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  • December 30, 2008

    International diplomacy to end OCL clicks into gear with France proposing that Israel and Hamas impose a 48-hr. humanitarian truce to try to defuse the violence and restore the Gaza cease-fire,...

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  • December 28, 2008

    As massive Israeli strikes on Gaza enter a 2d day, IDF Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yo’av Galant says (HA 12/28) that the IDF aims to “send Gaza decades into the past” in terms of Hamas’s...

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  • December 14, 2008

    The IDF conducts synchronized, latenight arrest raids, house searches in 3 villages nr. Bethlehem; conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus. Jewish...

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  • December 12, 2008

    The IDF conducts midday patrols inside Salfit, firing rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no reported injuries; conducts late-night arrest...

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  • December 10, 2008

    Israel agrees to transfer $25 m. in shekels to Gaza, an amount less than what the PA needs to pay its Gaza salaries, meaning banks are unlikely to reopen, still fearing a run on cash. In the West...

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  • December 7, 2008

    The IDF conducts late-night house searches nr. Salfit. In keeping with Olmert’s 12/6 call, the IDF clamps down on Jewish settlers in Hebron, preventing them from continuing attacks on Palestinian...

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  • December 6, 2008

    The IDF raids, searches a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud neighborhood, confiscating a computer and arresting a 21-yr.-old woman. Major Jewish settler violence in Palestinian...

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  • December 5, 2008

    Late in the evening, the IDF makes an air strike on a group of Palestinian resistance mbrs. nr. Gaza’s Jabaliya r.c., wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house...

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  • December 4, 2008

    OCHA urgently appeals to Israel to expand “the list of imports into Gaza . . . to include vital spare parts for maintenance and operation of the power plant, water and sanitation utilities, and...

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  • December 3, 2008

    In Gaza, OCHA reports that since 11/27, Israel has increased from 5 to 11 the number of truckloads of humanitarian aid allowed entry to Gaza per day. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night...

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  • December 2, 2008

    Hamas mbrs. fire 8 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, 6 of which land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF makes an air strike on 1 mortar-launching site, killing 2...

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  • November 28, 2008

    IDF troops along the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of armed Palestinians inside Gaza, causing no injuries; troops then cross into Gaza, exchange fire with armed Palestinians,...

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  • November 27, 2008

    Israel allows entry to Gaza of 18 tons of chlorine to disinfect drinking water, an amount sufficient to purify Gaza’s water supply for 8 days; Gaza’s water authority had requested 220 tons. In the...

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  • November 26, 2008

    In Gaza, Palestinian workers replace the Gaza power plant’s damaged batteries with modified car batteries, allowing the plant to resume operation (see 11/24). In the West Bank, the IDF fires on...

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  • November 24, 2008

    Israel allows 32 truckloads of humanitarian aid, limited fuel imports, and some currency imports into Gaza but maintains a ban on foreign journalists (ban now in place for more than 2 wks.). The...

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  • November 21, 2008

    In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinians holding a nonviolent protest against settlements at the evacuated settlement site of...

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  • November 20, 2008

    In Gaza, UNRWA suspends its program of cash distributions to the 100,000 poorest refugees (intended to enable them to supplement their basic food ration with fresh vegetables and other vital...

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  • November 19, 2008

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, nr. Tubas. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Shalom vandalize a nearby Palestinian home. Jewish settlers...

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  • November 18, 2008

    Israel reseals crossings into Gaza, citing continued Palestinian mortar and rocket fire. Palestinian rocket fire immediately falls to near zero. The IDF sends tanks into s. Gaza to disable...

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  • November 16, 2008

    As the quarter opens, Israel maintains its strict siege of Gaza, imposed following Hamas’s 6/07 takeover of Gaza and tightened dramatically in 1/08 to allow no exports and only the bare minimum of...

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  • November 14, 2008

    AsIsrael continues to seal Gaza’s borders completely, aid agencies (including Oxfam and UNRWA) warn of an impending humanitarian crisis. UNRWA Gaza dir. John Ging states that “it is unprecedented...

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  • November 7, 2008

    Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 14 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel, 7 of which land inside Israel, none of which causes damage or injuries. FGM sends another boat fr. Cyprus to Gaza (see 8/23, 10/29),...

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  • November 4, 2008

    Democratic candidate Barack Obama is elected president of the United States, to be inaugurated on 1/20/09. (MM 11/4; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/5; MM 11/5, 11/6, 11/7)

    In a major escalation and...

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  • November 3, 2008

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. To demonstrate disapproval of unauthorized settlement in keeping with the Israeli...

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  • November 2, 2008

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late night arrest raids in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, and in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas (firing live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets on...

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  • November 1, 2008

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers (including children) fr. Federman Farm outpost nr. Hebron stone a...

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  • October 31, 2008

    Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a daytime raid into Dura nr. Hebron, firing on...

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  • October 30, 2008

    Israel orders borders with Gaza sealed after an early warning system detects a rocket launch fr. Gaza into Israel, but later admits that the system malfunctioned and no rocket was fired; the seal...

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  • October 29, 2008

    Another FGM boat (see 8/23) carrying 27 international activists defies Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, sails into a Gaza port delivering humanitarian supplies; Israeli naval vessels do not...

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  • October 26, 2008

    A week ahead of her deadline to form a government, Kadima party head and acting Israeli FM Tzipi Livni, with powersharing deals with the Labor and Meretz parties already drafted, unexpectedly...

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International diplomacy to end OCL clicks into gear with France proposing that Israel and Hamas impose a 48-hr. humanitarian truce to try to defuse the violence and restore the Gaza cease-fire, with humanitarian groups, Egypt, the EU, the Quartet, and the U.S. opening mediation channels (see Quarterly Update). Israel’s security cabinet meets to discuss the French proposal but does not formally respond.

Israeli actions: The IDF conducts 70 air strikes on Gaza, while the Israeli navy continues shelling from the sea, killing at least 10 Palestinians and wounding 40, bringing the death toll to about 370. The IDF reports hitting 110 individual sites, with primary targets being tunnels on the Rafah border, suspected weapons factories and rocket-launching sites, civil and naval police stations, and groups of resistance mbrs. In Gaza City, at least 20 air strikes hit Haniyeh’s offices, PA Interior Min., and main PA government complex in Gaza City, all of which had been targeted previously; 1 air strike hits an ambulance, killing 1 paramedic, seriously wounding a doctor and the driver. Part of Gaza’s main power grid is also hit, cutting all power to Gaza City. A fuel depot in Rafah is destroyed. In al-Bureij r.c., a mosque and health clinic are hit. In Khan Yunis, a money exchange is destroyed. At least 7 homes across the Strip are targeted. Target locations include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi (c. Gaza), al-Mughraqa, al-Qarara, Rafah. The IDF launches a YouTube channel to broadcast declassified videos of its operations in Gaza, “other footage of interest to the international community” (JPI 1/8) and begins regular briefings for Internet bloggers worldwide.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 41 rockets, 10 mortars into Israel, damaging 1 home in Sederot and causing several light injuries (excluding shock); 1 rocket lands in Beersheba, 25 mi. fr. the Gaza border, marking the farthest strike to date; 2 other long-range rockets land in Ashdod. Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 93 trucks into Gaza (50 carrying medical supplies and food donated by aid groups; 43 carrying commercial goods), but Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital says it is out of 150 kinds of medicine and 230 other medical supplies, including gloves, scissors, sterilization equipment, nitrogen for anesthesia. Fuel shipments are still cut off; Gaza’s power plant shuts down for lack of fuel. (BBC, HA, Independent 12/30; IDF, IFM, NYT, REU, UNOSAT, WP, WT 12/31; JP, PCHR 1/1; ITV 1/2; IDF 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM 1/8; NYT 1/13)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian worker in Mod’in Ilit settlement, angry over Israel’s war on Gaza, stabs, wounds 4 Jewish settlers before being shot and wounded by a paramedic who arrives on the scene. The IDF fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron, wounding 3 (including teenagers ages 13, 14); makes simultaneous afternoon incursions into Beita and Hawara villages nr. Nablus, imposing curfews through 12/31; conducts simultaneous late-night raids, house searches on 4 villages nr. Jenin, firing on residential areas in all cases, causing no injuries and arresting only 1 teenager; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm. (PCHR, WJW 1/1)

As massive Israeli strikes on Gaza enter a 2d day, IDF Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yo’av Galant says (HA 12/28) that the IDF aims to “send Gaza decades into the past” in terms of Hamas’s leadership, weaponry, and smuggling capabilities while achieving “the maximum number of enemy casualties.” Israel’s security cabinet authorizes the IDF to call up 6,500 reservists, and the IDF begins massing tanks and troops on Gaza’s border, indicating planning for a ground incursion. Israel’s Homefront Command orders 80 factories and businesses within 3 mi. of the Gaza border to close indefinitely for their safety (a move expected [WJW 1/1] to cost Israel’s economy $1 m./day), indicating concerns of increased Palestinian rocket fire once ground operations begin. Israeli Military Intelligence breaks into Palestinian radio broadcasts to warn Gazans against cooperating with Hamas. The IDF drops 300,000 leaflets across Gaza warning residents to evacuate areas where Hamas is operating or storing weapons or to remain at their own risk. The Israeli FMin. opens an international media broadcast outlet in Sederot (a main target of Palestinian rockets), begins tours of Sederot and other Gaza border communities for foreign media, diplomats, and VIPs. (Israel continues to prevent the foreign media fr. entering Gaza.)

Israeli actions: The IDF reports air and naval bombardment of 100 sites across Gaza, bringing the number of targets destroyed since operations began to more than 210. The 2-day Palestinian toll rises to an estimated 300 dead (including at least 22 children, 9 women, 60 other civilians) and 1,300 injured (including at least 235 children and 200 women). Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Bani Suhayla (s. Gaza), Bir al-Naja (n. Gaza), Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Rimal, Shaykh Ridwan, Shati’ r.c., al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, Khuza (east of Khan Yunis), Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara (s. Gaza), Rafah, Shati’ r.c., and Tal al-Za‘atar (nr. Jabaliya).

The IDF’s primary targets are around 40 tunnels along the Rafah border, hit with GBU-39s. Other major targets include several buildings at Islamic University (including a science building Israel claims was connected to rocket manufacturing); Gaza City’s PA ministry compound, the offices of acting PM Ismail Haniyeh, and the main police station (destroying the Saraya; allowing about 50 Fatah prisoners to escape, but killing at least 4); Rafah’s main PASF, governorate, and municipal complexes; more civil and naval police stations, metal workshops believed to make rockets; the Gaza City and Rafah ports; at least 3 mosques (Imad ‘Akel Mosque in Jabaliya r.c., Izzeddin al-Qassam Mosque in Abasan, al-Rimal Mosque in Gaza City) alleged to be weapons depots; a Palestinian Energy Authority building in Khan Yunis; a private medical warehouse; and at least 8 homes and 3 apartment buildings.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 17 rockets, 18 mortars into Israel, injuring at least 6 Israeli civilians (including cases of shock). The rockets include 1 manufactured Grad/Katyusha that lands in Gan Yavne 20 mi. inside Israel, outside Ashdod, the farthest to date. In the evening, 100s of Palestinians attempt to flee Gaza through small breaches in the border wall apparently caused by IDF air strikes; they are sent back by Egyptian security forces, who exchange fire with the crowd, leaving at least 1 Palestinian, 1 Egyptian border policeman dead, 4 Palestinians, 5 Egyptian border policemen, an 8-yr.-old Egyptian child wounded.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows the entry to Gaza of 100 truckloads of food and medical aid, 10 ambulances, and fuel for hospitals, donated by Jordan, Turkey, and international aid organizations. The shipments include 4 truckloads of pharmaceuticals from the PA central pharmacy in Ramallah (the 2d PA delivery since the PA had blocked the shipments of medicine to Gaza in early 9/08; see 12/16), transferred by the PA at UNRWA request. Humanitarian groups, however, continue to warn of deteriorating medical conditions and lack of food in Gaza and urge Israel to allow unrestricted entry of aid. OCHA reports power outages of up to 16 hrs./day in Gaza City, n. Gaza, and c. Gaza; says all flour mills have shut down for lack of grain imports, threatening widespread bread shortages. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IDF, IFM, JAZ, OCHA, REU 12/28; IDF, JP, al-Masryun[Egypt], NYT, SFR, WP, WT 12/29; BBC, Defense Update [online], Global Research [online], WP 12/30; REU, UNOSAT 12/31; JP, PCHR, WJW, WP 1/1; IDF, NYT 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM 1/8; WP 1/10)

Across the West Bank, Palestinians protest against OCL, clashing with the IDF at numerous points (Abu Dis, Issawiyya, and al-Ram nr. Jerusalem; Bani Na‘im nr. Hebron; Ni‘lin and Silwad nr. Ramallah), leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 31 Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier, 1 Israeli child injured. In at least one instance, PASF breaks up one protest by 100s of Palestinians in Ramallah when demonstrators unfurl Hamas banners; the PASF reportedly (NYT 1/3) has been ordered to prevent any popular displays of support for Hamas. The IDF conducts daytime house searches nr. Jenin, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in and nr. Hebron, Nablus. Palestinians stone a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Hebron, lightly injuring an 8-yr.-old girl. (PCHR, WJW 1/1)

The IDF conducts synchronized, latenight arrest raids, house searches in 3 villages nr. Bethlehem; conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus. Jewish settlers in Hebron vandalize nearby Palestinian homes; the IDF fires on Palestinians who defend their properties, seriously wounding a 14-yr.-old boy with a gunshot to the head. In Gaza, an estimated 300,000 Hamas supporters attend a rally in Gaza City celebrating Hamas’s 21st anniversary. From Damascus, Hamas leader Khalid Mishal says that the movement will not renew the 6-mo. Gaza cease-fire when it expires on 12/19. Later, however, Hamas’s Gaza leadership says that it is willing to consider an extension; meets with reps. of other factions to discuss extending the truce. (NYT, WP 12/15; PCHR 12/18)

The IDF conducts midday patrols inside Salfit, firing rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no reported injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 2 Palestinians, including an 8-yr.-old child) and Ni‘lin (injuring 5 Palestinians). Overnight and into the morning, Jewish settlers in Hebron vandalize Palestinian homes, attempt to occupy 1. (PCHR 12/18)

Israel agrees to transfer $25 m. in shekels to Gaza, an amount less than what the PA needs to pay its Gaza salaries, meaning banks are unlikely to reopen, still fearing a run on cash. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Marda village nr. Nablus in the afternoon, arresting 2 Palestinians; returns to Marda late in the evening to search several homes, arresting 5 Palestinians; conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Shavei Shomron settlement nr. Nablus enter nearby Sebastia village, fire on residential areas (causing damage but no injuries), leave when the IDF arrives. (WP 12/11; PCHR 12/18)

The IDF conducts late-night house searches nr. Salfit. In keeping with Olmert’s 12/6 call, the IDF clamps down on Jewish settlers in Hebron, preventing them from continuing attacks on Palestinian areas. (PCHR 12/18)

The IDF raids, searches a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud neighborhood, confiscating a computer and arresting a 21-yr.-old woman. Major Jewish settler violence in Palestinian areas of Hebron takes place for a 10th day, with settlers setting fire to 1 Palestinian home, vandalizing a number of homes and water tanks, attacking Palestinians. At the weekly cabinet session, acting Israeli PM Ehud Olmert calls the settler attacks a “pogrom” against Palestinians, orders Israeli police to end their “intolerable leniency” toward violent settlers. (BBC 12/7; WP 12/8; PCHR 12/18)

Late in the evening, the IDF makes an air strike on a group of Palestinian resistance mbrs. nr. Gaza’s Jabaliya r.c., wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c.; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 2 Palestinians, including a 10-yr.-old child). In Hebron, Jewish settlers rampage through Palestinian areas for a 9th day, burning 1 home and several gardens, shooting and wounding 1 Palestinian; the IDF occupies 9 Palestinian homes as operational bases, but apparently does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Avnei Hefetz nr. Tulkarm uproot 80 Palestinian olive trees, damage an irrigation network, fortify an existing unmanned IDF barrier outside Shu‘fat village. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar block nearby Palestinian roads, stone Palestinian cars. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’ale Levona nr. Ramallah close a secondary Ramallah–Nablus road to Palestinian traffic, stoning Palestinian cars, causing one to flip over, injuring 2 Palestinians. (PCHR 12/18)

OCHA urgently appeals to Israel to expand “the list of imports into Gaza . . . to include vital spare parts for maintenance and operation of the power plant, water and sanitation utilities, and other critical infrastructure and basic services for the civilian population” so as to prevent further deterioration of humanitarian conditions in Gaza. Gaza banks close, fearing runs on cash. (Israel has again barred entry of cash to the Strip; see 11/24.) The Israeli government informs the High Court that it will lift a month-old ban on allowing journalists into Gaza, but takes no steps to do so. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches nr. Nablus. Some 600 Israeli police and soldiers use rubber batons, percussion grenades, tear gas to evict 200 Jewish settlers fr. Beit Shalom, leaving 30 settlers and 3 soldiers injured, sparking settler violence against Palestinians across the West Bank. In Hebron, settlers rampage through Palestinian areas, burn 5 homes, set fires to olive groves, write racist graffitti, seriously damage other homes, cars, and cemeteries; at least 16 Palestinians are injured, including 2 who are shot and seriously wounded by a settler. During the rampage, the IDF declares the area a closed military zone, bars access to firemen and ambulances (settlers attack one fire engine), and takes no steps to halt settler rioting. Jewish settlers fr. Eli and Shilo settlements nr. Ramallah block the main Ramallah– Nablus road to Palestinian traffic, stone Palestinian cars; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Other Jewish settlers break car windows, write anti-Muslim graffiti on Palestinian homes in several villages e. of Qalqilya. (OCHA 12/4; NYT, WP, WT 12/5; WP 12/8; PCHR 12/18)

In Gaza, OCHA reports that since 11/27, Israel has increased from 5 to 11 the number of truckloads of humanitarian aid allowed entry to Gaza per day. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. The IDF also demolishes an addition to a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. For a 7th day, 100s of Jewish settlers riot in Hebron, setting fire to Palestinian stores, beating Palestinians, vandalizing homes; the IDF bars journalists, human rights activists fr. entering the area. Jewish settlers uproot 5 Palestinian olive trees nr. Ramallah. (OCHA 12/3; PCHR 12/4; PCHR 12/18)

Hamas mbrs. fire 8 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, 6 of which land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF makes an air strike on 1 mortar-launching site, killing 2 Palestinian teenagers nearby, wounding 2 children. OCHA reports that in addition to mortar fire, Palestinians have fired 6 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel between 11/27 and 12/2, causing no injuries. Israeli border police arrest Israeli reporter Amira Hass as she leaves Gaza through the Erez crossing, charging her with violating the government ban on Israelis entering Gaza. Hass, who entered Gaza on 10/29 on a boat carrying solidarity activists (see Chronology in JPS 150), was then expelled by Hamas officials who disapproved of her coverage of events in the Strip; she is released pending a hearing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Jenin. For a 6th straight day, 100s of Jewish settlers riot in Hebron to protest the orders to evacuate Beit Shalom, attacking Palestinians on the street, vandalizing Palestinian homes, damaging cars, and harassing IDF troops; the IDF fires tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinians who attempt to stop the settlers, injuring 3. In 2 other West Bank locations, Jewish settlers protesting the planned eviction set fire to Palestinian stocks of animal feed, slash tires. (HA 12/2; NYT, WP, WT 12/3; WT, PCHR 12/4)

IDF troops along the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of armed Palestinians inside Gaza, causing no injuries; troops then cross into Gaza, exchange fire with armed Palestinians, wounding 4. PRC mbrs. then fire 11 mortars fr. Gaza toward the IDF military post at Nahal Oz crossing; 3 mortars hit the base, wounding 6 IDF soldiers, 1 critically. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts an evening raid on an Internet cafe nr. Jenin, checking IDs and searching ´ the premises but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; conducts synchronized, late-night house searches in Tubas and neighboring al-Fara‘ r.c., and in 8 villages s. of Jenin, making no arrests; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1 Japanese activist), Jayyus nr. Qalqilya (injuring 2 Palestinians), and Ni‘lin (injuring 2 Danish activists, 1 Palestinian teenager). Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba and Beit Shalom attack Palestinians, vandalize property in nearby Palestinian areas, seriously injuring 4 Palestinians, including a 6-yr.-old boy. Later, IDF troops close the area, take up positions on surrounding rooftops, escort 5 busloads of settlers from other parts of the West Bank into the area to “defend” the illegal Beit Shalom outpost. In the evening, the settlers rampage through Palestinian areas, burning cars, slashing tires, breaking windows of cars and homes, destroying water tanks; the IDF does not intervene. (NYT 11/29; OCHA 12/3; PCHR 12/4)

Israel allows entry to Gaza of 18 tons of chlorine to disinfect drinking water, an amount sufficient to purify Gaza’s water supply for 8 days; Gaza’s water authority had requested 220 tons. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized, late-night house searches on several villages nr. Jenin (no arrests are reported). As rumors spread that the IDF is preparing to evict settlers fr. Beit Shalom, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba and Beit Shalom carry out a series of attacks on nearby Palestinian neighborhoods, vandalizing homes, attacking 2 funeral processions, moderately injuring 2 Palestinians; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (OCHA 11/27; OCHA 12/3; PCHR 12/4)

In Gaza, Palestinian workers replace the Gaza power plant’s damaged batteries with modified car batteries, allowing the plant to resume operation (see 11/24). In the West Bank, the IDF fires on Palestinians protesting outside Qalandia r.c. against recent IDF arrests there, seriously wounding 1 teenager; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and Balata r.c., in and around Tulkarm r.c., and in villages around Hebron, Nablus, and Ramallah (raids within each area are synchronized). Jewish settlers vandalize a Palestinian ambulance nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Shalom and Kiryat Arba attack a 61-yr.-old Palestinian woman, vandalize several homes; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (OCHA 11/26; PCHR, WT 11/27; PCHR 12/4)

Israel allows 32 truckloads of humanitarian aid, limited fuel imports, and some currency imports into Gaza but maintains a ban on foreign journalists (ban now in place for more than 2 wks.). The Foreign Press Association appeals to Israel’s High Court to overturn the ban. Despite receiving fuel, Gaza’s power plant cannot resume operation, because its turbine batteries have died from prolonged lack of use and Israel continues to bar the import of maintenance equipment. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Azariyya; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Jenin town and r.c., causing no injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches, ID checks in Qalandia r.c. nr. Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Shalom vandalize, heavily damage at least 5 Palestinian cars. The Israeli government reaches a deal with the 45 Jewish settler families in the unauthorized outpost of Migron (among the largest unauthorized outposts) near Hebron to relocate closer to the existing authorized Jewish settlement of Adam; the families will be permitted to stay in Migron until new housing is constructed, a process expected to take years. (WP 11/25; OCHA 11/26; PCHR 11/27)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinians holding a nonviolent protest against settlements at the evacuated settlement site of Homesh nr. Jenin (wounding 5); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation), Jayyus nr. Qalqilya (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; a Palestinian Council mbr. and PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. are detained for questioning), and Ni‘lin (injuring 1). In East Jerusalem, Israeli police raid and halt a cultural event at a theater in the city organized by the Jerusalemite Youth Parliament and several local NGOs and schools, stating that it was a political event connected to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which the organizers deny. (PCHR 11/27)

In Gaza, UNRWA suspends its program of cash distributions to the 100,000 poorest refugees (intended to enable them to supplement their basic food ration with fresh vegetables and other vital household supplies) because there are no Israeli shekels circulating in Gaza due to Israel’s 8/08 ban on exporting currency to Gaza’s banks and hoarding by Gazans. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Balata r.c. and Nablus, nr. Qalqilya; occupies 4 Palestinian homes in the Wadi al-Nassara area of Hebron, restricts Palestinian movement in the neighborhood while Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba hold a celebration. (OCHA, PCHR 11/20; PCHR 11/27)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, nr. Tubas. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Shalom vandalize a nearby Palestinian home. Jewish settlers close a road nr. Ramallah to Palestinian traffic, stone Palestinian vehicles. (PCHR 11/20; OCHA 11/26; PCHR 11/27)

Israel reseals crossings into Gaza, citing continued Palestinian mortar and rocket fire. Palestinian rocket fire immediately falls to near zero. The IDF sends tanks into s. Gaza to disable roadside bombs planted along the border, trading fire with Palestinian gunmen, causing no reported injuries. The Israeli navy intercepts and confiscates 3 Palestinian fishing boats carrying fishermen and international peace activists, detaining passengers and crew (all are released on 11/19). Egyptian security forces demolish 20 smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Issawiyya nr. East Jerusalem; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Ramallah, and nr. Bethlehem and Salfit. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar bar Palestinian access to a nearby road, stone Palestinian vehicles. (WP, WT 11/19; OCHA 11/19; PCHR 11/20)

As the quarter opens, Israel maintains its strict siege of Gaza, imposed following Hamas’s 6/07 takeover of Gaza and tightened dramatically in 1/08 to allow no exports and only the bare minimum of humanitarian imports. A 6-mo. Gaza cease-fire, in place since 6/19, technically remains in effect, although significant cross-border exchanges resumed on 11/4. Israel has sealed Gaza borders completely since 11/5, allowing in an average of 5 containers/day of humanitarian aid, whereas the UN estimates that 500/day are needed to sustain the basic human needs of the 1.5 m. population. Today, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) makes an air strike on Gaza City targeting a group of Popular Resistance Comm. (PRC) mbrs. preparing to fire a rocket into Israel, killing 4 PRC mbrs. (The IDF reports that in the past 48 hrs., Palestinians have fired 20 rockets and mortars, including 2 Grad-type rockets, into Israel, causing no damage or injuries.) In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin. Israel’s High Court orders Jewish settlers to evacuate the illegal outpost of Beit Shalom, in the al-Rajabi building in the Wadi al-Nassara area of Hebron, or face eviction, also declaring the State of Israel the temporary custodian of the building until ownership disputes are resolved; settlers ignored a 10/29 High Court order demanding they vacate the building within 24 hrs. (NYT 11/17; OCHA 11/19; PCHR 11/20; OCHA 11/27)

AsIsrael continues to seal Gaza’s borders completely, aid agencies (including Oxfam and UNRWA) warn of an impending humanitarian crisis. UNRWA Gaza dir. John Ging states that “it is unprecedented that the UN is unable to get its supplies in to a population under such obvious distress.” Unnamed Hamas officials say that Israel apparently is not interested in maintaining the truce and therefore would face consequences. Today, Hamas admits to firing 11 Grad-type rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel (4 of which landed inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries) in addition to 3 regular rockets and several mortars, 1 of which (unclear whether rocket or mortar) hits an Israeli home in Sederot, causing damage and lightly injuring 1 Israeli. The IDF makes air strikes on suspected launch sites in n. Gaza, wounding 2 armed Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF fires tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinians holding a nonviolent protest against settlements at the evacuated settlement site of Homesh nr. Jenin (wounding 1); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil’in (injuring 2); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (injuring 1). (NYT, WP 11/15; WT 11/16; OCHA 11/19; PCHR 11/20)

Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 14 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel, 7 of which land inside Israel, none of which causes damage or injuries. FGM sends another boat fr. Cyprus to Gaza (see 8/23, 10/29), this time carrying 13 mbrs. of various European parliaments and veteran Israeli journalist Amira Hass; Israel does not block the boat. A 7-yr.-old Palestinian boy fr. Gaza dies after Israel repeatedly denies him transportation to an Israeli or foreign hospital to be treated for breathing and heart problems. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (injuring 1 Palestinian journalist covering the incident, 1 international); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm, and nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize Palestinian property, including removing a fence that separates the settlement fr. a neighboring plot of Palestinian land. (HA, NYT 11/8; OCHA 11/12; PCHR 11/13)

Democratic candidate Barack Obama is elected president of the United States, to be inaugurated on 1/20/09. (MM 11/4; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/5; MM 11/5, 11/6, 11/7)

In a major escalation and violation of the Gaza cease-fire, the IDF sends a large infantry unit into central Gaza nr. Dayr al-Balah allegedly to destroy a tunnel nr. the border, occupying 2 Palestinian homes (1 covering the tunnel), wounding 1 Palestinian woman in the process; troops then clash with Hamas gunmen who arrive on the scene, killing a senior Hamas cmdr., wounding 2 Hamas mbrs., leaving 4 IDF soldiers wounded, and marking the 1st armed clash since the cease-fire went into effect on 6/19. Israel publicly accuses Hamas of plotting to dig under the border fence to capture soldiers and abduct them to Gaza; separately, Israeli defense officials acknowledge (see WT 11/20) that they simply wanted to send a message to Hamas not to operate near the border. In response, Hamas fires 10 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel; several land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Later, the IDF makes air strikes on Khan Yunis and al-Qarara, killing 5 Hamas mbrs., wounding several. Israel calls these attacks “pinpoint operations” against specific threats, saying it still intends to adhere to the cease-fire. The IDF also sends troops into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun to level land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Bethlehem and Tulkarm. OCHA reports that in the previous wk. at least 8 IDF soldiers have been injured in clashes with Jewish settlers seeking retaliation for the 10/26 evacuation of Federman Farm. (IFM, JAZ, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP 11/5; MM, PCHR 11/6; WT 11/20)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. To demonstrate disapproval of unauthorized settlement in keeping with the Israeli cabinet’s 11/2 decision, the IDF tears down several shacks erected by Jewish settlers nr. the unauthorized outpost of Migron (n. of Jerusalem) who intended to expand the outpost; the IDF continues to guard Migron itself, which is connected to Israel’s electricity grid and has paved access roads. Jewish settlers fr. Kochav Ya’acov nr. Ramallah attack Palestinians harvesting olives nearby; the IDF disperses the settlers. (WT 11/4; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late night arrest raids in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, and in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas (firing live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 6); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (injuring 2 Palestinians, 1 international). Israel imposes new restrictions requiring Palestinian medical personnel fr. the West Bank who work in Jerusalem to enter Jerusalem only through the Qalandia checkpoint, the most crowded checkpoint, causing them significant delays. Heavy rains cause the collapse of 10 smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, trapping and injuring at least 7 Palestinians. Egypt allows the entry of a delegation of Islamic Jihad officials fr. Gaza who are heading to Damascus for a wk. of internal discussions on Egypt’s proposed national unity plan ahead of national unity talks in Cairo on 11/9. Inside Israel, Hebrew University student Ali Baher, an Israeli Palestinian, is detained by campus security, questioned for 3 hrs., charged with “inappropriate conduct” for refusing on political grounds to shake hands with Pres. Shimon Peres, who randomly approached Baher while he was touring the campus library meeting with students; the university evicts Baher from campus housing and orders a disciplinary hearing (date not set) to decide whether he should be suspended. (MNA 11/2; OCHA 11/5; PCHR, Physicians for Human Rights–Israel press release 11/6)

Concerned by the escalating settler violence directed at Israeli security forces, the Israeli cabinet at its weekly meeting votes to suspend all direct and indirect government funding to unauthorized settlement outposts (especially citing infrastructure such as roads, garbage collection, and school buses) in the 1st de facto admission that public funds are used to advance illegal settlement. Olmert also proposes increasing arrests and administrative detention of Jewish settlers who break the law. The Jerusalem District Juvenile Court remands and indicts 3 Jewish settler girls (ages 12, 15, 17) for reckless endangerment, aggravated assault of security forces, and obstruction of a police officer for attacks against Israeli border police in Givat Harsina on 10/30. IDF district cmdr. Noam Tivon cancels plans to give a speech at a yeshiva in Efrat settlement nr. Bethlehem after Jewish settlers fr. Hebron threaten to hold a massive demonstration to block his visit, calling him an “expulsion criminal” for previously ordering the removal settlers fr. the unauthorized Federman Farm outpost. (YA 11/2; NYT, WP 11/3; WT 11/4; MM 11/4, 11/7)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers (including children) fr. Federman Farm outpost nr. Hebron stone a nearby Israeli border police unit, injuring 2 officers, claiming the unit intended to re-evacuate the outpost. As part of the ongoing Operation Dawn of the Nation, the PA security force unit newly deployed in Hebron makes a predawn raid on nearby al-Burj village, apparently coordinated with the IDF; masked officers arrive in 20 jeeps with dogs, search homes of Hamas members and supporters suspected of “carrying out anti-Israeli activities,” detaining about 25 before withdrawing in the evening. (HA, IMEMC 11/1; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a daytime raid into Dura nr. Hebron, firing on residential areas, sparking clashes with Palestinians, wounding 3; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, in and around Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (injuring 1). In Hebron, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba clash with Israeli police demolishing an unauthorized settlement outpost, removing the outpost’s single dwelling, injuring 3 policemen; the settlers also attack local Palestinians and media, injuring 3 Palestinian cameramen for AP and Reuters; in the evening, settlers reoccupy the site. Inside Israel, 2 Israelis stab and wound 2 Palestinian workers in a bakery in Talpiot nr. Jerusalem; Jewish extremists harass Israeli Palestinians in Tiberias, burn 2 Palestinian-owned vehicles. (AFP, AP, REU, WP 11/1; WP 11/2; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6)

Israel orders borders with Gaza sealed after an early warning system detects a rocket launch fr. Gaza into Israel, but later admits that the system malfunctioned and no rocket was fired; the seal is lifted. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Bethlehem, and nr. Hebron (raiding 2 Palestinian colleges, detaining 27 students for questioning); demolishes 36 structures (approx. 23 dwellings and 13 animal pens) belonging to bedouin families in Mughayyir al-Dir, outside Ramallah and adjacent to Mitzpe Dani settlement outpost, displacing 97 individuals (including 51 children), on the grounds that the structures were built in a closed military zone. Jewish settler girls (ages 12–17) stone Israeli border police demolishing an “illegal structure” in Givat Harsina outpost in Hebron, injuring 2 officers; the girls are arrested. Hamas releases 17 Fatah mbrs. fr. detention in Gaza, saying they are the only political prisoners being held and are being freed as a gesture to Fatah before national unity talks set to open in Cairo on 11/9 (see 10/20). (OCHA, REU, YA 10/30; YA 11/2; XIN 11/5; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6)

Another FGM boat (see 8/23) carrying 27 international activists defies Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, sails into a Gaza port delivering humanitarian supplies; Israeli naval vessels do not challenge the boat. In the West Bank, IDF troops operating in Yamun village nr. Jenin before dawn fatally shoot a 67-yr.-old Palestinian shepherd who fired a rifle at the patrol fearing they were rustlers; demolish 6 structures in the bedouin village of Umm al-Khayr nr. Carmiel settlement s. of Hebron, displacing 45 Palestinians, including a 1-wk.-old baby; conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem and Hebron. Israel’s High Court orders Jewish settlers to vacate the illegal outpost of Beit Shalom, in the al-Rajabi building in Hebron, within 24 hrs. or face eviction (at the end of the quarter, however, the settlers have not been forced to leave). Israel’s High Court also gives approval for the demolition of the historic Ma’man Allah Muslim cemetery (4,000 tombs) in West Jerusalem for construction of the Center for Human Dignity–Museum of Tolerance, designed by Frank Gehry. (NYT, PCHR, WP 10/30; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6; OCHA 11/19s)

A week ahead of her deadline to form a government, Kadima party head and acting Israeli FM Tzipi Livni, with powersharing deals with the Labor and Meretz parties already drafted, unexpectedly informs Israeli pres. Shimon Peres that she cannot form a coalition. She blames other Israeli parties for making unreasonable political and economic demands, stating that she was unwilling to compromise her priciples to form a government (see Quarterly Update). (NYT, WP 10/26; WP 10/27)

Overnight, the IDF, Israeli police, and border police evacuate Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized settlement outpost of Federman Farm in Hebron, sparking violent clashes with the settlers in which 1 policeman is seriously injured, 2 settler girls attempt to burn police vehicles, and settlers rampage through Palestinian areas, slashing the tires of 22 cars and vandalizing a Muslim cemetery. In interviews with the press afterward, Jewish settlers call for retributive attacks on the Israeli security forces. During the day, Jewish settlers fr. Harsina settlement in Hebron attack, vandalize, attempt to occupy a Palestinian home and land adjacent to the settlement; Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian cars in Hizma village nr. Jerusalem; and 10 masked settlers attack IDF soldiers guarding Palestinians harvesting olives nr. Otniel settlement nr. Hebron, injuring 1 soldier. At the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, Olmert warns that the government “will show no tolerance toward such expressions and actions,” while Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin states that he is “very concerned” that right-wing settler groups might try to assassinate pro-peace politicians. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem. (IFM 10/26; NYT 10/27; OCHA 10/29; PCHR, WJW 10/30; WP 11/2)