The Palestine Chronology

The IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of al-Qarara, clearing lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, confiscates 1 mobile home, and orders a 4th family to remove their mobile home fr. areas nr. Hebron; makes a late-night incursion into Tulkarm town and r.c., patrolling around and photographing the PA military intelligence headquarters, the main PA security compound, and al-Salam Mosque fr. various angles; conducts late-night patrols in Qarawat Bani Zaid village nr. Ramallah, making no arrests. An Israeli military court convicts an IDF lt. col. and a subordinate on charges of shooting and wounding a bound, blindfolded Palestinian at a demonstration against the separation wall in 7/08; they could face prison terms of up to 3 yrs. (NYT, WP 7/16; OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, wounding a 14-yr.-old boy. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes several wells and confiscates irrigation equipment nr. Kiryat Arba and Harsina settlements in Hebron, calling the area a closed military zone; conducts latenight patrols in Birzeit, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. (PCHR 7/15; OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. The IDF sends troops into the former settlement sites inside the n. Gaza border to patrol the area to keep scavengers away; troops fire on the area but no injuries are reported. IDF troops make a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of al-Qarara to clear lines of sight, shooting and wounding a farmer working his land 700 m fr. the border. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Bidya village nr. Salfit at midday to search several stores, making no arrests; makes an incursion in Hijja village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, patrolling streets and photographing homes before withdrawing without incident; patrols in Shaqba village nr. Ramallah in the evening, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops enter Awarta village nr. Nablus to hold religious ceremonies. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba nr. Hebron severely beat a 65-yr.-old Palestinian man. (PCHR 7/15; OCHA 7/16)

IDF Maj. Gen. (ret.) Giora Eiland, who headed the Israeli military’s internal inquiry into the 5/31 Gaza flotilla incident, releases brief excerpts of his classified 100-page final report to the IDF chief of staff concluding that overall the “the entire operation is estimable,” praising soldiers for their “professionalism, bravery, and resourcefulness.” While the report faults planning for the operation as inadequate (relying “excessively on a single course of action . . . while no alternative courses of action were prepared”), it deems the use of live fire on the passengers “justified.” (IFM 7/12; NYT, WP 7/13; JPI 7/23)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian teenager. In a similar incident on the n. Gaza border nr. the fmr. Israeli settlement sites, the IDF wounds 2 Palestinians (including a 14-yr.-old boy) scavenging for construction materials. In the West Bank, Palestinians and international activists hold nonviolent demonstrations against land confiscation and settlement expansion nr. Karme Tzur settlement nr. Hebron and in the Hebron market area; the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters (2 Palestinian are injured, 10s suffer tear gas inhalation). The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (PCHR 7/15; OCHA 7/16)

In the West Bank, the IDF enters Jayyus village nr. Qalqilya at midday, patrolling streets and searching homes, summoning 2 Palestinians for questioning; patrols in Marda village nr. Salfit in the afternoon without incident; conducts a late-night arrest raid and house search in Dayr Nizam. Palestinians and international activists hold nonviolent demonstrations against land confiscation and settlement expansion nr. Karme Tzur settlement nr. Hebron and in the Hebron market area; the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation. (PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

Abbas gives an interview to Israel’s 6 leading newspapers to appeal directly to the Israeli people to step up peace efforts, accusing Netanyahu of not being serious about proximity talks and saying that the Palestinians need serious progress on borders and security issues in particular before direct negotiations can begin. Netanyahu replies publicly, saying that if the Palestinians are serious about peace they will proceed immediately to direct talks. Separately, Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman tells the press that Abbas cannot be trusted and that Israelis “don’t need to pay for the pleasure of speaking to Abu Mazin” by making gestures. (NYT, WT 7/2)

The IDF makes a late-night air strike on the Dahaniyya airport site in s. Gaza, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a rare daytime raid into Tulkarm accompanied by Shin Bet units, surrounding and searching a home and farm, questioning several Palestinians, but making no arrests; patrols in ‘Abwayn village n. of Ramallah in the evening without incident; demolishes 14 tents and huts nr. Tammun and Tubas villages used by itinerant farmers, saying the areas are closed military zones; makes a late-night raid on an Islamic charity in Hebron, searching the offices without sealing them, confiscating anything, or making any arrests. (PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, heavily damaging a factory in Sederot, but causing no injuries; the IDF retaliates with air strikes on at least 1 smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, 1 suspected weapons factory in al-Zaytun, causing no reported injuries. During the day, IDF troops reenter (see 6/29) the fmr. n. Gaza settlement sites n. of Bayt Lahiya, firing warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials and forcing them to flee, causing no injuries. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, causing no injuries. IDF senior officers take U.S. special envoy Mitchell to Kerem Shalom crossing to witness Israel’s easing of restrictions on imports to Gaza (up 30% since 6/20), including the transfer of the 1st load of goods fr. the FGM-IHH flotilla. Gaza’s electricity plant receives a shipment of industrial fuel allowing it to resume operations after a 4-day halt (the longest complete stoppage of the facility since the beginning of 2010). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron. In Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest PC mbr. Abu Tir for being in the city illegally; he was ordered (see 5/21) to leave voluntarily or face expulsion to Gaza. Israeli sources reveal that Israel’s Jerusalem Planning Committee recently approved construction of 1,400 new hotel rooms in Jabal Mukabir in East Jerusalem. Israel begins barring all West Bank Palestinian-made products fr. entering East Jerusalem as of 7/1 on the grounds that they did not meet Israeli standards, though the move is widely seen as retaliation for the PA’s boycott on settlement-made good enacted in 4/2010. (IFM, JP, NYT, PCHR, WP, YA 7/1; PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

In East Jerusalem, some 200 Palestinians protesting the settler incident in Silwan on 6/26 and the Jerusalem Planning Commission’s 6/21 preliminary approval for the rezoning and demolition of 22 Palestinian homes demonstrate outside the settlers’ Beit Yonatan apartment building. The Palestinians throw stones, bricks, and Molotov cocktails at Israeli police who attempt to disperse them, leaving 6 policemen injured. In the evening, 10s of Jewish settlers break into the al-Rajabi quarter of Silwan, clashing with local Palestinians and opening fire indiscriminately, causing no serious injuries; IDF troops intervene, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the Palestinians, seriously injuring 1 and lightly injuring 10. Meanwhile, Israel begins construction of 20 new housing units for Jews at the Shepherd Hotel site in East Jerusalem’s Shaykh Jarrah neighborhood. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinians and international activists staging a weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall nr. Bethlehem (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Nablus. In the 2d such incident in Gaza since 3/2010 (see Quarterly Update in JPS 156), Hamas-affiliated police raid the Palestine Islamic Bank, presenting a warrant for the seizure of all the money ($16,000) fr. the account of a Hamas-affiliated educational organization whose assets had been frozen by the PA, taking the money at gunpoint when the teller refuses. Officials of the acting Hamas government say a court had ruled that the PA action freezing the organization’s assets was illegal. (ITV 6/27; NYT 6/28; PCHR 7/1; OCHA 7/2; JPI 7/9)

Gaza’s electricity plant shuts down for lack of fuel; because of the power deficit and increased summer usage, Palestinians face rolling outages of 12–16 hrs./ day. A fire in a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border injures 2 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a late-night raid on and search of a home nr. Hebron, making no arrests. In East Jerusalem, 10s of armed Jewish settlers storm and attempt to seize a Palestinian home in the disputed Silwan area, but Palestinian residents fend them off. (PCHR 7/1; OCHA 7/2)

Israel’s Jerusalem Planning Commission grants preliminary approval for the rezoning and demolition of 22 Palestinian homes in Silwan neighborhood to create an archaeological park, a 1,000-unit Jewish residential area, and tourist zone; the rezoning measure would also retroactively approve Jewish settlers’ Beit Yonatan construction, reaffirmed as illegal by Israel’s Jerusalem District Court on 5/25 (see above). The State Dept. denounces the move as undermining proximity talks. Meanwhile, the IDF begins large-scale bulldozing of land between Pisgat Ze’ev and Neve Ya’acov settlements just n. of Jerusalem for construction of 600 new settlement housing units that will link the 2 settlements, which it intends to keep under final status. The IDF also makes a major late-night incursion into Dayr Samit village nr. Hebron, surrounding and detonating stun grenades around a Palestinian home, blowing off the door, and firing at the windows and roof before raiding the home, beating the residents, and arresting 2 men. Troops then raid and search several surrounding homes, in total arresting 25 mbrs. of the extended al-Adam/al-Hroub clan. The IDF also conducts late-night raids and searches nr. Jenin, summoning 7 Palestinians for interrogation. (NYT, WT 6/22; NYT 6/23; PCHR 6/24; OCHA 6/25)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction goods in the fmr. settlement sites nr. the border, causing no injuries. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, 3 Palestinians injured, 6 Palestinians (including 1 journalist) and 3 Israelis under arrest (all are released by 6/20). A Jewish settler driving nr. Hebron stops his car and beats a Palestinian teenager unconscious with an iron bar, leaving him on the side of the road, where he is found and transported to a hospital by a passing Palestinian. (PCHR 6/24; OCHA 6/25)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into Khuza village, 400 m into s. Gaza, to level lands to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians staging a nonviolent march to the border fence to protest Israel’s no-go zone, injuring 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (including summoning a 7-yr.-old boy for interrogation). The UN reports that in the previous wk., in addition to the teenager killed on 6/13, 1 Palestinian was killed in a tunnel collapse on the Rafah border. (PCHR 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

In the West Bank, Palestinian gunmen open fire on an IDF border police vehicle nr. Hebron, killing 1 Israeli border police officer and wounding 3 in the first fatal shooting attack against Israelis in the West Bank in over 1 yr.; a claim of responsibility and threat of more attacks are issued by a group calling itself the Freedom Flotilla Martyrs. Also in the West Bank, the IDF conducts 3 separate synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and neighboring Dahaysha r.c., al-Far‘a r.c. and Tammun village nr. Tubas, Jenin town and r.c. and 2 nearby villages; additional late-night arrest raids, house searches are carried out nr. Salfit, Tubas. In Gaza, unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. the s. Gaza border area into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires 5 artillery shells at the launch site, causing no damage or injuries. Separately, the IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire on Palestinian scavenging for construction materials in the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians staging a nonviolent march to the border fence e. of Khan Yunis to protest Israel’s no-go zone; no injuries are reported. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. (NYT, YA 6/15; PCHR, WJW 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. Late in the evening, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian teenager is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (WP 6/15; PCHR, WJW 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

In addition to the IDF internal investigation announced on 6/8, Israel names a government-appointed “independent public commission” with foreign participation to examine a narrow set of circumstances surrounding the Gaza flotilla incident. (IFM 6/13; JTA, NYT 6/14; NYT, WP 6/15)

Obama receives PA PM Mahmud Abbas in Washington for talks on bilateral relations and how best to proceed with peace talks in light of the flotilla incident. Obama, who has been in regular contact with Netanyahu since the flotilla attack, for the first time publicly proposes that Israel switch fr. a blanket ban on imports to Gaza with a list of exempted items permitted entry and instead allow all imports minus a list of banned items. (WP 6/9; NYT, WP, WT 6/10; WJW 6/17)

The PA says it has given Mitchell its baseline positions for direct talks with Israel and is prepared to begin direct negotiations once Israel does the same. Israel, however, says it will not lay out its negotiating position until direct talks begin “because that would be asking us to negotiate against ourselves.” (NYT 6/10)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in the industrial zone, causing no injuries. IDF troops make a brief incursion into the s. Gaza border area to level land to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrests raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (including surrounding and searching the home of one of the organizers of the local separation wall protests, questioning him for 3 hrs. but not arresting him), Jenin; breaks up Palestinians and Israeli activists holding a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem, arresting 1 Palestinian, 2 Israelis. (PCHR 6/10, 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

Overnight, the Israeli navy acting on “prior intelligence” fatally shoots 5 al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB) mbrs. diving off the Gaza coast and the Palestinian fisherman manning their boat, wounding and capturing 2 other AMB divers. The AMB claims the men were unarmed and on a training mission; Israel claims they were en route to Israel to stage an attack. Later in the day, the IDF carries out an air strike on the n. Gaza border area, seriously wounding 1 Hamas mbr. preparing to launch a Qassam rocket. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. (NYT, WP, WT 6/8; PCHR 6/10; OCHA 6/11; JPI 6/18)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids and house searches in villages n. of Hebron. (PCHR 6/10; OCHA 6/11)

Israel warns that it will not allow passage to a flotilla of 8 boats organized by the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) and a Turkish organization, Humanitarian Relief Fund (going by the acronym IHH), currently en route to Gaza in an effort to defy Israel’s siege and deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, saying it will send Israeli naval commandos to intercept the boats and escort them to Ashdod port, where the 100s of activists onboard would be deported. The U.S. urges restraint. (NYT, WP, WT 5/28)

IDF troops on the Gaza border nr. the former Nahal Oz crossing fire on armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. the border fence, injuring 7; the Palestinians respond with mortar fire, causing no injuries. The IDF also makes air strikes, directs tank fire at an area s. of Qarni crossing in response to mortar fire fr. the area; 2 Palestinian civilians, no Israelis are injured in the exchange. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on a Palestinian home in ‘Arab al-Ramadin village nr. Hebron, firing tear gas in the home (8 family mbrs. are evacuated to a medical center for treatment); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron (including arresting a 12-yr.-old boy, who is released on 5/28). (YA 5/28; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

Israel charges 2 Israeli Palestinians, Ameer Makhoul (dir. of Ittijah, a union of Arab organizations in Israel) and Omar Said (also a pro-Arab advocate), with espionage for allegedly passing information on the location of IDF facilities to Hizballah, a charge the men deny. (WP, WT 5/28)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket, 2 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the mortars land inside Gaza. The IDF responds with air strikes on the abandoned Dahaniyya airport site and a target in Bayt Hanun in the n. (seriously injuring 2 Palestinians). The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in former settlement sites nr. the border (wounding 1) and in the former Erez industrial zone (wounding 2). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Jala, nr. Hebron. (OCHA, PCHR 5/27; NYT, WP 5/30; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 4 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel; 3 land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries, while 1 lands harmlessly in Gaza. Late in the evening, the IDF responds with air strikes on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border and on the destroyed Dahaniyya airport site in s. Gaza (causing no injuries), as well as on a Hamas building in Bayt Hanun (destroying it, damaging 26 houses, 23 shops, a clinic, the local municipal building, and a sports club nearby, injuring 15 Palestinian bystanders, and knocking out electricity to some areas). Unidentified Palestinians detonate a bomb hidden in a donkey cart by the Gaza border fence as an IDF border patrol unit on the Israeli side of the border passes, killing the donkey but causing no IDF injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. former settlement sites nr. the border twice during the day, causing no injuries; also fire warning shots at farmers who stray nr. the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. Later, IDF troops make an incursion into the n. Gaza buffer zone nr. Bayt Lahiya to search the area, opening fire but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tubas and nr. Hebron, Nablus. Israel’s Jerusalem District Court upholds a decision to evacuate and seal the Beit Yonatan building in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem, built without a permit in 2004 by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim and housing 8 settler families. Hamas-affiliated police in Gaza say they have arrested several suspects in the 5/23 UNRWA arson. (HA, JP, JTA, UPI 5/25; JP, YA 5/26; OCHA, PCHR 5/27)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. destroyed buildings in the Erez industrial zone, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron late in the evening, raiding and searching houses and randomly checking Palestinian IDs, firing rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, injuring 4; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, nr. Hebron. (OCHA, PCHR 5/27)

Based on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s 5/20 meeting with Mitchell (see 5/19) and a meeting today between Israeli and PA security officials, Israel announces plans to relax some restrictions on West Bank movement and access over the next 2 wks. as a goodwill gesture to support proximity talks. The promised moves include: removing 60 roadblocks (around 10% of total) across the West Bank, various steps to improve Palestinian tourism and trade, and lifting some restrictions on Israeli Palestinians access to the West Bank. (IFM 5/23; JTA 5/24; OCHA, WJW 5/27)

In Gaza, around 20 armed Palestinians vandalize and set fire to an United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) beachside summer camp for refugee children under construction w. of Gaza City, binding the caretaker and leaving him with a letter threatening UNRWA senior staff; Hamas denounces the attack; no group takes responsibility, but previously Islamist extremists have condemned UNRWA for corrupting Gazan youths by introducing them to activities they deem at odds with Islam. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. former settlement sites nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids in and around Hebron and neighboring al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.), in Jenin and Qalqilya, nr. Jericho and Ramallah. (IFM 5/23; NYT 5/24; OCHA, PCHR 5/27; NYT 6/29)

Israel begins a 5-day nationwide civil defense exercise to test the preparedness of civilians, emergency services, local authorities in case of war. Netanyahu stresses that the drill does not mean Israel is expecting or planning a major security engagement. (NYT 5/24)

As the quarter opens, Israel’s siege of Gaza continues, with Israel barring all exports, most imports except limited humanitarian and consumer goods and small amounts of construction materials for UN-supervised projects, and most crossborder transit by individuals (with very limited exceptions for extreme medical cases, VIPs, and international NGO workers). The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforces a 300-meter-deep no-go zone inside the full length of the Gaza border and limits the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m off the immediate Bayt Lahiya and Rafah coasts, and 3 nautical miles elsewhere. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Palestinian municipal inspector offices in al-Gazzazin in Hebron’s old city, sealing the office and evicting the staff (unarmed police who maintain public order); fires tear gas to disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists conducting a nonviolent march to the separation wall outside Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem, arresting 8 demonstrators. In Gaza, batonwielding, Hamas-affiliated police beat and evict Palestinians fr. at least 25 homes in s. Rafah before bulldozing the houses, saying they were built illegally on government land; 31 families (190 individuals) are rendered homeless. (WT 5/17; NYT 5/19; OCHA, PCHR 5/20)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. the fmr. Aley Sinai and Nisanit settlement sites, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists conducting a nonviolent march to confiscated Palestinian land outside Brakha settlement to protest Israeli settlement activity around Nablus (10s suffer from tear gas inhalation); prevents Palestinians staging a nonviolent march against Israeli settlement activity in Hebron fr. reaching Beit Romano as planned (no injuries reported; 1 Palestinian arrested, released on bail); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Ni‘lin. (OCHA, PCHR 5/20)

After 5 days of talks with U.S. envoy Mitchell, Israel and the PLO Exec. Comm. formally agree to launch 4 mos. of proximity talks, marking the first peace talks since 12/08. (WT 5/3)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists taking part in a nonviolent march to confiscated Palestinian land outside Brakha settlement to protest Israeli settlement activity around Nablus, injuring 1 Palestinian; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in 2 villages n. of Ramallah, making no arrests; conducts other late-night house searches nr. Tubas, making no arrests. In Hebron, Jewish settlers spray wastewater at Palestinians holding a nonviolent demonstration calling for the reopening of al-Shuhada Street to Palestinian civilians; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (YA 5/8; IDF 5/10; OCHA, PCHR 5/13)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists taking part in a nonviolent march to Karme Tzur settlement to protest Israeli settlement activity in Hebron; troops chase protesters into Bayt Umar village, firing at least 4 tear gas canisters into a Palestinian home, where a 7-mo.-old Palestinian girl is overcome by the fumes and later dies at a hospital. The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 3 Palestinians, 2 Israelis, and 1 American are detained) and against settlement expansion in Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 2 Palestinians, including a 12-yr.- old boy, are detained); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinian, international activists taking part in weekly protests against the wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts late-night patrols in Fasayil village n. of Jericho, making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling the Nablus–Qalqilya road, causing no injuries. (OCHA, PCHR 5/13)

In the West Bank, the IDF raids, searches a Palestinian home in Jiftlik village nr. Jericho early in the morning, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches northwest of Jerusalem and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah. (PCHR 5/6; OCHA, PCHR 5/13)

U.S. special envoy Mitchell arrives in the region to secure formal PA-Israeli agreement to open proximity talks, but the PA says Israel must halt all new settlement construction and evictions of Palestinians during the 4-mo. duration of negotiations, while Israel says the PA must halt all incitement, especially its boycott of settlement-made goods. (NYT, WT 5/4; WJW 5/6)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF destroys several structures in Shavei Shomron settlement built in violation of the 10-mo. settlement freeze; conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in 3 villages nr. Hebron. (NYT 5/5; OCHA, PCHR 5/6)

IDF troops enter the n. Gaza no-go zone nr. Bayt Lahiya to fire on Palestinians (some well over 300 m away fr. the border) scavenging the former Aley Sinai and Dugit settlement sites for construction materials, wounding 1. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists staging a nonviolent march to the separation wall outside Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem, injuring 4 Palestinians (including 1 journalist); conducts late-night patrols in Kfairet village southeast of Jenin, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron and from settlements nr. Bethlehem, escorted by IDF troops, take over a Palestinian home (belonging to the Salah family, who has lived there since 1967) in keeping with a 12/15/09 court order that ruled in favor of a Kiryat Arba settler who claimed to have purchased the property in 1991. (OCHA, PCHR 5/6)

Arab League FMs meeting in Cairo at Palestinian request re-endorse plans to begin proximity talks but stress that the Palestinians should not move to direct negotiations until Israel stops all settlement construction beyond the 1967 borders. (NYT 5/2; WT 5/3)

The IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists staging a nonviolent march protesting Israel’s separation wall and settlement activity in Hebron (no serious injuries reported); conducts synchronized late-night house searches in 5 villages northeast and 1 village southwest of Jenin, making no arrests; conducts other latenight arrest raids, house searches in Tubas, nr. Ramallah. (OCHA, PCHR 5/6)