The Palestine Chronology

After several legal delays (see QU in JPS 165), Israeli security forces evict Jewish settlers from Migron, an unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Ramallah. Around 50 families are moved out and relocated a short distance away in new housing built by the government for the purpose. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers accompanied by police move into a section of a Palestinian home in the Silwan neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, after a court ruling in favor of the settlers’ ownership claims. (MNA, REU 9/2)

Israeli naval vessels fire at Palestinian fishermen nr. Bayt Lahiya in the afternoon, causing no injuries. IDF troops on the Gaza border arrest 3 Palestinians crossing the border fence nr. al-Bureij r.c. in the afternoon to look for work in Israel; open fire nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries, at night. Also at night, the IDF makes air strikes on Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB) training sites nr. Nussayrat r.c., causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho and 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning; patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Jenin, and 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the afternoon; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Hebron in the afternoon; patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 village nr. Jenin (firing tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians) at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Ramallah at night. (PCHR 9/6)

The IDF makes brief incursions into s. Gaza nr. Khan Yunis and c. Gaza nr. Wadi al-Silqa to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence; in both cases, Israeli helicopters providing cover to the troops fire on Palestinians working their lands nearby, causing no injuries but starting several brush fires (the largest of which destroys 30 d. of wheat). Later in the afternoon, IDF troops on the c. Gaza border fire toward Wadi al-Silqa, wounding 1 Palestinian civilian 1 km from the border fence (well outside Israel’s 300 m. no-go zone). In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes at least 30 d. of Palestinian crop land nr. Hebron for the expansion of Harsina settlement, where 500 new housing units are planned. The IDF also conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin in the morning and patrols in Tulkarm town and r.c. late at night (firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, causing no reported injuries). Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim settlement nr. Qalqilya violently beat a Palestinian teenager passing nearby. An Israeli court sentences Bassim al-Tamimi, the main organizer of the weekly nonviolent demonstrations in al-Nabi Salih, to 13 mos. in jail (time already served) for instructing youths to throw stones at IDF troops during protests. The case rested on the testimony of a 15-yr.-old Palestinian who confessed to stone-throwing during interrogation in custody, without access to a lawyer. Tamimi was granted a humanitarian release in 4/2012 after his mother suffered a stroke. Israel’s Tourism Min. and municipal officials in Jerusalem allocate more than $1 m. for a new settlement project in Silwan, in East Jerusalem. OCHA reports that in the previous week, Israeli authorities demolished 17 Palestinian structures in West Bank Area C (including 7 residences) and 11 animal pens in East Jerusalem; and ordered East Jerusalem Palestinians to demolish 1 home and 1 other structure or face demolition and fines by Israel. (WT 5/30; PCHR 5/31; OCHA 6/1)

Iranian officials confirm government computers are currently under attack by a sophisticated new virus called Flame, and accuse Israel and the U.S. of being behind it. (The U.S. declines to comment, whereas Israeli officials comment that ‘‘Israel is blessed with being a country rich in hi-tech ... both in the civilian and defense sector’’ and that ‘‘it’s certainly reasonable that [someone who views Iran as a threat] uses all means at his disposal, including these, to harm the Iranian nuclear system.’’) The new virus is a keystroke-logging program that steals data from infected computers and can be controlled remotely by whoever installed it. (NYT, WP 5/30; WT 5/31; JPI 6/8)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore; they detain and confiscate 1 fishing boat and arrest 1 fisherman. Later in the day, Israeli naval vessels fire on another group of fishing boats, forcing them to flee, damaging 1 boat, and confiscating 5 trawling nets. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm in the morning; patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon (firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries); conducts late-night patrols in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm; and conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Israel’s Jerusalem planning comm. approves plans for the right-wing settler group Elad to build a new archeological tourism center in Silwan, East Jerusalem in the Western Wall yard opposite al-Aqsa Mosque. The complex will include offices, museum and conference space, an underground car park, and 2 underground “archeological tunnels” that will run north under the Mughrabi gate and south under the area housing the Umayyad Caliphate palaces (which Israel calls the Temple of Solomon). (JP 2/14; WT 2/15; PCHR 2/16; OCHA 2/17)

Three Iranians are arrested as they flee a mysterious explosion in their Bangkok apartment. One of the men throws grenades at a taxi that refuses to stop for him and at approaching police, seriously injuring himself only. The 2d man is arrested at Bangkok airport attempting to leave the country. The 3d makes it out of Thailand but is detained when he lands in Malaysia. Israel and the U.S. suspect the bombings are linked to the 2/13 Indian and Georgian attacks and earlier incidents in Thailand (see 1/13) and Azerbaijan (see 1/24), but they have no evidence the men were plotting against Israeli or Jewish targets. Thai police and outside experts doubt, but do not rule out, an Israeli connection, saying the operation was very amateurish and the men could have been arms runners or involved in other illegal activity in Bangkok. (NYT, WP 2/15; WP, WT 2/16)