The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers from the Neve Daniel and Elazar settlements sprayed pesticides on 140 olive saplings in al-Khader, destroying the young trees. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Tubas, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also installed a metal gate at the entrance to Jabal al-Fardi east of Bethlehem, restricting the movement of Palestinians. 4 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 during late-night raids in and around Bani Na‘im and Hebron, and 1 was arrested at a checkpoint near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces used skunk water and stun grenades to disperse Palestinian protesters in Sheikh Jarrah; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/31; PCHR 8/5)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 11-year-old boy near Beit Umar who was sitting in his father’s car; according to the family, the child’s father decided to turn his car around after seeing a flying checkpoint near the city, when the Israeli forces fired 13 bullets at the car. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Evyatar settlement outpost, injuring 8 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered demolition orders against 1 water well and 1 agricultural structure in al-Fakheit in the Masafer Yatta area. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jenin refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces razed land and demolished 1 agricultural structure in al-Tur. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. (AA, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/28; AA, MEE, MEE, PCHR 7/29; MEMO, WAFA 7/30; HA 8/3; AA, WAFA 8/4; MEE 8/5; HA 8/8)

The Israeli ministry of defense said it had informed the PA that it would increase the number of work permits for Palestinians by 16,000. 15,000 of the permits would be for construction work and 1,000 would be for work in hospitality. The Israeli government would still need a final approval for the increase. (MEMO, TOI 7/28)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with EU envoy for the Middle East peace process Sven Koopmans in Ramallah, where he called for a revival of the peace process under the auspices of the Quartet on the Middle East. Envoy Koopmans also met with PA foreign minister Riyad Maliki and head of the civil affairs authority Hussein al-Sheikh. (WAFA 7/28; MEMO 7/29)

PA health minister and head of the PA environmental quality authority Mai al-Kaila and Jamil Matour met with the Israeli health and environmental protection ministers Nitzan Horowitz and Tamar Zandberg, both of the Meretz (Vigor) party, in Jerusalem to discuss cooperation on health and environmental issues. The agreements reached included direct ambulance service from Gaza to the West Bank via the Beit Hanun crossing, easing restrictions on Palestinian medical teams accessing East Jerusalem and Area C, and for Israel to accept vaccination certificates produced by the PA. The meeting was arranged by Israel’s minister of regional cooperation Issawi Frej upon the request of the U.S. The last time PA and Israeli ministers met was in 2018 when PA prime minister Rami Hamdallah met with Israeli finance minister Moshe Kahlon. (HA 8/28; MEMO 7/29; ALM 8/5)

Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz visited the French defense minister Florence Parly in Paris to relay Israeli findings in regards to the news that the Israeli company NSO Group’s spyware Pegasus had been used to spy on French President Emmanuel Macron’s phone. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 7/27; REU 7/28; ALM, MEMO, MEMO 7/29)

In a briefing at the UN security council, the deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Lynn Hastings said that the UNRWA was facing “an imminent cash flow crisis” amounting to $100 million. Deputy Special Coordinator Hastings also called for Israel to ease restrictions on the entry of goods and people into Gaza. (MEMO 7/28; MEMO, WAFA 7/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort toured Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus; 5 Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets and others by tear gas as Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the incursion. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 41-year-old Palestinian plumber who was returning home from work near Beita; the Israeli military said it would investigate why the man was killed as Israeli forces initially reported that he was advancing toward Israeli soldiers with an iron bar. Israeli forces subsequently injured 1 with live ammunition, 19 with rubber-coated bullets, and 72 with tear gas as they violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the killing of the man. Israeli forces also violently dispersed a protest in ‘Ain al-Hilweh against the creation of a settlement outpost, injuring 4 with pepper spray, and 1 was arrested. 3 others were arrested during late-night raids in Beit Fajjar and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian started demolishing part of his house in al-Tur. 3 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City and Sheikh Jarrah. (REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/27; AJ, ALM, AP, HA, MEE, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 7/28; PCHR 7/29; HA 8/6)

The AP reported that PA president Mahmoud Abbas had fired the director of Ramallah’s national library Ehab Bseiso on 6/27 because of Bseiso’s criticism of the killing of Nizar Banat by PA forces on 6/24. PA forces also shut the office of J-Media in Ramallah. The director of J-Media Alaa al-Rimawi was previously arrested by PA forces after he gave a sermon at Banat’s funeral. (HA 7/27; MEMO, MEMO 7/28)

The Jerusalem Post reported that the Israeli government will not evict Palestinians living in Sheikh Jarrah for the time being if the high court of justice rules the evictions permissible on 8/2. According to a government official, the government is concerned about the optics given the international campaign and general opposition to the forced expulsions of Palestinians from East Jerusalem and the potential for causing a situation akin to the escalation of tensions between Gaza and Israel in May. (JP 7/27; MEMO 7/28)

The Knesset approved an amendment to the Basic Law of Government allowing the 2 government leaders Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid to rotate the prime minister position amongst them during the government’s 4-year term. (HA 7/28)

Iranian officials claimed that Iran had arrested members of a Mossad cell and seized weapons it had stored to allegedly use against Iranian forces during protests over water shortages in Iran. (ALM, HA 7/27; MEMO 7/28)

The U.S. arms company Lockheed Martin and the Israeli Rafael Advanced Defense Systems announced an agreement in principle to develop a laser air defense system to combat rockets. (JP 7/27; ALM 7/28)

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) released an investigation into Israel’s Operation Guardian of the Walls from May, in which the organization found that Israel committed war crimes. The investigation focused on 3 specific Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in which 62 were killed, the majority children. The HRW concluded that there were no military targets at or near the attacked areas, despite Israeli claims. HRW also concluded that Israel used U.S.-made munitions in at least 2 of the 3 attacks it investigated. HRW said it would release a report on potential war crimes committed by Palestinian militant groups in August. (AJ, AP, BBC, HA, HRW, MEE, WAFA 7/27)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stormed Burin, throwing stones at Palestinian homes, causing damage. Israeli forces demolished a blacksmith shop, a carpentry shop, a car repair shop, a car wash, and a food store in Haris, an agricultural pond near Bardala, and 1 wall in Bani Na‘im. Israeli forces also seized 1 caravan serving as a medical clinic east of Yatta. 5 Palestinians were arrested, including 4 during late-night raids in Hebron and Jenin and 1 at a checkpoint in near the Gush Etzion settlement bloc; during the raids in Jenin, Israeli forces shot and injured, with live ammunition, 6 Palestinians protesting the incursion. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinian families demolished their own homes in Silwan and Jabal Mukaber. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a house raid in Isawiya. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/12; WAFA 7/13; PCHR 7/15)

Israel expanded the Gaza fishing zone from 9 to 12 nautical miles at its widest area, allowed medical equipment, fishing gear and raw materials for industry use to enter Gaza, and allowed textile exports from Gaza to Israel. (HA 7/12)

Israel prevented the political prisoner Khalida Jarrar from attending her daughter’s funeral after appeals from different parts of Palestinian and Israeli society, including 2 Palestinian-Israeli lawmakers in the Knesset. Jarrar’s daughter died of cardiac arrest in her apartment. (AJ, HA, MEE 7/12; AJ, MEMO, WAFA 7/13; HA 7/19)

Israel’s foreign minister Yair Lapid met with 26 foreign ministers from EU countries in Brussels. During the meeting, Foreign Minister Lapid told his EU counterparts that he supports a 2-state solution but that he believes it is unfeasible. Lapid also said that he is for improving the lives of Palestinians by building their economy. EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell said that “Israel needs to revive a path towards peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians.” (ALM, HA, MEE 7/12; MEMO, WAFA 7/13)

Former Jordanian finance minister and royal court official Bassem Awadallah and Sharif Hasan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, were sentenced to 15 years in prison for sedition and incitement against the Jordanian king Abdullah II. Both were arrested along with 16 others on 4/3, who were later released. (AJ, MEE, REU, WP 7/12)

China contributed $1 million to the UNRWA emergency appeal for humanitarian aid to Gaza. (WAFA 7/12)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 27 residential and agricultural structures in Khirbet Humsa and forced the bedouin village’s residents to leave the area; the demolitions displaced 70 people. Israeli forces also raided the headquarters of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, seizing computers and other office equipment and ordering the building closed for 6 months. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Ni‘lin, Deir Abu Mash‘al, Birzeit, Nablus, Jenin, and Dura; 1 of the arrested was the director of Health Work Committees Shatha Odeh, who also had her car seized. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions east of al-Qarara. In Israel, Israeli forces demolished the bedouin community in al-Araqeeb for the 190th time since 2010. (AJ, AP, B’Tselem, HA, MEMO, MEMO, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/7; MEE, MEE, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 7/8; WAFA 7/9)

The founder of PFLP-GC Ahmed Jibril died of natural causes in a hospital in Damascus at the age of 83. (AP, HA, REU 7/7; MEMO 7/8 AP, IN 7/9; NYT 7/13)

Isaac Herzog was sworn in as the new president of Israel. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, REU 7/7; ALM 7/8)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Yatta, assaulting 2 Palestinians and damaging water pipes. Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders for 2 agricultural structures in al-Walaja. 14 Palestinians were arrested in and around al-Arroub refugee camp, Dar Salah, Qusin, Rujeib, Beita, Abu Dis, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished 1 warehouse, 1 barrack, and 1 fence in Sur Baher. 1 Palestinian family started demolishing their own home in Beit Safafa and 1 Palestinian family started demolishing their own home in Sheikh Jarrah. (WAFA, WAFA 7/1; PCHR 7/8)

The Israeli government and settlers in the settlement outpost Evyatar agreed to a compromise where the settlers would leave the outpost in exchange for Israel establishing a military post there, re-examine if Israel can legalize the outpost allowing the Israeli settlers to return, while leaving all structures intact. Palestinians from nearby Beita and Yatma have protested near the settlement outpost on a near-daily basis since it was established on 5/3. The Palestinian owners of the land had petitioned the Israeli attorney general not to allow the compromise deal between the Israeli government and the settlers. Israeli forces have killed 4 Palestinians protesting the settlement outpost and injured many others since it was created. (HA 6/25; MEMO 6/29; AJ, HA, REU 6/30; HA 7/1; ALM, HA 7/2)

The PA justice minister Mohammed al-Shalaldeh said the medical report about the death of Nizar Banat on 6/24 confirmed that he was subject to physical violence before his death. Banat died shortly after being arrested by PA security forces at his home; he was said to have been beaten by the forces with metal rods. Banat’s family called his death an assassination by the PA forces in order to quell his critique of the PA government. (AJ 7/1)

The UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet criticized the violent PA response to Palestinian protests since the killing of Nizar Banat on 6/24. Commissioner Bachelet urged the PA to ensure the safety of protesters after they had been beaten with batons and PA forces in civilian clothing had attacked them. (HA 7/1)