The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Tulkarm refugee camp, killing 6 Palestinians and injuring 3 in a drone strike, uprooted streets, and put 2 hospitals under siege. Israeli forces also shot and killed 2 Palestinians, including a child, during raids in ‘Azzun and Burin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian in Beitunia. Israeli forces also notified a Palestinian landowner that it will seize 2.5 dunams (.62 acres) of his land in Beit Dajan to construct a settler road. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished 6 residential structures and 1 agricultural structure in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, displacing 20 people. 38 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Tubas. In Gaza, Israeli forces attacked Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Nuseirat refugee camp, Jabalia refugee camp, and the Indonesian and Kamal Adwan hospitals, killing at least 80 people. The number of fatalities was likely much higher given the lack of communication with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. 3 premature babies died at the Kamal Adwan Hospital due to the incubators failing as a result of a lack of fuel. The administration at the Indonesian Hospital said it had been ordered by Israel to evacuate the hospital. 14 ambulances arrived at al-Shifa Hospital to start evacuating the 250 remaining patients. The Red Crescent said 3 paramedics and a companion of a wounded Palestinian were detained by Israeli forces, with 1 of the paramedics being arrested, and that Israel obstructed the evacuation efforts. 190 patients were evacuated from the hospital over a 20-hour period. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. Rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel; no injuries were reported. In Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed 5 people in Beit Yahoun, including the son of Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad. In Syria, Israeli forces fired 2 missiles at Damascus, causing damage. In the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a cruise missile fired from Yemen. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/22; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 11/23; HA 11/24)

The Gaza Media Office reported that 14,532 Palestinian have been killed, including 6,000 children and 4,000 women, and around 35,000 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 217 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 53 children. More than 2,885 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 75 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.7 million Palestinians, more than 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/18, at least 45,000 housing units had been destroyed and 233,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 60% of all housing units. 111 Palestinians were buried in a mass grave in Khan Yunis. The bodies were initially seized by Israel at al-Shifa Hospital and in Beit Hanun and handed over to Palestinian authorities prior to arriving in Khan Yunis in a shipping container. About 250 people fled northern Gaza to the south. Around 18,000 gallons of fuel and 80 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza via the Rafah crossing. 433 foreign nationals and 17 wounded people were evacuated to Egypt. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/22; NYT 11/23)

UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator Martin Griffiths called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza the “worst ever,” adding “I do not say that lightly. I started off in my twenties dealing with the Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields.” (HA 11/22)

Israel and Hamas agreed to the terms of a 4-day ceasefire that would see 50 women and children held in Gaza released in exchange for 150 Palestinian women and children being released from Israeli prisons. The start of the ceasefire would be announced within 24 hours, awaiting the Israeli High Court of Justice’s consideration of Israeli public appeals against the deal. The ceasefire could be extended for one additional day for every 10 additional captives released from Gaza. There are about 240 captives held by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Israel agreed to stop military movement and allow people to travel from the north of Gaza to the south on Salah al-Din road, but said it would not allow movement to the north. 300 trucks carrying aid, including fuel, would be allowed into Gaza every day. Furthermore, Hamas said Israel had agreed to stop drone flights over southern Gaza during the period of the ceasefire and not fly over northern Gaza for 6 hours a day and that Israel could not attack or arrest anyone during the 4-day period. Israel published a list of 300 Palestinian prisoners, including 123 children, that it deemed eligible for release. Most of the prisoners on the list were arrested in the past 2 years for minor offenses. Islamic Jihad said the Israeli soldiers it is holding captive will not be released until all its members are released from Israeli prisons. PA president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the agreement and thanked Qatar and Egypt for their mediation efforts. The Israeli cabinet approved deal in the early hours of the day after a 6-hour meeting. 3 ministers from the Otzma Yehudit party voted against it while 35 ministers voted in favor. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would resume its attacks on Gaza after the ceasefire.  (HA, NYT, NYT 11/21; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/22)

Hamas deputy political leader Khalil al-Hayya and Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan met with Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, discussing the ceasefire. It was reported that Hezbollah would enter the ceasefire if Israel did not attack Lebanon during the 4-day period. (HA 11/22)

The PA cabinet held an emergency session on the situation in Gaza and the PA’s financial situation given the Israeli decision to withhold more funds from the PA tax revenue and the PA’s refusal to accept the reduced sums. The cabinet decided to allow each ministry to find ways to reduce their expenses and indicated that civil servants will not be paid their salaries or will receive reduced salaries due to the financial crisis. President Abbas discussed the situation in Gaza and the West Bank with Finnish president Sauli Niinistö. (WAFA, WAFA 11/22)

A delegation of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, including the PA, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Nigeria met with UK foreign secretary David Cameron in London, discussing the situation in Gaza. (WAFA 11/22)

Mossad director David Barnea arrived in Doha to discuss the final details of the prisoner exchange with Qatari officials. (AX, HA 11/22)

Israel claimed to have found a 525-foot-long tunnels underneath al-Shifa Hospital, saying it was used by Hamas. Videos of the tunnels released by Israel showed the tunnels were completely empty, aside from an air-conditioning unit. Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said earlier this week that Israel constructed tunnels under al-Shifa in the 1980s. Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had instructed the Mossad to attack Hamas leaders outside of the occupied territories. (AJ, NYT 11/22; HA 11/23)

U.S. president Joe Biden released a statement welcoming the temporary ceasefire, thanking the leaders of Qatar and Egypt. Biden told President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi that the U.S. opposes forced deportation of Palestinians in Gaza to Egypt and the redrawing of the Gaza borders. Biden also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, emphasizing the “importance of maintaining calm along the Lebanese border as well as in the West Bank,” according to the U.S. readout of their conversation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. It was reported that the U.S. was using the ceasefire to push Israel to set up safe areas in Gaza and allow more aid and fuel into Gaza. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/22)

Politico reported that the Biden administration was worried that an unintended consequence of the ceasefire would be journalists being able to “illuminate the devastation” in Gaza since they would have more access. (AJ 11/22)

Palestinians who met Pope Francis at the Vatican said he described the situation in Gaza as genocide. A Vatican spokesperson later said that he was not aware that the pope used the word. Pope Francis also met with Israeli relatives of people held captive in Gaza by Hamas. (AJ, HA, WAFA 11/22)

The Yemeni naval commander spoke to the crew members of the cargo ship Galaxy Leader the navy had captured on 11/19, assuring them that they would be treated as guests. (HA 11/22)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces on 11/9 in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli settlers assaulted Palestinian herders and stole some of their sheep in Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also raided Kisan, stealing solar panels and a generator. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers raided Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area, demolishing a residential structure and vandalizing solar panels, water tanks, and 70 olive tree saplings. Israeli settlers also attacked 2 Palestinians and 2 foreign journalists during a raid in Manizil and al-Rakiz in the Masafer Yatta, causing bruises. Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian man during a raid near al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also shot and injured a Palestinian during a raid in Arrabah. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished a 4-story building under construction in al-Za’im. Nearly 50 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Deir al-Ghusun, Ramallah, Deir Ibzi, Bethlehem, and Qaryut. In Gaza, Israeli forces sealed off the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya; Israeli shelling of the hospital killed 12 people. 100 patients were later evacuated from the hospital. The Israeli seige of al-Shifa Hospital continued for the fifth day. Israeli forces also attacked a Doctors Without Borders clinic in Gaza City, destroying 4 of its vehicles that were clearly marked with the organization’s logo. Israeli airstrikes targeted Nuseirat refugee camp, killing 20, Rafah killing 15, and Khan Yunis killing a family of 5. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said it attacked 250 sites in Gaza. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed. In Tayibe, Israeli police arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel for allegedly posting support for Hamas on social media. In Lebanon, Israel attacked several areas, including the home of Amal party official Kabalan Kabalan; no injuries were reported. Israel said Hezbollah launched 25 rockets and 3 drones at Israel, hitting military sites; no injuries were reported. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, CNN, HA, HA, NYT, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/20; AJ, HA, HA 11/21)

The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza, leaving the casualty numbers at around 13,000 Palestinians killed, including 5,500 children and 3,500 women, and around 32,000 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 208 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 52 children. More than 2,885 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. 71 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units had been destroyed and 220,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. Some 25,000 people fled northern Gaza to the south. The UN said that since shelters are completely full newly arrived displaced people were sleeping on the streets. 51 aid trucks entered Gaza, including trucks carrying material to build 2 field hospitals run by the UAE and Jordan. 2 trucks carrying 17,000 gallons of fuel entered Gaza. 180 doctors and nurses entered Gaza. 571 foreign nationals and 67 injured Palestinians were evacuated from Gaza via the Rafah crossing. Jordanian crown prince Hussein arrived in Egypt to oversee the establishment of the Jordanian field hospital, which will be set up in Khan Yunis. The Committee to Protect Journalists said 50 journalists have been killed since 10/7, including 45 Palestinians and 1 Lebanese. (AJ, AP, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 11/20; HA, UNOCHA 11/21)

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak told CNN that the tunnels system Israel is claiming that Hamas uses under al-Shifa Hospital was built by Israel “five or four decades ago …. to enable more space for the operation of the hospital within the very limited size of the compound.” (CNN 11/20)

A witness said that the Palestinian man who died at the Ketziot Prison in the Naqab on 11/18, Thaer Samih Abu Assab, was beaten to death by Israeli forces after they raided his cell and assaulted 10 prisoners. (AJ 11/20)

Israeli forces reportedly arrested Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha on 11/18 while he was fleeing from northern Gaza to Rafah to get to the U.S. where his son has citizenship. (HA 11/21)

Israel indicted 2 Israelis on charges of terrorism for throwing Molotov cocktails at a court, a post office, banks, and Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah. (HA 11/20)

The Israeli military said there have been several incidents of friendly fire in Gaza, saying Israeli soldiers had been killed as a result. There were more than 10,000 Israeli soldiers in Gaza. Israel’s military also said it had transferred 300 Palestinians from Gaza to Israel. (AP, HA 11/20)

Foreign ministers from the PA, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, and Indonesia and a representative from the OIC met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing, calling for a ceasefire. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 11/20)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh met with International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) president Mirjana Spoljaric in Qatar, who demanded that Hamas release all captives immediately and that the ICRC be allowed to visit the captives. The Hamas information ministry called on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing permanently, saying it fears epidemics and famine will hit Gaza due to the lack of food and basic medical services. A Hamas military spokesperson said the Qassam Brigades had destroyed 60 military vehicles in the past 3 days and that Israeli forces had killed their own soldiers after thinking they were captured by Hamas militants. (AJ, AP, HA 11/20)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Latvian president Edgars Rinkević in Ramallah, discussing the situation in Gaza and the West Bank. (WAFA 11/20)

Israeli interior minister Moshe Arbel demanded that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) build an aid program for Israelis evacuated from the area around Gaza and near the Blue Line, during a meeting with UNHCR representative in Israel Matthias Larota. The Knesset Ethics Committee banned Likud MK Nissim Vaturi from speaking at the next 10 Knesset sessions after he accused 2 Palestinian, MKs Aida Touma-Sliman and Iman Khatib-Yassin, of supporting Hamas. (HA 11/20)

Israel recalled its ambassador to South Africa. South Africa recalled its ambassador to Israel weeks ago and referred the situation in Gaza to the ICC on 10/7. The South African parliament is also scheduled to vote on 11/21 to close the Israeli embassy and cut all ties with Israel until a ceasefire is implemented. (AJ, HA 11/20; AJ, HA 11/21)

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he will not allow the issue of Israeli nuclear weapons to be dropped from the international agenda and said the “shame of the Holocaust has literally taken European leaders hostage,” referring to their support for Israel. (HA 11/20)

White House senior adviser for energy and investment Amos Hochstein met with Israeli officials, discussing the situation at the Blue Line and the development of the Gaza Marine gas field off the coast of Gaza, which he said would benefit the Palestinian economy. Hochstein arrived in Israel after meetings with Lebanese officials. (AJ, AX, HA, REU 11/20)

Amnesty International said Israel had committed war crimes by attacking a church in Gaza City on 10/19 and a residential building in Nuseirat refugee camp on 10/20, which killed 46 civilians, including 20 children. Amnesty said it had visited the sites, interviewed witnesses and survivors, and analyzed satellite imagery to reach its conclusion. (HA, WAFA 11/20)

13 U.S. senators urged President Joe Biden to work with Israel to increase aid to Gaza, including by reopening the Karem Abu Salem (Karem Shalom) crossing and to protect Palestinian civilians. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called for a ceasefire, the second U.S. senator to do so after Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). 41 members of the House have called for a ceasefire. (AJ, HA 11/20)

Qatar said the revenue from the Asia Cup 2023 soccer tournament held in the country will go to Palestinian relief efforts. The Australian soccer team, which is playing against the Palestinian soccer team in a World Cup qualifying game in Kuwait on 11/21, said its players and soccer association will donate a 5-figure sum to Palestinians in Gaza. (AJ, WAFA 11/20)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Jenin on 10/29. Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles during a raid in Husan. Israeli forces attacked Tulkarm refugee camp killing 5 Palestinians, including 3 in a drone strike, and injuring 18. Israel also damaged water, electricity, and sewage lines, uprooted streets, and bulldozed a monument to Yasir Arafat. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab a soldier near Beit Einun. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in ‘Urif of a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces after he allegedly killed 4 settlers near the Eli settlement on 6/20. 28 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 90 Palestinians in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, including at least 13 people in an airstrike on Khan Yunis. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. Israel said it had taken control of al-Shati refugee camp. Israel forces fired shots at al-Shifa Hospital. At the end of the day, Israel told the Gaza Ministry of Health that it will enter the hospital. Israel has bombed the vicinity of the hospital for days. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed and 4 seriously wounded in northern Gaza. Rockets were fired from Gaza, injuring 3 near Tel Aviv. In South Lebanon, Israel said it attacked Hezbollah sites in the Yiftah area. At the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired toward Eliat. The Houthi-led government in Yemen took responsibility. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, HA 11/15)

The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza. However, it did say that at least 11,451 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, and 27,490 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 187 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 47 children. More than 2,700 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals had been killed and 5,431 have injured since 10/7. 51 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units have been destroyed and 220,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. The Gaza Ministry of Health said 40 patients at al-Shifa Hospital have died in recent days. Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya said 179 people had been buried in mass graves in the hospital compound, including 7 babies and 29 intensive care patients. The WHO said 22 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza were no longer operational. 15 medical workers and 91 truckloads of aid entered Gaza. An estimated 18,000 Palestinians fled from northern Gaza to the south. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ 11/15)

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, “because of Hamas’s use of hospitals for military purposes, [the hospitals] will lose special protection in the international court.” Israel has presented animations, pictures of purported tunnels, and a video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital that it said was proof of Hamas’s presence at hospitals, all of which did not show any evidence to back Israel’s claim. In the video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, Israel showed a piece of paper hanging on the wall that it claimed was a list of Hamas militants’ names. However, the list was merely a calendar with the names of the days of the week written in Arabic. The U.S. said it had intelligence that suggested a Hamas and Islamic Jihad presence at hospitals in Gaza, including al-Shifa. A U.S. national security council spokesperson said “[w]e do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in crossfire.” Hamas called for the UN to inspect all hospitals in Gaza to debunk the Israeli and U.S. claims. Doctors at al-Shifa also rejected the claim that Palestinian militants were operating in the hospital. Human Rights Watch said Israel had not presented evidence “that would justify stripping hospitals of their special protections under international humanitarian law,” adding “international humanitarian law only allows attacking hospitals if room is made for safe evacuation.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, REU 11/15)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the prison facility where Israel is holding members of Hamas who were captured during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, saying prisoners were “handcuffed in a dark cell, iron beds, toilets in a hole in the floor and the [Israeli] national anthem constantly playing in the background.” Ben-Gvir said he will promote the death penalty for the Palestinian militants. (HA 11/14)

A New York Times investigation into an attack on al-Shifa Hospital on 11/10 said it was likely an Israeli attack that killed 7 people at the hospital and not an errant missile fired from Gaza as Israel had claimed. (AJ, NYT 11/14)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he welcomed “the initiative of members of Knesset Ram Ben-Barak and Danny Danon on the voluntary immigration of Gaza Arabs to countries around the world. This is the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza and the entire region.” Smotrich was referencing an op-ed written by Ben-Barak and Danon that was published in the Wall Street Journal on 11/13. The PA and Hamas condemned Smotrich comments. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 11/14)

U.S. president Joe Biden discussed efforts for a prisoner exchange with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shin Bet director Ronan Bar met with Egyptian officials in Egypt, discussing a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Nearly 100 members of the U.S. Congress watched a screening of a 43-minute video of the Hamas Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on 10/7. The screening was facilitated by the Israeli embassy. (HA 11/14)

Belize said it had withdrawn its accreditation for the Israeli ambassador-designate in the country, suspended activities at its consulate in Tel Aviv and the Israeli consulate in Belize, and withdrawn its request for accreditation for its consul to Israel, citing Israeli violations of international humanitarian law. (AJ 11/14)

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said “I have been clear the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth …. I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint …. The world is witnessing this, the killing of women and children, of babies. This has to stop.” (HA, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)

Reuters reported that Israel had approved the delivery of 6,340 gallons of diesel to Gaza. Haaretz later reported that the fuel was only for trucks used by the UN, not for hospitals. (AJ, AX, REU 11/14; HA 11/15)

Bloomberg News reported that in late October the U.S. quietly approved an Israeli request to send it laser-guided missiles, 155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions, and new army vehicles. (AJ 11/15)

The Washington Post published an op-ed by King Abdullah II of Jordan, who said Israel has undermined the peace process for 2 decades by expanding settlements and allowing Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians. He called for a “concerted international effort to develop a regional architecture of peace, security and prosperity, built on a Palestinian-Israeli peace based on the two-state solution,” saying that Israeli violence will not grant it victory. (AJ 11/14)

German chancellor Olaf Schulz said Israel is a democracy that abides by international law and said it has “the right and duty to defend itself.” (AJ, HA 11/14)

Spanish minister for social rights Ione Belarra said 60 ministers from Europe and Latin America had signed a petition calling for the ICC to investigate Israeli leaders for genocide. (AJ 11/14)

More than 500 political appointees and staff members from 40 U.S. government agencies sent a letter to President Biden protesting his support for Israel’s war on Gaza. (NYT 11/14)

Tens of thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators rallied at the Mall in Washington D.C. Among the speakers was Christians United for Israel founder John Hagee, who in the past has blamed Jewish people for the Holocaust. The American Jewish anti-occupation organization IfNotNow called the rally “a pro-war, pro-Nakba rally.” (AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)

Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu begins talks with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party over a possible coalition, with the latter expected to present a lengthy list of demands. (HA 3/2)

Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erakat says that the PA will not return to negotiations until Israel stops settlement construction and releases Palestinian prisoners. He also says that there would be no EU initiative to resume peace talks without U.S. involvement. Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu’s aide Yitzhak Molho announces he will be stepping down from the Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu coalition negotiation team in order to remain as the PM’s special envoy for peace negotiations with the Palestinians. (JP 2/4; HA 2/3)

Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast nr. al-Waha, causing no injuries. The IDF also opens fire on Palestinians collecting gravel close to the border fence in the n. Gaza Strip, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Nablus governor Jibril al-Bakri says that the IDF has reopened several roads in Nablus that had been closed for 13 yrs. The IDF patrols in Jenin in the morning, in 1 village nr. Qalqilya and 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, 1 village nr. Jericho, 3 villages nr. Salfit, and 1 village nr. Qalqilya at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Silwan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem and 1 village nr. Nablus in the afternoon, and in Qalqilya, Nablus and 3 nearby villages, Bethlehem and 3 nearby villages, al-Bireh. Tulkarm, and Hebron and 3 nearby villages at night. The IDF detains 20 Hamas mbrs., including an individual involved in national reconciliation efforts. (MNA 2/3; AP 2/4; PCHR 2/7)

Israeli DM Ehud Barak tells a security conference in Munich that Israel means what it says with regard to threats to take preemptive action against its enemies. The comment is taken as hint of admission that Israel was behind the air strike in Syria. U.S. officials now say that the attack targeted a weapons shipment bound for Lebanon but also caused collateral damage to a nearby research center, an explanation for the discrepancy between accounts of the target (see 1/30, 1/31). Meanwhile, UK newspaper the Sunday Times reports that Israel is considering establishing a 10-mi. buffer zone inside Syria to protect itself from rebels. (AP, JP, WP 2/3)

Israeli leaders defend the 11/21 Gaza cease-fire in the face of strong criticism from politicians like Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid and Kadima’s Shaul Mofaz, who believe that the operation had not successfully restored ‘‘deterrence.’’ DM Barak asserts that ‘‘it is still not time to enter Gaza in a very wide operation and conquer it.’’ Barak also reveals that Israel dropped 1,000 times as many explosives on the Gaza Strip as landed on its soil. FM Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu) states that Israel will ‘‘eventually need to overthrow the Hamas regime.’’ (INN, JP, REU, YA 11/22)

In Gaza, Palestinian factions organize a major rally in Gaza City to celebrate the cease-fire and call for national reconciliation. On a rare visit to Gaza since the Hamas takeover in 2007, Fatah Central Comm. mbr. Nabil Shaath tells the crowds that Israel failed to isolate them from the West Bank. PM Ismail Haniyeh tells the rally that the ‘‘resistance fighters changed the rules of the game’’ but that the fighters should ‘‘guard’’ the truce ‘‘as long as Israel respects it.’’ (AP, MNA 11/22)

Meanwhile, the toll of Operation Pillar of Defense continues to climb: an Israeli soldier dies from injuries sustained by a Palestinian rocket attack during the operation, becoming the 2d soldier and 6th Israeli to die in the fighting. In the Gaza Strip, rescue workers pull the bodies of 2 more Palestinians from the rubble of the Dalou family home (bombed on 11/18), raising the Palestinian toll to 160. Though the ceasefire generally continues to hold, the IDF opens fire on Palestinians who protest at the border fence nr. Khan Yunis, injuring 1 man. (AP, MNA 11/22; PCHR 11/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli authorities transfer 30 Palestinian prisoners to administrative detention, apparently because of their involvement in solidarity events for Gaza. (MNA 11/22)

The IDF patrols in 1 village each nr. Jenin and Tulkarm in the afternoon; conducts house searches and arrests in 1 village nr. Jenin in the morning and in Qalqilya, al-Bireh, Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, 3 villages nr. Hebron, 1 village nr. Jenin, 1 village nr. Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Tulkarm, Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, 1 village nr. Ramallah, and Bethlehem, 4 nearby villages, and Dahaysha r.c. and al-Azza r.c. (both nr. Bethlehem) at night. Those detained overnight include at least 5 mbrs. of the Palestinian parliament affiliated with Hamas. Right-wing Jewish extremists chop down 300 olive trees belonging to Palestinians nr. Hebron, leaving graffiti nearby reading ‘‘price tag’’ and ‘‘regards from Beersheba and Tel Aviv.’’ (MNA 11/22; MNA, ToI 11/23; PCHR 11/29)

The European Parliament passes a resolution expressing support for ‘‘Palestine’s bid to become a UN nonmember observer.’’ (EJP 11/22)

The Lebanese army disables a rocket aimed at Israel and say 2 others were fired but fell short of the border. No group claims responsibility. (REU 11/22)

Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza enters its 3d day, leaving another 11 Palestinians dead and bringing the Palestinian death toll since 11/14 to 30, around 1/3 civilians. Intense levels of Israeli air strikes continue, with 40 attacks before dawn and at least 200 overall during the day; reports estimate some 500 targets struck by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since the operation began. The IDF bombs Gaza’s Ministry of Interior building and the offices of Hamas’s acting PM Ismail Haniyeh. Palestinian armed groups fire a total of 190 rockets into Israel, including a rocket that lands in an open area nr. Gush Etzion settlement bloc s. of Jerusalem, causing no damage or injuries. The Israeli cabinet approves Israeli DM Ehud Barak’s requests to mobilize 75,000 reservists. Israel’s FM Avigdor Lieberman states that the 2 goals of the operation are to restore deterrence and destroy long-range missiles. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Palestinians hold demonstrations to protest the attack on Gaza, including a rally of hundreds of Hamas activists in Ramallah. IDF forces injure dozens of Palestinians in the solidarity protests, seriously wounding 1 man in Kafr Qaddum village nr. Qalqilya with a tear-gas canister to the head. (AP, HA, Guardian, JP, MNA 11/16)

Internationally, there is a mixture of support for Israel’s actions and caution regarding escalation. The U.S. Senate unanimously passes a resolution expressing support for Israel’s ‘‘right to act in self-defense.’’ UK foreign secretary William Hague warns Israel against staging a ground incursion into Gaza. Egyptian PM Hesham Kandil visits the Gaza Strip, during which time Israel temporarily stops its attacks. Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi condemns Israel’s operation and pledges Egyptian support for the Palestinians. Meanwhile, UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay condemns Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza as well as Palestinian rocket fire. (HA, Guardian, JP, MNA, REU 11/16)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, and 1 village nr. Ramallah, 2 villages nr. Salfit, and 1 village nr. Jericho at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Tulkarm in the afternoon, and in Hebron and 1 nearby village, and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night. Israeli soldiers violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals taking part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and land confiscations held in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Nabi Salih, Budrus), 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma‘sara), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). There are no serious injuries, except in Bil‘in, where 2 Palestinians are wounded by a tear-gas canister and rubber-coated steel bullet respectively, and in Kafr Qaddum, where 1 Palestinian is wounded by a tear-gas canister. (PCHR 11/22)

Egyptian security forces say that unidentified militants fire 3 rockets into Israel from the Sinai Peninsula nr. Rafah. No damage or injuries are reported. (MNA 11/16)

In Amman, Jordanian protests over rising fuel prices continue for a 4th day. Protesters clash with security forces, and a rally of several thousand passes off largely peacefully; chants include demands for the departure of King Abdallah II. (WP 11/16)

The IDF assassinates Hamas commander Ahmad Jabari and his bodyguard and separately kills 7 other Palestinians in a number of air strikes on military and civilian targets across the Gaza Strip, leaving around 90 wounded. The dead include 2 children and an elderly man. Code-named Operation Pillar of Cloud in Hebrew (a Torah reference) and renamed Operation Pillar of Defense for foreign audiences, the Israeli military attacks are described as the ‘‘beginning’’ of an effort to increase deterrence and remove Hamas’s rocketlaunching capabilities. The IQB warns that Israel has ‘‘opened the gates of hell’’ with Jabari’s assassination, and fires dozens of rockets and mortars into Israel. They are joined by the DFLP, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, and PRCs, all of whom claim responsibility for rocket and mortar fire. In total, over 90 projectiles hit Israel from the Gaza Strip, causing 4 injuries. The Iron Dome rocket-defense system intercepts 30 rockets. Overnight, the IDF undertakes air strikes on around 100 sites across the Gaza Strip. U.S. pres. Obama calls Israel PM Netanyahu to express his support for Israel’s military operation and the country’s right to selfdefense. Obama also calls Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi to stress the importance of de-escalation and to pledge to stay in close touch. Egypt strongly condemns Israel’s military assault, and UN secy.-gen. Ban Ki-moon calls for a cease-fire. The UNSC holds an emergency meeting but takes no action. (Guardian, REU 11/14; JP, MNA 11/15)

Unidentified assailants fire 4 rockets from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Israel, landing nr. an agricultural community and causing no injuries. (HA 11/14)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho in the morning, in 1 village nr. Salfit in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Balata r.c. and 1 village nr. Hebron at night. Palestinians across the West Bank demonstrate to mark the day before the 24th anniversary of the PLO’s declaration of independence, blocking roads nr. Bethlehem, Jericho, and Ramallah, and clashing with soldiers at checkpoints in Atara (nr. Ramallah) and Bethlehem. (AFP, PCHR 11/14)

Israeli DM Barak says that almost all the villages nr. the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are now controlled by the Syrian opposition. (AP 11/14)

On a 2d day of violent protests in Jordan against price hikes and in general opposition to King Abdullah’s regime, unidentified gunmen attack 2 police stations, and ensuing clashes leave 1 protester dead—the 1st fatality in Jordanian demonstrations in 2012. (AP 11/15)

Israeli naval vessels fire warning shots at Palestinian fishing boats off the c. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm and 2 villages in Ramallah in the morning; in 1 village each nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the afternoon; and in Jericho and 1 village nr. Jenin late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin, Nablus, Salfit, Tulkarm, and 1 village each nr. Hebron and Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Tekoa settlement nr. Bethlehem vandalize Palestinian homes in nearby Taqqua’ village; IDF troops observe but do not intervene. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that in the previous week: (1) Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem’s al-Tur neighborhood (marking the 1st residence demolished in East Jerusalem for 2 mos.) and ordered a Palestinian family to demolish an addition to their home; (2) the IDF removed a major roadblock on the main north–south road to Hebron, significantly reducing travel times between Hebron and 4 villages to the east; and (3) 2 Palestinians died and 4 (including a teenager) were injured in 4 smuggling tunnel accidents on the Rafah border. (PCHR 5/23; OCHA 5/25)

At the close of 2 days of talks in Tehran with Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, IAEA head Yukiya Amano announces that Iran has agreed in principle to provide the IAEA with access to Iran’s nuclear scientists and facilities, but it has not yet signed a formal statement to this effect. P5+1 nations (the 5 permanent UNSC members plus Germany) call the deal ‘‘a step in the right direction,’’ but say they will judge Iran by its actions. Israeli DM Ehud Barak comments: ‘‘It looks like the Iranians are trying to reach a technical agreement that will create a deception of progress in talks in order to reduce the pressure ahead of talks tomorrow in Baghdad and postpone harshening of sanctions.’’ (WP 5/23)

Thailand officially recognizes Palestine as an independent state, becoming the 131st country to do so. (NYT 1/21)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF detains Hamas-affiliated PC speaker ‘Aziz Dweik at Jaba’ checkpoint nr. Jerusalem, placing him in administrative detention; makes a late-night raid on Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform PC mbr. Khalid Thwaib’s home in Za’atara village nr. Bethlehem, arresting him and confiscating his computers, phone, and files. The IDF also conducts synchronized morning patrols in 2 villages n. of Jericho; conducts other daytime patrols in 3 villages nr Ramallah, 1 nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Jericho; conducts evening patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho; conducts late-night patrols in al-Bireh. (JP 1/19; WT 1/25; PCHR 1/26; OCHA 1/27)

The U.S.’s new Joint Chiefs of Staff head Gen. Martin Dempsey begins a 3-day visit to Israel for talks on Iran, regional security, and military-tomilitary strategic coordination. He will meet with PM Netanyahu, Pres. Shimon Peres, DM Barak, and senior IDF commanders. (NYT, WT 1/20; NYT, WP 1/21)

Pro-Israel groups (including the Anti-Defamation League [ADL] and American Jewish Committee [AJC]) publicly accuse the Center for American Progress (CAP; a Washington-based think tank seen as close to the Obama admin.) of “anti-Semitism,” citing several Twitter posts by CAP staffers to their private Twitter accounts referring to “Israel-firsters” (i.e., Americans who put Israel’s national interests before America’s) and accusing AIPAC of pushing the U.S. toward war with Iran. The ADL and AJC allege that the private Tweets are part of a “very troubling” pattern of “anti-Semitism and borderline anti-Semitism” at CAP. Former AIPAC spokesman Josh Block says that the pro-Israel groups went public with their complaints only after CAP officials ignored a compilation of CAP staffer’s writings and public statements that he quietly presented to them in 12/2011 that he said amounted to “outrageous vilification of pro-Israel Americans.” CAP says it is “baffled and appalled” by the charges. Some on the left of the pro-Israel spectrum, such as J Street, say the issue is overblown and they suspect that it is being brought forward now “to shut down needed policy debates,” cautioning groups such as the ADL and AJC to “tread lightly” with accusations of anti-Semitism or “people won’t take you seriously.”(WP 1/20)

Quartet officials open 2 days of meetings in Israel and Ramallah aimed at reviving peace talks. Palestinian advocacy groups note “a growing disconnect between the Quartet talks and the situation on the ground.” (NYT 12/14)

Jewish settlers take over several abandoned churches in a closed military zone nr. the Jordanian border to protest Jordan’s efforts to intervene with the Israeli government over its 12/12 closure of a footbridge used by nonMuslims to reach the Haram al-Sharif/ Temple Mount; IDF troops remove them and arrest 17. Other settlers block a main West Bank road and stone passing Palestinian vehicles. Later, about 50 Jewish settlers with inside information of IDF plans to remove the Mitzpe Yitzhar settlement outpost nr. Nablus that evening attempt to prevent the evacuation by breaking into an IDF base in the West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing vehicles, clashing with troops, and stoning a senior officer; troops detain 2. PM Netanyahu vows to “act aggressively against those harming Israeli soldiers and their commanders”; DM Ehud Barak condemns both incidents as “home-grown terror.” Late at night, Jewish settler youths enter Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb, but they do so without the usual coordination with and escort of the IDF and deface a mosque. Meanwhile, IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence e. of Bureij r.c., firing on surrounding areas to keep Palestinians away, wounding a farmer working his field nearby. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian and international activists staging a nonviolent protest march to the border nr. Bayt Hanun to protests Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone, causing no injuries; also fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the demolished Erez industrial zone, wounding a 14-yr.-old boy. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a latenight raid on the home of Change and Reform PC mbr. Ayman Daraghmeh, arresting him (making him the 24th Hamas-affiliated PC mbr. now in detention); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit. (NYT, WP, WT 12/14; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16; JPI 12/23)

The PA Tourism Min. launches a campaign in Bethlehem coinciding with Christmas called “Palestine Celebrating Hope.” Tourism M Kholoud Daibes says the intention is to convey to the estimated 50,000 foreigners visiting Bethlehem for Christmas “that we have hope of having our own independent state, and we need international support for that.” The initiative includes special tours of the separation wall around Bethlehem and free postcards of the Church of the Nativity, which tourists can mail at the Manger Square post office with Palestinian stamps. (WT 12/14)

Abbas tells a group of 20 left-leaning Israeli intellectuals that the Palestinians want above all to resume negotiations, stating that “no matter what happens at the [UN], we have to return to negotiations,” but also that even if there is a last-minute deal to resume talks, the UN bid will proceed. He confirms that in recent months he met 3 times secretly with Israeli pres. Shimon Peres in Amman, London, and Rome to discuss reviving talks. He also reveals that he met secretly on 8/27/11 with Israeli DM Ehud Barak, who asked him to drop the statehood bid. (NYT 9/6; WJW 9/8; OCHA 9/9)

The IDF carries out an air strike on a house in Nussayrat r.c. in c. Gaza, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian woman. 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 morning house searches in Sirris village nr. Jenin, summoning several Palestinians for interrogation; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya and Ramallah (arresting Hamas-affiliate PC mbr. Muhammad Abu Tair). The IDF razes 3 buildings in Migron outpost, ordered removed by Israel’s High Court; settlers scuffle with the IDF, which arrests 6. Soon after, Jewish settlers set fire to a mosque in a nearby Palestinian village and spray graffiti saying “Migron.” In other apparent reprisals, Jewish settlers fr. Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem pump wastewater on agricultural lands in nearby Husan and Nahalin villages, damaging 100s of trees and crops; Jewish settlers vandalize a Palestinian home in Hebron; Jewish settlers fr. Shilo settlement set up a roadblock on the Nablus–Ramallah road and stone passing vehicles, seriously damaging 1 car and injuring 1 Palestinian; Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim settlement stone Palestinian vehicles on the Qalqilya– Nablus road, causing light damage but no injuries. In addition, Jewish settlers accompanied by IDF soldiers and border police uproot 88 trees on confiscated Palestinian land in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem. (NYT, WP 9/6; PCHR 9/8)

The IDF makes air strikes on smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border, killing 2 Palestinians and trapping at least 11 others (who are freed and hospitalized). IDF tanks on the s. Gaza border nr. the Dahaniyya airport site fire on and injure a Popular Resistance Comm. mbr. monitoring IDF movements along the border. Meanwhile, Israeli DM Barak authorizes the export of palm fronds fr. Gaza for use in Jewish Sukkoth celebrations because Egyptian suppliers are overcharging (JP 9/30; PCHR 10/1; OCHA 10/2; JPI, OCHA 10/8)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, and in Tulkarm, arresting 8 Palestinians (including 1 teenager) and summoning 1 mbr. of the Bil‘in Public Committee Against the Wall and Settlement for interrogation; issues demolition orders for 6 Palestinian homes in Azun that allegedly provided cover for stone-throwing Palestinian youths. Unidentified Palestinians shoot at a Jewish settler vehicle outside Kida settlement n. of Jerusalem, wounding the driver, who is airlifted to a hospital in Jerusalem; stone Israeli vehicles traveling nr. Bethlehem, damaging at least 1 car. (PCHR 10/1; JPI 10/8)

In Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli security forces arrest at least 50 Palestinians in search and arrest operations targeting those who participated in riots on 9/27. (OCHA 10/2)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes escalate to their highest point in recent wks. after the IDF assassinates Force 17 cmdr. Massud Ayyad, firing 4 air-to-surface rockets at his car as he drove through Jabaliyya. Israel claims Ayyad led a Gaza-based cell of Hizballah, which it asserts has been ordered by Iran to take up operations in the West Bank, Gaza. Barak, who personally ordered the assassination, publicly congratulates the IDF. A 2d Palestinian, 14 yrs. old, is fatally shot in a separate incident. Hot spots are in Bethlehem, Gaza, Hebron, Ramallah. The IDF orders 4 schools in al-Khadir shut for 2 wks.; bulldozes 5,000 dunams of Palestinian agricultural land in Halhul; directs shells, heavy machine gun fire on residential areas of Bayt Sahur (damaging the YMCA), al-Bireh, Khan Yunis, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers place caravans on Palestinian land nr. Surayf. (AP, LAW, REU 2/13; NYT, WP, WT 2/14; MENA 2/14 in WNC 2/15; NYT 2/15)

The U.S. criticizes Israel's "targeted killing" of Ayyad, saying it causes a serious deterioration in the security situation. (NYT 2/15)

Sharon's top foreign policy advisers Moshe Arens (fmr. DM), Dore Gold (fmr. amb. to the UN), Zalman Shoval (fmr. amb. to the U.S.) arrive in Washington to meet with officials fr. the White House, State Dept., Congress. (SA 2/13 in WNC 2/14; NYT 2/14, 2/15)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. 1 Palestinian is shot dead by the IDF at Erez crossing. A 2d Palestinian, suspected of aiding the Ubayyat assassination on 11/9, is shot dead by a Palestinian gunman. A 3d Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. 2 Egyptians are wounded by Israeli gunfire at the Rafah border. The convoy of UNHRC Robinson is fired on as she tours Hebron's Jewish enclave, damaging 1 vehicle. IDF tank fire, shelling are reported in and around Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur, Bethlehem, Jericho, al-Khadir, Ramallah; the Jericho casino is severely damaged. In Gaza, several roadside bombs explode, causing no injuries; a Jewish settler opens fire on Palestinians, wounding 1. (AFP [Internet] 11/12; HA [Internet], NYT, WP, WT 11/13; MM 11/15)

The Clinton-Barak mtg. in Washington is delayed several hrs. when a Russian plane is hijacked to Israel in an incident unrelated to the Middle East crisis. When the pair finally meet, they make no progress toward halting the violence. Barak reportedly tells Clinton that Israel will not "sit idly on its hands" in the face of Palestinian actions, complains that the PA is trying to internationalize the conflict by getting the UN involved. Barak also raises the issues of supplemental U.S. aid, upgrading the U.S.-Israeli strategic relationship. (NYT, WP, WT 11/12; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/13; HJ 11/14 in WNC 11/16; MM 11/15)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes intensify after funerals for Palestinians killed on 10/29, the discovery in East Jerusalem of the body of a Jewish settler, and the fatal shooting of 2 guards outside an Israeli government building in East Jerusalem. In retaliation, Barak orders missile strikes on Fatah offices and Force 17 buildings in al-Bireh, Khan Yunis, and Nablus, destroying them, damaging an adjacent Samaritan synagogue and at least 1 home. Israel warns it will send commandos to hunt down Palestinians firing on troops fr. behind crowds of stone throwers. During the day, at least 2 Palestinians are killed, 40 are injured; a 3d dies of injuries received earlier; a 4th, seriously ill, dies when IDF detains his ambulance at a checkpoint. The main hot spots are around Jericho, Nablus, Ramallah (where the IDF reportedly uses grenade launchers), Tulkarm. Nr. Rafah, the IDF clears 100 dunams of Palestinian land, digs a trench across the main road to Gaza City. Armed Jewish settlers fire on Palestinian homes, schools in Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm. Settlers also throw stones at Palestinian cars on the Ramallah-Nablus road, nr. Hebron; uproot Palestinian groves nr. Itzhar settlement, shooting and wounding a Palestinian who tries to stop them. (ADM, LAW, MEZ, MM 10/30; International Herald Tribune, LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/31; HA [Internet], NYT, WP 11/1; AIC 11/2; JT 11/3 in WNC 11/6; MEI 11/10)

The Knesset reconvenes after a 3-mo. recess. The session is calmer than expected due to the agmt. Barak reached with Shas on 10/29. (MM, NYT 10/30; MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/31; AYM 10/31 in WNC 11/1)

Israel-Palestinian clashes escalate to the highest point in 2 wks., leaving 10 Palestinians dead, some 400 wounded. Barak vows to halt the peace process officially on 10/23 if the violence has not ceased by the end of the 10/21-22 Arab League mtg. Israel again restricts Palestinian access to Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. The IDF fire shells fr. helicopter gunships and tanks, bars ambulances fr. reaching the injured, fires on at least 1 ambulance. The most severe clashes are around Nablus, Ramallah. Nr. Ma'ale Amos settlement nr. Bethlehem, armed Jewish settlers prevent Palestinian farmers fr. harvesting their crops. In Bayt Sahur, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home. (ADM, MM, NYT 10/20; HA [Internet], NYT, WP, WT 10/21; MEI 10/27)

IDF troops fatally shoot 1 man, possibly 2, attempting to sneak across the blue line fr. Lebanon. (NYT, WT 10/22; MM 10/23; MEI 10/27)

Demonstrations in support of the Palestinians are reported in Bahrain, Lebanon, Pakistan. In the U.S., similar rallies are held in Chicago, Omaha, Memphis, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco. (Newsday [Internet] 10/21; Bahrain Freedom Movement press release 10/25)

The UNGA passes (92-6, with 46 abstentions) a resolution condemning Israel's "excessive use of force" against Palestinians. (WT 10/20; NYT, WP, WT 10/21; ANSA 10/25 in WNC 10/30; ANSA 11/7 in WNC 11/9; Hurriyet 11/9 in WNC 11/13)

After several more hrs. of talks among Arafat, Barak, Clinton, Mubarak, King Abdallah, Annan, and Solana, Clinton announces that Arafat, Barak have agreed on steps toward halting the clashes. No details are released. The agmts. are oral and reportedly are vague, not giving an order of who is to take what step 1st. The sides agree that Clinton will appoint an international inquiry comm. to investigate the recent clashes. The U.S. for the 1st time acknowledges that Arafat "may not have control of everything" but still says it expects a cessation of violence "within hours." (AFP [Internet], MM, REU 10/17; ATL, Interfax, MENA, RL 10/17 in WNC 10/18; LAW, NYT, WP, WT, YA 10/18; JT, al-Quds, SA 10/18, Le Monde 10/19 in WNC 10/19; WJW 10/19; JP 10/20; MEI 10/27; MA 11/6 in WNC 11/9)

Meanwhile, Israeli-Palestinian clashes escalate. Nr. Itamar settlement, Jewish settlers open fire on a Palestinian family harvesting their olive crop, killing 1, wounding 3. A PA policeman is killed by IDF fire in Gaza. A 3d Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. Palestinian gunmen fire at Gilo settlement, critically wounding an Israeli border policeman. IDF tanks fire on the neighboring Palestinian village of Bayt Jala in retaliation. Settlers fr. Itamar fire on Palestinian homes in neighboring Hawara village, attack a Palestinian ambulance driver. (ADM, LAW, MM, PCHR, REU 10/17; MENA 10/17, al-Quds 10/18, MA 10/19 in WNC 10/19; ADM, Bahrain Tribune [Internet], CSM, HA [Internet], LAW, NYT, WP, WT 10/18; WJW 10/19; HJ 10/24, MENA 10/25 in WNC 10/30)

Hamas's Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti say their supporters will continue the uprising despite the Sharm agmts. The DFLP, Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issue similar statements. Palestinians in Bethlehem, Gaza City, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah demonstrate against the Sharm mtg. 1,000s of Egyptian students in Cairo, 7,000 Palestinian refugees in Tripoli, Lebanon, hold similar demonstrations. A rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people is held in New York. (ADM, LAW, MM, PCHR, REU 10/17; RMC 10/17 in WNC 10/18; MENA 10/17, al-Quds 10/18, MA 10/19 in WNC 10/19; ADM, Bahrain Tribune [Internet], CSM, HA [Internet], LAW, NYT, WP, WT 10/18; WJW 10/19; HJ 10/24, MENA 10/25 in WNC 10/30)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes escalate again. In Ramallah, 2 IDF reservists--"at least partially in uniform," driving a private vehicle, most likely armed--stray deep into area A, cross paths with a funeral procession. The crowd, assuming the soldiers are on an undercover operation, attack them and set their car afire. (Some reports say a body burned beyond recognition, possibly a 3d IDF soldier, is found in the vehicle.) PA police intervene and take the 2 reservists into protective custody, removing them to a nearby police station. When news of the incident spreads, 1,000s of Palestinians descend on the station (manned by 21 officers), break in, and kill the soldiers, injuring 15 policemen in the process. Declaring that the PA has "crossed the line," Barak seals borders with Egypt and Jordan, authorizes IDF air strikes against Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah and Gaza, the Palestinian Broadcasting Center in Ramallah, the Gaza port, various PA police stations, including those in Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. When the strikes occur, Arafat is in his Gaza office waiting for CIA Dir. Tenet to arrive to discuss the possibility of convening the U.S.-Israeli-PA trilateral security comm. (formed in 1998) to explore ways of halting the violence. Neither Arafat nor Tenet is injured, but 43 Palestinians are wounded. In Gaza City, Palestinians pack belongings into cars, prepare to flee. In Jericho, Palestinians set fire to a 6th-century synagogue. Jewish settlers attack, fire on Palestinian cars nr. Bethlehem, Jinin. In retaliation, IDF helicopters fire rockets at the PA police academy in Jericho. During the Israeli air strikes, the PA releases around 60 Hamas, Islamic Jihad prisoners for their safety. (ADM, AP, LAW, MM, NYT 10/12; ATL, AYM, IRNA, LPA, MENA, XIN 10/12 in WNC 10/13; MENA, XIN 10/12, SA 10/13 in WNC 10/16; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/13; WP, WT 10/14; MENA 10/16 in WNC 10/17; WJW 10/19; JP 10/20; MEI 10/27; MA 11/6 in WNC 11/9)

In Yemen's port of Aden, a small, explosive-laden boat rams the USS Cole, an Aegis destroyer in port for refueling, killing 17 U.S. servicemen, injuring 35. (AP, MM 10/12; AFP [Internet], CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/13; NYT, WP, WT 10/14, 10/15, 10/16; MEI 10/27)

In the U.S., the primary concern of the public, government, and media is the attack on the USS Cole, while Israel's attacks on the Palestinian infrastructure, PA offices are viewed as a limited military response to the death of Israeli soldiers in PA custody, if not at the hands of the PA. Clinton, Albright express outrage over the murder, call on both sides to halt the violence. Clinton says he appreciates Palestinian frustration, but "there can be no possible justification for mob violence." 96 senators send Clinton a letter urging him to express solidarity with Israel "at this critical moment." (NYT, WP, WT 10/13; MEI, MM 10/27; MEI 11/10) (see Doc. D4)

Mubarak invites Arafat, Barak, Clinton to Sharm al-Shaykh for a summit. Mubarak also meets with King Abdallah of Jordan on the escalating crisis, upcoming Arab summit. (MENA 10/12 in WNC 10/13; MM, NYT, WP 10/13)

In Biarritz, France, Pres. Chirac convenes an emergency EU mtg. to discuss the escalation of Israeli-Palestinian violence, implores both sides to halt the fighting. (MM 10/13; AFP, EFE [Madrid] 10/13 in WNC 10/16; WP 10/14; SA 10/15 in WNC 10/17)

UN Secy.-Gen. Annan, in Lebanon to discuss the Hizballah kidnapping of 3 IDF soldiers, cuts short his visit, returns to Israel to try to calm the situation. (WP 10/13)

The Arab League denounces the Israel air strikes, warns that "all options" are open to the Arab world if the escalation continues. In Cairo, angry crowds march through the streets demanding Egypt take military action against Israel. In Beirut, demonstrations break out on university campuses. Elsewhere in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria--including in the Palestinian camps--the streets are quiet; the governments release no official statements on events but heighten visibility of police, military. Anti-Israeli, anti-U.S. demonstrations are noted in Indonesia, South Africa. In the U.S., demonstrations are held in Boston, Dearborn, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Raleigh, San Diego, Washington. In France, numerous acts of anti-Jewish vandalism, including attacks on synagogues, are noted in Lille, Paris, Rouen. (AP 10/12; AFP [Internet], WP 10/13; JT 10/13 in WNC 10/16; WP 10/14)

At the UN, U.S. Amb. Holbrooke warns Arab, nonaligned diplomats they may "jeopardize" relations with the U.S. if they push for a special session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to censure Israel, for a UNSC res. calling on Israel to cease hostilities. (TT 10/12 in WNC 10/13; MM 10/13; NYT, WP 10/14)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue for the 13th straight day, leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 185 injured. The most severe exchanges are outside Nablus, where a mosque is torched, allegedly by Jewish settlers, and Palestinians throw stones a funeral procession for a Jewish settler. IDF troops and helicopters escorting the funeral procession respond with gunfire, call in extra attack helicopters, tanks. The riot degenerates into a gunfight btwn. the PA police and IDF and armed Jewish settlers. The IDF also deploys attack helicopters against Palestinian gunmen nr. Bethlehem. In Hebron, 1 IDF soldier is shot, seriously wounded. Israeli border police prevent an ambulance fr. taking 4 seriously wounded Palestinians into Jordan for treatment. (ADM, LAW, REU 10/11; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/12; JT 10/12 in WNC 10/16; JT 11/9 in WNC 11/13)

International mediation efforts continue. UN Sec.-Gen. Annan extends his stay in Israel to meet again with Arafat, Barak. British FM Robin Cook, Russian FM Ivanov, the EU's Solana, Norwegian FM Thorbjoern Jagland also meet with Barak, Arafat. Solana then holds talks with Mubarak in Cairo, King Abdallah in Amman. Russian FM Ivanov goes to Damascus to meet with Syrian pres. Asad, FM Shara`. Mubarak phones Arafat, King Abdallah; receives calls fr. Annan, Turkish pres. Ahmet Necdet Sezer. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS, LPA, MENA 10/11 in WNC 10/12; MENA 10/11, ATL, LPA, al-Safir 10/12 in WNC 10/13; WP, WT 10/12)

Barak, Dep. DM Sneh present the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Comm. with a detailed "disengagement plan" to be implemented if Israel determines that the peace process has totally collapsed. (MM, YA 10/12)

In Ramallah, 1,000s of Palestinians take part in a candle-light vigil calling for a halt to the violence. In the U.S., rallies in solidarity with the Palestinians are held in Kalamazoo, New York. (ADM, LAW, REU 10/11)

In Paris, U.S. Secy. of State Albright, CIA Dir. Tenet meet with Arafat, Barak. After 12 hrs. of talks, joined at times by UN Secy.-Gen. Annan and French pres. Chirac, the sides reach an arrangement under which Barak agrees to withdraw troops to their positions before 9/28, Arafat agrees to try to curb Palestinian rioting, both sides agree to keep people away fr. 3 hot spots (Netzarim Junction in Gaza, Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, and the "circle area" nr. Ramallah). The U.S. had hoped Arafat and Barak would sign a document outlining the agmts., but the Arafat would do so only if the text included provisions for an international inquiry, which Barak rejected. After the mtg. Albright, Arafat leave for Sharm al-Shaykh. Barak returns to Israel, saying there no point in meeting with Mubarak. (MM, REU 10/4; AFP, ATL, Interfax, IRNA, ITAR-TASS, MENA, Yonhap [Seoul] 10/4, AFP, IDF Radio, Interfax, JT, MA, MENA, al-Quds, SA, VOI 10/5 in WNC 10/6; AP, CSM, LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/5; Arab News 10/5, AYM, HJ, MENA 10/6, SA 10/7, MENA 10/9 in WNC 10/10; MM, WP 10/6; AYM, Le Monde 10/11 in WNC 10/12; MM, WP 10/12; JP, MEI 10/13)

Meanwhile, Palestinian-Israeli clashes continue in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel, leaving 9 Palestinians dead, 10s wounded; 2 Palestinians die of wounds received earlier. An Israeli Arab is killed in a clash Israeli police in Kefar Manda in the Galilee. The IDF eases open-fire regulations, permitting soldiers to fire on any vehicles approaching checkpoints and continues to use heavy weapons, but overall the fighting is less intense than in previous days. The most serious clashes are nr. Bethlehem, Jaffa, Nablus, Netzarim Junction. (MM 10/4; ANSA, IRNA 10/4 in WNC 10/6; LAW, NYT, WP, WT 10/5; HJ, Daily Star 10/5 in WNC 10/10; MM 10/9)

Protests against Israel's actions are held in Damascus, where 1,000s of students demonstrate outside the U.S. emb.; in Cairo, where 1,500 students demonstrate outside the Israeli emb.; and in Amman, where riot police fire tear gas to disperse 800 protesters marching toward the Israeli emb., injuring 62. In Copenhagen, 5,000 attend a Palestinian solidarity rally. Smaller rallies are staged in Istanbul, London, Rome. In the U.S. demonstrations are staged in Dearborn, Detroit, Madison, Miami, New Haven, Portland. (MENA 10/4 in WNC 10/5; ATL 10/4, JT 10/5 in WNC 10/6; MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/5; MENA 10/5, HJ 10/6 in WNC 10/10; MENL 10/11)

The PA releases 12 Hamas political prisoners who had been held without charge in PA jails. Israel says the PA is giving a "green light for terrorism." (HJ 10/5 in WNC 10/6; WP 10/6)

The PC convenes an emergency session in Ramallah, denounces Israel's aggression, calls for an Arab summit. (WP 10/5)

Citing "compelling national security interests," the State Dept. sends Amb. Indyk back to Israel to maintain contact with Israeli officials during the clashes. (WT 10/5) (see 9/22)