The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, IDF undercover units raid the Nablus homes of 3 AMB mbrs. (Nadir al-Sarkaji, Ghassan Abu Sharikh, and ‘Anan Sobeh) allegedly behind the fatal shooting of a settler on 12/24, killing all 3 and wounding 1 bystander. The deaths constitute assassinations, as the men could have been detained: 2 of them are called to surrender and are fatally shot as they leave their homes unarmed; in the 3d case, soldiers enter the home, and when the wanted man refuses to exit a closet and surrender, soldiers rig the closet door with explosives and detonate the charge, killing him. IDF soldiers surrounding the buildings fire tear gas to disperse stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, hitting 2 (ages 12 and 19) with tear gas canisters, injuring them. PA PM Fayyad denounces the IDF’s failure to coordinate the raids with the Dayton-trained PASF units responsible for security in Nablus, which were in the process of conducting a police investigation of the 12/24 killing. IDF troops in the West Bank also conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus. (NYT, WP, WT 12/27; JPI 12/28; PCHR 12/30; OCHA 1/6)

Hamas officials in Lebanon confirm that 2 senior Hamas bodyguards and a 3d person (possibly a Hamas mbr.) were killed and 5 people wounded late on 12/26 in a large explosion at a Hamas office in the Dahiya neighborhood of s. Beirut (Hizballah’s stronghold). (HA 12/26; Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, WT, XIN 12/27; AFP, Kuwait News Agency, Middle East News Agency, MNA, YA 12/28; MNA, al-Nahar, al-Sharq al-Awsat 1/6)

In the West Bank, the IDF stages synchronized late-night house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., making no arrests; conducts other late-night arrest raids, house searches n. of Jerusalem. The UN reports that in the previous wk., 1 alleged Hamas mbr. was killed and another wounded mishandling explosives in Gaza; 1 Palestinian was electrocuted and injured in a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. (OCHA, PCHR 12/23; PCHR 12/30)

After 2 days of intensive talks and a meeting that stretches overnight, Netanyahu is unable to secure cabinet approval for a German deal endorsed by Hamas to release some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for the release of captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. DM Barak tells the press that freeing Shalit is still a “top priority” but “not at any price.” (WP 12/22; WT 12/23; JPI 1/1)

Egyptian security officials acknowledge that they are building an underground steel barrier along the Rafah border to prevent smuggling. In the West Bank, the IDF ceases permanent staffing of the major Bayt Ibia checkpoint at the w. entrance to Nablus (established in 2001), easing Palestinian access to the city; conducts latenight house searches nr. Hebron, making no arrests; makes late-night arrest raids in Qalqilya. The PASF arrests 15 Hamas mbrs. across the West Bank and fires on a car carrying Hizb al-Tahrir’s senior spokesman, arresting him; no explanation is given. (NYT 12/22; NYT, OCHA, PCHR 12/23; WT 1/6)

For the 1st time since 11/23, Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF does not retaliate—an indication that Israel believes the cease-fire pledge that Hamas secured fr. the other Gaza factions on 11/21 is generally holding. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem and nr. Qalqilya, making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo nr. Ramallah, escorted by IDF troops, attack Palestinian farmers working their fields nearby; the soldiers order the farmers to leave the area. (OCHA, PCHR 12/23; YA 12/30)

Israeli naval vessels intercept a Palestinian fishing boat that approaches the boundary of the permitted fishing zone off the Bayt Lahiya coast, damaging the boat, forcing the fishermen to jump into the sea, and then detaining them, taking them to Ashdod port in Israel for several hrs. of questioning, before releasing them to Gaza. A smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border collapses, killing 3 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Palestinians in Silwan report that during the previous wk., Israeli workers and archeologists resumed work on 2 archeological tunnels under the city leading to the al-Aqsa Mosque (see Quarterly Update in JPS 154). A group of right-wing Jews breaks into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to hold prayers marking Hanukkah, but Waqf officials ask Israeli police to intervene, and police remove them peacefully. Jewish settlers in East Jerusalem celebrating Hanukkah attack a number of Palestinian shops and residents in the Old City; Israeli security forces observe but do not intervene. The PASF crackdown on Hamas mbrs. in the West Bank winds down today, with the UN reporting at least 80 and as many as 300 detained. The Israeli High Court rules that a 2007-imposed ban on family visits by Gazans to Palestinians held in Israeli jails is valid. (OCHA, PCHR 12/16; PCHR 12/23; HA 12/31)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night house searches in 4 villages south and west of Jenin, arresting only 1 Palestinian; conducts other late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Qalqilya. Palestinians in Yasuf receive Israel’s chief rabbi Yona Metzger, who requested permission to make an official visit to condemn the 12/11 arson and vandalism attack on the village mosque by Jewish settlers. In Gaza, 10,000s of Palestinians rally to mark Hamas’s 22d anniversary. In the West Bank, the PA security forces (PASF) begin rounding up Hamas mbrs. to prevent anniversary rallies there. (NYT, WP, WT 12/15; OCHA, PCHR 12/16; WJW 12/17)

Jewish settlers launch an organized campaign of civil disobedience to protest Netanyahu’s settlement freeze, blocking traffic at major intersections leading into Jerusalem. Israeli police quickly disperse them without violence, but settlers say they plan to keep up such actions randomly over the coming days to frustrate the government. Meanwhile, IDF undercover units stage a major late-night raid on a Nablus apartment building, arresting Palestinian Salah al-Bukhari, wanted since 2001. The IDF also stages late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, Salfit, Tulkarm. Hamas-affiliated police manning the Gaza side of the Erez crossing block the exit of 37 Palestinian medical patients granted permission by Israel to leave the Strip, stating they have not obtained the proper exit visa from Gaza’s Interior Min. (see 12/6). (OCHA 12/9; WJW, PCHR 12/10)

The Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights reports that Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Min. has started requiring Palestinians wishing to exit Gaza to obtain an exit permit from the ministry’s new Office of Travel Registration, with Hamas-affiliated police already enforcing the order on Palestinians exiting through the Erez crossing, but notably not at the Rafah crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (in 1 case severely beating several family members and allegedly stealing money and gold from 1 family). Jewish settlers fr. Efrat nr. Bethlehem burn at least 50 newly planted Palestinian olive trees in nearby Umm Salamuna village. (OCHA 12/9; PCHR 12/10)

The IDF makes an air strike on a group of armed mbrs. of the Soldiers of the Companions of God (SCG) in n. Gaza who were preparing to fire a rocket into Israel, wounding 4 SCG mbrs. (1 seriously); though the SCG is a rival of Hamas, Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for the foiled attack. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians and nonviolent international and Israeli activists taking part in protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation). (NYT 11/28; PCHR 12/3; OCHA 12/9)

In Gaza, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF retaliates with air strikes on 2 suspected weapons factories and a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, injuring 8 Palestinians (2 seriously, 2 moderately, 4 lightly) and damaging another 2 factories and 4 homes nearby. Hrs. later, Hamas announces that it has secured renewed pledges from all Gaza factions to halt all rocket and mortar fire toward Israel, to preserve the stability in Gaza and prevent further Israeli retaliation, though the factions say they will respond to any IDF incursion into Gaza. (YA 11/21; HA, WT 11/22; WT 11/23; OCHA, PCHR 11/25; WJW 11/26)

New York State assemblyman Dov Hikind leads a delegation of 50 Jewish Americans to lay the cornerstone of a new settlement housing project (Nof Zion) in the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Mukabir in East Jerusalem (see Quarterly Update for details). Meanwhile, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home and store in Issawiyya (14 residents) on the outskirts of Jerusalem, 4 Palestinian structures in other Arab areas of East Jerusalem, including Silwan. In the West Bank, the IDF searches greenhouses nr. Jenin, looking for unlicensed wells; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Jenin. Also in East Jerusalem, an Israeli youth stabs, wounds a Palestinian laborer in Ramat Eshkol settlement. The IDF also makes 2 incursions into s. Gaza nr. Abasan and Khuza to bulldoze land along the border fence, clearing lines of sight. Late in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF makes air strikes on 2 smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border (injuring 1 Palestinian) and on a Hamas training site in Khan Yunis (destroying 2 structures). (NYT, XIN 11/19; PCHR 11/25; JPI 11/27)

In response to escalating tensions in East Jerusalem, 1,000s of Palestinians attend a rally in Gaza organized by Hamas calling for another intifada. (WT 10/6)

In the West Bank, the IDF arrests a Palestinian by the separation wall nr. Azun Atma; conducts late-night raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Jenin, arresting 2 Palestinians. (PCHR 10/8)

Israeli-Palestinian tensions in Jerusalem remain high following the 10/4 clashes. Although Israel deploys 1,000s of additional police in and around the Old City and IDF helicopters and drones monitor fr. above, some significant clashes are reported in and around the city. At a checkpoint at the entrance of Shu‘fat r.c., Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian who stabbed an Israeli soldier in the neck; IDF troops then enter Shu‘fat r.c., fire sound bombs and tear gas, and arrest 8 more Palestinians (all under the age of 18, 2 under the age of 13). At Qalandia checkpoint, Israeli security forces fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, sound bombs at 10s of Palestinian protesters. In Ras alAmud neighborhood, Israeli security forces arrest 13 Palestinians for stone-throwing. Israeli authorities also seal off 2 Arab neighborhoods adjacent to the Old City and bar men under the age of 50 fr. entering alAqsa Mosque. At least 7 Palestinians are wounded in clashes during the day. Israel releases 2 Palestinians detained at crossings into Jerusalem on 10/4 but bars them fr. entering Jerusalem for 90 days. (WT 10/6, PCHR 10/8)

A complaint filed by Israeli human rights organization Yesh Din results in the arrest of an IDF soldier on charges of beating the Bil‘in Coordinator of the Public Committee against the Wall and Settlement during a late-night raid on 9/15. (OCHA Humanitarian Monitor 10/09)

As agreed on 9/30, Israel releases 19 Palestinian female prisoners in exchange for a 2-min. video fr. Hamas proving that captured IDF soldier Cpl. Shalit is still alive. A 20th prisoner is expected to be released on 10/3. After Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel (causing no damage or injuries), the IDF carries out air strikes on smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border and on a marble factory and an iron warehouse in Gaza City suspected of being used to manufacture weapons. An Israeli drone also fires a missile nr. Bayt Lahiya. No casualties are reported in any of the air strikes. (NYT 10/3; PCHR 10/8; JR 10/26)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, sound bombs, tear gas at Palestinian and international activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer fr. tear gas) and at Palestinian activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in a demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 2 international activists); conducts late-night raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm, arresting 1 Palestinian. (PCHR 10/8)

Israeli security forces prevent thousands of Palestinians fr. entering East Jerusalem for Friday prayers at the al-Aqsa Mosque. The overcrowded conditions at Qalandia checkpoint cause at least 35 Palestinians to faint. Additional checkpoints are also erected in the Old City. (PCHR 10/8)

Hamas mbr. Yusuf Abu Zuhri, the brother and bodyguard of Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri, dies in Egyptian custody. Hamas accuses Egyptian authorities of torturing him. Abu Zuhri was detained in al-Arish in 4/09 on charges of entering Egypt illegally through a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. (Agence France-Presse 10/13; JPI 10/22)

At Abbas’s request, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) defers until 3/10 a vote to endorse the UN’s Goldstone report (see 9/15). The move is supported by Israel and the U.S. but is immediately denounced by Palestinians. (WP 10/2; WP 10/3; JR 10/26)

Israel and Hamas announce a deal (to be implemented 10/2) in which Israel would free 20 female Palestinian prisoners (4 fr. Hamas, 5 fr. Fatah, 3 fr. Islamic Jihad, 1 fr. the PFLP, and 7 not affiliated with any group) convicted of minor offenses in exchange for definitive proof that captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit is still alive. (NYT, WP 10/1)

In the West Bank, an IDF jeep hits and kills 1 Palestinian teenager on the grounds of a school nr. Jenin in disputed circumstances (the IDF says it was an accident, whereas Palestinian eye-witnesses say the jeep was chasing the youth); angry Palestinians throw stones, clash with IDF troops, who respond with tear gas, causing minor injuries. The IDF also conducts latenight raids, house searches in and around Qalqilya, and nr. Jenin, Hebron, and Jericho, arresting 12 Palestinians (including 1 teenager) and summoning 6 others for questioning. (OCHA 9/09; PCHR 10/1; OCHA 10/2; OCHA 10/8; PCHR 10/8)

In the West Bank, IDF undercover units raid a village in the Hebron hills, arrest wanted IQB Tulkarm head Muhammad Harwish and his aide Adnan Samara. The IDF conducts late-night raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, arresting 3 Palestinians. In Bil‘in, the IDF raids the home of ‘Abdallah Abu Rahma, the Bil‘in Coordinator of the Public Committee against the Wall and Settlement, violently beating him and attacking a number of international activists. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar beat a Palestinian shepherd and shoot another Palestinian who attempts to phone Israeli authorities for help. (PCHR 9/17; JPI 9/24)

In East Jerusalem, the IDF conducts raids, house searches in Silwan, arresting 4 Palestinians (including 1 teenager). (PCHR 9/17)

U.S. special envoy Mitchell begins a 2-day trip to Israel and Ramallah to discuss settlement construction with Netanyahu and PA pres. Mahmud Abbas. (WP 9/16; WJW 9/17)

The UN’s Goldstone mission, which investigated Israeli and Palestinian actions during Operation Cast Lead (OCL), issues its advance report accusing both Israel and Hamas of extensive war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, giving them until 2/5/10 to respond. (NYT, WP 9/16) 

In Gaza, 2 mbrs. of Hamas’s military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), are killed in a mysterious explosion e. of Jabaliya; Hamas accuses the IDF of targeting the men with artillery fire, but Israel denies involvement, and a medical worker at the scene reports no evidence of shelling in the area. Egyptian police discover approximately 2 tons of TNT underground nr. Sarsuria in the Sinai that they believe was intended for militants in Gaza (cf. 8/30). (WP 9/2; OCHA, PCHR 9/3)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts raids, house searches nr. Jenin and Hebron, arresting 3 Palestinians. (PCHR 9/3)

In East Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews protesting a parking lot that operates on the Sabbath attack a Palestinian cab driver passing by, heavily damaging his taxi and lightly injuring him. (OCHA 9/11)

Unidentified Palestinians fire at least 2 mortars into Israel, causing no reported injuries or damage. Egyptian police discover 1,540 pounds of TNT in an underground stash nr. the Gaza border. Hamas leaders in Gaza object to UNRWA plans to include lessons about the Holocaust in schools it administers. (NYT, WT 9/1; WP, WT 9/2; WJW 9/3)

In the West Bank, the IDF makes latenight raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. and nr. Hebron and Jericho, arresting 9 Palestinians (nearly all teenagers). (PCHR 9/3)

Israeli naval boats fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast to force them back to shore, seriously wounding a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy on the beach with a gunshot to the head. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades, skunk at stone-throwing Palestinians protesting the separation wall in Bil‘in; fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian and international activists holding nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in al-Ma‘sara and Ni‘lin, causing no major injuries; conducts late-night house searches in and around Jenin, making no arrests. In Rafah, Hamas police and Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB) mbrs. attempt to arrest SCG leader Shaykh ‘Abd al-Latif Musa, surrounding his mosque during Friday prayers, sparking a 7-hr. battle that leaves 24 Palestinians dead (12 SCG, 6 Hamas, 6 bystanders), 130 injured (including a boy inside Egyptian Rafah), and 95 SCG supporters under arrest. The dead include Shaykh Musa, who reportedly commits suicide by detonating an explosives belt, killing s. Gaza IQB cmdr. Muhammad Jibril Shamali, who led the raid. (Agence France-Presse 8/14; MNA, NYT, WP, WT 8/16; Jerusalem Post, OCHA, PCHR 8/20)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza to bulldoze land along the border fence nr. Bayt Hanun. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night house searches in Jenin town, r.c., and nearby Qabatya, making no arrests. Later at night, the IDF stages arrest raids and house searches in Barta‘a village nr. Jenin. Armed Jewish settlers fr. Suissa settlement nr. Hebron beat a Palestinian shepherd grazing her flock nearby and attempt to steal her sheep; another Palestinian intervenes and is also beaten, but the settlers leave without the sheep. Around 10 Jewish settlers ambush a Palestinian car driving on the Ramallah–Nablus road, smash its front window, injuring the driver, who is given medical attention by the IDF. A Hamas-affiliated PA prisoner dies in custody in Nablus; the PASF claims the man committed suicide, but the family and human rights organizations demand an independent investigation. (OCHA, PCHR 8/13)

Israel allows 2,631 Palestinians to transit through the Rafah crossing (880 going into Egypt, 1,751 returning to Gaza). The UN reports that in the preceding wk., 2 Gazan boys (ages 8, 10) in al-Bureij r.c. were injured by UXO fr. OCL; 4 Palestinians were killed, 5 injured in tunnel collapses along the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in villages s. of Jenin, making no arrests; stages late-night arrest raids, house searches in Fasayil village n. of Jericho. A Hamas-affiliated PA prisoner dies in a Jordanian hospital, where he was transferred by the PASF on 6/30 with severe injuries apparently resulting fr. torture. (OCHA, PCHR 8/6, 8/13)

In Bethlehem, 2,325 delegates fr. the West Bank and 80 countries around the world open Fatah’s 6th General Conference in Bethlehem to vote on a new party platform and hold elections for party institutions for the 1st time in 20 yrs. (MM, alSharq al-Awsat 8/4; al-Ayyam, MM, MNA, NYT, WP 8/5; MNA 8/8; JPI 8/14)

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)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. and in Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub r.c. and nr. Hebron. Hamas police besiege a building in Khan Yunis, seeking 4 SCG mbrs. (see 6/8); the wanted men surrender without incident 4 hrs. later, after the intervention of local clerics. (Associated Press 7/22; PCHR 7/23; OCHA, PCHR 7/30)

Israel releases elected Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian parliament ‘Aziz Dwayk, jailed nearly 3 yrs. before as part of an IDF arrest sweep targeting Hamas leaders in the wake of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit’s capture; some 40 other Hamas legislators remain in custody. The release raises speculation that a Hamas-Israeli prisoner exchange deal to free Shalit is imminent. A wk. after making public comments about Arabs that were denounced as racist, Israeli internal security M Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Yisrael Beitainu) makes a highly controversial 90-min. visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, including entering the mosque, to “review police deployments” at the site. He says his visit was coordinated with Muslim authorities, which they deny. A similar visit to the compound by Ariel Sharon in 2000 sparked the al-Aqsa intifada. In the West Bank, the IDF levels 500 d. of Palestinian land in Issawiyya on the outskirts of Jerusalem to “preserve the natural beauty of the city [i.e., Jerusalem]”; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Avnei Hefetz settlement nr. Tulkarm erect a tent in nearby Kafr Labad village, previously bulldozed by the IDF, with the aim of expanding the settlement. (NYT, WP, WT 6/24; OCHA, PCHR 6/25)

Israeli rights groups Gisha and HaMoked reveal that Israel has tightened restrictions on what qualifies as a “humanitarian reason” for a Gazan to relocate to the West Bank, threatening to reclassify 1,000s of Gazans currently residing in the West Bank as “illegal aliens” at risk of being expelled to Gaza. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, arresting 2 fishermen. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and nr. Hebron. The UN reports that in the past wk., 2 Palestinians were killed in tunnel-related incidents, 1 in a collapse and 1 electrocuted; 4 were injured. Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights reports that in the past wk. Hamas-affiliated police in Gaza seized 674 humanitarian aid kits that were to be distributed to Bayt Hanun residents by an international organization through a local NGO. (NYT 6/17; OCHA, PCHR 6/18; OCHA Humanitarian Monitor 6/09)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in Silat al-Harithiyya nr. Jenin, erecting a checkpoint and checking IDs and car registrations. The UN reports that the IDF has removed the physical infrastructure of an IDF checkpoint at the entrance to Jericho; soldiers remain posted at the site but have not been stopping Palestinian vehicles; the IDF has also opened 3 checkpoints nr. Jenin, Jericho, and Nablus (Tayasir, Ma’ale Ephraim, and Hamra, respectively) around the clock. Jewish settlers fr. Eli settlement nr. Nablus set fire to nearby Palestinian crop land; the IDF observes but refuses to stop the settlers or call firefighters. A Hamas mbr. dies in PA custody in Hebron, and Hamas accuses the PASF of torturing him; the 34-yr.-old man was arrested on charges of money laundering, illegal gun possession, and conspiracy to target PASF forces. (JTA, REU 6/15; OCHA, PCHR, WJW 6/18)

In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 1 Palestinian home and an addition to a 2d home in East Jerusalem, displacing 15 Palestinians (including 8 children), with 1 family fined $3,000 for unlicensed construction; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Nablus and neighboring ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’, and Hizma village northeast of Jerusalem (arresting 3 12-yr.-old Palestinians and a 14-yr.-old), and nr. Jenin. The UN reports that in the previous wk., the IDF vacated 3 checkpoints around Qalqilya (including completely dismantling 1: Izbat Jalud) and increased the operating hours of 4 main checkpoints around Nablus (Asira al-Shamaliyya, Bayt Iba, Hawara, Shavei Shomron) to 24 hrs./ day 7 days/wk., significantly easing Palestinian travel btwn. Qalqilya and Nablus. The UN also reports that since the 5/31 and 6/4 Fatah-Hamas clashes in Qalqilya, Hamas police have arrested 73 Fatah-affiliated Palestinians on charges of “seeking to undermine internal security in Gaza.” Meanwhile, the PASF has arrested at least 74 Palestinians in the West Bank, making this the 2d wk. that the PASF has arrested more Palestinians than the IDF. (OCHA, PCHR 6/11)

U.S. special envoy Mitchell begins a 2-day visit to Israel and Ramallah (his 4th trip to the region) to follow up with Israeli and PA leaders regarding Obama’s 6/4 speech. (IFM 6/9; NYT, WT 6/10; NYT, WJW, WT 9/11) 

Israeli naval vessels halt a Palestinian fishing boat off the Gaza coast w. of Shati’ r.c., arresting 6 fishermen. In the West Bank, the IDF fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, and tear gas at Palestinians taking part in a weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin, killing 1 Palestinian with live ammunition, wounding 7 Palestinians (4 by live ammunition, 2 by tear gas canisters, 1 by rubber-coated steel bullets); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians taking part in protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 3; conducts late-night house searches in Tulkarm and Nur Shams r.c., making no arrests. In Qalqilya, the PASF restricts access to the funerals of 2 Hamas mbrs. killed on 6/4 to prevent them fr. being celebrated as martyrs, but puts up PA-sponsored posters around town commemorating the PASF officers killed in the 5/31 and 6/4 clashes. A Palestinian boy dies of injuries sustained in a 1/6/09 IDF attack on Jabaliya r.c., during OCL. (Jerusalem Report, NYT 6/6; OCHA, PCHR 6/11)

In Cairo, Obama gives a major address calling for a “new beginning” in relations btwn. the U.S. and the Muslim world, acknowledging historic missteps btwn. the two, stressing mutual interests and respect to combat stereotypes. He refers to Israel’s “occupation” as “intolerable” and notes the “daily humiliations—large and small” that Palestinians suffer, but also stresses the U.S.’s “unbreakable bond” with Israel. On the sidelines, Obama meets privately with Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak to discuss the peace process and Iran. (IFM 6/4; NYT, WP, WT 6/5; NYT 6/6; NYT 7/10)

In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes about a third of the Jordan Valley Bedouin community of Khirbat al-Ras al-Ahmar, razing 15 residential structures, 30 animal pens, 18 traditional ovens, displacing 128 Palestinians who have resided in the area since the 1960s, including 66 children, confiscating a tractor and water tank; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall in Bil‘in; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Right-wing Jewish settlers send a letter to an IDF general threatening him and his children, and equating soldiers who evacuate settlement outposts with Nazi collaborators. PASF officers and Hamas mbrs. exchange fire in Qalqilya (see 5/31), leaving 2 Hamas mbrs., 1 PASF officer dead. (Yedi’ot Aharonot 6/4; NYT 6/5; NYT 6/6; HA 6/8; OCHA, PCHR 6/11)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin. During the day, as part of an ongoing campaign to arrest Hamas militants (at least 200 already detained) and confiscate their weapons, PA security forces (PASF) conduct a latenight raid into Qalqilya to arrest 2 wanted Hamas mbrs., sparking a heavy exchange of gunfire that leaves 6 Palestinians dead (3 PASF officers, 2 Hamas mbrs., and the owner of the building raided) and 4 PASF officers and 1 bystander wounded, marking the deadliest clash in the West Bank btwn. the 2 factions since 6/07. The PASF imposes a day-long curfew on Qalqilya. PA pres. Abbas, PM Fayyad praise the PASF for doing “their national duty” and vow to “strike with an iron fist against anyone harming the interests of the Palestinian people,” calling Hamas mbrs. “outlaws.” Hamas supporters in Gaza take to the streets in protest; Hamas-affiliated police arrest Fatah activists; and the Hamas leadership threatens to pull out of national unity talks in Cairo scheduled to resume in 7/09. (NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 6/1; OCHA, PCHR 6/4; Jerusalem Report 6/6; WP 6/26)

Obama receives PA pres. Abbas at the White House, praising the PA’s security efforts and refusal to join a unity government with Hamas until it meets 1/06 Quartet demands to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist, but stressing that the PA must do much more to improve West Bank security. (NYT, WP, WT 5/29)

In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on caves in the hills nr. Hebron, killing senior Hamas military cmdr. ‘Abd al-Majid Dudin, wanted by Israel for 14 yrs., in an exchange of gunfire; conducts rare daytime house searches nr. Hebron and Nablus, making no arrests; makes synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in 4 villages nr. Jenin. (OCHA 5/28; NYT, WP 5/29; OCHA, PCHR 6/4)