The Palestine Chronology

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF opens fire on Palestinians nr. Dayr al-Balah, seriously wounding 2. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah and 3 villages nr. Qalqilya in the morning, in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, and in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Ramallah, and 1 village nr. Jenin at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, and 1 village each nr. Hebron and Jenin at night. (AP 12/23; PCHR 12/27)

Israeli PM Netanyahu and DM Barak receive a briefing from the IDF’s Central Command regarding what the army describes as a recent ‘‘escalation of Palestinian violence’’ in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. (JP 12/23)

Turkey lifts its veto of military cooperation between Israel and NATO, which began in the aftermath of Israel’s attack on the Gaza flotilla in 2010. (JP, ToI 12/23)

The European Parliament passes a resolution stating that Israel’s plan to build 3,000 new settlement housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem would make a two-state solution impossible. (Europarl 12/13)

Palestinian pres. Abbas criticizes Hamas leader Mishal’s 12/8 statements on Palestine ‘‘from the river to the sea,’’ emphasizing that ‘‘we recognized Israel in 1993’’ and that Mishal previously approved an agreement between Hamas and Fatah to pursue a two-state solution. Later, Tzipi Livni telephones Abbas to congratulate him for criticizing Mishal. Meanwhile, thousands of Hamas supporters gather in Nablus to celebrate the movement’s 25th anniversary, marking the 1st Hamas rally of its kind permitted by the PA since 2007; some senior Fatah officials attend. (HA, MNA 12/13)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF opens fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal close to the border fence nr. Dayr alBalah, wounding 5. In the West Bank, the IDF opens fire on Palestinians protesting in Hebron over the IDF’s killing of a teenager on 12/12; in total, dozens receive medical attention, including 21 Palestinians wounded by rubbercoated steel bullets. The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron at night. (MNA 12/13; PCHR 12/20)

Palestinian protesters march in Ramallah, calling for the end of the Paris Protocol and against the Oslo accords, in a continuation of the show of anger against rising living costs in the West Bank. PA PM Salam Fayyad announces an emergency economic package, including cancelling recent price rises for fuel and cooking gas and a VAT cut. A senior Palestinian trade union official describes the measures as insufficient. Fayyad also calls on donor countries to increase aid to the PA. (Guardian, MNA 9/11)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF levels land by the border fence nr. al-Bureij r.c. and Dayr al-Balah in the morning; opens fire from border positions nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries, at night. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jenin, 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the morning; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Ramallah, 1 village nr. Hebron, and 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night. (PCHR 9/13)

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney announces plans for a 2-day visit to Israel before he formally accepts the Republican nomination. He plans to meet with Israeli PM Netanyahu, PA PM Salam Fayyad, U.S. amb. to Israel Daniel Shapiro, and leaders of Israel’s Labor party. He has visited Israel 3 times previously, most recently in 1/2011. (NYT, WP 7/3)

An Israeli drone makes a predawn air strike on a Palestinian rocket-firing team nr. Dayr al-Balah, missing them and causing no injuries, but damaging 2 homes. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya during the day; raids and searches a Palestinian home nr. Jenin in the afternoon; and conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm, and nr. Bethlehem and Qalqilya. (PCHR 7/5; OCHA 7/13)

Hamas authorities suspend the CEC’s work a day before voter registration is scheduled to open across Gaza, accusing Fatah authorities of having intimidated Hamas supporters in the West Bank to keep them from registering there. Fatah spokesman Fayiz Abu Aita calls the Hamas action a ‘‘suspension of the reconciliation process.’’ (NYT 7/3)

In Israel, public debate intensifies regarding a 2/2012 High Court decision to order the 2002 Tal Law, exempting ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military service, to expire on 7/31 and to move toward a universal draft. Fearing a coalition split over the issue, Israeli PM Netanyahu disbands a committee he had charged with forming the new policy on national military service. Instead, he orders the leaders of the parties in his coalition to draft the policy proposal, stating that if no agreement can be reached by 7/31, he will instruct the IDF to ‘‘draft according to its needs’’ but take ‘‘into consideration the various publics so as to prevent a rift in the nation.’’ Kadima head Mofaz, who joined the coalition based on a pledge by Netanyahu to move toward a universal draft, calls the move a ‘‘crass’’ violation of their coalition agreement. (NYT 7/3; WT 7/4; WP 7/5)

Overnight, Palestinians fire about 20 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel in retaliation for the Qaissi assassination on 3/9, injuring 3 Israelis (1 seriously); and Israel responds with at least 10 air strikes on 6 targets (1 each in Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, and Rafah; 3 in Bayt Lahiya), killing 6 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and wounding 6. During the day, at least another 4 Palestinians (all PRC mbrs.) are killed, 18 Palestinians are wounded (2 militants and 16 civilians, including 1 child), and 1 Israeli is injured by cross-border fire. These attacks include 9 Israel air strikes on 5 targets (1 in Abassan, 2 in Gaza City, 2 in Rafah), IDF cross-border gunfire on unarmed civilian protesters, and another 80 Palestinian rockets and mortars fired into Israel (exclusively by Islamic Jihad and the PRCs). Meanwhile, Gaza’s power plant shuts down completely for lack of fuel imports (see 3/1/12). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin (synchronized), 2 nr. Jericho (synchronized), and 2 nr. Ramallah; and conducts evening patrols in 2 villages each nr. Jenin, nr. Jericho, and Ramallah and in 1 village nr. Tulkarm. (JP, NYT, YA 3/10; WP 3/11; PCHR 3/15; OCHA 3/16)