The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops shoot and seriously injure a Palestinian youth, allegedly after he drives his car into Israeli civilians, first at the Efrat junction, and later at the Gush Etzion junction near Bethlehem, injuring 2. After the first collision, the Palestinian drove on to Gush Etzion, where he hit and moderately injured the 2d Israeli. He was shot when he exited his vehicle. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday protests against Israel’s occupation, settlements, and separation wall in 3 villages near Ramallah (Nabi Salih, Bil‘in, and Ni‘lin) and Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya; no Palestinians are seriously injured. Two Palestinians are injured during clashes with IDF troops in ‘Azun village near Qalqilya, and the IDF patrols near Salfit and Qalqilya. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian farmers working their lands outside Burin village; 1 Palestinian is injured. Settlers also throw stones at Palestinian homes and pepper-spray 2 Palestinian children east of Hebron and burn a small swath of Palestinian land near Nablus. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 11/17; PCHR 11/23)

The Associated Press reports that the U.S. State Dept. recently notified the Palestinians that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) diplomatic office in Washington could be forcibly closed unless they enter peace negotiations with Israel (see Update). Secy. of State Rex Tillerson reportedly told the Palestinians that the decision stemmed from Palestinian Authority (PA) pres. Mahmoud Abbas’s expressions of support for the International Criminal Court investigating and prosecuting Israelis in his 9/20 speech to the UN General Assembly (UNGA). (AP, HA, TOI 11/17)

Three Palestinian citizens of Israel open fire on Israeli police officers in the Old City of Jerusalem, critically injuring 3 (2 succumb to their injuries later in the day). The attackers seek refuge at Haram al-Sharif, and Israeli forces shoot and kill all 3. Israeli police deploy heavily across the Old City, block off all entrances to Haram al-Sharif, and cancel Friday prayers at the sanctuary, forcing Muslim worshippers to pray in the streets. They also detain and interrogate 58 Islamic Waqf employees. With tensions running high across the city, an unidentified assailant throws a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli settler family driving through Silwan; 3 of the settlers are injured, including an infant. Israeli forces conduct raids in Abu Dis, sparking minor clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians; at least 25 are arrested. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, arresting 3 Palestinians and sparking clashes; 1 Palestinian is killed. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian cars driving nr. Bethlehem, causing no injuries or major damage. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday protests against the Israeli occupation, separation wall, and settlements in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih), Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, and along Gaza’s border nr. al-Bureij r.c. and Jabaliya r.c.; 2 Palestinians are injured. The IDF also patrols in and around Qalqilya and Hebron. (EI, HA, MNA, NYT, PNN, TOI, WAFA, YA 7/14; MNA 7/15; PCHR 7/20)

PA pres. Abbas phones Israeli PM Netanyahu to condemn the morning’s attack in Jerusalem and to denounce violence on both sides, particularly at holy sites. He also calls for Netanyahu to reopen Haram al-Sharif. Netanyahu reportedly tells Abbas that he will uphold the status quo at the sanctuary, but that Israeli forces will maintain security at all costs. Abbas later calls on Jordan to intervene, and the Jordanian govt. releases a statement calling on Israel to reopen the sanctuary. (HA, TOI, WAFA 7/14; HA 7/16)

After shutting down on 7/12, the Gaza power plant resumes operations, with 3 of its turbines supplying 70 MW to the local grid. It’s unclear if the fuel required came from Egypt or somewhere else. (MNA 7/15)

In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids in Bayt Rima nr. Ramallah, confiscating 1 car and sparking minor clashes with stonethrowing Palestinian youths; there are no serious injuries. They also arrest 2 Palestinians during a raid nr. Hebron. A Palestinian construction worker is injured when IDF troops open fire on him as he attempts to climb Israel’s separation wall nr. Bethlehem (he fractures both his feet falling off the wall). In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Issawiyya. (MNA, WAFA 7/8; PCHR 7/13)

The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company announces that Egyptian power lines feeding s. Gaza were damaged during the 7/7 clashes in n. Sinai, exacerbating the ongoing electricity crisis across the region. Meanwhile, the Hamas-run energy authority in Gaza reports that the PA recently “stopped all the financial transaction through Palestinian banks to Egypt to buy fuel,” which halts fuel delivery from Egypt on 7/6. A PA spokesperson does not comment on the energy authority’s report of blocked payments except to say, “the main reason for the worsening situation in Gaza is Hamas as they rejected [PA pres. Abbas’s] initiative . . . to end the split [between Palestinian factions].” (AFP, MNA 7/8)

IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday demonstrations against Israel’s occupation, separation wall, settlements, and killing of a Palestinian youth in Jalazun r.c. on 3/23 in 5 villages nr. Ramallah (Nabi Salih, Bil‘in, Kafr Malik, al-Mughayyir, and Ni‘lin), Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, and in c. Hebron; 5 Palestinians are injured. They also arrest 2 Palestinians during raids nr. Ramallah and Nablus and patrol nr. Nablus and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Palestinians conduct a sit-in outside the gates of al-Aqsa Mosque to protest Israel’s withholding of corpses of Palestinians killed in confrontations with the IDF. Israeli forces then impose heightened security restrictions at Haram al-Sharif, searching youths in the area and denying many Palestinians access to the sanctuary. Separately, Israeli forces arrest 4 Palestinians during raids in the Old City. In Israel, 4 Jewish Israelis stab and seriously injure a Palestinian citizen of Israel nr. his home in Nahariya. (MNA 3/24; MNA 3/25; PCHR 3/30)

Unidentified assailants shoot and kill senior Hamas military official and former Israeli prisoner Mazen Fuqaha in s. Gaza City. In a statement released later in the day, Hamas implies that Israel was likely behind the killing. (HA, JP, TOI 3/24; MNA 3/25)

UN special coordinator Nickolay Mladenov tells the UN Security Council that Israel has not complied with UNSC Res. 2334, which passed on 12/23/2016. Israeli settlement construction has increased in the past 3 mos., despite the resolution’s call for a halt in such activity, according to Mladenov. Meanwhile, the UNHRC adopts 4 res. on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the first calls on mbr.-states to avoid ties with Israel’s settlements in the oPt, the 2d reaffirms the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, the 3d concerns human rights in the oPt, and the 4th condemns Israel for violating the human rights of Syrian Druze of the Golan Heights. (HA, JP, TOI 3/24; WAFA 3/25)

IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday demonstrations against Israel’s occupation, separation wall, and settlements in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Nabi Salih, Bil‘in, Silwad, and Ni‘lin), Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, c. Hebron, and along Gaza’s border nr. Gaza City; 2 Palestinians are injured and 1 is arrested. They also patrol nr. Hebron during the day. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities shut down all border crossings between Israel and the West Bank. They are set to re-open after the Jewish Purim holiday on 3/12. (MNA, WAFA 3/10; PCHR 3/16)

U.S. pres. Trump speaks with PA pres. Mahmoud Abbas by phone, marking their first official contact since Trump’s inauguration on 1/20. He formally invites Abbas to the White House to “relaunch the peace process,” according to a PA spokesperson. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT 3/10; YA 3/12)