The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 2 Israeli settlers were injured by broken glass after their vehicle was shot at near Huwwara. Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian man with stones near Burqa. Israeli forces issued demolition orders for 3 homes and stop-work orders for 14 homes in Ein ad-Duyuk at-Tahta; 1 Palestinian was shot and injured before being arrested during the raid. 24 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem, Nablus, Khirbat Karme, Tulkarm, Rumana, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers with police protection stormed and tried to seize 1 Palestinian-owned home in the Old City, the settlers were later removed from the home. Israeli settlers also toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 12 Palestinian militant factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, held military drills dubbed Hard Corner 4. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/12; ALM 9/13; MDW, PCHR 9/14; UNOCHA 9/26)

Hamas Political Bureau deputy chairperson Moussa Abu Marzouk met with Lebanese officials and members of Palestinian factions, including Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmad, to try to broker a settlement between the Islamist groups and Fatah who have been fighting in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp since late July. (AP 9/12; AJ, ALM 9/13)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly in Ramallah, calling on the UK to recognize the State of Palestine. Foreign Secretary Cleverly met with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, before arriving in the West Bank. (MEMO 9/11; QDS, WAFA 9/12)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assaulted 2 Palestinian shepherds with pepper spray in al-Hama. 1 person rammed an Israeli soldier in Huwwara, lightly injuring the soldier. Israeli forces subsequently forced shops in Huwwara to close and set up flying checkpoints in the town. Israeli forces also razed 30 dunams of land planted with onions and eggplant and damaged water pipes in Nu’eima and a tract of land in ‘Asira al-Qibliya. Meanwhile, Israeli forces notified Palestinians in Tell, Jit, and Far’ata that Israel will seize 14.5 dunams (3.6 acres) to expand the Havat Gilad settlement outpost. In East Jerusalem, Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir toured the Haram al-Sharif compound, saying in a statement “[a]ll the threats from Hamas will not help them, we are in charge of Jerusalem and all of the land of Israel.” Ben-Gvir did not coordinate the tour with the Islamic Waqf. (AJ, AP, GDN, HA, HA, HA, MEE, QDS, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; HA 5/22; PCHR 5/25; UNOCHA 6/2)

In response to National Security Minister Ben-Gvir’s tour of the Haram al-Sharif compound, the PA said that he “will not bring about Israeli sovereignty over the complex,” warning that Ben-Gvir may ignite a religious war. Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Mauritania, and the UAE condemned Ben-Gvir’s tour and the U.S. expressed concern, calling it “provocative.” (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; HA, WAFA, WAFA 5/22)

The Israeli cabinet held a meeting in the controversial “Western Wall Tunnels” built under the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Agreements were made at the meeting to allocate $16 million to the settler organization Western Wall Heritage Foundation and $8 million to the settler organization Elad Foundation. Ahead of the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich forced through the removal of a discussion of a 5-year plan to improve life in East Jerusalem. (QDS, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; HA, PCN 5/22; HA 5/23)

Haaretz reported that the members of the Negev Forum will meet in Morocco on 6/25 and that Israel and the U.S. are working to add “an African country with a Muslim majority” to the summit. Israel’s Channel 13 News reported that Morocco, Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE had asked Israel and the U.S. to change the forum’s name to something not related to Israel. Al Monitor reported that Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen believed that a breakthrough in Saudi-Israeli normalization can reached before the end of 2023. However, according to Israeli officials Saudi Arabia could demand a settlement freeze and commitments to Muslim control over the Haram al-Sharif compound. (AX 5/17; ALM 5/19; HA 5/21; ALM 5/23; AX 5/24)

In the West Bank, 3 Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian marble factory in Jamma’in near Huwwara, causing damage of around $920,000. 6 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Zabbuba and al-Walaja. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City. In Gaza, an explosion at the Zawiya market killed 1, injured 14, and caused damage. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the explosion was caused by explosives stored in a residential building at the market. After the PCHR reported its findings, it was smeared and threatened by the National and Islamic Factions’ Follow-up Committee in the Gaza Strip. In Israel, Israeli forces arrested 2 people who had crossed into Israel from Lebanon. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEMO, WAFA 7/22; PCHR 7/23; PCHR 7/25; AQ 7/26; PCHR 7/29)

Israel’s public security minister Omer Bar-Lev called PA president Mahmoud Abbas to wish him well on Eid al-Adha and said he used the oppounity to discuss more communications between the 2. (ALM, WAFA 7/22 HA 7/23)

Haaretz reported that although the ban on family reunifications for Israeli citizens married to Palestinians expired on 7/6, it has not been possible to make an appointment to process an application. According to Haaretz, interior minister Ayelet Shaked has ordered her ministry not to handle any of the requests until a new policy has been formulated. (HA, MEMO 7/22)

The Israeli government told the Israeli high court of justice that it would not grant work permits to Palestinians seeking asylum in Israel based on anti-LGBTQ persecution or domestic violence, saying that the PA “does not systematically persecute people because of their sexual orientation.” (HA 7/23)

In Syria, Israeli forces conducted air strikes for the 2d time in 1 week, this time in the Quseir region. It was unclear if there were any casualties. Syria’s military said its air defenses had intercepted most of the missiles. Russian officials later claimed that it was its air defenses in Syria that had intercepted the Israeli missiles. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 7/22; MEMO 7/23; HA 7/25)

French president Emmanuel Macron called Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett for clarification about Macron being a target of Pegasus spyware exported from the Israeli company NSO Group with Israeli government approval. (HA 7/24; MEMO 7/25)

The African Union (AU) said it would readmit Israel as an observer country. Israel was ejected as an observer 19 years ago after pressure from then brotherly leader of Libya Muammar Gaddafi. The Israeli foreign ministry had prior to the readmission sent a senior official to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to meet with 30 ambassadors to the AU. Hamas later issued a statement calling the AU decision “shocking and reprehensible.” The South African government called the AU decision appalling, “unjust and unwarranted.” Algeria, Egypt, Comoros, Tunisia, Djibouti, Mauritania, and Libya later voiced opposition to Israel’s readmission, saying that the decision could divide the AU nations. (HA, TOI 7/22; AJ, ALM, MEMO 7/23; MEMO, MEMO 7/26; AA, AJ 7/28; WAFA 8/1; MEMO, MEMO, MEMO 8/2; AJ, MEMO, MEMO 8/4; MEMO 8/9; MEE 8/11; AA 8/17; WAFA, WAFA 8/19)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian minor succumbed to wounds sustained from Israeli live ammunition on 5/18. Israeli settlers leveled land in Kisan. Israeli settlers also set up mobile homes south of Hebron. Israeli forces also raided Jaba‘, injuring 4, including 1 minor, when Palestinians confronted the forces. Israeli forces also raided ‘Araqa, injuring 1 minor with live ammunition, when Palestinians confronted the forces. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem, injuring 7 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Jenin, and Jericho. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided al-Makassed Hospital, leaving without making arrests. 8 Palestinians were arrested during raids in the Old City, al-Tur, Silwan, and Shu‘fat. In Gaza, 4 Palestinians were killed and many were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 232 to 236, including 65 children and 3 pregnant women. The casualties included: 1, and 9 wounded, including 3 children, during an air strike on a house in Khan Yunis; 1, and 1 wounded in an air strike on Bayt Lahiya; 2 in an air strike on a car traveling in Jabaliya. Israeli air strikes also hit power lines near Rafah, causing a total electricity blackout in the city. Israeli forces attacked 1 house in Khan Yunis, causing damage, but the missile remained unexploded as it landed on a bed, saving the family living in the house. 4 factories were also destroyed by Israeli air strikes in an industrial zone east in al-Muntar. In Israel, 1 Israeli soldier was injured by an anti-tank missile rocket fired from Gaza at a military bus. 1 rocket from Gaza hit a house in Ashkelon, causing damage; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces violently dispersed a funeral procession for 1 Palestinian-Israeli who was killed by Israeli police on 5/19 in Umm al-Fahm; 3 were arrested; a general strike was also called in Umm al-Fahm in protest over the killing. (AJ, HA, HA, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/20; MEE, PCHR 5/21; NYT 5/26; PCHR 5/27)

It was reported that a ceasefire between Hamas, Islamic Jihad in Palestine, and Israel had been brokered by Egypt and would take effect at 2 a.m. on 5/21. Prior to the reporting, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called a meeting at the security cabinet. Shortly after the 2 sides announced the ceasefire, U.S. president Joe Biden praised Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for his role in the ceasefire and Prime Minister Netanyahu for agreeing to it. Biden said in remarks that “Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and to enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity, and democracy,” in what can be viewed as a slight shift in the paradigm of U.S. statements on Israel and Palestine. President al-Sisi also praised President Biden for his work on the ceasefire agreement. Several prominent Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate welcomed the news of the ceasefire, but said it was time to do more to resolve the roots of the conflict. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki called for the world to address the core issues, saying that the ceasefire is not enough. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, AX, AX, GDN, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 5/20; AM, AP, CNN, FOX, HA, HA 5/21)

Haaretz reported that 90% of the Israeli citizens charged for the violence in Israeli towns and cities since the start of the Hamas-Israel escalation were Palestinian citizens of Israel. District prosecutors have been criticized for not indicting Jewish-Israelis. (HA 5/20)

Adalah filed a petition on behalf of Palestinians in Shayk Jarrah to have Israeli police remove checkpoints around the neighborhood, which are severely impeding the residents’ freedom of movement. The checkpoints are also meant to block entry of Palestinians who are not residents of the neighborhood, as many residents remain threatened by evictions. (Adalah, HA 5/20)

The Israeli Electric Company said it would not restore the damaged power lines in Gaza until 2 Israelis, believed to be held captive by Hamas, and the bodies of 2 dead Israelis are returned to Israel. (HA 5/20)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with German chancellor Angela Merkel about efforts to get a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel. President Abbas also met with German foreign minister Heiko Maas in Ramallah. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 5/20)

Before the ceasefire was announced, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh wrote a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asking for “mobilization of Arab, Islamic and international support” in ending Israeli air strikes. (AP 5/20)

Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani said that the country had reached an agreement in principle with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action signatories about complying with and having the U.S. rejoin the deal. (HA 5/20)

U.S. senator and chair of the Senate budget committee Bernie Sanders (D-VT) said he would introduce a resolution of disapproval of a $735 million arms sale to Israel. (AJ, ALM, HA, REU 5/20)

At the UN, U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the U.S. had “not been silent,” despite blocking UN security council statements criticizing the violence from the latest escalation between Hamas and Israel. UN general-secretary António Guterres said he was “deeply shocked by the continued air and artillery bombardment” of Gaza and said that Gaza’s children lived in “hell on Earth.” No unified statement was released by the UN general assembly. (AJ, AJ, ALM, HA, REU 5/20)

1 Jewish AP reporter was fired after Stanford University College Republicans criticized her for pro-Palestinian activism while she was a student at the school, before she was hired at AP. Later, more than 100 AP journalists wrote an open letter to AP criticizing the decision. (SFGATE 5/20; FOX, MEE, MEMO 5/21; MEE 5/22; MEE 5/24)

The foreign minister of Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia visited Israel upon the invitation of Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi to be briefed on the Israeli-Hamas escalation. In meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the 3 foreign ministers were shown parts of a drone that had been shot down on 5/18 that Netanyahu claimed was Iranian. (ALM, HA 5/20)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 9 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ya‘bad, Kaubar, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians including a Waqf guard at the Haram al-Sharif compound, 1 other in the Old City, 5 during late-night raids in the Old City, and delivered 2 summonses for interrogations. In Gaza, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian journalist returning via the Erez Crossing from Jordan, where he had undergone treatment for liver cancer. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/19; PCHR 5/21)

The Islamic Waqf announced that the Haram al-Sharif compound and al-Aqsa Mosque would reopen after the end of Ramadan. (WAFA 5/19)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas announced that the PA will end all agreements with Israel and the U.S., including security agreements, because of Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Haaretz reported that Palestinian sources said that coordination with Israel would continue at a lower level of engagement, at least for a time. In a speech, President Abbas said that, by Israel making the unilateral decision to annex parts of the West Bank, it has “annulled the Oslo agreement and all agreements signed with it, after snubbing all these years all these agreements and all the resolutions of the international legitimacy and international law.” Abbas further stated that the PA is ready to negotiate within the parameters of the Arab Peace Initiative, and that it had signed agreements “to accede to international agreements and conventions that we [the PA] have not yet joined.” (Guardian, WAFA, WAFA 5/19; HA, NYT, WAFA 5/20)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and German foreign minister Heiko Maas released a joint statement after a virtual meeting, stipulating that “[a]nnexation of any part of occupied Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem constitutes a clear violation of international law and seriously undermines the chances for the two-state solution within a final status agreement.” It further read that Germany “took note of the Palestinian view that such a step would put an end to all signed agreements.” Separately, the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that Israeli annexation will have consequences for the EU’s relationship with Israel. (HA, WAFA 5/19)

A plane from the UAE with COVID-19-related aid materials for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza landed in Israel. The aid package included 14 tons of medical supplies, including 10 ventilators. The direct flight from the UAE to Israel is the 1st of its kind. (AJ, HA, REU 5/19)

The EU Police Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support donated $65,500 worth of protective equipment and hand sanitizer to the Palestinian Civil Police. (WAFA 5/19)

In the West Bank, 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Nabi Salih. A Palestinian family in Bethlehem received a stop-work order by Israeli authorities. In Hebron, Israeli settlers seized a Palestinian-owned shop in the old city. Israeli forces assaulted 2 Palestinians during a house raid in Bani Na‘im. In East Jerusalem, 5 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids, including an employee of the Islamic Waqf. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/15; WAFA 6/16)

Hundreds of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border near Bayt Hanun to set tires on fire and otherwise continue the Great March of Return for a 3d day in a row. IDF troops violently disperse them, injuring 3 protesters. After some protesters reportedly hurl an explosive device over the border fence, Israeli forces shell a Hamas outpost near Bayt Hanun, causing damage. Separately, IDF troops arrest 2 Palestinians allegedly attempting to cross into Israel near Gaza City. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian-owned carwash in Bayt Hanina and assault and detain a Palestinian outside the Old City. They also deliver an order to the chairman of the Islamic Waqf council, banning him from Haram al-Sharif for 40 days, and arrest 10 Palestinians during raids in Issawiyya, Silwan, and Bayt ‘Anan. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill 2 Palestinians and injure a 3d after their vehicle collides with an IDF vehicle outside Ramallah, injuring 2 Israeli soldiers. The IDF claims that it was a purposeful ramming attack, while Palestinian eyewitnesses say the collision was an accident. Separately, the Israeli authorities temporarily close the checkpoint at the southern entrance to Hebron’s al-Ibrahimi Mosque, blocking of the area to make room for Israeli settlers holding demonstration. IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian amid clashes sparked by a patrol in Nablus; arrest 7 Palestinians during late-night raids near Ramallah, Salfit, and Hebron; and patrol near Hebron and Qalqilya. Israeli settlers chase Palestinian shepherds off their lands near Jericho. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian carwash, a merchant’s cart, and 2 other steel structures near Salfit. (HA, JP, MNA, MNA, MNA, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 3/3; HA, MNA, MNA, WAFA 3/4; PCHR 3/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up a mobile home on Palestinian land east of Nablus. IDF troops arrest 6 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Tubas, and Bethlehem; and patrol near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish the foundation of a building under construction in Shu‘fat refugee camp. They also arrest 3 Palestinians during raids in Bayt Hanina and al-Tur. (WAFA 12/5; PCHR 12/7)

After days of speculation and rumors, U.S. pres. Trump calls PA pres. Abbas to tell him that he plans to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and to invite the Palestinian leader for a meeting at the White House before the end of the month. According to a PA spokesperson, Abbas warns Trump of the “dangerous repercussions.” Trump also calls Israeli PM Netanyahu, Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz, Jordanian king Abdullah, Russian pres. Vladimir Putin, and Egyptian pres. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to inform them of his decision. (AP, HA, MNA, NYT, REU, TOI, WAFA 12/5)

In response to Pres. Trump’s plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and to move the U.S. embassy there, several Palestinian factions and Islamist groups jointly declare 3 “days of rage” to begin on 12/6. Later, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem issues a travel warning calling on U.S. citizens to avoid the West Bank and the Old City of Jerusalem. (HA, TOI 12/5)

Lebanese PM Saad Hariri formally rescinds his resignation, which threw Lebanon and much of the Middle East into turmoil when he announced it on Saudi television on 11/4 (see JPS 47 [2]). (AA, REU, TOI 12/5)

Leader of the messianic Temple Mount movement and ultranationalist MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) and MK Shuli Moalem-Refaeli (Jewish Home) visit Haram al-Sharif under heavy police protection. Their visit follows Israeli PM Netanyahu’s decision to temporarily lift his ban on MKs and ministers visiting the sanctuary for 1 day only (Netanyahu initially imposed the ban in 10/2015 amid escalating violence across the oPt; see JPS 45 [2, 3]). Israeli forces plan to assess today’s visit and to make a recommendation about the ban’s future. A spokesperson for the Islamic Waqf says the decision to lift the ban is “unacceptable” and shows that “extremist right-wing entities are in control of the Israeli occupation’s government.” Elsewhere in East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian in the Old City and another during a raid in Abu Dis. In the West Bank, IDF troops escort hundreds of Israeli settlers to visit Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus overnight, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths from nearby Balata refugee camp; 2 Palestinians are injured. IDF troops also arrest 8 Palestinians during late-night raids near Hebron and Bethlehem, and patrol in and around Qalqilya and Hebron. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian Bedouin homes near Hebron, causing minor damage. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 8/29; TOI 8/30; PCHR 9/1; PCHR 9/14)

Israeli ambassador to Egypt Govrin flies to Cairo to resume his post. Along with 8 staffers, he will work out of his home rather than in the Israeli embassy, which was evacuated due to security concerns in 12/2016. (AP, TOI 8/29)

An Israeli settler driver runs over a Palestinian motorcyclist nr. Bethlehem, causing fatal injuries. The Israeli police describe the incident as a “road accident,” though it is not clear whether the collision was intentional. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinians driving nr. Jenin, breaking the windshield of 1 vehicle. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday protests against the Israeli occupation, separation wall, and settlements in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih), Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, and along Gaza’s border nr. Jabaliya r.c. and Gaza City; 8 Palestinians and 1 Korean activist are injured. The IDF arrests 3 Palestinians and issues 1 arrest summons during late-night raids nr. Tulkarm and Bethlehem, and patrols nr. Hebron. (MNA, WAFA 7/7; MNA 7/8; PCHR 7/13)

A Palestinian infant succumbs to injuries sustained amid clashes in Abud village nr. Ramallah on 5/19/2017, when IDF troops fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian homes during the clashes. The infant inhaled an ultimately fatal amount of gas. (MNA, WAFA 7/8)

A suicide bomber detonates a car at an Egyptian checkpoint in Rafah in n. Sinai, killing at least 10 Egyptian soldiers and injuring 26 others. In clashes sparked by their search for accomplices, Egyptian security forces kill 40 armed fighters affiliated with the Sinai Province of the Islamic State and other Islamist groups in the area, and destroy 6 vehicles. (MNA 7/7)

Despite Israeli and U.S. opposition, UNESCO’s World Heritage Comm. approves a res. inscribing Hebron’s Old City, including al-Ibrahimi Mosque, on its List of World Heritage in Danger. Twelve countries vote in favor of the measure, 3 oppose it, and 6 abstain. (BBC, GDN, HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 7/7; MNA 7/9)

In Gaza, several small Islamist groups threaten to fire rockets into Israel in response to “Hamas’s crimes and conspiracies.” The threat follows the arrest of 12 Palestinians accused of blowing up cars on 7/19. Off the coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, critically injuring 1 fisherman with live ammunition. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish 3 Palestinian stores in a village nr. Hebron; raze an agricultural road in a village e. of Salfit; patrol in 3 villages nr. Jenin, 2 nr. Jericho, and 1 each nr. Hebron, Ramallah, and Tulkarm. Late at night, the IDF detains 120 Palestinians attempting to cross into Israel s. of Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif while Israeli forces restrict access to Palestinian visitors; 1 Palestinian man is detained. Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians on late-night raids in Qalandia r.c. and the Old City. (JP, MNA, WAFA 7/21; JP, TOI 7/22; MNA 7/23; PCHR 7/30)

Nr. Damascus gate in East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces attack Palestinians protesting against Israeli violations at al-Aqsa mosque. There are arrests but no serious injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in the Old City of Hebron, 1 village nr. Bethlehem and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village each nr. Qalqilya, Ramallah and Tulkarm at night. (MNA 5/18; PCHR 5/23)

Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi orders the minister of defense to prepare operations in the Sinai to free kidnapped security officials, held by a group seeking the release of Islamist militants. Meanwhile, Egyptian police continue to keep Rafah crossing closed. (MNA, REU 5/18)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level land in the al-Shuja‘iyya neighborhood of Gaza City; IDF tanks fire 7 shells nr. a secondary school in the area, causing damage to the school but no injuries. (OCHA, PCHR 10/8)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night raids, house searches nr. Hebron, arresting 2 Palestinians (including 1 teenager). Also nr. Hebron, 2 Jewish settlers beat a Palestinian child after stones were thrown at their vehicle. (PCHR 10/8)

Following clashes in Jerusalem on 10/4 and 10/5, Israeli security forces patrol the city in numbers. In the Wadi al-Juz neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces raid a sit-in tent set up 2 yrs. ago by the Islamic Movement and arrest Islamic Movement head Shaykh Raed Salah on charges of inciting violence. An Israeli court ruling authorizes Salah to be released but bars him fr. Jerusalem’s Old City for 1 mo. Israeli police break up Palestinian protests against the court decision, arresting 2 Palestinians. (WT 10/7; PCHR 10/8)

Hamas-PLO reconciliation meeting in Khartoum collapses as Hamas fails to show up (see 10/11); Chmn. Arafat meets with Sudanese Islamic leader Hasan al-Turabi, who had offered to serve as mediator. Hamas releases statement in Amman demanding apology from Arafat for threatening their group, tying it to Iran (see 11/7). (MM 11/17; Jordan Times 11/17 in FBIS 11/17)

Jewish settlers toss grenade into crowded market of Jerusalem's Old City Muslim quarter, killing 71-year-old Palestinian man, wounding 11 others. Radical groups Kach and Kahane Hay both claim responsibility for the attack, 2 years after the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York. (MM 11/16; MM, NYT, WT 11/17)

In Tel Aviv, some 100,000 demonstrate against territorial compromise on the Golan Heights. (WT 11/17; Qol Yisra'el 11/17 in FBIS 11/17)

Commission investigating Palestinian prisoner conditions issues 20 main recommendations that have been approved by the police min. (MM 11/16)