The Palestine Chronology

In a 2d day of cross-border violence, Palestinians fire mortar shells at Israeli patrols along Gaza’s s. and n. borders in 3 separate incidents, causing no injuries or damage. Hamas will take credit for at least 1 of the shellings. Israeli forces launch artillery shells at the 3 sources of shelling and conduct at least 5 air strikes in s. Gaza, causing damage and no injuries. After the day’s violence, the IDF declares a region nr. the border a closed military zone and, according to Palestinian sources, IDF troops conduct unspecified operations along the border in Rafah and nr. Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in and around Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, arresting 6 Palestinians; patrols nr. Hebron. Israeli forces deliver a stop-work order to a Palestinian home under construction in Hebron. Israeli settlers attack a group of Palestinian schoolchildren in c. Hebron, causing no injuries, and assault a Palestinian activist nr. al-Ibrahimi Mosque, causing moderate injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during raids and patrols in Issawiyya and al-Tur. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish 2 homes in bedouin communities in the Negev and nr. Lydda. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 5/4; MNA, TOI 5/5; OCHA 5/6; PCHR 5/12)

Israeli PM Netanyahu’s office says that DM Ya’alon and Public Security Minister Erdan have been authorized, as of 5/1, to decide whether or not to return the bodies of Palestinians killed in confrontations with the IDF and Israeli police. This statement reverses Netanyahu’s decision, on 3/27, ordering Ya’alon not to return any bodies. (HA, YA 5/4)

The PLO Exec. Comm. decides to start implementing the PA’s threat to limit security coordination with the IDF if the “current situation” continues. PASF troops are instructed to implement the decision “under supervision of the Palestinian political echelon” and security agencies will decide how quickly to implement it. (MNA 5/7)

In the West Bank, IDF troops detain a Palestinian youth after arguing with her at a checkpoint nr. Bethlehem, and conduct raids in a village nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians. Amid the clashes, Israeli soldiers fire tear gas canisters at a girls’ school, causing many students to choke. The IDF conducts late-night raids in and around Jenin, Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, and Tubas, arresting 16 Palestinians and confiscating and damaging property; patrols nr. Jenin and Nablus. Israeli soldiers set fire to a Palestinian flag at a checkpoint nr. Nablus. Israeli settlers steal a Palestinian’s horse from a village nr. Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish 2 residential structures in Kafr Walaja early in the morning, and arrest 18 Palestinians during raids in Silwan, the Old City, and Bayt Hanina. In West Jerusalem, Jewish Israelis assault and moderately injure a Palestinian bus driver nr. the Central Bus Station. (JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 4/13; HA, PCHR, WAFA 4/14; HA 4/15; PCHR 4/21)

The Israeli press reports that PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon recently gave their approval for the construction of 267 settler residences in the West Bank, including in a number of outposts. (HA 4/13; PCN 4/14)

A Palestinian lawyer says that an Israeli court has rescinded the ban on products of 5 Palestinian food companies entering Jerusalem, which was issued by Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture on 3/9. (MNA 4/13)

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)

Small-scale attacks, including alleged stabbings, continue to characterize the ongoing wave of violence as it largely shifts to the West Bank. IDF troopsshoot and kill a Palestinian in a village nr. Hebron after he allegedly attempts to stab an Israeli soldier. The IDF later says that the man was killed amid a “violent riot,” but Palestinian witnesses say he was not present for the clashes in the village. A Palestinian driver rams his vehicle into a group of IDF officers nr. a settlement in the Hebron area, injuring 3. Israeli soldiers then open fire on the car, causing damage but no injuries. The driver turns himself in to the IDF hours later. Throughout the day, IDF troops clash with and violently disperse Palestinians protesting in a village nr. Bethlehem and outside a settlement nr. Ramallah; 4 Palestinians are injured. The IDF also patrols in 1 village each nr. Salfit and Hebron; conducts raids and house searches in 1 village each nr. Bethlehem, and Jenin, 3 nr. Hebron, Nablus and 1 village nearby, and Jalazun r.c. and 2 villages nr. Ramallah, arresting 16 Palestinians and confiscating personal property. Israeli settlers destroy a barbed wire fence in a village nr. Jerusalem; ram a Palestinian with a vehicle nr. Qalqilya, causing moderate injuries. In the evening, Israeli forces return the bodies of 2 Palestinians who were killed in confrontations with IDF troops on 10/13 nr. Ramallah and 10/17 in Jerusalem. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA 11/1; PCHR 11/5)

Tension remains high in East Jerusalem as right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif under an Israeli police escort in the morning. Israeli forces arrest 11 Palestinians on raids and patrols in the Old City, al-Thawri, Issawiyya, Shu‘fat, and al-Tur. They also search a number of stores in Issawiyya, sparking minor clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 1 Palestinian is lightly injured. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 11/1; PCHR 11/5)

Israeli DM Ya’alon says that Israel will stop returning the bodies of Palestinians killed in violent confrontations with the IDF if they are mourned at mass funerals, as on 10/31 in Hebron. He also says that he decided not to return any more bodies to Hebron following the 10/31 mass funeral and subsequent clashes. (HA 11/1; HA 11/3)

In the West Bank, IDF troops clash with Palestinians in Aida r.c. after the funeral of a Palestinian boy killed by the IDF on 10/5, injuring 10. In protest of the killing, Palestinian businesses and schools in Bethlehem observe a general strike. IDF troops also raid the Nablus-area homes of the 5 Palestinians suspected in the 10/1 shooting that killed 2 settlers, taking pictures and threatening punitive demolitions. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian stone-throwers in the Jenin, Ramallah, and Bethlehem areas, injuring at least 44 Palestinians and 1 Israeli soldier. Nr. Hebron, Israeli forces close off the main entrance to a village following overnight clashes, and they arrest 18 Palestinians during raids, house searches, and patrols around the city. Israeli settlers continue retaliatory attacks against Palestinians and their property throughout the West Bank, injuring 2 Palestinians in the Hebron area and clashing with Palestinians who had organized a local patrol to ward off settler attacks nr. Nablus (there are no serious injuries). In Israel, hundreds of Palestinians gather in Jaffa to protest the recent escalation of violence in the oPt; Israeli police attempt to disperse the crowd after some of the protesters start throwing stones and blocking traffic, sparking minor clashes (6 police are injured and 6 Palestinians are arrested). (EI, HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/6; HA, MNA 10/7; PCHR 10/8)

Israeli forces punitively demolish 2 Palestinian homes in the Jabal Mukabir neighborhood of East Jerusalem. First, they demolish the home of 1 of the 2 Palestinians who attacked a West Jerusalem synagogue on 11/18/2014, and they later demolish the nearby home of the Palestinian who rammed an excavator into a bus on 8/4/2014, killing 1 Israeli and injuring others. Similarly in Silwan, they seal a room in the residence of the Palestinian who was shot and killed on 10/30/2014 after allegedly attempting to assassinate Yehuda Glick, the leader of the messianic Temple Mount movement. (MNA, WAFA 10/6; PCHR 10/8)

While visiting a settlement, Israeli PM Netanyahu says that the IDF will install cameras along roads across the West Bank to provide evidence of future Palestinian attacks. Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon also meet with 18 settler leaders and reportedly announce that the govt. will not be authorizing new settlement construction in response to the recent violence, explaining that increased pressure from the U.S. and EU would likely endanger settlers more than a temporary construction freeze. (JP, TOI 10/6; JP, TOI 10/7)

Off the coast of Gaza nr. Dayr al-Balah, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian woman attempting to cross into Israel with a rifle nr. Qalqilya. IDF troops patrol in a village nr. Hebron, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 2 of the Palestinians are arrested. The IDF conducts late-night house searches and raids in Hebron, 1 village and al-Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, and 1 village each nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, Jenin, and Nablus, arresting 7 Palestinians and confiscating property; patrols during the day in 2 more villages nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raid the Jabal Mukabir homes belonging to the family mbrs. of the 2 Palestinian men who attacked a West Jerusalem synagogue on 11/18/2014. They take pictures and make notes of the contents of the homes (they will seal 1 home with cement on 7/1). (JP, MNA 6/28; PCHR 7/2)

Chair of the consultative comm. for reforming the consensus govt., al-Ahmad, canceled his 6/29 trip to Gaza reportedly due to Hamas’s negative response. (MNA 6/28; JP 6/29)

Israeli MK Ghattas (Joint List) sends a statement to PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon calling for them to keep Israeli forces away from the Freedom Flotilla III. As the flotilla makes its way from Greece to Gaza, Netanyahu’s office releases a letter in which he told the activists, “Perhaps you meant to set sail for a place not far from here—Syria. There the Asad regime is slaughtering its own people every day with the support of the murderous regime in Iran.” (JP, MNA, YA 6/28; MEMO 6/29)

Israel’s FM dir.-gen. Dore Gold meets with Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss ways to relaunch peace negotiations with the Palestinians. It is the 1st visit to Cairo of a high-ranking Israeli official since 2011. (JP, YA 6/28)

In Gaza, the IDF bars a Palestinian journalist from passing through the Erez border crossing, despite the fact that he was issued a permit on 6/20. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish 2 Palestinian structures nr. Salfit. IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, confiscating property and arresting 3 Palestinians. Israeli settlers spray price-tag graffiti on walls in Tiberius; assault Palestinians in c. Hebron; cut down 70 olive trees nr. Nablus. In East Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabs and seriously injures an Israeli border policeman nr. Damascus Gate of the Old City. The policeman then shoots the Palestinian man multiple times, leaving him in critical condition. Israeli forces consequently raid the Palestinian man’s home nr. Hebron. Israeli forces later clash with Palestinians gathering nr. Damascus Gate and separately with Palestinians leaving Haram al-Sharif; 4 Palestinians are injured. They conduct late-night raids in Silwan, Jabal Mukabir, and Issawiyya, arresting 3 Palestinians. In n. Israel, thousands of Christians attend a protest rally to condemn the 6/17 arson attack on a nearby church. (HA, MNA, WAFA, YA 6/21; MNA 6/22)

In response to the 6/19 shooting nr. Ramallah and today’s stabbing in East Jerusalem, Israeli PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon annul the 6/16 announcement permitting 500 Palestinians to fly abroad via Ben Gurion Airport during Ramadan. Additionally, they instruct the Defense Ministry to revoke the work permits of all Palestinian residents of the village nr. Hebron where today’s perpetrator is from, and say they will consider further punitive restrictions. (HA, TOI 6/22)

In Ramallah, French FM Fabius meets with PA pres. Abbas to discuss the French initiative to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, including a French-drafted UNSC res. Fabius then meets with Netanyahu in Israel to discuss the same issues. Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu opposes the French initiative, saying “we will forcibly reject any attempt to force upon us international dictates”. (JP 6/17; HA, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA 6/21)

The Egyptian govt. announces the appointment of a new amb. to Israel, Hazem Khairat, who will travel to Tel Aviv in the coming mos. Egypt has not had an amb. to Israel since 2012, when Atef Salem was recalled in the midst of Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense. (HA, YA 6/21)

Israeli mbr. of Knesset (MK) Basel Ghattas (Joint List) announces his plans to join the Freedom Flotilla III, an international activist effort to deliver aid to Gaza and call attention to the Israeli blockade (the flotilla will set sail on 6/25). He calls on Netanyahu and the IDF to allow the flotilla to reach Gaza without their interference. (HA 6/21; MEE, MNA, WAFA 6/22)

Iranian parliamentarians approve amendments to the bill introduced on 6/17 to increase oversight on implementation of any agreement made with the P5+1. The amendments shift oversight responsibilities, and the power to end the deal, from parliamentarians to the Supreme National Security Council, which is chaired by Pres. Hassan Rouhani and controlled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The bill must still be approved by the parliament and ratified by the Khamenei-controlled Guardian Council to become law. (AFP, REU 6/21)

In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in al-Tur after he drives his car into a crowd, injuring 2 border police guards. Israeli forces demolish a 3-story building in Ras al-Amud claiming it was built without a license. In the West Bank, Israeli forces close the entrance to a village nr. Nablus after a Palestinian throws a Molotov cocktail at a settler’s car. The IDF also conducts late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus, and in Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, arresting 14 Palestinians; patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah during the day. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 5/20; MNA, PCHR, WAFA 5/21; PCHR 5/28)

Following public criticism and consultation with DM Moshe Ya’alon, Israeli PM Netanyahu orders the suspension of the new 3-mo. pilot project restricting Palestinian travel, initiated on 5/19. Ya’alon says he will continue his efforts to reduce the number of Palestinians entering Israel illegally. (HA, MNA, NYT, TOI, YA 5/20) 

EU foreign policy chief Mogherini meets with Netanyahu in Israel, who says he is still committed to the 2-state solution and he proposes a new round of peace negotiations with the Palestinians with the specific goal of establishing borders for Israel’s West Bank settlement blocs (the news of his proposal will not break until 5/26). Also, Mogherini reportedly tells Netanyahu that the European campaign calling for labeling of products from Israeli settlements is unstoppable. The PM’s office will deny that they discussed the labeling campaign when the news breaks on 6/2. Mogherini also meets with PA pres. Abbas and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat in Ramallah. (HA, JP, YA 5/20; WAFA 5/21; HA, REU, TOI 5/26; HA 6/2)

Norwegian FM Børge Brende meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem and tells him that international pressure on Israel regarding its treatment of the Palestinians will likely resume after the P5+1 (the 5 permanent mbrs. of the UN Security Council plus Germany) reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran by their 6/30 deadline. (LF 5/19; EI, HA, 5/20; HA, YA 5/21)

In the Gaza Strip, the Gaza power plant resumes operation of 1 of its 4 turbines, having received new shipments of fuel after shutting down completely on 12/28. However, scheduled power outages stay at up to 18 hours per day. Off the coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage or injuries. Also, the IDF begins pulling troops stationed nr. Gaza, as announced 12/28. In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian is injured during a clash in Hebron between stone-throwing Palestinians and private Israeli settlement security guards. IDF troops rebuild mounds of earth outside a village nr. Salfit, closing the main entrance. The village’s residents cleared the mounds on 12/31 during demonstrations marking Fatah’s 50th anniversary. In East Jerusalem, an Israeli court bars 5 Palestinian women (arrested on 1/1) from entering Haram al-Sharif for 21 days. Israeli forces detain another Palestinian woman as she exits the sanctuary. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/4; OCHA 1/15)

A senior Israeli FM official says that Israel is not planning any new settlement construction in response to the Palestinians’ accession to the ICC. Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon agree to use NIS 70 m. (around $17.8 m.) from the Defense Ministry’s budget to strengthen infrastructure in the Beit El settlement and relocate an IDF base to make room for 300 new residences. Then-Fin. Min. Lapid blocked their prior attempt on 11/25. Separately, the Israeli High Court of Justice freezes construction on the separation wall in the Battir Valley of the West Bank, responding to complaints from the Palestinian residents and UNESCO’s 6/20 decision to place Battir’s terraces on its list of World Heritage sites. (JP, HA, MNA, TOI 1/4)

Egyptian authorities prepare for the demolitions and evictions required to expand the buffer zone along the Gaza border to 1 km. The 2,044 families that live in the 1,200 homes set to be demolished will receive 1,500 Egyptian pounds (approximately $209) to pay for 3 mos. of housing, and 700–1,200 Egyptian pounds per sq. m of their house that is demolished. (JP, MNA 1/4)

Jordan suspends talks with Israel regarding the 9/2014 memorandum of understanding set to govern their $15 b. joint gas deal with U.S. company Noble Energy. Israel’s Antitrust Authority revoked its approval of the Delek Group-Noble Energy alignment on 12/23. (JP, JTA, TOI 1/4)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids nr. Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah, and Hebron. During a raid in ‘Askar r.c., residents throw stones at the Israeli soldiers, and 1 Palestinian is injured by rubber-coated metal bullets. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raid the home of a former prisoner in Jabal Mukabir and arrest her. (MNA 12/17; PCHR 12/18, 12/25)

Following 2 rounds of negotiations with reps. of the Arab Group at the UN, Jordanian diplomats officially submit a Palestiniandrafted res. to the UNSC. It is based on the French draft, but with substantial changes based on the Palestinians’ input, including the removal of a passage calling on the Palestinians to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. (AFP, HA, MDW, MNA, NYT, TOI 12/17; AFP, HA 12/18)

After 3 days of negotiations, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) pledges to, among other things, phase out the use of solitary confinement “without cause,” leading over 100 Palestinian prisoners to suspend their hunger strike started on 12/9. (MNA 12/17; EI 12/19)

Israeli DM Ya’alon orders the evacuation of 2 military bases to expand nearby settlements, a move delayed on 11/25 when then-Fin. Min. Lapid refused to authorize the funds. (PM Netanyahu authorizes funding for the relocation on 1/4.) (HA 12/17)

The European Parliament passes a nonbinding motion expressing support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood “in principle,” which should complement a new round of peace talks. Meanwhile, Luxembourg’s parliament adopts a similar nonbinding motion calling on its govt. to recognize Palestine. (HA, MNA, WAFA 12/17)

In Geneva, 126 of the 196 signatories of the Fourth Geneva Convention convene to discuss Israel’s noncompliance with its strictures. They adopt a declaration by consensus that calls for investigations into all serious violations of international humanitarian law, including Israel’s. (AP, TOI, WAFA 12/17)

The Gen. Court of the EU, the body’s 2d highest court, removes Hamas from the EU’s list of designated terrorist organizations on the procedural grounds that the status was determined by media reports rather than by “acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities.” (HA, JP, MEMO, MNA, NYT, REU, TOI 12/17)

In the West Bank, an Israeli bus driver runs over 2 Palestinians at al-Jalama checkpoint in Jenin, killing 1 and injuring the other. It has not been determined if the collision was intentional or accidental. IDF troops detain a Palestinian at a military checkpoint e. of Jerusalem, arrest 2 in Hebron, and arrest 1 at a checkpoint e. of Nablus. The IDF conducts raids and house searches in al-Fawar r.c. and nr. Ramallah, arresting 5, including a Hamas official; patrols nr. Hebron and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security officers shoot tear gas canisters at 2 Palestinian men, moderately injuring them; arrest a young woman after she tries to stop the soldiers from physically assaulting her disabled mother. Later in al-Tur, Israeli security forces violently disperse Palestinians gathered for a funeral, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated metal bullet. Additional clashes break out in Silwan. In West Jerusalem, a group of Israelis verbally and physically assaults a Palestinian. (AFP, IMEMC, MNA, WAFA 11/25; IMEMC, MNA 11/26; IMEMC, PCHR 11/27)

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) releases a statement condemning the “nation-state” bill that Israel’s cabinet passed on 11/23. PA Pres. Abbas and Israeli pres. Reuven Rivlin separately denounce the bill. (TOI, WAFA, YA 11/25; GDN 11/26)

The Palestinian prisoner’s club at Rimon prison declares a state of emergency after clashes on 11/24 and increasing restrictions in the prison. (PNN 11/25)

Israeli fin. min. Yair Lapid blocks the transfer of NIS 70 m. (around $17.8 m.) to fund the relocation of an army base in the Beit El settlement, which was ordered by DM Moshe Ya’alon and PM Netanyahu. Lapid says that a cabinet vote would be required for a transfer of this magnitude. (HA 11/25; IMEMC 11/26)

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians fire 18 rockets into s. Israel, causing no damage or injuries except where 2 houses are hit by shrapnel. Two of the rockets are intercepted by Iron Dome missile defense batteries. According to Israeli officials, Hamas activists were involved in this barrage, making it the 1st time the organization has participated in rocket fire since the 11/2012 cease-fire. IDF troops conduct air strikes on 34 targets across the Gaza Strip, hitting training sites of al-Qassam Brigades, Islamic Jihad, and the PRC, and agricultural areas, killing 1, injuring 4, and causing damage. Off the coast nr. Bayt Lahiya, Israeli naval forces shell an open area on the coast, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 1 nearby village at night; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 village nr. Hebron at night. Israeli settlers attack a Palestinian in Hebron, wounding him. Separately, settlers vandalize 12 olive trees nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces shoot and wound 2 Palestinians with rubber-coated metal bullets during clashes nr. Haram al-Sharif. The confrontations begin after restrictions are placed on worshippers’ access to the area while right-wing Jewish activists are allowed to enter. (AP, HA, IMEMC, JP, MNA 6/30; PCHR 7/3)

Israeli security forces locate the bodies of the 3 Israeli settler teenagers nr. Hebron, not far from where they were kidnapped (on 6/12) and killed. PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon propose that the response to the killing of the teens should include a wave of settlement construction. Netanyahu also addresses the increased tensions in Gaza and s. Israel, saying “either Hamas will stop the rocket fire or we will.” Hamas spokesperson Abu Zuhri says that if Israel attacks Hamas in Gaza, “they will open the gates of hell on themselves,” adding that Hamas does not “want any military confrontation with Israel, but if it will be forced on us it will look like in previous rounds.” Meanwhile, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama issues a statement expressing his condolences to the families of the murdered Israeli youth, calls on Israel and the PA to cooperate to bring the guilty parties to justice, and urges all sides to exercise restraint to prevent further destabilization. (AFP, HA, JP, MNA, REU 6/30)

Palestinian prisoner and administrative detainee Samer al-Issawi agrees to end his hunger strike—which has lasted for more than 8 months and inspired widespread Palestinian protest in solidarity—in exchange for an early release. At one such rally today, IDF soldiers clash with residents in Abu Dis, East Jerusalem, shooting and injuring 1. In the West Bank, Jewish settlers destroy hundreds of almond and olive trees in Bayt Dajan nr. Nablus, while in Dayr Jarir nr. Ramallah, settlers attack Palestinian property and set fire to 10 vehicles. The IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin and 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the morning, and in 1 village nr. Hebron, 2 villages nr. Jericho, 3 villages nr. Jenin, 1 village nr. Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Salfit and 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night. IDF soldiers conduct house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin and in 1 village nr. Jericho at night. The IDF conduct a ground incursion close to the border nr. Bayt Hanun and level land. (REU, WAFA 4/22; MNA 4/23; PCHR 4/25)

An Israeli delegation meets their Turkish counterparts in Ankara to discuss ways of improving bilateral relations, including the question of financial compensation by Israel to the families of Turkish activists killed on the Mavi Marmara in 2010. (JP 4/21)

Al-Ahram cites Palestinian government sources claiming that Palestinian pres. Mahmud Abbas has asked Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey play a more prominent role in the drive for national reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. (HA 4/22)

U.S. Defense Secy. Chuck Hagel announces an arms deal with Israel at a press conference in Tel Aviv alongside Israeli DM Moshe Ya’alon. The sale includes V-22 Osprey helicopter-plane aircraft, refueling tankers, advanced radars for fighter jets, and advanced missiles that target air defenses. During their remarks, Ya’alon tacitly confirms that Israel was responsible for a 1/30 air strike on an army convoy in Syria, saying that Israel has already acted to stop weapons falling into Hizballah’s hands: ‘‘When they crossed this red line, we acted.’’ (AFP, JP 4/22)