen kill a Force 17 officer. In Gaza City, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on PA FM Mahmud Zahhar’s motorcade in an apparent assassination attempt, causing no injuries. Hrs. later, suspected Hamas mbrs. direct gunfire, several mortars at the presidential compound in Gaza City (Abbas is not there), hitting inside the compound and a nearby home, wounding 5 Palestinians; in response, PA security forces under Abbas’s control take over the Agriculture and Transportation Mins. to “secure the area.” Fatah-Hamas clashes continue in Gaza City and Jabaliya, leaving at least 3 Palestinians dead (a PSF colonel, a Presidential Guard mbr., a female bystander), at least 24 wounded. After nightfall, senior PA security officer and Fatah mbr. Col. Adnan Rahmi is found shot dead in n. Gaza. Fatah mbrs. kidnap several Hamas mbrs. in n. Gaza. In the evening, Fatah, Hamas agree on a cease-fire, removing armed mbrs. fr. the streets. (NYT, WP, WT 12/17; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

The IDF patrols in al-Sammu‘ (firing flash bombs and live ammunition, searching a police station, causing no injuries), al-Zahiriyya nr. Hebron (searching cars, firing on weapons, percussion grenades, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus. To mark the 19th anniversary of the movement, Hamas supporters stage rallies across Gaza and the West Bank after Friday prayers, with Haniyeh addressing 10,000s of supporters in Gaza City, where he said that the his government has the names of those involved in the 12/14 assassination attempt against him and will turn them over to the Interior Min. for investigation; Fatah mbrs. fire on some rallies in Gaza but cause no injuries. At a large rally in Ramallah, PA security forces controlled by Abbas clash with Hamas supporters, who denounce Fatah for the 2/14 attempted assassination of Haniyeh, beating marchers and firing into crowds, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 32 unarmed Hamas supporters. A 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy injured in clashes btwn. the AMB and PA police in Jenin on 12/13 dies. (BBC, REU 12/15; NYT, REU, WP, WT 12/16; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

Israel closes the Rafah border to prevent Haniyeh fr. returning to Gaza, alleging that Haniyeh’s delegation intended to bring in some $30 m. in cash donations collected during his 16-day regional tour. In response, 10s of Hamas mbrs. raid the Rafah crossing, exchanging fire with expelling Presidential Guard mbrs. guarding the post, occupying the transit hall on the Palestinian side of the border, later trading fire with Egyptian border police, leaving 15 Palestinians (mostly Hamas mbrs.) injured. Late in the evening, Israel allows Haniyeh to cross Rafah without the money, which is escorted to the Arab League by 2 Hamas officials under an arrangement brokered by Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on Haniyeh’s convoy as it crosses into Gaza in an apparent assassination attempt, killing Haniyeh’s bodyguard, wounding his son and a political adviser, more than 10 other Palestinians; Hamas accuses fmr. PA security chief and powerful Fatah PC mbr. Muhammad Dahlan of orchestrating the attack; Dahlan denies responsibility. Separately in Gaza, PA security forces arrest PRC mbr. Hisham Mukhaymar for participation in the 12/11 shooting death of intelligence official Balusha’s children, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. PRC mbrs. and PA security forces. PRC mbrs. later kidnap a PA security officer, saying he would not be released until Mukhaymar is freed. In the West Bank, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on a rally in Balata r.c. marking Hamas’s 19th anniversary, leaving 4 Hamas supporters wounded. Other rallies to mark Hamas’s anniversary are held in Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Meanwhile, the IDF moves tanks, bulldozers 100 m into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun, but no land leveling is reported. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel in violation of the 11/26 cease-fire, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus to ambush, assassinate wanted AMB mbr. Muhammad Zaytawi, wounding 1 woman, 5 children; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Ariel settlement, fatally shooting a Palestinian bystander; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Tulkarm (confiscating film fr. journalists covering the incident). (BBC, al-Jazeera, REU 12/14; NYT, WP, WT 12/15; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21)

The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis to bulldoze land, marking the IDF’s 1st such incident since the 11/26 Gaza cease-fire when into effect. IDF troops on the Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the border fence outside Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem to arrest PA intelligence officer Muhammad Salahat, no explanation is given; patrols in Jenin, Tulkarm town and r.c. (firing on residential areas, causing no injuries); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., in and around Hebron. In Gaza, suspected Fatah gunmen open fire on Hamas-affiliated Interior M Said Siyam’s convoy in an apparent assassination attempt, causing no injuries. (NYT, WP 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

The IDF conducts house searches in Hebron’s al-Takrusi neighborhood. In Sa’ir nr. Hebron, 2 Palestinians are killed, 1 is wounded by unexploded IDF ordnance. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai in Hebron beat 3 Palestinian children ages 7–17. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron. In Bureij r.c., ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire, leaving 1 bystander wounded. PA security forces in Jenin protest the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay back salaries. Some 1,000 PA security forces protest on the same issue in Gaza, where demonstrators storm the PC building, fire in the air, exchange fire with PC security guards and the ESF. (OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14; AIC 1/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Tamun nr. Jenin, occupies several Palestinian homes as observation posts, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops (killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 19), arresting 4 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yatta (occupying 3 Palestinian homes as military posts). Jewish settlers attack Palestinian homes in Burkin nr. Nablus. In Gaza City, PA security officers aligned with Fatah enforce a general strike, burn tires to protest the Hamas-led government’s continued failure to pay salaries. After senior AMB mbr. Muhammad Shihadeh is found shot dead in al-Bureij r.c., a 2d Fatah mbr. is kidnapped in Jabaliya r.c.; Hamas denies responsibility for both. (NYT 10/23; PCHR 11/2)

In an air strike, the IDF destroys the Gaza City home of PC mbr. Mariam Farhat (Change and Reform), warning residents in advance to evacuate, claiming the home was used to store weapons; in a late-night air strike, the IDF destroys 3 Palestinian homes in Jabaliya r.c. after warning residents to leave; makes an air strike destroying a PA security office nr. Jabaliya after warning occupants to leave; fatally shoots a Palestinian who sneaks across the Gaza border into Israel, claims he was wearing an explosive belt. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on Nablus, fatally shooting wanted Palestinian Abdallah Mansur in what may be an assassination; sends undercover units into Jenin r.c., in a car with Palestinian license plates, surrounding a home, interrogating the residents, firing live ammunition at stone-throwing youths who confront them (wounding 2), making no arrests; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Qalqilya. Also in Nablus, a previously unknown group calling itself Ansar al-Sunna (the same name as a group that operates in Iraq, though there is no known connection) kidnaps, holds for several hrs. an American English teacher working for a pro-Palestinian charity, demanding the immediate release of Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons, saying it aims to confront the U.S. war on Islam; releases him unharmed and unconditionally after local officials intervene. Jewish settlers march through Hebron, stone Palestinian homes. A Palestinian dies of injuries sustained in Hamas-Fatah clashes in Khan Yunis in 8/06. (REU 10/11; NYT, PCHR 10/12; OCHA 10/18; PCHR 10/19)

In Gaza, the IDF fires missiles fr. a drone, assassinating AMB mbrs. Bassam Bin Hamad, Hussam Ghayad in Rafah, wounding 2 bystanders; sends bulldozers into Bayt Hanun to level land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (firing on residential areas). In Gaza City, 1,000s of Fatahaffiliated civil servants, security officers burn tires, block roads, fire in the air to protest the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay all back salaries and against banks for taking much of the partial payments received in commissions and payments toward existing loans. In Dayr al-Balah, an ESF mbr. throws a grenade at Fatah-affiliated PA security forces, wounding 3 Palestinians. Elsewhere in Gaza, unidentified Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot a PSF officer. (WT 10/1, 10/2; PCHR 10/5)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-Fara‘a r.c., firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 2 (ages 11, 14); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, Nablus and in ‘Aqabat Jabir r.c. nr. Jericho, Qabatya (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, wounding 1), Tubas. As the PA begins paying civil servants another $350 portion of their overdue wages (with aid received fr. Qatar, Saudi Arabia), 100s of Fatah-affiliated PA police demonstrate in Gaza City against the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay their salaries, burning tires, overturning trash bins, blocking roads; the Hamas-led government accuses Abbas of holding back international aid run through his office that could be used to pay more back salaries owed in order to undermine Haniyeh (civil servants have received payments equivalent to 2 mos. salary over the past 7 mos.). A Palestinian dies of injuries received during clashes btwn. Fatah, the ESF on 9/22. (NYT 9/29; WT 10/1; NYT 10/2; OCHA 10/4; PCHR 10/5)

In Gaza, the IDF sends troops, bulldozers into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, firing on residential areas, leveling land, withdrawing in the evening; makes an air strike destroying a house in al-Shuka after warning the residents to leave. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Sanur nr. Jenin, surrounds and evacuates a Palestinian home, fatally shoots wanted AMB mbr. Nabil Hanani in an apparent assassination; patrols in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Jenin, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 4; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Bethlehem; issues military orders for the construction of a new 4,500-m section of the separation wall s. of Qalqilya that will isolate 2,000 d. of Palestinian agricultural land btwn. the wall and the Green Line. An Israeli military court extends the remand of 21 Hamas-affiliated PA legislators detained on 6/28–29. In Gaza City, striking PA civil servants mob the PC building, prevent Haniyeh fr. attending a cabinet mtg. there, prompting his bodyguards to fire in the air to ensure his safety; Haniyeh cancels the PC session, set to talk about economic problems, after Fatah PC mbrs. leave the building to join the strikers. Later in the day, Hamas supporters hold a large counterdemonstration in Gaza City in support of Haniyeh’s government. (AP, REU, WP 9/18; NYT 9/19; HA, PCHR 9/21)

The IDF patrols in Kafr Haris, Tubas (firing on residential areas); conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, al-Til nr. Tulkarm and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. Islamic Jihad fires 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In Ramallah, 10s of PA employees aligned with Fatah temporarily take over the PC building, demanding salaries. After Hamas mbrs. shoot, wound a PSF officer in Khan Yunis, Fatah mbrs. assassinate a senior Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. (MM 6/14; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/15; PCHR 6/22)

The IDF sends undercover units into Tulkarm in a car with Palestinian license plates to arrest a wanted Palestinian; later sends a 2d undercover unit into Tulkarm that is intercepted by PA security forces, withdraws after an exchange of fire, causing no injuries; sends undercover units into Jenin, who exchange fire with local gunmen, withdraw under IDF support, without making any arrests; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Jenin next to the separation wall; patrols in Tubas, firing on residential areas; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, Tulkarm and in Aida r.c., al-Fara‘a r.c. (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops). In Rafah, at least 100 Fatah, Hamas gunmen clash, leaving 1 Hamas mbr. and 1 Palestinian bystander dead and 15 Palestinians wounded, with Hamas firing antitank weapons and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) at the local PSF headquarters. (Hamas says that Fatah gunmen fired on a Hamas funeral procession, precipitating the clash, while Fatah says that Hamas mbrs. in the procession fired first on the PSF headquarters along the route.) Soon after, 100s of Fatah-dominated PA security forces and AMB mbrs. reacting to the Gaza violence rampage through Ramallah, raiding, firing on, vandalizing, setting fire to the PC building and the cabinet headquarters in a show of force against Hamas. Later, Fatah gunmen kidnap Change and Reform PC mbr. Khalil Rabei, set fire to his Ramallah office; Rabei is freed hrs. later at Abbas’s intervention; 7 other Change and Reform PC mbrs. take refuge in the Muqata‘a under Abbas’s protection. Abbas declares a state of emergency and curfew. Inside Israel, Israeli police arrest 7 Palestinians in Shafa ‘Amr suspected in the 8/4/05 killing of an IDF soldier who boarded a bus in the town and opened fire, killing 4 Palestinians before being beaten to death. In addition, unknown assailants vandalize the Orthodox Christian Church in Majdal nr. Nazareth; the recently refurbished church, which tends to a growing Russian Orthodox population, has been threatened on several occasions by local right-wing Jews. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/13; PCHR 6/15)

The IDF closes Gaza’s Sufa and Qarni crossings for 3 days for the Shavuot holidays; shells the n. Gaza coast fr. the sea, wounding 2 Palestinian teenagers; fires on residential areas of Tulkarm town and r.c.; raids a hospital in Nablus, arresting a Palestinian being treated in the intensive care unit. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai attack Palestinians, vandalize homes in Hebron. In Gaza City, 1 PA security force officer is killed, 7 Palestinians are wounded in a clash btwn. Fatah and Hamas mbrs. Separately, some 3,000 PA security force officers rally outside the PC headquarters in Gaza City, firing automatic rifles in the air and vandalizing the building in one of the largest protests to date over the government’s failure to pay civil service wages for 3 mos. (NYT, WP, WT 5/2; OCHA 6/7; PCHR 6/8)

The IDF continues bulldozing operations begun on 5/24, just inside the Gaza border nr. Bureij r.c.; sends troops into Tulkarm to raid the Social Sport Club, confiscating computers, files, photos and sealing the venue; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Hebron, Tulkarm. In response to the IDF killing of 4 Palestinians in Ramallah on 4/24, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbrs. fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Fatah and PA security forces exchange fire with Hamas mbrs. following the funeral for Hudud in Gaza City, leaving 1 PA security officer dead, several wounded. (XIN 5/25; WP 5/26; OCHA, PCHR 6/1)

The IDF opens Gaza’s Sufa commercial crossing (closed since 5/17); shells Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, injuring a 12-yr.-old Palestinian; sends troops into Hebron to surround the Polytechnic University campus, firing percussion grenades, tear gas and arresting 7 students; sends undercover units into Tamun nr. Jenin in a car with Palestinian license plates to arrest 3 Palestinians; sends troops into Tubas nr. Jenin, firing on stonethrowing youths who confront them; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. Israeli DM Amir Peretz authorizes the expansion of the “jurisdictional area” of 4 West Bank Jewish settlements, often the prelude to construction of new settlement neighborhoods: Givat Ze’ev nr. Jerusalem (to be expanded by 60 dunum [d.; 4 d. = 1 acre].); Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem (to be expanded by 400 d.); Oranit, just over the Green Line nr. Kefar Saba; Maskiyot, in the Jordan Valley, where Israel plans to relocate the 40 settlers evacuated fr. Shirat Hayam settlement in Gaza. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on nr. Hebron attack Palestinian school children being escorted to school by the IDF, injuring 2. PA security forces find, dismantle a 150-lb roadside bomb planted along the motorcade route of Internal Security Service dir. gen. Rashid Abu Shibak, who was appointed by Abbas to the new position on 4/6 in a bid to wrest control of the security forces away fr. Interior M Siyam; no group takes responsibility, but Fatah officials hint that Hamas is to blame, note that the PRCs have previously fired on his home. In reaction, 100s of Fatah mbrs. rally in Gaza City in support of the PA security forces, offering to volunteer their services to counterbalance Siyam’s new volunteer force. Overnight, a previously unknown group calling itself the al-Qa‘ida Organization of the State of Palestine claims responsibility for the 5/20 attack on Abu Rajab in a statement on the Internet. (MM, NYT 5/22; OCHA 5/24; see also MA 5/20 in WNC 5/21; PCHR, PNN 5/25)

The IDF makes an air strike on a moving car in Gaza, assassinating senior Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Muhammad Dadu, killing 3 bystanders and wounding 4; patrols in Balata r.c. late in the evening, fatally shooting a Palestinian woman who comes to her window to observe events; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., nr. Hebron, Jenin. Meanwhile, a bomb explodes at the PA General Intelligence Service (GIS) offices in Gaza, seriously wounding GIS chief Tariq Abu Rajab in an apparent assassination attempt, killing his bodyguard, wounding 8 others (unidentified gunmen shot, wounded a bodyguard outside Abu Rajab’s home on 5/14); PA security forces taking the wounded to the hospital fire fr. the windows of their cars to clear the streets; mbrs. of the ESF, believing themselves under attack, fire toward the convoy, causing no injuries. No group takes responsibility for the bombing; PA PM Ismail Haniyeh calls for an investigation. In response to the attempt on Abu Rajab’s life, a group calling itself the Fatah Protection Unit demands that PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas dismiss the Hamas-led government and call new elections, that the Interior Min. disband the ESF. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen fire on the home of Interior Min. spokesman Khalid Abu Hilal, causing damage but no injuries. (JAZ, PNN 5/20; MENA, PSCT, VOI 5/20 in WNC 5/21; NYT, WP, WT 5/21; AFP, Daily Star, HA, MM 5/22; PCHR 5/25)

The IDF conducts major arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (searching a mosque, firing on residential areas, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian); also conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, Ramallah. In Gaza City, PA police, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire with ESF forces, leaving 2 police officers, 1 Fatah mbr., 1 Hamas mbr. wounded. Palestinian customs officials detain Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri as he enters Gaza at the Rafah crossing after EU monitors discover he is trying to smuggle in $815,000 in Euros, confiscate the money; anyone entering Gaza must declare sums over $2,000. (IMEMC, MM, WP, XIN 5/19; HA, JAZ, NYT, WP, WT 5/20; PCHR 5/25)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm, firing on residential areas. Palestinians fire 6 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Unidentified Palestinians fire on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Tapuach settlement, injuring 2 Jewish settlers. In Tulkarm, Fatah gunmen surround a building where PA Dep. PM Nasir al-Sha‘ir (Change and Reform) is meeting with the Tulkarm governor, forcing the mtg. to end, and Sha’ir to leave under police escort. Some 2,000 Fatah mbrs. parade through Gaza City in a show of force in reaction to the deployment of the Interior Min.’s predominantly Hamas ESF. The National and Islamic Higher Comm. for the Follow-up of the Intifada (NIHC) sponsors a rally in Gaza calling for the immediate dissolution of the new ESF, activation of the PA security forces to prevent lawlessness, and holding of national unity talks. Late in the evening, Hamas, Fatah gunmen exchange fire outside the Palestinian Council (PC) building in Gaza City, leaving 2 Fatah mbrs., 1 Hamas mbr. wounded. (HA, MM, XIN 5/18; MM 5/19; HJ 5/20 in WNC 5/21; PCHR 5/25)

The IDF closes the Qarni crossing; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin (fatally shooting a Palestinian gunman), Ramallah (searching the home of Change and Reform PC mbr. Ahmad ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Malik). PA security forces at Gaza’s Qarni crossing prevent 2 Palestinian vehicles of PRC mbrs. carrying explosives that attempt to crash through the PA security barrier to attack the main transit building; 3 PA policemen, 2 gunmen are wounded in the exchange, and 3 gunmen are arrested; Israel claims that the PRCs were acting under the direction of Hamas, which denies the charge; PA Interior M Siyam says that attacking border crossings is against the national interest and should not be done. Meanwhile, mbrs. of the Yasir Arafat Brigades (considered an offshoot of the AMB) say that in response to Siyam’s plans to create the ESF, they are planning to form a new militia “to protect Fatah men against the Israeli enemy and against any attempt by any party inside the homeland to target them.” (IMEMC, REU 4/26; NYT, PCHR, WP 4/27; IFM, XIN 5/1; OCHA 5/3; PCHR 5/4)

IDF undercover units raid Bethlehem, open fire on a car, assassinating wanted AMB mbrs. Daniel Abu Hammami and Ahmad Muslih, wounding a 3d. The IDF also closes Kerem Shalom crossing for the day; raids al-Amal Hospital in Nablus, searching wards for wanted Palestinians; raids a PA police station in Azariyya in East Jerusalem, detaining 2 officers; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm. In Gaza City, armed Fatah mbrs. protest outside the PA Health Min. offices in Gaza City, demanding assistance for relatives in need of medical treatment abroad, and begin to riot when they are told that budget constraints have forced the government to slash funding for medical transports abroad; when PA police are unable to quell the demonstration, the Health M calls in Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbrs. to support the police, sparking an exchange of gunfire with the Fatah mbrs., leaving 3 Fatah mbrs. wounded. In Nablus, AMB gunmen (mbrs. of the PA security forces) fire on the historic Nablus municipal building, forcing employees to evacuate, demanding that the Hamas mayor close his offices, that the PA pay their salaries. To calm tensions, Abbas orders the PA security forces to cancel plans for a massive pro-Fatah rally in Ramallah against Mishal’s 4/21 statements. (IMEMC, PNN, YA 4/23; MM, WP, WT 4/24; OCHA 4/26; PCHR 4/27)

The IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem to conduct arrest raids, house searches; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Jericho, Qalqilya; sends troops into Dura, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 4; patrols in al-Aqaba nr. Jenin. Some 15 Jewish settlers in Hebron attack 2 international peace activists, lightly injuring them. (PCHR 4/27)

With PA security forces (predominantly Fatah mbrs.) refusing to deploy on his orders, new PA Interior M Said Siyam appoints PRC head Jamal Abu Samhadana (formerly a Fatah member and senior PA security officer) as inspector gen. of the Interior Min. to set up a new volunteer security force, the Executive Support Force (ESF), to help restore law and order to the streets. The ESF ideally would include mbrs. of “all the resistance branches.” Israel, the U.S. accuse PM Haniyeh of forming his own militia to counter Abbas. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/21; MM, WT 4/25; XIN 4/30; NYT 5/20)

Senior PRC cmdr. Abu Yusuf Abu Quka (allied with Hamas) is killed in a car bombing in Gaza City; the PRCs blame PA security forces linked to Fatah (specifically to Gaza strongman and PC mbr. Muhammad Dahlan) in collaboration with Israel; the IDF denies involvement. Clashes erupt btwn. PRC mbrs., PA security forces allied with Dahlan at Abu Quka’s funeral later in the day, leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 35 wounded. In light of the 3/30 bombing, the IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement in the n. West Bank, barring Palestinians ages 15–32 fr. crossing checkpoints in the Nablus area; carries out early morning air strikes, fires 10s of shells fr. naval vessels at the n. Gaza no-go zone, a soccer stadium in Gaza City, causing damage to a number of homes but no injuries; makes late-night F-16 air strikes on a hotel under construction nr. Bayt Lahiya, partially destroying it; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron (violently beating a 78-yr.-old Palestinian woman), nr. Nablus. Some 40 Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus (including 2 off-duty IDF soldiers) beat, fire on Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. Salim. (AFP, REU 3/31; HA, JAZ, NYT, WP, WT 4/1; XIN 4/2 in WNC 4/3; MM 4/5; MM, PCHR 4/6; HA 4/16)

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)

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)

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)