The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked and injured 1 Israeli soldier and damaged 3 vehicles in the Yitzhar settlement as Israeli forces tried to remove 1 settler-erected tent. Israeli settlers also installed water pipes on Palestinian-owned land in Ein al-Sakout. 14 Palestinians were arrested, including 13 during late-night raids in Beita, al-Khader, Umm Salamuna, and Yatta; 1 was arrested at a checkpoint near Jericho. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians at the Damascus Gate plaza using stun grenades and skunk water; 2 Palestinians were arrested. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian lands east of al-Qarara; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also opened fire at municipal workers at a landfill near Juhor ad-Dik; no injuries were reported. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza; no injuries were reported. (JP, WAFA, WAFA 10/11; HA, TOI 10/12; PCHR 10/14)

Founder of Rawabi City Bashar Masri announced that he will begin building 400 housing units on land belonging to the Greek Orthodox Church in East Jerusalem near Bayt Hanina. Masri said it had taken him more than 10 years to get the building permits from the Israeli municipality. (WAFA 10/11)

Israel issued permits for 442 undocumented Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, making them official residents. Israel controls the Palestinian population registry so people without Israeli permits cannot receive a valid PA-issued identity card. More than 10,000 Palestinians are estimated to be living in the West Bank without being registered by Israel. Israel is said to register over 5,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza as part of an agreement made between Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz and PA president Mahmoud Abbas. (HA, TOI 10/11)

The Israeli high court of justice criticized the Israeli military for not protecting Palestinian farmers by enforcing a ban on Israeli settlers in the former Homesh settlement area. Because of the lack of enforcement, Palestinian farmers are frequently attacked by Israeli settlers in the area and Israeli settlers have erected a settlement outpost and a Yeshiva on the land. (HA 10/12)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with Pope Francis on the phone. (WAFA 10/11)

Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said that Israel will never renounce its claim to the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, even if Syria or its president Bashir al-Assad gains favor with the world. Prime Minister Bennett also said that his government seeks to increase the Israeli settler population in the area from 27,000 to 100,000. (MEE, MEMO, REU, TOI 10/11; ALM 10/13)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Beit Umar; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians worshipping outside of al-Ibrahimi Mosque in protest against Israeli construction of an electric lift, altering the structure of the mosque; at least 1 Palestinian was assaulted by Israeli forces and others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 1 with a tear gas canister to his head. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 5 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Yatta, beating several, including 1 who was taken to a hospital for his injuries. 5 Palestinians were arrested, including 5 at the entrance to al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya and 1 child during a late-night raid in al-Dawha. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian bus driver while he was working in Silwan, causing injuries to his face. In Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at and sprayed water on Palestinian fishermen within 6 nautical miles west of Gaza City, causing damage to 1 boat. (AA, AJ, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/13; ALM 8/16; PCHR 8/19)

Israel said it will allow 1,000 Palestinian merchants and 350 senior businesspeople from Gaza to enter Israel from 8/15 for the 1st time since 3/2020, when the COVID-19 outbreak took hold in Israel. Israel cited a relative calm in Gaza. Israel also said it would expand exports and imports between Gaza and Israel and allow some equipment and humanitarian relief into Gaza. (HA 8/13)

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett rejected a request by Defense Minister Benny Gantz to meet with PA president Mahmoud Abbas. (MEMO 8/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort toured Kafr Haris, closing off parts of the town to Palestinians. Israeli forces closed off parts of Sabastiyya in anticipation of a settler tour. 12 Palestinians were arrested, including 11 during late-night raids in and around Salem, Aida refugee camp, Sa‘ir, Yatta, and Ramallah, and 1 was arrested on the street in Hebron; a video of the arrest shows Israeli forces beating him with their rifles and kneeling on his neck. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler rammed her car into 1 Palestinian near the Dung Gate in East Jerusalem; the Palestinian was hospitalized for his injuries. Israeli forces arrested 1 Palestinian minor for painting Palestinian flags on Palestinians near Shaykh Jarrah. 1 other Palestinian was arrested in the vicinity of the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 1 Palestinian woman succumbed to her injuries from an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on 5/16 and 1 Palestinian man also succumbed to injuries sustained during the Israeli attacks in Gaza City on 5/15, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 263 to 265, including 67 children and 3 pregnant women. In Israel, unknown assailants fired shots at 1 Palestinian Israeli journalist’s home and car in Taibeh; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/3; WAFA 6/4; PCHR 6/10; HA 6/16)

Israel said it had finished its campaign to arrest people suspected of participating in violence inside of Israel during the assault on Gaza, dubbed Operation Law and Order. 2,142 people were arrested, 91% of whom were Palestinian Israeli. 285 were indicted for a crime. Israel has been criticized for targeting a disproportionate number of Palestinian Israelis. (HA 6/4)

Yesha council chairperson David Elhayani said that Naftali Bennett of Yamina (Rightwards) and Gideon Sa’ar of Tikva Hadasha (New Hope) had promised him that the new government will not freeze settlement expansion in the West Bank. (TOI 6/4)

Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz met with U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, U.S. secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, and national security advisor Jake Sullivan to discuss restocking the Iron Dome missile defense system, and ways forward for Israel to allow aid to enter Gaza. (AP 6/3; HA 6/4)

Haaretz reported that declassified Israeli documents prove, contrary to Israeli claims, that Israel had plans to conquer the territories it occupied after the 1967 War. According to the documents, the Israeli plans were drawn up starting in 1961. (HA 6/3)

Honduras’ president Juan Orlando Hernández said his country will open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem later in June. (ALM 6/4)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian shot by Israeli forces on 5/15 in Ramallah succumbed to his injuries. Israeli forces razed 4 dunams (1 acre) of land, uprooting olive trees and destroying a well near Husan. Israeli forces also demolished 1 car wash near Hizma. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders for 2 residential structures, 2 tents, 2 toilets, and 1 agricultural structure near Yatta. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Dayr Sharaf, Tulkarm, and Bayt Fajjar. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were arrested in al-Tur and Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers east of al-Shuka; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also made incursions and leveled land east of al-Fukhari. 2 Palestinians were killed by an unexploded Israeli missile in Dayr al-Balah, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 261 to 263, including 67 children and 3 pregnant women. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/2; PCHR 6/3)

In an interview with Vice News, the Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said that Hamas was ready for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire hours after firing the 1st rocket during the escalation of violence last month and that Hamas had communicated this to the Egyptian, Qatari, and UN mediators every day of the assault on Gaza. Sinwar reiterated that the Hamas rockets fired at Israel on 5/10 were intended to be a message to Israel that Hamas will not allow Israel’s aggression at al-Aqsa Mosque and in Shaykh Jarrah, and about Israel’s violations of international law in the occupied Palestinian territories in general. (YouTube 6/2)

Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid (There Is a Future) told Israeli president Reuven Rivlin that he had formed a government coalition 30 minutes before his mandate to do so ran out. The coalition consisted of an extremely diverse group of parties and people, including Naftali Bennett of Yamina (Rightwards) who will be prime minister for the 1st 2 years. The other party leaders were Mansour Abbas of Ra’am (United Arab List), Gideon Sa’ar of Tikva Hadasha (New Hope), Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home), Nitan Horowitz of Meretz (Vigor), Merav Michaeli of Labor, and current deputy and defense minister Benny Gantz of Kahol Lavan (Blue and White). The only factor binding these parties, which range from far-right to left, was the desire to unseat prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the government agreement, after the 1st 2 years with Bennett as prime minister, Lapid will become prime minister in a rotation deal similar to the 1 made between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Deputy Prime Minister Gantz, which never materialized. The Knesset also elected Isaac Herzog as the new Israeli president. President-elect Herzog was most recently the chairman of the Jewish Agency and before that, the leader of Labor. (HA 6/1; AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, ALM, AP, AP, AX, HA, HILL, REU, REU 6/2; AJ, AJ, ALM, ALM, ALM, ALM, AP, AP, CNN, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, JP, NYT, REU, REU, REU 6/3; GDN, HA, HA 6/4)

The largest Iranian naval ship caught fire and sank in the Gulf of Oman; it was unclear what caused the fire. Similarly, a mysterious fire broke out at an oil refinery near Tehran. (AJ, AP, AP, REU 6/2; AP 6/3; AP 6/4)

145 democrats in the house of representatives co-signed a letter by Jamie Raskin (D-MD) to Senator James Risch of the senate committee of foreign affairs, requesting that he stop holding up $75 million in aid earmarked for Palestinians in Gaza in his committee, stressing the urgency of the situation. Senator Risch has said he wants to make sure that the NGOs administering the aid do not work with Hamas. (TOI 5/27; HA, Rep. Raskin 6/2)

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini said, during a visit to East Jerusalem, that Israeli-planned evictions of Palestinians in Shaykh Jarrah violate international law. (AJ, WAFA 6/2)

Germany pledged $18.2 million in aid to Palestinians via the UN. (WAFA 6/2)