The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the border fence e. of Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Bethlehem, and in Aida r.c., Jenin (detaining a senior Islamic Jihad cmdr.), Nablus; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Bethlehem nr. Um Salamuna; fences off areas along a settler bypass road through Jinata village nr. Bethlehem, declaring the areas closed military zones. (In response to the Jenin arrest, Islamic Jihad fires 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, seriously wounding 2 13-yr.-old Israeli boys in Sederot.) Israel announces approval for a new Jewish settlement, Maskiyot, in the n. Jordan Valley, where construction work to house 23 settler families evacuated fr. Shirat Hayam in the Gaza disengagement began several mos. ago, though 100 families are expected to move there in the near future; the approval violates pledges to the U.S. to halt settlement expansion and marking the government’s 1st official announcement of a new settlement since 1992 (though more than 100 unauthorized settlements have been built since 3/01); Israel claims the settlement is not new but the revival of a settlement approved in 1981; the site has been in use as an IDF base. (NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 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)

IDF troops at Gaza’s Qarni crossing fatally shoot a Palestinian who strays close to the border fence, marking the 1st IDF killing since the 11/26 cease-fire went into effect. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fisherman off the coast nr. Rafah, wounding 3. In the West Bank, a Palestinian stabs, wounds a private Israeli security contractor at Qalandia checkpoint outside Jerusalem. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Tulkarm r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Tulkarm that will isolate 2,000 d. of Palestinian land btwn. the wall and the Green Line. The Israeli High Court rules that a section of the separation wall northeast of Jerusalem btwn. Dahiyat al-Barid and alRama may stand. In Jenin, AMB gunmen fire on the governorate building, set fire to a PA police station, exchange fire with police (injuring a 14-yr.-old bystander) to protest the fatal PA police shooting of an AMB mbr. in an incident involving a stolen vehicle. In Nussayrat r.c., unidentified assailants throw an explosive device into a crowd of Hamas supporters holding a rally, injuring several. In Gaza City, ESF, PSF mbrs. exchange fire, wounding a Palestinian girl. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah gunmen assassinate Hamas cmdr. Bassam al-Farra, forcing him to kneel, shooting him execution-style; Haniyeh, currently in the Sudan, cuts short his regional tour to return to Gaza to deal with the escalating intra-Palestinian violence. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/14; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)

Soon after the 6:00 A.M. Palestinian ceasefire deadline, the IDF withdraws all troops fr. Gaza, ending n. Gaza operations that began on 11/21 that killed 22 Palestinians (including at least 6 civilians), wounded at least 67 (including 28 children), destroyed 10 houses and 10 businesses, razed 80 d. of agricultural land. (After the pullout, the UN reports extensive damage—estimated at $6.4 m.—to Dahaniyya airport buildings by the IDF stationed there, noting that damage could not have been caused by crossfire with Palestinians.) Btwn. 6:00 and 10:15 A.M. local time, Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a house but causing no injuries; Israel does not retaliate and the truce seems to hold. Two Palestinians are killed when a tunnel they are digging under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1; conduct arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya (fatally shooting 2 Palestinian bystanders) and Qalqilya, nr. Bethlehem and Hebron; issues a military order confiscating 565 d. of land belonging to al-Nabi Samwil, Bayt Surik, Bayt Iqsa villages n. of Jerusalem for construction of the separation wall. The Israeli High Court rejects a petition to reroute a section of the separation wallthat would envelope Bayt Hanina, Bir Naballah, al-Jadira, al-Jib, and Qalandia villages, cutting them off fr. the rest of the West Bank. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in the 10/13 IDF attack on Abasan. (IFM, WP 11/26; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/27; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30; OCHA 12/13; PLONAD 2/14)

In Gaza, an IDF drone fires missiles at a car driving in Rafah in an attempt to assassinate an Islamic Jihad mbr., missing the car and damaging 2 houses but causing no injuries. In an air strike, the IDF demolishes the home of a Hamas mbr. in Gaza City, severely damages several surrounding homes, wounding 4 Palestinians; sends special forces in to al-Shuka, raiding a PA security office, detaining 3 PA security officers for several hrs.; sends troops into Dayr al-Balah reportedly in search of a smugglers tunnel, conducting arrest raids and house searches, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, bulldozing 50 d. of agricultural land and 2 wells but apparently not finding a tunnel. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah; demolishes a poultry farm nr. Jenin to make way for the separation wall. A Palestinian teenager is killed in a mysterious explosion nr. Ramallah. Rafah begins receiving electricity fr. Egypt from a 5 MW electricity cable. (OCHA 9/13; PCHR 9/14)

In Gaza, IDF troops in Dahaniyya airport fire tank shells at al-Shuka village, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding another Palestinian who strays near the border fence; sends troops, drones into Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, conducting arrest raids, demolishing 2 Palestinian homes, damaging a 3d house, bulldozing 79 d. of agricultural land and a water network, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tamun; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm town and r.c., nr. Hebron and Jenin. A 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy is injured in Balata r.c. when he accidentally detonates unexploded IDF ordnance. A Jewish settler driving nr. Qalqilya deliberately hits and injures a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl walking home fr. school; the IDF arrests the driver. The High Court of Israel rejects 7 Palestinian petitions regarding the route of the separation wall northwest of East Jerusalem, accepting the existing plan, stating that “the purpose of the construction of the wall is to protect the lives of Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks, so its expected benefit is great” and that Palestinian needs had been adequately addressed. (WP 9/11; OCHA 9/13; PCHR 9/14; Independent 9/19)

The IDF fires across the Israeli border into central Gaza, wounding 1 Palestinian inside his home; makes a helicopter rocket strike destroying a Palestinian home in Jabaliya r.c. after warning residents to leave; sends special forces into Khuza‘a village nr. Khan Yunis, searching greenhouses, interrogating a 60-yr.-old farmer for several hrs. before withdrawing; bulldozes agricultural land of unknown size southeast of Bayt Hanun. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (raiding and searching a PA Preventive Security Forces [PSF] office in Tarqumiyya) and Nablus, nr. Jenin (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, wounding 1), in Qabatya (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 3 with live ammunition); issues military orders confiscating 152 d. of land nr. Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall, a settler-only bypass road. (WT 9/4; OCHA 9/6; PCHR 9/7)

In Gaza, the IDF opens Rafah crossing for departures only, opens Qarni crossing for imports only; makes late-night air strikes destroying a store, house in Jabaliya r.c. (warning the residents in advance to leave), damaging 3 nearby homes. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Tulkarm in a car with Palestinian license plates, surrounds the home of a wanted Hamas mbr., fires on the home, arrests the wanted man when he surrenders; sends troops into Ramallah, occupying offices in the PA Public Works Min. as an observation post, surrounding an apartment building, ordering residents to evacuate, arresting 3 Palestinians, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aqabat Jabir r.c. nr. Jericho; issues military orders confiscating 8 d. of Palestinian land nr. Qalqilya for the separation wall. (OCHA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

The IDF drops leaflets on Beirut warning residents of the capital to expect escalated bombing whose “painful and severe results will not be limited” to Hizballah targets, urging residents of 3 neighborhoods (Burj al-Barajneh, Hay Sullum, al-Shiyah) to evacuate immediately (the areas are vacant by the end of the day, with the government bussing residents without transportation to Juniyah); drops leaflets on n. Lebanon, warning truck drivers to stay off roads to Syria. Meanwhile, Israel asks the U.S. to speed delivery of M-26 artillery shells (short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions) along with other unspecified weapons for use against Hizballah. The IDF continues air and artillery strikes across Lebanon, including firing missiles at an unused radio tower in downtown Beirut; targeting traffic on roads nr. Tyre, destroying roads in the Biqa‘ Valley, killing at least 2 Lebanese. Ground operations continue in s. Lebanon, reportedly focusing on areas stretching fr. Marja’uyun to al-Khiyam (with the IDF claiming to have taken control of Marja’uyun) and fr. Aita alSha‘b to Bint Jubayl, leaving at least 1 IDF soldier dead, 2 wounded nr. Qlei‘a. Hizballah fires at least 140 rockets into n. Israel, hitting Acre, Carmiel, Dayr al-Assad (killing an Israeli Palestinian woman, her son and wounding 11), Haifa, Kiryat Shimona, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad. (WP 8/10; NYT, WP, WT 8/11; WP 8/13)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Azun in a car with Palestinian license plates, surrounds a home, arrests 1 PSF mbr. who surrenders; conducts random ID checks in, fires on residential areas of Kafr Dan nr. Jenin; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, in Dahaysha r.c., nr. Bethlehem, Hebron; burns 70 d. of agricultural land btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line nr. Tulkarm (see 8/5). In Ramallah, 7 Palestinians working in the PC building are taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties after opening a suspicious letter addressed to PM Haniyeh; the building is evacuated. The PA head of military intelligence for n. Gaza dies of injuries received in an ambush in Jabaliya r.c. on 8/6; no group claims responsibility. (AP 8/7; WP 8/8; OCHA 8/9; PCHR 8/10)

Overnight, the IDF destroys the last remaining bridge over the Litani River linking n. and s. Lebanon; this cuts off access to Tyre. The IDF announces a 10:00 P.M. curfew on Tyre, saying that any movement there after dark and any vehicular traffic s. of the Litani River at any time will henceforth be considered Hizballah activity and a legitimate target. As UN mbrs. narrow differences on a cease-fire res., Olmert’s security cabinet discusses speeding up the IDF’s advance to the Litani River, escalating attacks on Lebanon’s civilian infrastructure. During the day, the IDF continues heavy air, artillery strikes on some 150 targets across Lebanon, hitting s. Beirut (including 47 killed, 70 wounded in the Christian-Shi‘i suburb of al-Shiyah, where Shi‘a are pro-Amal), the Biqa‘ Valley (including Baalbek, Masnaa), in and around Nabatiyya (including 7 civilians killed in air strikes on cars traveling in Qasmiyya; 15 killed, 20 wounded in an air strike on an apartment building in Ghaziyya), and across s. Lebanon (including demolishing a 4-building apartment complex in Tyre), killing at least 69 Lebanese civilians; continues ground operations across s. Lebanon that leave 3 IDF soldiers dead, 7 wounded in Bint Jubayl and include heavy fighting in Hula (the IDF claims to kill at least 15 Hizballah mbrs.); downs an unmanned Hizballah drone off the s. Lebanon coast. Hizballah fires 130 rockets into n. Israel, injuring 10 Israelis, hitting targets in Acre, Carmiel, Kiryat Shimona (70 rockets), Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad. The ICRC says that the IDF has barred humanitarian aid missions to the south for 3 days. (BBC, NYT, WP 8/7; BBC, NYT, WP, WT 8/8; WP, WT 8/9; WP 8/10)

Overnight, the IDF pulls troops out of Rafah and al-Shuka and back into the Dahaniyya airport, ending a 3-day offensive; troops go back into al-Shuka briefly during the day to surround, evacuate, blow up a Palestinian home, also bulldozing 20 d. of surrounding agricultural land. Late in the evening, the IDF makes an air strike destroying a Palestinian home nr. Bayt Lahiya, damaging 2 others after warning residents by phone to evacuate. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Silat al-Harithiyya nr. Jenin, occupies a house as a sniper post, shoots and assassinates wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Sami al-‘Imari; arrests, searches the Ramallah home of Change and Reform PC mbr. Fadl Hamdan; conducts arrest raids, house searches and fires on residential areas of Shayukh nr. Hebron in a raid targeting the AMB; searches vehicles, an Internet caf´e in Hebron; issues military orders confiscating 10s of d. of agricultural land southwest of Hebron for construction of the separation wall. Jewish settlers driving nr. Nablus open fire at a Palestinian truck driving ahead of them, killing a 48-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding his son. Unidentified gunmen ambush the car of the PA military intelligence head for n. Gaza as it drives through Jabaliya, wounding him, 2 passengers. (OCHA 8/9; PCHR 8/10)

The IDF intensifies air strikes across Lebanon, hitting targets in s. Beirut, Ansar, al-Jibbayn, Nabatiyya, Naqura, Qana, Tyre (striking within 40 yards of a UN humanitarian aid convoy traveling with prior coordination with the IDF, hitting a car traveling in the opposite direction), killing 10s of Lebanese civilians, several Lebanese soldiers, 1 PFLP-GC mbr. Ground operations continue across s. Lebanon, with Hizballah claiming to disable 4 tanks (in Adassiyya, Ras al-Biyada, Wadi Hunin), acknowledging the death of 3 Hizballah mbrs. The IDF says that it has taken prisoner 22-yr.-old Hizballah mbr. Hasan Ali Sulayman, who has allegedly admitted under interrogation to involvement in the 7/12 capture of 2 IDF soldiers. Hizballah fires around 160 rockets into n. Israel, killing 3 Israeli civilians (1 an Israeli Palestinian) in Haifa, and killing 12 IDF reservists, wounding 5 in Kfar Giladi on the border with Lebanon. (REU 8/6; NYT, WP, WT 8/7; IFM 8/8; PCHR 8/10)

In Gaza, the IDF closes the Nahal Oz pipeline; shells areas nr. Gaza City, killing at least 1 Palestinian militant, 1 Palestinian farmer working in her field; shells areas nr. Bayt Hanun (killing 1 Palestinian child outside his home, wounding 5 Palestinians), in al-Shuka; makes air strikes destroying 3 houses nr. Bayt Lahiya (killing 1 Palestinian bystander), in Bayt Hanun, Khan Yunis (also destroying 2 adjacent homes). In Jerusalem, a Palestinian gunman fires on Israeli police, wounding 2 before being shot dead. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jenin r.c. in cars with Palestinian license plates, surrounds a home, opens fire (wounding a Palestinian bystander in an apartment building nearby), occupying several surrounding houses as sniper positions, evacuates and checks IDs of residents, arrests 1 Palestinian, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8 Palestinians (including 2 journalists covering the incident for al-Jazeera, Reuters); patrols in al-Bireh; begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in Bayt Jala that will cut Palestinians off fr. 5,000 d. of agricultural land and cut off the access of Battir and Husan Nahalin villages to Bethlehem. The body of a Jewish settler fr. Yakir missing since early in the morning is found in a burnt-out vehicle nr. a West Bank Palestinian village; the AMB takes responsibility for kidnapping, killing him. In Israel, Israeli police free dual Israeli-Canadian citizen Falah after a Haifa District Court orders the police and/or Shin Bet to file formal charges against him or let him go (see 7/26). A Palestinian wounded during the 7/26 IDF raid on Kafr Qadim dies. A 2d Palestinian dies of injuries received during IDF operations in Nablus on 7/19. (OCHA 7/27; NYT 7/28; NYT 7/29; PCHR 8/3)

Israel’s security cabinet approves call-ups for up to 3 divisions of reservists (15,000–30,000 reserves) for the war on Lebanon. The IDF makes some 180 air and artillery strikes on targets across Lebanon, including hitting radio and TV relays in Amshit n. of Beirut, 3 trucks in the Biqa‘ Valley carrying emergency food supplies to Beirut. Ground clashes continue in Bint Jubayl, 2 residential apartment buildings nr. an Amal headquarters in Tyre; a Lebanese army base in n. Lebanon; roads, buildings in s. Lebanon and the Biqa‘ Valley, including al-Khiyam, Kafr, Nabatiyya, Sidon, Tuffah, Riyaq, Zahleh. The IDF broadcasts radio warnings to s. Lebanon residents that their villages would be “totally destroyed” if rockets are fired fr. them. Hizballah fires some 110 rockets into n. Israel, wounding 7 Israelis and hitting an empty factory in Haifa, also hitting sites in Carmiel, Nahariya Safad, Tiberias. (IFM 7/27; NYT, WP, WT 7/28)

The IDF sends tanks, troops back into n. Gaza before dawn, firing missiles at and exchanging gunfire with Palestinian militants, killing at least 3 Hamas mbrs., 2 PRC mbrs., wounding at least 30 persons (including 1 Japanese and 1 Palestinian journalist, 2 paramedics) nr. Bayt Hanun and conducting arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Hanun; continues to shell n. Gaza, areas nr. Rafah (killing a 59-yr.-old Palestinian woman); makes a predawn air strike on PA FMin. offices in Gaza City, wounding 3 Palestinians; makes a 2d air strike on the FMin. complex late in the evening, destroying it, wounding 12 bystanders, damaging several nearby homes; fires missiles fr. helicopters at the ESF compound in Jabaliya, damaging it. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and in and around Hebron (also searching and confiscating documents fr. the Islamic Society for Orphans), Nablus; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall southwest of Hebron. The IDF also detains for several hrs. al-Jazeera satellite TV’s Jerusalem bureau chief for questioning regarding violating Israeli military censorship rules. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda attack Palestinians, international peace activists in Hebron. Unidentified gunmen fatally shoot a PA security officer in Gaza. (AP, IMEMC, NYT 7/16; AP, NYT, WP, WT 7/17; OCHA, PCHR 7/18; OCHA 7/19; PCHR 7/20)

Overnight, the IDF launches heavy missile barrages and air strikes on s. Beirut suburbs (leveling wide swaths around the Hizballah headquarters) and s. Lebanon, hitting a major power station. In response, Hizballah fires some 20 rockets on Haifa, killing 8 Israelis and wounding 7 at a rail yard, hitting the city’s main oil refinery and gas depot, and a busy downtown street at rush hour; the IDF says that 4 of the rockets fired were Iranian made Fajr missiles (which, if confirmed, would mark Hizballah’s 1st use of the weapons), but Hizballah says it fired only Raad-2 and Raad-3 missiles. The IDF strikes back during the day, ordering Lebanese to evacuate 7 villages in s. Lebanon; hitting at least 80 targets across Lebanon, killing at least 45 Lebanese and wounding more than 100, including killing 20 in an air strike on a government civil defense building in Tyre (also wounding 50) and 8 dual Canadian citizens in a strike on a minibus in s. Lebanon; also killing a Ghanaian UNIFIL soldier and his family in an air strike on his house; leveling an apartment building in s. Beirut, knocking out electricity in many areas of the capital. (AP, HA, IFM 7/16; NYT, WP, WT 7/17)

Overnight and during the day, the IDF continues to expand its presence in n. Gaza, entering populated areas for the 1st time since disengagement, meeting strong resistance fr. Palestinians, who use RPGs, rifles, roadside bombs and fire 8 rockets toward Israel (only 4 land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries). The IDF uses air strikes, artillery, tanks, and gunfire as well as bulldozes fields, roads, and open areas to widen the n. Gaza buffer zone; the clashes, mostly concentrated in Bayt Lahiya but also in s. Gaza, leave at least 24 Palestinians (many reportedly Hamas mbrs., but also including at least 2 children), 1 IDF soldier (hit by friendly fire) dead and wound some 80 Palestinians (nearly a third of them children), 1 IDF soldier. The IDF also bulldozes areas around Khan Yunis, demolishing 3 Palestinian homes; opens Erez and Qarni crossings for several hrs. for the movement of international aid workers, humanitarian goods. Palestinian gunmen also fire on an al-Jazeera TV car in Bayt Hanun, believing it to be an IDF undercover unit, wounding the driver, 1 journalist. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into a memorial service in Jenin r.c. for an AMB mbr. killed on 7/5, attempts to assassinate the AMB’s n. West Bank cmdr. Zakariya Zubaydi and local Islamic Jihad leader Mahmud al-Sadi, fatally shooting 2 Palestinian teenagers, wounding 18; Sadi, Zubaydi escape. The IDF also raids an Islamic charity nr. Hebron; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Jerusalem; patrols in ‘Anabta nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Hebron and Qalqilya; issues military orders confiscating 45 d. of land along settler bypass road 60 nr. Hebron for construction of a military base nr. the separation wall. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa set fire to a Palestinian home; the IDF prevents firefighters fr. reaching the area. Israeli police arrest 5 senior Hamas mbrs. in East Jerusalem for illegally helping Change and Reform PC mbrs. conduct Hamas affairs in the city. (IMEMC, OCHA, NYT, WT, YA 7/6; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT, YA 7/7; HA, NYT, WP 7/8; PCHR 7/13)

As the IDF continues to prepare for a ground invasion of Gaza, moving into place 2 infantry regiments, bringing the total buildup along the border to 5,000 troops, Palestinian militants in Gaza begin building sand berms, setting explosive devices along major routes an invading force might take; the U.S. urges Israel to give diplomacy time to work before launching a military operation. The IDF also reopens Gaza’s Erez crossing to reps. of international agencies and PA officials with VIP status (though they must cross on foot); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya; sends troops into al-Fara‘a r.c., firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya, nr. Tulkarm; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall in Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem, uprooting 200 Palestinian olive trees. The PRCs announced that they have kidnapped an 18-yr.-old Jewish settler fr. Itamar, who was last seen hitchhiking nr. French Hill settlement in East Jerusalem on 6/25. A car bomb explodes in Gaza City, killing Hamas military cmdr. Hamza Abu Mukharrib, wounding several bystanders; the IDF denies responsibility, no other group claims it. PSF mbrs. shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. in Khan Yunis in what may be a continuation of 6/23–24 clashes. (HA, MM, REU, PCHR 6/27; JP, MENA, OSC, PSCT, VOI, VOP 6/27 in WNC 6/28; HA, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 6/28; PCHR 6/29)

Overnight, a senior mbr. of Hamas’s Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades is killed in Jabaliya r.c. when a large bomb goes off nr. his home; no group takes responsibility. The IDF makes an air strike on a car driving in n. Gaza, assassinating PRC mbrs. Imad Asaliyya, Majdi Hammad, wounding 2 PRC mbrs. in the car, 2 bystanders; sends bulldozers, tanks 200 m into Gaza nr. Bureij r.c. to level land for the construction of a cement wall along the n. Gaza border; sends an undercover unit into ‘Anabta nr. Tulkarm in a car with Palestinian license plates to raid a caf´e and arrest 11 Palestinians; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Jericho, 1 nr. Nablus; patrols in Maithalun, stopping Palestinians for random ID checks; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin (firing on residential areas); issues military orders confiscating 600 d. of Palestinian land s. of Tulkarm, isolated btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line, for “security purposes”; accompanies an Israeli Archaeological Authority team into Battir nr. Bethlehem to conduct a test dig in the center of the village in search of Jewish historical remains. Gunmen affiliated with Hamas raid a Palestinian TV station in Khan Yunis, damage equipment, accusing the station of supporting Fatah at Hamas’s expense; the Hamas leadership denies the attack was authorized by the group. (MM 6/5; NYT 6/6; OCHA 6/7; PCHR 6/8)

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)

Israel closes all Gaza crossing into Israel, reimposing the full seal on the territories (set on 3/11) for parliamentary elections; sends troops into al-Fawwar r.c. to conduct arrest raids and house searches, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 6; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas. Israeli security contractors guarding the separation wall nr. Jerusalem shoot, wound a Palestinian who strays too close to the wall. Islamic Jihad fires a Grad missile (an Eastern European rocket with a range greater than a Qassam but less than a Katyusha) fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon, which lands unexploded causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians, vandalize property in Hebron. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack Palestinian children on their way to school by a Palestinian road that passes near a settleronly bypass road. Inside Israel, 2 bedouin are killed in the Negev when they accidentally detonate an unexploded Palestinian rocket. (IMEMC, YA 3/28; VOP 3/28 in WNC 3/29; HA, MM, NYT, OCHA 3/29; PCHR 3/30; MM 4/7, 4/13, 4/21)

Israel holds parliamentary elections, with voter turnout at a relatively low 63%. The Kadima party, founded by Ariel Sharon and led by Ehud Olmert, wins 29 of the 120 Knesset seats (less than expected) compared to Labor with 19 seats, Likud (the biggest loser compared with its 38 seats last election) with 12, Shas with 12, Yisrael Beiteinu with 11, National Union–National Religious Party with 9, Pensioners’ Party with 7, United Torah Judaism with 6, Meretz with 5, and 3 Arab parties with a total of 10. (MM 3/28; HA, JP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/29; NYT, WT 3/30; WP 3/31; XIN, YA 4/3)

The PC approves (71–36, with 2 abstentions) the Hamas-led cabinet. (NYT 3/29; XIN 3/28 in WNC 3/29)

Israel allows Gaza’s Qarni crossing to open for export of goods to Israel, Sufa crossing (closed since 2/14) for the import of construction materials; shells the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no damage or injuries; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, also firing on residential areas, wounding a Palestinian standing on his balcony; issues a military order confiscating 80 d. of Palestinian land for construction of the separation wall around Gilo settlement nr. Bethlehem. The IDF says that its liaison offices in the West Bank will continue to operate after a Hamas-led government is sworn in, but will no longer deal with any PA officials; they will deal only with international organizations, Palestinian hospitals, individual Palestinians. Israeli border police report that in the previous wk. they arrested 550 Palestinians working in Jerusalem without permits and another 130 elsewhere in Israel. (HA, IMEMC 3/26; OCHA 3/29; PCHR 3/30)

The IDF sends troops into Bani Na‘im, surrounds a house in search of a wanted Palestinian who is not home, fires on stonethrowing Palestinians who confront the troops, sparking several hrs. of clashes that leave 35 Palestinians wounded; conducts overnight arrest raids in and around Jenin and in Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus’s old city, Ramallah; uproots 10s of olive trees and bulldozes 2 animal pens for construction of the separation wall nr. Jenin; erects a metal gate, places barbed wire at the southern entrance to Jamayn nr. Nablus, which faces a settler bypass road; installs metal gates at entrances to Marda, facing Ariel settlement. The IDF also requests that the PA dig a trench 20 m long by 4 m deep near the Qarni crossing in a search for smugglers tunnels; the PA complies but no tunnels are found. (XIN 2/27; PCHR 3/2; OCHA 3/23)

As the quarter opens, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continues Operation Blue Skies (launched 12/28/05) to prevent Palestinians fr. firing crude homemade rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, enforcing a 1.5-mi-deep no-go zone along the n. Gaza border using artillery fire fr. inside Israel, occasional air strikes, heavy surveillance fr. air and sea, and construction of a border fence along the n. Gaza border (see Quarterly Update in JPS 139). The IDF also continues to restrict the flow of Palestinian goods and individuals into and out of Gaza: Rafah operates 8 hrs./day for entry and exit of individuals to and from Egypt; Erez is open as the sole entry of Palestinian workers to Israel (the IDF has issued 5,000 permits but only 2,500– 3,500 workers can pass because of slow processing by the IDF); Qarni is open for the transit of goods (360 trucks/day entering Gaza, 75 trucks/day exiting with agricultural goods); Sufa, for the import of raw materials only, is closed since 2/14. In the West Bank, the IDF maintains 100s of checkpoints and roadblocks, effectively separating the northern and southern West Bank, cutting off access to the n. Jordan Valley, and restricting movement within those cantons. Work also continues on Israel’s separation wall. The IDF conducts arrest raids in and around Balata refugee camp (r.c.), Nablus and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (occupying 1 house as an observation post), Jenin. A Palestinian woman fr. Bethlehem attempts to stab an Israeli police officer outside the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, is arrested. (HA 2/16; OCHA 5/22; PCHR 2/23)