The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, IDF troops and settlers shoot and injure a Palestinian outside the Gush Etzion settlement bloc nr. Bethlehem after he allegedly attempts to stab an Israeli settler. An IDF soldier is killed in the crossfire. Late at night, Israeli forces take measurements and photographs of the alleged Palestinian attacker’s home nr. Hebron, preparing for possible punitive demolition. Meanwhile, IDF troops raid a village nr. Ramallah, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 2 Palestinians are injured and 1 is arrested. The IDF conducts further late-night raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, Bethlehem, Tubas, and Ramallah, arresting 21 Palestinians. Israeli settlers assault several Palestinians in c. Hebron, causing no serious injuries. Also, the IDF maintains, for a 4th day in a row, the closure of the Jenin-area village where the Palestinian who allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli soldier on 2/21 was from. Israeli forces deliver 3 punitive demolition notices to Palestinians in the village. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Gaza City, causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinian merchants outside the Old City when explosives are found in their food stand and arrest 6 Palestinians on late-night raids in Shu‘fat, Silwan, Jabal Mukabir, and Issawiyya. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 2/24; PCHR, WAFA 2/25; PCHR 3/3)

Nr. Bethlehem, unidentified assailants stab and injure an Israeli settler outside the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. The IDF then seals nearby Nahalin village and sets up mobile checkpoints, allowing only humanitarian cases to pass in or out. Earlier, Israeli forces confront a Palestinian youth outside the Old City of Jerusalem for “moving in a suspicious way,” then arrest her when she draws a knife and allegedly attempts to stab them. Later, IDF troops arrest another Palestinian youth outside a settlement nr. Hebron when she is found with a knife on her person. (HA, JP, MNA, YA 2/9; PCHR 2/11)

In Gaza, a Hamas fighter is killed in a tunnel collapse nr. Khan Yunis. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure 2 Palestinians in a village nr. Bethlehem; conduct late-night raids and house searches in Jenin, Bethlehem, 1 village and Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, as well as Hebron and nearby al-Fawar r.c., arresting 8 Palestinians and issuing an arrest summons to 1; patrol in 3 villages and al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron, as well as Salfit. Israeli forces demolish 11 Palestinian residential and agricultural structures nr. Nablus. The Israeli authorities reopen a road nr. Hebron, which has been closed since 11/2015 when tension began to escalate in the area. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 14 Palestinians on late-night raids in Qalandia r.c., Abu Dis, Sur al-Bahir, Issawiyya, the Old City, and Ras al-Amud. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 2/9; HA, MNA 2/10; PCHR 2/11)

In the Beit Horon settlement nr. Ramallah, a settlement security guard shoots and kills 2 Palestinians after they allegedly stab 2 Israeli settlers, critically injuring both (1 will succumb to her injuries on 1/26). After the attack, the IDF encourages settlement security personnel to carry weapons at all times and tighten security procedures; locks down the nearby Bayt ‘Ur al-Tahta village where 1 of the alleged attackers was from, barring anyone from entering or exiting. Meanwhile, IDF troops conduct late-night raids and house searches in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Hebron, arresting 4 Palestinians; patrol during the day in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Salfit. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinians on late-night raids in Issawiyya. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI 1/25; EI, HA, NYT, YA 1/26; PCHR 1/28)

The Israeli press reports that the planning and building comm. of Israel’s Civil Admin. approved plans for the construction of 153 new settler residences in the West Bank last week, including 65 nr. Ariel; 28 in Carmel, s. of Hebron; and 60 in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. The Israeli govt. does not confirm the announcement. Separately, PM Netanyahu orders the IDF to prepare a comprehensive plan to increase security in Israel’s West Bank settlements. (HA, TOI 1/25)

Senior Hamas and Fatah officials meet in Istanbul to discuss a possible resumption of national reconciliation talks, according to sources in Ramallah and Gaza. (TOI, XIN 1/25; NA 1/26)

An Israeli settler rams his car into 2 Palestinians nr. Salfit, killing 1 and injuring the other. Then, Israeli settlers shoot and critically injure a Palestinian in the Tekoa settlement nr. Bethlehem after he allegedly stabs and injures a pregnant Israeli settler. After the attack, the IDF raids the suspect’s home in a village nr. Bethlehem, arresting his son; orders the removal of all Palestinian workers from the Gush Etzion settlement bloc where Tekoa is located. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts further late-night raids and house searches in 2 villages nr. Bethlehem, 1 nr. Jenin, ‘Askar r.c. and ‘Aqabat Jabir r.c., and in and around Hebron and Nablus, arresting 17 Palestinians; patrols in the Hebron and Ramallah areas. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles nr. Nablus, damaging 2. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian in Shu‘fat when he is found with a knife on his person. In Israel, suspected rightwing Jewish activists vandalize and set fire to a carwash in Petah Tikva because the owner hired Palestinian employees. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 1/18; JP, MNA, YA 1/19; PCHR 1/21)

The IDF announces that, starting on 1/19, Palestinian laborers will be banned from working at Israeli settlements, citing the incident in Tekoa to justify the ban. The ban will last for 2 days. (HA, TOI 1/18; MNA 1/19)

The EU Foreign Affairs Council adopts a series of “conclusions on the Middle East peace process,” with provisions on Israel’s settlements, restarting peace negotiations, and reaffirming the 11/11/2015 guidelines on labeling products imported from Israel’s settlements. Due to Israeli lobbying over the past week, the final language does not codify a “distinction” between Israel and its settlements. (EUPO, HA, REU, TOI, WAFA 1/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish 5 bedouin Palestinian residential structures in the E1 area nr. Jerusalem, displacing 26 bedouins; begin leveling land s. of Bethlehem in preparation for the construction of a military tower. The IDF conducts late-night raids and house searches in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm r.c., and 1 village each nr. Salfit and Ramallah, arresting 10 Palestinians; patrols in 4 villages and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police raid the International Comm. of the Red Cross office overnight, arresting 6 Palestinian activists who have been staging a sit-in in protest of the Israeli orders to deport 2 of them. Israeli forces demolish 2 Palestinian homes in Silwan; arrest a Palestinian at Haram al-Sharif; arrest 2 Palestinians during late-night raids in Jabal Mukabir and al-‘Izzariya. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian bedouin mosque in a so-called unrecognized village in the Negev. (HA, MNA 1/6; PCHR, WAFA 1/7; HA, MNA 1/8; PCHR 1/14)

The Israeli press reports that DM Moshe Ya’alon has approved, in recent weeks, the Gush Etzion settlement’s request to incorporate a nearby property into its municipality. (HA, JP, TOI 1/6)