The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 1 house—displacing 13—and a water well in Hebron, razed 100 dunams (25 acres) of agricultural lands in Masafer Yatta, and demolished 3 agricultural structures in Nahalin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers led by Jerusalem deputy mayor Aryeh King delivered an eviction notice to the Salem family in Sheikh Jarrah, ordering the family to leave their home of 70 years before 12/21. The Israeli municipality razed agricultural lands and demolished retaining walls in Jabel Mukaber. (WAFA, WAFA 12/7; MEMO 12/8; PCHR 12/16)

A delegation of Jordanian ministers, including for trade, agriculture, transportation, communication, and energy met with their PA counterparts in Ramallah to discuss enhancing trade and cooperation. (WAFA 12/7)

In Syria, Israeli fighter jets fired missiles at the port of Latakia, causing damage but no injuries. (AJ, HA, HA, MEMO 12/7; MEMO, MEMO 12/8)

An appeals court in the Netherlands ruled that Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz cannot be tried in Dutch courts for the 2014 air strike in Gaza that killed 6 relatives of a Dutch citizen. The Dutch citizen who was born in Gaza filled a lawsuit against Benny Gantz, chief of staff of the Israeli army at the time of the attacks. (HA, MEMO, REU 12/7; MDW 12/8)

Defense Minister Gantz announced that Israel had completed an underground barrier around Gaza, started in 2016. The barrier project also includes above-ground walls, a naval barrier, and a radar system. (AJ, MEE, MEMO, REU 12/7; MEMO 12/8; MEE 12/11)

A freedom of information request filed by Israeli human rights organization Bimkom revealed that 797 demolition orders were delivered in Area C during 2020, the highest in 5 years. In the same period, 24 construction permits were granted out of 2,550 requests. (HA 12/7)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian teenager in al-Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah during a demonstration in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. An IDF spokesperson says that soldiers targeted a protester holding a Molotov cocktail; Palestinian witnesses say that the 13-year-old was walking with school friends when targeted. The IDF also conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, as well as 1 village each nr. Tubas and Tulkarm at night. Off the coast of the Gaza Strip, Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish 4 Palestinian-owned residential buildings. (HA, MNA 5/21; PCHR 5/23)

The Israeli military announces that Palestinian fishermen will now be able to fish up to 6 miles off the coast of the Gaza Strip, extending the previous limit of 3 miles that was set in 3/2013. Meanwhile, an official from Hamas’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the govt. is willing to close smuggling tunnels once a commercial crossing opens. (HA, MNA 5/21)

The Syrian army and Israeli forces have a brief exchange of fire over the cease-fire line in the Golan Heights. Damascus claims responsibility for firing at Israeli troops, damaging an army jeep but causing no injuries, with the IDF returning fire, reportedly destroying an army post but causing no injuries. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz warns the Syrian govt. not to conduct any further attacks. (AFP, HA, REU, WP 5/21)

Egyptian forces conduct raids in the n. Sinai as the search continues for the kidnapped security officials. Egyptian authorities also keep Rafah crossing closed for the 5th consecutive day. (MNA 5/21)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin in the morning, in 3 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Hebron, 1 village each nr. Ramallah and nr. Tulkarm at night. At night, IDF soldiers conduct house searches and arrest raids in al-Azza r.c. in Bethlehem, Aida r.c. in Bethlehem, 1 village nr. Bethlehem, 2 villages nr. Hebron, and 2 villages nr. Jenin. (PCHR 4/25)

U.S. Defense Secy. Chuck Hagel begins a Middle East tour in Israel, where he is expected to have meetings with Pres. Shimon Peres, PM Benjamin Netanyahu, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and DM Moshe Ya’alon. Hagel will discuss Iran, Syria, and also the sale of U.S. military equipment to Israel. Hagel’s weeklong tour of the region will also include Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. (HA, NYT 4/20; WP 4/21)

U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry meets Palestinian pres. Mahmud Abbas in Istanbul to continue discussions about restarting negotiations, particularly a proposal to focus on boosting the Palestinian economy. Palestinian amb. to Turkey Nabil Maarouf says that the meeting fails to make any substantial progress with regards to Palestinian conditions for resuming negotiations. Secy. Kerry says that restored ties between Turkey and Israel can allow both countries to work with Washington on Iran and Syria. Kerry asks Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan to delay his planned trip to the Gaza Strip in order not to disrupt efforts to improve Turkish-Israeli relations. Secy. Kerry also attends a major meeting between the Syrian opposition and its main 11 foreign supporters. After the meeting, Secy. Kerry says that Washington will double its nonlethal aid to the Syrian opposition to $250 million, support that will be funnelled through the rebels’ Supreme Military Council. (AFP 4/20; MNA, NYT, REU 4/21; JP 4/22)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Nr. al-Maghazi r.c., 2 Palestinians are injured when they accidentally trigger unexploded IDF ordnance while scavenging for scrap metal. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages nr. Tulkarm (2 simultaneously) and 2 in Ramallah in the morning; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nabi Salih and nr. Jenin. Hunger-striking administrative detainee Hana Shalabi is “in grave danger of dying” according to Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, which provides her with a doctor. OCHA reports that since 3/14, 4 Palestinians have been injured in smuggling tunnel accidents on the Gaza border. (JP 3/20; WT 3/21; PCHR 3/22; OCHA 3/23)

JSC head Gen. Dempsey receives IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz in Washington for talks on Iran and Syria as part of the regular U.S.-Israel strategic dialogue. Gantz also meets with White House and Defense Dept. officials, but no details are released. (JPI 3/30)

Speaking at a conference on Palestinian refugees in Brussels, EU foreign policy adviser Catherine Ashton expresses condolences for the 3/19/12 Jewish deaths in Toulouse and regrets over recent tragedies worldwide that have resulted in child casualties, citing among them Israel’s recent air strikes on Gaza (3/9–12) that injured 14 Palestinian children. Israeli PM Netanyahu denounces her for making “the comparison between a deliberate massacre of children and defensive, surgical actions.” Ashton’s spokesman issues a statement saying that her words were “grossly distorted.” (NYT 3/21)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border e. of Jabaliya town. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes Palestinian land in Azariyya (just outside Jerusalem) for construction of a “biblical garden”; patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin, firing tear gas and percussion grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists hold a nonviolent march fr. Jericho toward Ramallah to highlight freedom of movement issues; the IDF blocks the march just outside Jericho and arrests 5 Palestinians. (PCHR 1/12; OCHA 1/13)

Briefing the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Comm., IDF chief of staff Gantz says the IDF is preparing for a massive influx of refugees into the Golan Heights if Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad falls, which in the IDF’s assessment is “inevitable.” He says Israel would try to keep the refugees in a strategic buffer zone between the Golan and Syria, and would likely move Alawite refugees to the divided Alawite city of Ghajar straddling the Lebanon-Israel border to prevent any conflict between Alawis and the Druze population of the Golan. (NYT, WT 1/11)

Meanwhile, the Knesset passes an amendment to an existing law to discourage infiltrators that makes it legal to detain illegal migrants and their children for up to 3 yrs. without trial. Though directed at African migrant workers attempting to enter Israel fr. Egypt, Israeli rights groups fear the measure could be used to detain refugees fleeing violence in Syria. (NYT 1/11)

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

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

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

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