The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers shot and injured 1 Palestinian man near Beit Umar, others suffered tear-gas related injuries when Israeli forces intervened on behalf of the settlers. Israeli settlers also set fire to a Palestinian home in Mukhmas, rendering 6 Palestinians homeless. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Ein al-Beida, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Haris, Huwwara, and Deir Sharaf. Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians and injured 3 others during a raid in Nablus, 3 were arrested. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian man while dispersing a protest in Umm Safa; Israeli settlers also attacked the Palestinian protesters with sticks and stones, causing injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 5 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed some 300 Israeli activists from Peace Now using stun grenades. The activists were marching to the Homesh settlement outpost to protest its reopening to settlers. (ABC, AJ, BBC, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/7; PCHR 7/8; PCHR 7/13; UNOCHA 7/27; UNOCHA 7/29)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Omani foreign minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi. (WAFA, WAFA 7/7)

Head of Hamas’ overseas political bureau Khaled Mashal landed in Algeria for a 3-day visit. Mashal will meet with the leaders of the National Liberation Front and the Ennahda movement during his trip. (QDS 7/8; MEMO 7/10)

The Israeli government told the High Court of Justice that it plans to legalize the Homesh settlement outpost. (HA 7/7)

The Israeli military said it had disciplined 5 soldiers for not obeying standard procedures when striking Gaza during the May 2021 assault on Gaza. The military did not say which incidents the soldiers were disciplined for and the soldiers will not face criminal charges. (AP 7/7; AJ 7/8)

The UN Security Council met to discuss Israel’s attack on Jenin refugee camp earlier in the week at the request of the UAE. The closed-door meeting did not result in any action. (HA 7/8)

An Israeli team of esport players landed in Saudi Arabia for the FiFAe Club World Cup 2023 tournament using their Israeli passports. (HA 7/9)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up 6 mobile homes on Palestinian-owned land in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, creating a new settlement outpost. It was reported Israeli forces leveled land in preparation for the settlers to create the outpost. Israeli settlers also set up caravans near Mukhmas. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers also raided ‘Urif, setting fire to homes and a mosque and vandalizing the electric panel supplying the town, cutting power for hours. Security footage also showed the settlers tearing apart a Quran outside of the mosque. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Nahalin, Yasuf, and Ras Karkar. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers with a military escort also attacked Palestinians in Jalud, injuring 1 Palestinian with live ammunition and others with stones. Israeli settlers also raided Sinjil and Umm Safa before being repelled by Palestinians. Separately, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in Khirbet Tuba in the Masafer Yatta area, causing bruises and damage to property. Israeli forces raided Nablus, punitively demolishing the family home of 1 Palestinian man who allegedly took part in the killing of an Israeli soldier in October 2022; 33 Palestinians were injured by tear gas. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian during a raid in Dheisheh refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 4 residential structures in al-Maleh. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers assaulted 5 Palestinians in Silwan. Israeli authorities demolished 1 agricultural structure, uprooted trees, and razed a plot of land in Umm Tuba. (ABC, AJ, AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE, NYT, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/22; PCN 6/23 HA, HA 6/24; PCN 6/29; PCHR 7/6; UNOCHA 7/8)

The Jerusalem District Planning Committee approved proposed plans to build a new American embassy on a plot of land known as the Allenby complex, which is privately owned by several Palestinian families. It is still undetermined if the U.S. will move ahead with its plans to build the embassy on the plot of land because it was seized by Israel from the Palestinian families after the Nakba. (HA 6/22)

U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said at a Geneva Initiative event in Tel Aviv that the U.S. does “not stand and watch settler violence. I have been very clear and very specific that we will not stand by, and we are pushing the Israelis to take whatever action they need to take to stop those people.” The Saudi foreign ministry also issued a statement condemning the settler attacks. (HA, WAFA 6/22)

The annual UN report on the treatment of children in conflict zones left out Israel on the list of shame for the killing and mistreatment of Palestinian children. According to the report, 42 Palestinian children were killed and 933 were injured during 2022. Human Rights Watch and the PA expressed disappointment that Israel was left off the list. (AJ 6/23; HRW 6/27; WAFA, WAFA 6/28 AJ 6/29)

The chair and deputy chair of the Elders, Mary Robinson and Ban Ki-moon, issued a statement after visiting Israel and Palestine, warning that the “one-state reality is now rapidly extinguishing the prospect of a two-state solution.” The statement said that Robinson and Ban did not hear a “detailed rebuttal of the evidence of apartheid. On the contrary, the declarations and policies of the current Israeli Government . . . clearly show an intent to pursue permanent annexation rather than temporary occupation, based on Jewish supremacy.” (AP, ELDERS 6/22; MEE 6/23; HA 6/26; HA 7/2)  

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli American man was shot and killed by an unidentified assailant near the Dead Sea. Israeli forces then instituted a blockade on Jericho which lasted until a Palestinian suspect was arrested on 3/1. Israeli settlers raided Huwwara for the second day in a row, intimidating Palestinians in the aftermath of the large-scale settler attack on the town on 2/27. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles and houses in Sinjil, Jaba’, Mukhmas, al-Mughayyir, and Umm Safa, causing damage. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers also threw stones and attempted to ram Israeli soldiers near Huwwara. Israeli settlers also uprooted 80 olive trees near Sinjil. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Arroub refugee camp and Beita, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces arrested 1 Palestinian herder near al-Muarajat. (ALM, HA, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/27; AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, WAFA 2/28; HA 3/1; AJ, PCHR 3/2; UNOCHA 3/4)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party Otzma Yehudit boycotted a Knesset session to hold a party meeting in the Evyatar settlement outpost to complain about the Israeli government being too lenient on Palestinians. Ben-Gvir said of the Israeli settler attacks in Huwwara on 2/26 that “this is not the way. Our enemies need to be crushed by the Israeli government.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also said he will work to have the Evyater settlement outpost legalized. (HA, HA 2/27; MEE 2/28)

The U.S. State Department released its 2021 Country Reports on Terrorism, which stated that “Israeli security personnel often did not prevent settler attacks and rarely detained or charged perpetrators of settler violence.” The report also noted that settler attacks in 2021 had “expanded in severity and scale.” (AX, HA 2/28)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc and Mukhmas. Israeli settlers also set fire to 3 Palestinian-owned vehicles in ‘Urif. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian shepherd near Umm al-Khair, causing fractures. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 4 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 2 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. 4 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Turmus ‘Ayya. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Ras al-Amud. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/6; PCHR 5/12; UNOCHA 5/13)

Israel’s civil administration announced in a statement that Israel will advance nearly 4,000 settlement units in the West Bank on 5/12. 1,452 of the settlement units are expected to be advanced while 2,536 are expected to be approved by Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz. (AJ, AX, HA, MEE, TOI, WAFA, WAFA. WAFA 5/6; MEE, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 5/7)