177 / 15150 Results
  • December 31, 2011

    IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fatally shoot an unarmed, suicidal Palestinian who deliberately approaches the border fence, expecting soldiers to shoot him. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in...

    Read more
  • December 30, 2011

    An Israeli warplane makes an air strike on a rocket-launching team in Gaza, killing 1 AMB mbr. and wounding 5. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin....

    Read more
  • December 29, 2011

    Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. On 3 occasions during the day, Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n...

    Read more
  • December 24, 2011

    Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket and 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF patrols in and around Jenin in the morning; conducts morning and late-night arrest...

    Read more
  • December 23, 2011

    In the morning, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire 3 artillery shells into Abasan village, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin, and 1...

    Read more
  • December 22, 2011

    The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza in the morning to level lands and clear lines of sight along the border e. of Jabaliya r.c., firing on nearby residential areas to keep Palestinians...

    Read more
  • December 19, 2011

    Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, searches in Hebron and 1 village nr...

    Read more
  • December 18, 2011

    The last U.S. combat troops pull out of Iraq 2 wks. ahead of Obama’s 12/31/11 target date; 1,000s of U.S. diplomats and contractors remain in the country, as well as 150 U.S. soldiers tasked to...

    Read more
  • December 17, 2011

    Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza shore, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an early morning incursion into ‘Arraba village nr....

    Read more
  • December 15, 2011

    Overnight the IDF removes 2 structures at the unauthorized settlement outpost of Mitzpe Yitzhar. In retaliation, Jewish settlers set fire to and spray racist graffiti on a mosque in Burqa village...

    Read more
  • December 12, 2011

    IDF spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar acknowledges that Israel plans to relocate some 2,000 Bedouin fr. 20 encampments in the hills e. of Jerusalem (in area C) to clear the way for the expansion of Ma’ale...

    Read more
  • December 11, 2011

    With the completion of a section of the separation wall bordering Shu’fat r.c. in East Jerusalem, the IDF closes its Shu’fat checkpoint into Jerusalem and redirects traffic to a new modern...

    Read more
  • December 10, 2011

    The IDF makes 4 late-night air strikes on a vacant house belonging to a senior IQB mbr. in Gaza City, heavily damaging a nearby home (alleged to be a weapons depot), seriously injuring 3...

    Read more
  • December 8, 2011

    The IDF carries out an air strike on a car in a crowded section of Gaza City, assassinating senior al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Issam al-Batash and his nephew Subhi al-Batash, a mbr. of...

    Read more
  • December 5, 2011

    Late in the evening, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire across the border into open areas in the no-go zone, causing no reported damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF...

    Read more
  • December 4, 2011

    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...

    Read more
  • December 3, 2011

    IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians who enter the demolished Dahaniyya airport site outside of Rafah, forcing them to flee. Israeli naval vessels fire on...

    Read more
  • November 28, 2011

    Israeli PM Netanyahu says that since the 11/24 Abbas-Mishal meeting seemed more symbolic than substantive and the PLO/PA has not made moves since the 11/1/11 UNESCO vote to gain membership in...

    Read more
  • November 27, 2011

    The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit and 2 nr. Qalqilya in the morning and afternoon, and in 1 village nr. Ramallah late at night; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus...

    Read more
  • November 26, 2011

    Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire a homemade Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF carries out an air strike on a training camp w. of...

    Read more
  • November 24, 2011

    Hamas leader Mishal and PA pres. and Fatah head Abbas meet for 2 hrs. in Cairo to hold the 1st detailed talks since 8/2011 on implementing their 5/2011 national unity deal (see QU in JPS 161)....

    Read more
  • November 22, 2011

    Overnight, the IDF conducts arrest raids targeting the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah, arresting about 17. In the morning, the IDF patrols in 2...

    Read more
  • November 20, 2011

    U.S. Dep. Secy. of State William Burns meets with PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas to urge him to revive peace talks with Israel and delay formation of a unity government with Hamas. (CNN 11/21)

    The...

    Read more
  • November 19, 2011

    The IDF conducts daytime patrols in Tulkarm and nearby Anata village, as well as in 4 villages nr. Jenin, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Ramallah; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr....

    Read more
  • November 18, 2011

    In Gaza, a Palestinian is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning and late-night patrols in Jericho; conducts daytime patrols...

    Read more
  • November 16, 2011

    Israel allows the 1st shipment of construction material for private rebuilding projects in Gaza, to be used to reconstruct 10 factories destroyed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during...

    Read more
  • November 14, 2011

    Over the objections of Israeli DMin. officials, the Israeli cabinet affirms the government’s decision to withhold $100 m. in VAT taxes owed the PA. The DMin. has warned that withholding the PA’s...

    Read more
  • November 13, 2011

    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...

    Read more
  • November 12, 2011

    IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers working their land nr. the border fence, forcing them to flee. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in...

    Read more
  • November 11, 2011

    The IDF patrols in Tulkarm and 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning; conducts 2 sets of synchronized late-night patrols in Tulkarm and 4 villages to the north, and in 6 villages west...

    Read more

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fatally shoot an unarmed, suicidal Palestinian who deliberately approaches the border fence, expecting soldiers to shoot him. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya and Salfit after dark; conducts separate latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya, Salfit. (OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

An Israeli warplane makes an air strike on a rocket-launching team in Gaza, killing 1 AMB mbr. and wounding 5. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Ni’lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 1 Palestinian in Bil’in is lightly injured. Similar protests are held by Palestinians in Kafr al-Dik nr. Salfit, where the IDF plans to expropriate 2,000 d.; no serious injuries are reported (YA 12/30; NYT, WP 12/31; OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. On 3 occasions during the day, Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, confiscating 1 boat (arresting 1 fisherman and briefly detaining 2) and forcing the others to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin; conducts morning arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. The independent Palestinian Center for Human Rights accuses the Hamas authorities in Gaza of harassing Fatah mbrs., saying Hamas police have summoned about 50 former mbrs. of the Fatah security forces in since 12/26, questioning them at length, detaining some, and searching some homes. (JP, PCHR 12/29; NYT 12/30; OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket and 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF patrols in and around Jenin in the morning; conducts morning and late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. (YA 12/24; PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

In the morning, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire 3 artillery shells into Abasan village, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin, and 1 nr. Tulkarm (chasing stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, arresting 1). Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Ni’lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (Nabi Salih only) rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 1 Palestinian in Nabi Salih is lightly wounded by live ammunition. (PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza in the morning to level lands and clear lines of sight along the border e. of Jabaliya r.c., firing on nearby residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors. In Dura and Ithna villages nr. Hebron, the IDF destroys 1 Palestinian home, part of 2 other homes, 9 agricultural pools and irrigation networks, 4 water tanks, and 5 wells, also confiscating 15 water pumps and other agricultural equipment. The IDF also patrols in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Jenin in the evening; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and neighboring Dahaysha r.c. Washington Jewish Week reports that in the previous wk., Israel’s Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court rejected 2 lawsuits demanding the eviction of Palestinian families fr. their Silwan homes; the suits were brought by Eldad, an organization seeking to Judaize Jerusalem in part by settling Jews in the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, nr. the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. (WJW 12/22; PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

At the close of 2 days of talks in Cairo, Fatah’s Abbas and Hamas’s Mishal agree that they will both sit on the comm. that will prepare for the next elections of the PLO’s parliament-in-exile, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), marking a major step toward Hamas joining the PLO. They also agree to form an interim unity government by the end of 1/2012 and to bring elected Hamas-affiliated legislators back into the PA’s parliament, the Palestinian Council (PC), in 2/2012. (NYT, AP, WP, WT 12/23; HA 12/28)

Reports indicate that Hamas is scaling back its presence in Syria because of violence there, but overall feels buoyed by the Arab Spring. Senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahar states that Hamas feels strengthened and validated by the popular support shown for Islamist parties in countries affected by the Arab Spring, suggesting that the new Tunisian model of power-sharing among Islamist and secular nationalist parties could be a model for the Palestinians. (WP 12/22)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, searches in Hebron and 1 village nr. Jenin in the morning; patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Qalqilya during the day and in and around Jenin town and r.c. late at night; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Kfar Assaf settlement outpost nr. Ramallah set fire to 5 Palestinian cars in nearby Bitin village. (PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

The last U.S. combat troops pull out of Iraq 2 wks. ahead of Obama’s 12/31/11 target date; 1,000s of U.S. diplomats and contractors remain in the country, as well as 150 U.S. soldiers tasked to train Iraqi security forces. (National Public Radio, REU 12/18; NYT 12/19)

Israel frees 550 Palestinian prisoners in the 2d stage of the swap that freed IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit in 10/2011; 41 are released to Gaza, more than 500 to the West Bank, a few to East Jerusalem and Jordan. Under the terms of the deal, Israel picked which prisoners to free and picked mostly Fatahaffiliated West Bankers as a gesture to Abbas; none are mbrs. of Hamas or Islamic Jihad or were involved in killing or wounding anyone; Palestinians complain that “many of those being released were due to get out within months anyway. . . . If Israel had wanted to make a real good-will gesture, the list would have been totally different.” (NYT, WP 12/19)

Stone-throwing Palestinian youths clash with IDF at the Beitunia checkpoint where some of the Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel are released, leaving 10s of Palestinians and 1 IDF soldier injured. Elsewhere in the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jenin in the morning and in 3 villages nr. Jenin, Qalqilya, and Salfit in the evening (firing tear gas at stone-throwing youths in Jenin); makes a brief incursion into Qalqilya where they set up 2 checkpoints, detain 2 PA security forces officers for several hours, and summon 1 Palestinian for questioning. Jewish settlers block a Palestinian road nr. Moshe Zouhar settlement outpost nr. Qalqilya. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza City shore, detaining 1 boat and questioning 4 Palestinians (3 are released, 1 is sent to Israel for an unrelated medical issue). Gaza’s Interior Min. drops requirements for Gazans to register in advance of leaving Gaza through the Rafah crossing. The Israeli Housing Min. published tenders for construction of 1,028 Jewish settlement units in East Jerusalem (500 in Har Homa, 348 in Beitar Ilit, and 180 in Givat Ze’ev). The Gaza Central Drug Store receives an urgent shipment of medicine and supplies fr. the West Bank, enough to replenish its stores for several weeks (see 12/6/12). (HA 12/18; NYT, WP 12/19; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz announces that in light of the dramatically increasing number of covert foreign operations Israel has undertaken in the past year, the Israeli DMin. has formed a new operational branch called the Depth Corps specifically to handle special operations “deep in enemy territory.” The new branch (separate fr. the existing Northern, Southern, and Central Commands) will be headed by former special operations commander Maj. Gen. Shai Avital and will pull and coordinate resources fr. the military’s various elite commando units on an ad hoc basis, depending on the mission. While Israel does not confirm or deny covert operations abroad, media reports over the past year have indicated that Israel has carried out operations in Sudan (targeting arms traffic to Hizballah and Hamas), Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. According to HA, since most recent covert ops have targeted Iran, IDF insiders often refer to the Depth Corps as “Iran Command.” (AFP, IHY 12/16; HA 12/18; JPI 2/10)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza shore, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an early morning incursion into ‘Arraba village nr. Jenin, raiding a home and detaining local Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Adnan, placing him under administrative detention; Adnan immediately declares a hunger strike to protest his detention without charge. The IDF conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Qalqilya; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. (PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Overnight the IDF removes 2 structures at the unauthorized settlement outpost of Mitzpe Yitzhar. In retaliation, Jewish settlers set fire to and spray racist graffiti on a mosque in Burqa village nr. Ramallah. The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya in the morning and in 5 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon and late evening. (NYT, WP 12/16; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23; NYT 1/9)

IDF spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar acknowledges that Israel plans to relocate some 2,000 Bedouin fr. 20 encampments in the hills e. of Jerusalem (in area C) to clear the way for the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement into the E1 zone to link it with Jerusalem. Officially, the government says the relocation plans are part of its broader initiative to “provide the bedouin across the West Bank with sites where they can build legally with access to water, electricity, and government services.” Construction in the E1 zone and settlers’ preparations for expansion of Ma’ale Adumim into the area have been planned since 2009, but this marks the 1st admission that the government has started logistical planning to remove the Bedouin population fr. the area. Meanwhile, Israeli DM Ehud Barak approves establishment of a new 40-unit settlement neighborhood and farm nr. Efrat settlement to expand the Gush Etzion settlement block s. of Bethlehem; the new settlement, to be called Givat Hadagan, was approved for development in the 1990s, with plans to build 500 housing units. Israel closes the old wooden Mughrabi footbridge (deemed unsafe) used by non-Muslims to reach the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount; the PA and Waqf officials protest, saying Israel plans to build a larger permanent structure to assert its control over the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews. Also in East Jerusalem, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya twice in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus vandalize nearby Palestinian homes and cars twice during the day, including throwing a Molotov cocktail at a home. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron nr. Qalqilya stone passing Palestinian vehicles, injuring 3 Palestinians. (HA 12/12; NYT, WP 12/13; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16; HA 12/18)

Israel’s new amb. to Egypt, Ya’akov Amitai, arrives in Cairo. Israel withdrew its former ambassador for safety reasons on 9/9/11, when Egyptian protesters ransacked the Israeli embassy (see QU in JPS 162). (WP 12/13)

With the completion of a section of the separation wall bordering Shu’fat r.c. in East Jerusalem, the IDF closes its Shu’fat checkpoint into Jerusalem and redirects traffic to a new modern checkpoint (begun in 2009 to serve as a future international crossing into Jerusalem). The move leaves more than 50,000 Palestinians living in Shu’fat r.c. and several surrounding Jerusalem suburbs (Ras Shihada, Ras Khamis, al-Salam, and part of ‘Anata) who hold Jerusalem IDs completely isolated fr. Jerusalem. In the West Bank, the IDF clashes with mourners taking part in the funeral for Palestinian activist Mustafa Tamimi (see 12/10), causing no serious injuries; conducts daytime patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit, 2 nr. Qalqilya, and 1 nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Bethlehem, and in Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya. (PCHR 12/12, 12/15; OCHA 12/16; JPI 12/23)

The Israeli cabinet unanimously approves $160 m. for the next stage of construction of the security fence along the border with Egypt, expansion of detention centers, and increased policing of companies that hire illegal workers. Since 1/2006, nearly 50,000 illegal workers, mostly fr. Eritrea and Sudan, have entered Israel via the Sinai, raising concerns among Israelis that the mounting influx of illegal African workers could undermine Israel’s Jewish character. (NYT, WP 12/12)

The IDF makes 4 late-night air strikes on a vacant house belonging to a senior IQB mbr. in Gaza City, heavily damaging a nearby home (alleged to be a weapons depot), seriously injuring 3 bystanders (including children ages 8 and 10). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Salfit twice in the morning; conducts synchronized patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon; conducts late-night patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit, 2 nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Mustafa al-Tamimi, the Palestinian hit in the head with an IDF tear gas canister in Nabi Salih on 12/9, dies of his injuries. (IDFS, WP 12/11; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16)

The IDF carries out an air strike on a car in a crowded section of Gaza City, assassinating senior al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Issam al-Batash and his nephew Subhi al-Batash, a mbr. of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), wounding 4–6 bystanders; Israel claims the 2 men planned to infiltrate Israel and that Issam al-Batash was involved in plotting an AMB–Islamic Jihad suicide bombing in Elat on 1/29/07. Overnight, in the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids targeting the PFLP in Hebron, arresting 3; the IDF spokesman states that 9 other PFLP mbrs. are arrested in raids in Bethlehem, Jenin, and Qalqilya, but there is no corroboration. During the day, the IDF confiscates 150 d. of Palestinian agricultural land nr. the Gush Etzion settlement bloc nr. Bethlehem. Late at night, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 each nr. Jenin and Salfit. (AP, HA, IDFS, MNA 12/8; JP, NYT, WP 12/9; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16)

Late in the evening, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire across the border into open areas in the no-go zone, causing no reported damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian factory nr. Qalqilya and 2 Palestinian homes nr. Hebron; raids the Tulkarm offices of the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform Party late in the evening, confiscating 3 computers and some documents; conducts daytime patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Kafr Qaddum; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 1 nr. Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli municipal officials demolish 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina and Silwan and level a Palestinian barnyard in al-Bustan. (PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

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)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians who enter the demolished Dahaniyya airport site outside of Rafah, forcing them to flee. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast w. of Rafah in the south and w. of Bayt Lahiya in the north, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages each nr. Jenin and Ramallah in the morning and 2 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Jenin late at night. The IDF also removes mobile homes placed by Jewish settlers nr. Itamar settlement nr. Nablus; soon after, Jewish settlers fr. nearby Elon Moreh settlement retaliate by kidnapping and beating a 63-yr.-old Palestinian man working his land nearby, releasing him after 2 hrs. In a separate retaliatory attack, Jewish settlers beat a Palestinian shepherd nr. Itamar and kill 4 of his sheep. Palestinians and international activists in Khirbat Susia nr. Hebron protest recent IDF attacks on residents; the IDF fires tear gas and stun grenades to disperse them; 4 Palestinians and 1 Danish activist are lightly injured, and 1 Palestinian is arrested for trying to raise a Palestinian flag. (PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

Israeli PM Netanyahu says that since the 11/24 Abbas-Mishal meeting seemed more symbolic than substantive and the PLO/PA has not made moves since the 11/1/11 UNESCO vote to gain membership in other UN organizations, he is considering releasing VAT taxes. (NYT 11/29) (see 11/23/11)

King Abdallah of Jordan hosts Israeli pres. Shimon Peres in Amman to discuss reviving Israeli-Palestinian talks. (NYT 11/29; JPI 12/9)

Israeli naval vessels fire warning shots at Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, detaining and confiscating the boat, arresting 1 fisherman, and returning another fisherman to Gaza through the Erez crossing. Late at night, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border responding to 2 loud explosions inside Gaza in an open area n. of Bayt Lahiya fire into Gaza for 20 mins., causing no reported damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages each nr. Qalqilya and Ramallah and 1 nr. Salfit during the day; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho. An Israeli military court convicts a 2d Palestinian teenager fr. Awarta in the murder of 5 Jewish settlers in Itamar on 3/11/11; another Palestinian teen was convicted on 9/13/11. (PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2; JPI 12/9)

In the 1st Lebanese-Israeli crossborder attack since 10/2009, unidentified assailants fire 3 rockets fr. s. Lebanon into n. Israel, damaging 2 buildings in the western Galilee, but causing no injuries. Israel responds with artillery fire, causing no reported damage or injuries. UNIFIL calls for “maximum restraint.” (DS, NYT 11/29; NYT, WP, WT 11/30)

The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit and 2 nr. Qalqilya in the morning and afternoon, and in 1 village nr. Ramallah late at night; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus and Salfit. (PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire a homemade Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF carries out an air strike on a training camp w. of Nussayrat refugee camp (r.c.) in central Gaza and 3 air strikes on a greenhouse in Khan Yunis in s. Gaza; no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a room and water tank of a home nr. Qalqilya for construction of the separation wall; conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm. Jewish settlers block a road nr. Qalqilya and stone passing Palestinian vehicles. (HA 11/27; PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

Hamas leader Mishal and PA pres. and Fatah head Abbas meet for 2 hrs. in Cairo to hold the 1st detailed talks since 8/2011 on implementing their 5/2011 national unity deal (see QU in JPS 161). They approve a 2-page document (leaked to AFP on 11/24, which publishes excerpts, but not released publicly) reiterating their commitment to the main elements of the 5/2011 accord, agreeing to observe a truce in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (including halting political arrests), vowing to increase “popular resistance” to oppose Israel’s settlement expansion and construction of the separation wall, and pledging that the factions would agree on the “style” of popular resistance and form “a framework to direct it.” In an interview with AFP later in the day, Mishal clarifies that Hamas believes in both armed and popular resistance, stating “armed struggle is our right. How we use it, and when we use it, is something different.” Mishal and Abbas fail, however, to resolve key issues regarding composition of an interim unity government and elections. Though both call the meeting positive, sources say (e.g., WP 11/25) that the meeting “raised new questions about whether the rivals are serious about working together or just going through the motions.” (AFP 11/24; NHR, NYT, WP, WT 11/25; WP 12/22)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. the no-go zone, forcing them to flee. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF troops operating in the Hebron area demolish a mosque, 2 Palestinian homes, a rabbit farm, and a generator and block up a cave used as an agricultural storeroom in Yatta village; demolish 1 Palestinian home, 3 wells, and 3 agricultural storehouses in Ithna village; bulldoze a residential tent and an animal pen in Khirbat Susia. The IDF also patrols in 5 villages nr. Jenin (1 village is entered twice; 3 villages are entered simultaneously) and 3 villages nr. Qalqilya (2 villages are entered simultaneously). (PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

Overnight, the IDF conducts arrest raids targeting the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah, arresting about 17. In the morning, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jenin (firing flash grenades to intimidate residents) and Jericho. Late in the evening, an IDF drone fires a missile at a training camp in s. Gaza, causing no reported injuries; the IDF makes a brief incursion into Rafah, sporadically firing on residential areas, causing no injuries; and Israeli naval vessels fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the s. Gaza coast, forcing it to return to shore. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that since 11/16, the IDF has bulldozed 130 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of Palestinian agricultural land, uprooted 500 trees, and forced Palestinians to dismantle 9 greenhouses and 7,000 m of irrigation networks to allow the rerouting of the separation wall nr. Qalqilya. OCHA also reports that since 11/16, the IDF has bulldozed 18 d. in the Jericho area and 400 d. in the Salfit area that Israel has claimed as state land. (MNA, XIN 11/22; PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

U.S. Dep. Secy. of State William Burns meets with PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas to urge him to revive peace talks with Israel and delay formation of a unity government with Hamas. (CNN 11/21)

The IDF conducts morning patrols in Qalqilya, Salfit, 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village each nr. Jericho and Tulkarm; fires tear gas, stun grenades to disperse a funeral procession nr. Hebron, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and in Salfit; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho, 2 villages each nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm, and 1 nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers in Hebron attack the home of a Palestinian released in the prisoner swap deal that freed captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 10/2011, hang posters urging that he be killed, vandalize a grocery store owned by a relative; the Palestinian, Hani Jaber, had been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a settler in 1993. The incidents spark several clashes between the settlers and local Palestinians in which settlers attack and vandalize several more Palestinian homes; the IDF intervenes, separating the sides. (WP 11/21; PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

The IDF conducts daytime patrols in Tulkarm and nearby Anata village, as well as in 4 villages nr. Jenin, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Ramallah; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya and Salfit. (PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

In Gaza, a Palestinian is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning and late-night patrols in Jericho; conducts daytime patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jenin, Salfit, and Tulkarm. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations in Bil’in, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin nr. Ramallah and in Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya. While intended mainly to protests Israel’s separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion, protesters also chant slogans calling for national reconciliation, Palestinians rights, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 3 Palestinians (including a journalists) in Nabi Salih. (PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

Israel allows the 1st shipment of construction material for private rebuilding projects in Gaza, to be used to reconstruct 10 factories destroyed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during Operation Cast Lead (OCL) in 2008– 9. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Azariyya outside Jerusalem, and nr. Bethlehem and Qalqilya (arresting 4 children ages 13–17); conducts latenight patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin. (NYT, PCHR, WP 11/17; PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

In s. Lebanon, a bomb explodes at a hotel in Tyre that is frequented by UN employees, causing damage but no injuries. Minutes later another bomb damages a liquor store in the city, causing no injuries. The UN says it does not believe its employees were targets. (NYT 11/17)

Over the objections of Israeli DMin. officials, the Israeli cabinet affirms the government’s decision to withhold $100 m. in VAT taxes owed the PA. The DMin. has warned that withholding the PA’s money could undermine the PA’s stability and West Bank security. Meanwhile, overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In retaliation, the IDF carries out 4 late-night air strikes on the main Palestinian naval police post in Bayt Lahiya, killing 1 Hamas-affiliated naval police officer, wounding 7 officers and 5 civilians in houses nearby (including the French consul, his wife, and a pregnant woman, who miscarries). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm 3 times during the day; conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages e. of Qalqilya in the morning; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. (YA 11/14; WP 11/15; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

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)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers working their land nr. the border fence, forcing them to flee. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in Tulkarm, 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 nr. Ramallah; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya; conducts other late-night arrest raids nr. Hebron. The IDF also conducts late-night raids on the homes (in al-Nabi Salih and 2 nr. Ramallah) of 3 Palestinians released in the Shalit prisoner swap, summoning them for questioning. (PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

The IDF patrols in Tulkarm and 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning; conducts 2 sets of synchronized late-night patrols in Tulkarm and 4 villages to the north, and in 6 villages west of Jenin; conducts other latenight patrols in Qalqilya. The weekly demonstrations by Palestinians and international activists in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and al-Nabi Salih support the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, call for national reconciliation, and oppose Israeli occupation and land seizures. Palestinians and international activists in Kafr Qaddum denounce Israeli land seizures. In all 4 cases, IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 2 Palestinians in al-Nabi Salih; 1 Palestinian in al-Nabi Salih is arrested. (PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)