The Palestine Chronology

Along Gaza’s border, unidentified Palestinian fighters open fire on IDF troops stationed nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries or damage. In response, the IDF launches air strikes on at least 2 Hamas military sites in n. Gaza, injuring 3 Hamas fighters. IDF troops also open fire on Palestinian homes nr. al-Maghazi r.c., causing no damage. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Gaza City and then nr. Rafah, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops attempt to remove a Palestinian flag from a public space in a village nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with stonethrowing residents throughout the day; 2 Palestinians are injured. They also arrest 2 Palestinian youths allegedly planning to carry out stabbing attacks in c. Hebron. Both boys were found to be carrying knives. Israeli forces destroy personal property and threaten to arrest a Palestinian infant during a raid on the Hebron-area home of a Palestinian who was killed on 11/1/2015 after attempting to stab an Israeli soldier. They also impose strict closures on 3 villages nr. Nablus after reports of stone-throwing in the area (the closures will be enforced through 9/10). The IDF arrests 3 Palestinians during raids and house searches nr. Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem, sparking clashes in Balata r.c. (1 Palestinian is injured); and patrols nr. Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm, Salfit, and Qalqilya during the day. Meanwhile, unknown assailants throw Molotov cocktails at the Nablus-area home of a Palestinian woman running for office in the 10/8 municipal elections, causing minor damage. She is affiliated with Fatah. In East Jerusalem, around 60 right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif in the morning. Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during raids in Shu‘fat. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 9/4; MNA 9/5; PCHR 9/8; MNA 9/10)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian cases passing in both directions for the 2d of 2 planned days. (OCHA 9/8)

The PA and Israel sign an agreement to improve postal service in the oPt. The deal gives Palestinians more control over the transfer of mail in and out of the West Bank. (JP, MNA, TOI 9/4)

An errant mortar round fired from Syria lands in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF returns artillery fire on Syrian govt. positions along the border, causing an unknown amount of damage. (HA, MNA, TOI 9/4)

Israeli forces return the body of an East Jerusalem Palestinian to his family in Jabal Mukabir almost a year after he was killed on 10/13/2015 after his family provides NIS 20,000 (approx. $5,300) in collateral to secure the release of his body. He is buried at a cemetery nr. the Old City in a funeral service limited to 25 attendees. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian youth at Qalandia checkpoint after she allegedly threw a knife at them. Dozens of right-wing Jewish activists visit Joseph’s Tomb nr. Nablus overnight, sparking clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinian residents of the area; 1 Israeli soldier is moderately injured. IDF troops also raid several homes in the nearby Balata r.c., sparking further clashes; there are no injuries. The IDF arrests 6 Palestinians during raids, house searches, and patrols nr. Jenin and Hebron. Israeli soldiers escort Jewish settlers on a visit at al-Ibrahimi Mosque in c. Hebron, barring Muslims from the site for the time being. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA 9/1; PCHR 9/8)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for passage in both directions for the 3d of 3 planned days. (PCHR 9/1; OCHA 9/8)

The IDF bulldozes 3 agricultural storehouses and a well nr. Hebron; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, 1 nr. Hebron, and 1 nr. Jenin; and conducts separate late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Hundreds of Jewish settlers, escorted by the IDF, enter Balata village nr. Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb; the IDF imposes a curfew on local Palestinians during the visit. (PCHR 7/19, 7/26; OCHA 7/27)

In Bulgaria, a suicide bomber detonates a device outside a bus boarding Israeli tourists in the port city of Burgas, killing at least 6 Israelis and wounding 32 plus the Bulgarian tour operator. Israel blames Iran for the blast and vows retaliation, but Iran denies the allegation, and no group takes responsibility. (NYT, WT 7/19; NYT, WP 7/20; JPI 7/27)

Israel’s High Court approves a petition by a group of Jewish settlers calling for the expedited demolition of 52 Palestinian homes and facilities (including a clinic and kindergarten) in Susia village nr. Hebron. Though the Israeli group Rabbis for Human Rights immediately files an appeal on the Susia residents’ behalf, the IDF serves them with the demolition orders, saying it will raze the structures within 3 days. The IDF makes a day-long incursion into c. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence, razing 43 d. of Palestinian crops and demolishing several irrigation networks. The IDF also briefly enters s. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence nr. al-Qarara. Hrs. after troops pull out, Israeli helicopters open fire on agricultural areas nr. alQarara, causing no reported damage or injuries. Israeli naval vessels fire warning shots at Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus. In East Jerusalem, the IDF raids a Palestinian farm in Jabal Mukabir, orders the owner to evacuate his sheep, then demolishes several animal pens and sheds, hands the owner a demolition bill of $12,500, and orders him to remove the debris. (PCHR 6/14; OCHA 6/15)

In a State of the Union address devoted to domestic affairs, Pres. Obama pointedly calls on Syrian pres. Asad to realize “that the forces of change cannot be reversed and that human dignity cannot be denied” and urges the international community to “isolate” his regime. He also stresses that the U.S. will not take any options (i.e., a military strike) off the table in dealing with Iran and emphasizes “our ironclad commitment—and I mean ironclad—to Israel’s security.” (NYT, WP, WT 1/25; WJW 2/2)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing fire warning shots and tear gas at a group of Palestinians and international activists staging a nonviolent march to the crossing to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone; no serious injuries are reported. With a sharp increase in the number of Gazans seeking to exit to Egypt through the Rafah border, the Gaza Interior Min. reimposes requirements (lifted on 12/18/11) that Gazans register with the ministry before traveling. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 8 Palestinian homes in Anata village nr. East Jerusalem, displacing 52 Palestinians, including 29 children; escorts 100s of Jewish settlers to pray at Joseph’s tomb in Balata village nr. Nablus; patrols in 1 village nr. Salfit in the morning, briefly detaining several Palestinian for questioning; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and Nablus. (JP 1/24; PCHR 1/26; OCHA 1/27)

After a long delay, Hamas authorities in Gaza allow the Central Elections Commission to open a voter registration office in Gaza to prepare for eventual elections in implementation of the 5/2010 national unity deal. (WP 1/25)

Jordan says King Abdallah will receive Hamas leader Mishal on 1/29, when he makes his 1st official visit to Jordan in 13 yrs. Officials say that the kingdom will continue to bar Hamas for undertaking political activities on its soil. Analysts view this as: (1) Jordan trying to take a more active diplomatic role and say reopening diplomatic ties with Hamas could be a step toward trying to broker reconciliation btwn. Hamas and Fatah (WP 1/25); and (2) the king engaging with Islamists, who have gained strength regionally during the Arab Spring, to quiet Jordan’s own Islamist opposition. (WP, WT 1/25)

Police in Azerbaijan arrest several people allegedly linked to an Iranian-backed Hizballah cell for plotting an attack against Israeli amb. to Azerbaijan Michael Lotem and on a Jewish school in Baku. (JPI 2/3; NHR 2/21)

A Lebanese court sentences fmr. brig. gen. Fayiz Karam to 2 yrs. in jail (including time served) for giving classified information to Israel. Karam, jailed in mid-2009, will be released in 6 mos. (NYT 1/25)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF shoots, lightly wounds a Palestinian at the Qalandia checkpoint into Jerusalem, claiming that he ran at soldiers with an iron bar; raids and searches a Palestinian home nr. Jenin at midday, making no arrests; patrols in Jericho (twice), 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Ramallah in the morning; patrols in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. (also searching a computer store and confiscating computer equipment) and nr. Tulkarm. Israel allows the first export of furniture fr. Gaza (18 pieces) since the imposition of the siege in 2007. (JP 1/22; PCHR 1/26; OCHA 1/27)

Israel releases Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Ahmad ‘Attoun, discharging him at the Qalandia crossing and ordering him to Ramallah. Israel revoked ‘Attoun’s Jerusalem residency status in 9/2009 on the grounds that he was affiliated with a “terrorist organization” (i.e., Hamas) and warned him in 5/2010 to leave the city or face deportation to the West Bank (QU in JPS 157). He was arrested in East Jerusalem on 9/26/11, when he went to address a protest rally in Shaykh Jarrah, and was charged with “being illegally present in the city.” (MNA 12/6; PCHR 12/8)

Israeli municipal forces in East Jerusalem demolish a Palestinian home. IDF troops make a brief incursion into al-Shuja’iyya neighborhood in Gaza City, leveling land to clear lines of sight and exchanging gunfire with Palestinians, causing no injuries. Late in the evening the IDF carries out 2 air strikes at armed Palestinians preparing to fire rockets fr. Gaza City into Israel, the 1st killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. and wounding 2 in al-Shuja’iyya, and the 2d seriously wounding an unidentified armed Palestinian in al-Zaytun neighborhood. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin during the day; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and nearby Balata r.c., detaining around 12 PFLP mbrs. (including 1 senior mbr.) and 1 senior Hamas mbr. The IDF reports that 3 IDF soldiers have been arrested on suspicion of participating in “pricetag” attacks in the West Bank. Health officials in Gaza report that Gaza’s Central Drug Store is lacking 120 essential medicines and 140 essential medical supplies, including medicine for the anesthesia, cancer, hemophilia, and kidney dialysis (450 patients); the shortage is the result of poor coordination between the Min. of Health branches in Gaza and the West Bank (where no shortages are reported). (MNA 12/6; DUS, JP, Taiwan News, WT 12/7; PCHR, WP 12/8; OCHA 12/9; NYT 12/10; JPI 12/16; OCHA 12/23)

During the day, the IDF patrols in Nur al-Shams r.c. and 4 villages nr. Tulkarm, in Ramallah and 3 nearby villages, and in 2 villages nr. Jenin. Late at night, the IDF launches arrest raids targeting the PFLP in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, arresting at least 3 PFLP mbrs.; conducts other arrest raids and house searches in Qalqilya, in Tulkarm town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces force a Palestinian to demolish his entire home and a 2d Palestinian to demolish a home addition or face fines and fees for having the IDF demolish them. (PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

The IDF patrols in Jenin and nearby ‘Ayn al-Sultan r.c., 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Salfit in the morning; sends undercover units into Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem in the afternoon, arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts evening patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 nr. Ramallah; carries out latenight arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, in Hebron, and nr. Bethlehem. (PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

During the day, the IDF raids and searches the home nr. Qalqilya of a Palestinian released in the Shalit prisoner swap and deported to Gaza, making no arrests. Late at night, the IDF raids the homes of another 13 Palestinians released in the prisoner swap and allowed to return to the West Bank (3 in Qalqilya, 2 in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, 7 in villages nr. Salfit, 1 in a village nr. Jenin), summoning them to appear for questioning; the fmr. prisoner fr. Jenin is given a map of the district delineating boundaries past which he cannot go and a warning not to engage in any security activity. The IDF also begins bulldozing Palestinian agriculture land in ‘Azun ‘Atma village nr. Qalqilya for construction of a “security fence” around Oranit settlement (residents estimate that 40 farmers will be affected); conducts late-night patrols in another 3 villages nr. Salfit, and 2 nr. Tulkarm; conducts additional arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Salfit. (PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

Hamas officials in Gaza say that since 5/30, Egypt has returned a high number of travelers to Gaza and imposed new limitations on the number of Palestinians allowed to enter and exit via the Rafah crossing, keeping the number to between 350 and 400/day entering Egypt (up only slightly from the average 300/day in recent mos.) and effectively undoing Egypt’s “permanent opening”. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night raids into Dayr al-Ghusun village to arrest Hamas-affiliate PC mbr. ‘Abd al-Rahman Zidan, into Balata r.c. to arrest Fatah PC mbr. Yasir al-Badrasawi, and into Nablus to arrest local Hamas leader Ghassan Thougan; conducts other late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. More than 40,000 Israeli Jews march through East Jerusalem to mark Jerusalem Day, celebrating Israel’s seizure of the Arab part of the city during the 1967 war. (AFP 6/1; JP, REU 6/1; NYT, PCHR, WP 6/2; PCHR 6/9; OCHA 6/10)

In the West Bank, the IDF stages synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. and Balata r.c. nr. Nablus; conducts similar late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. A 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy is seriously injured when he accidentally triggers IDF unexploded ordnance (UXO) s. of Hebron. Jewish settlers in Shaykh Jarrah in East Jerusalem beat a Palestinian teenager; Israeli police observe but do not intervene. (OCHA 1/20; PCHR 1/21)

In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a gas station and grocery store in Qusra village nr. Nablus, saying Palestinian youths had used the buildings as cover to throw stones at passing IDF troops; conducts late-night house searches nr. Hebron and Jenin, and in Balata r.c. and Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, but makes only 2 arrests. (PCHR 12/30; OCHA 1/6)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron late in the evening, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, arresting a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. and nr. Hebron, Jenin. (OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

The IDF admits that in the 1990s government forensic pathologists harvested organs from dead bodies (including those of Palestinians, IDF soldiers, and foreign workers) without permission, but says the practice was stopped “a decade ago.” The admission comes after an U.S. academic released a copy of an interview from 2000 with the head of Israel’s Abu Kabir forensic institute in which the physician admitted the harvesting. (WP, WT 12/21; WJW 12/24)

Some 10,000 Jewish settlers protest the 10-mo. settlement freeze outside Netanyahu’s Jerusalem residence. Also in Jerusalem, Palestinians in Shaykh Jarrah report that in the previous wk., Jewish settlers have slashed the tires of 19 Palestinian vehicles in the neighborhood. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus and Ramallah. The Israeli High Court rejects a petition by a Palestinian student at Bethlehem University that challenged her deportation from the West Bank to Gaza in 10/09 because her legal address was in Gaza and she did not have an Israeli permit to live in the West Bank. (NYT, PCHR, WP 12/10; OCHA, PCHR 12/16)

In the West Bank, the IDF bars Palestinians fr. al-Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs (site of the 1994 massacre committed by Baruch Goldstein) in Hebron to allow Jewish settlers to celebrate a religious event; conducts late-night raids, house searches in Hebron and Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, arresting 3 Palestinians; raids the home of, arrests Muhammad Ibrahim Abu Rahma, the deputy mayor of Bil‘in, and a mbr. of the Public Committee Against the Wall (he is released on 8/23). (OCHA 8/25; PCHR 8/27)

Lebanese commandos recapture the FI mbr. who escaped fr. prison on 8/18. (NYT 8/20)

In the West Bank, the IDF opens a major road fr. Hebron to Bayt ‘Awwa that passes by Kiryat Arba settlement to Palestinian traffic for the 1st time in 8 yrs. after the High Court rules that closing the road is not necessary to protect the safety of local Jewish settlers; however, 2 road blocks at either end of the road are replaced with permanently staffed IDF checkpoints, and Palestinians wishing to use the road must apply for special IDF permits (as of 8/31 only 22 vehicles and 44 drivers were on the list). The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., and Bil‘in. Israeli police carry out a predawn eviction of 2 Palestinian families (52 people, including 20 children) fr. the Ghawi and Hanun residences in Shaykh Jarrah (see 7/28), where they have lived for more than 50 yrs., after the High Court rules that the Jewish settlers who claim ownership can move in even while the authenticity of their deeds remains disputed; Jewish settlers move in immediately; Britain, the U.S. State Dept., and UN special coordinator for the Middle East Robert Serry issue statements denouncing the action, which in Serry’s words, “heighten[s] tensions and undermine[s] international efforts to create conditions for . . . achiev[ing] peace.” Jewish settlers fr. Harsina settlement nr. Hebron set fire to 10 d. of Palestinian agricultural land nearby in an effort to create territorial linkage btwn. the settlement and a 200 d. plot of land nearby fenced off by the IDF as a closed military zone. (NYT, WP, WT 8/3; OCHA, PCHR, WJW 8/6; OCHA 8/18; OCHA Humanitarian Monitor 8/09)

Israel approves the import to Gaza of cement and steel for 3 construction projects, including a flour mill. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Ramallah and al-Bireh at midday; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Balata r.c., Nablus. In Jerusalem, the IDF escorts some 200 Jewish settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to hold prayers marking the anniversary of the destruction of the Jewish temple. The IDF Central Command issues an order establishing a separate military court for the prosecution of Palestinian children under the age of 16 living in the West Bank (excluding East Jerusalem), appointing separate juvenile court judges and requiring youths’ trials be held in separate rooms fr. (or at different times than) trials of adults. (NYT, PCHR 7/30; OCHA, PCHR 8/6)

The Israeli government releases its comprehensive investigative report into its conduct during OCL, concluding that “incessant” Hamas rocket fire into Israel forced Israel to act and denying any war crimes, though admitting that around a dozen criminal investigations of soldiers’ conduct are underway. (IFM 7/30; NYT 7/31)

Israel allows limited diesel and gasoline for personal vehicles into Gaza for the 1st time since 11/2/08. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night searches of homes and shops in Barta‘a village w. of Jenin, arresting at least 200 nonresident Palestinian laborers who are staying in the village because it affords shorter commutes to jobs inside Israel; stages late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Balata r.c., al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas. The IDF also removes 3 mobile homes fr. a new unauthorized settlement outpost named Inbalim nr. Ma’ale Mikhmas settlement nr. Hebron; settlers scuffle with Israeli border police at the site, injuring 2. An Israeli court rules that the Jewish settlers that occupied the Farhan-Hijazi properties in Shaykh Jarrah on 7/26 must halt construction on the site until the court reaches a final verdict on ownership; settlers ignore the ruling and keep building. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers storm and occupy another Palestinian home in Shaykh Jarrah (the Abu Diyab property), throwing stones at neighboring Palestinian homes fr. the roof before eventually leaving. (OCHA, PCHR 7/30; OCHA 8/18)

U.S. defense secy. Robert Gates begins a 2-day visit to Israel to meet with PM Netanyahu, DM Barak, other Israeli officials regarding bilateral defense concerns, highest among them Iran. In the afternoon, Gates goes to Amman to meet with King Abdallah of Jordan. (NYT 7/26; WP 7/27; WP, WT 7/28)

The IDF sends troops back into n. Gaza to level more land along the border fence nr. Bayt Hanun (see 7/14). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 19 Bedouin tents and animal pens along the Ramallah–Jericho road belonging to 7 Bedouin families, displacing 50 Palestinians, including 32 children; conducts late-night house searches in Bethlehem (including the home of Abbas adviser Brig. Kifah Barakat, stating that he had “overstepped red lines” in Jerusalem, not further explained), Jenin town and r.c., and Tulkarm r.c., making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. and Nablus, nr. Hebron and Jenin. Israel grants Israeli Palestinians permission to travel to Nablus by car for the mo.- long Nablus shopping festival (ends 8/16); they have previously been allowed to enter Nablus on foot only, leaving their cars at IDF checkpoints at the entrance to the city. (PCHR 7/16; OCHA, PCHR 7/23)

Israel says it has taken significant steps to improve West Bank movement and access, including reducing manned IDF checkpoints and improving wait times at checkpoints, especially around Nablus, also noting that Israeli tour buses are now routinely bringing Israeli Palestinians to Nablus to shop. Palestinians and the UN confirm that restrictions on movement have been eased considerably in Jericho, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Ramallah; but the UN notes that there are still 68 manned and 545 unmanned barriers to Palestinian travel across the West Bank. Today, in the West Bank, the IDF conducts separate synchronized late-night house searches in villages s. and e. of Tulkarm and w. of Jenin, making no arrests; carries out late-night arrest raids in Balata r.c. and nr. Hebron, Salfit, Tulkarm. (WT 7/8; OCHA, PCHR 7/9)

In Gaza, Palestinian gunmen and IDF troops exchange cross-border fire, including Palestinian mortars and IDF tank fire; tank shells hit 2 homes nearby, killing 1 Palestinian girl, wounding 2 men. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops rally at the evacuated Homesh settlement site to protest U.S. calls for a settlement freeze. (PCHR 7/2; WP 7/3; OCHA, PCHR 7/9)

For a 3d day, Israel allows significant cross-border transit through the Rafah crossing, allowing 600 Palestinians to enter Egypt and 494 to return to Gaza. IDF troops on the central Gaza border e. of Gaza Valley, supported by IDF helicopters, engage in a cross-border exchange of fire with armed Palestinians; the only casualty is a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy seriously wounded by IDF fire outside his home, 1,500 m fr. the border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts a rare daytime arrest raid, house searches in Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Balata r.c. and Nablus, in Bil‘in, and nr. Jenin and Qalqilya. The Israeli High Court approves construction of the 1st 50 of 1,450 housing units in Adam settlement nr. Jerusalem, intended to house families to be resettled fr. the unauthorized outpost of Migron, as agreed btwn. the government and settlers in 11/08 (see Quarterly Update in JPS 151). (OCHA, PCHR 7/2)

For a 2d day, Israel allows a significantly higher number of Palestinians to transit through the Rafah border, most of them medical cases: 568 entering Egypt and 896 entering Gaza. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Hebron in the evening and erects a checkpoint nr. Hebron University, checking Palestinians’ IDs but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Balata r.c. and Nablus, in Bil‘in, and nr. Hebron and Jenin. (OCHA, PCHR 7/2)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Fajjar nr. Bethlehem in the morning, firing on residential areas, causing no injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus. The UN reports that by this date the IDF has lifted permit requirements on Palestinian vehicles leaving Nablus. (PCHR 6/25; OCHA, PCHR 7/2)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Rafah, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in Balata r.c., making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar settlement nr. Nablus burn 20 d. of Palestinian crop land. Jewish settlers fr. Bet Ayn settlement nr. Hebron burn nearby Palestinian crop land and uproot olive trees. (OCHA, PCHR 6/11)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinian farmers nearly 1,000 m fr. the border fence, wounding 2. A 7-mo.- old Palestinian boy dies of respiratory infection that doctors believe could have been successfully treated if Israel had approved requests to transfer him abroad for medical treatment. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids and house searches in Jenin town and r.c. and 2 nearby villages; makes other late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Balata r.c. and Nablus, and in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers place 2 mobile homes on a plot of Palestinian land w. of Bethlehem, declaring the establishment of a new outpost. (al-Mezan Center press release, PCHR 6/4; OCHA, PCHR 6/11)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Bayt Lahiya coast, detaining 2 boats and arresting 4 fishermen. Overnight, in the West Bank, the IDF removes 2 settler tent outposts nr. Hebron; settlers vow to reoccupy and expand the sites. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Aqabat Jabir r.c. nr. Jericho, Balata r.c., and Nablus, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Tubas. (NYT, PCHR, WP 5/28; OCHA, PCHR 6/4)

U.S. special envoy George Mitchell meets with Netanyahu’s senior advisers in Britain to follow up on the issues discussed in the 5/18 Obama-Netanyahu mtg. The Israelis offer a partial settlement freeze that would allow continued construction to accommodate natural growth, but the U.S. continues to demand a stop to all settlement activity. (NYT 5/28; WP 6/2)

Israeli naval vessels approach within 500 m of Rafah beach, arrest 2 fishermen on 1 of 12 small boats in the area. The UN reports that in the previous wk. an 8-yr.- old Palestinian boy in Gaza was injured by unexploded IDF ordnance (UXO); 7 Palestinians were killed in tunnel-related incidents (6 in collapses, 1 electrocuted); and unidentified Palestinians fired “several” rockets and mortars into Israel causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., Balata r.c., in Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem and Hebron. A Jewish settler violently beats a Palestinian woman waiting for a taxi nr. Zatara checkpoint outside Nablus; IDF soldiers manning the checkpoint observe the beating for 15 min. before intervening and ordering the settler to leave the area. (OCHA, PCHR 5/28)

In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Issawiyya outside East Jerusalem; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus. (OCHA, PCHR 5/28)