The Palestine Chronology

The IDF fires missiles at the Gaza City office and home of Islamic Jihad’s Gaza head Hindi, who is not there at the time, wounding 8 Palestinians; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Kefar Darom settlement, wounding 1 seriously. The IDF also temporarily halts house demolitions in Gaza on order fr. the Israeli High Court, which agrees to hear a petition against the bulldozing by a Palestinian human rights group. In Tel Aviv, more than 120,000 Israelis attend a Peace Now rally calling for a full Israeli pullout fr. Gaza. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during the IDF’s 5/11 raid on Gaza City. (NYT, WT 5/15; PSCT, VOP 5/15, HA, JP, VOI, YA 5/16 in WNC 5/18; NYT, WP, WT 5/16; PCHR 5/20)

Powell meets with PA PM Ahmad Qurai‘ in Amman, urges him to “seize the opportunity” presented by Sharon’s unilateral disengagement. (VOP, XIN 5/15, AYM, MA, MENA, XIN 5/16 in WNC 5/18; NYT, WP, WT 5/16; WP 5/17)

The IDF fires on stone-throwing youths in n. Gaza, on residential areas of Rafah; conducts house searches, arrest raids in Beitunia, Bethlehem, al-Bireh, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Shaked and Hinnanit nr. Jenin, escorted by IDF soldiers, rampage through the neighboring village of Um al-Rihan, beating several Palestinians, threatening to destroy an elementary school, claiming that its students threw stones at their cars. (VOP 4/30 in WNC 5/4; PCHR 5/6)

The IDF fires on international, Israeli, Palestinian peace activists staging a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall nr. Biddu, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 8; demolishes the PA Agriculture Min. dir. gen.’s home in Dayr al-Balah; fires on stone-throwing youths in Bethlehem, Burqa, Hebron, Qalandia, villages nr. Ramallah, Silwad; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c., Dahaysha r.c., Dura. Hamas fires 5 Qassam rockets at Israeli targets in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In Gaza City, 10,000s of Palestinians take part in the funeral of Rantisi, his bodyguards; the Church of the Nativity closes its doors for the afternoon in protest of the Rantisi assassination. Late in the evening, 2 Israeli Arabs fire on an Israeli border patrol in the Galilee, causing no damage or injuries; the patrol returns fire, killing 1, wounding 1; the AMB takes responsibility. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba bulldoze 5 dunams of nearby Palestinian land, clash with Palestinians who attempt to stop them; the IDF intervenes to arrest 3 Palestinians, does not halt the bulldozing. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 4/16. (PSCT, VOP 4/18 in WNC 4/20; AFP, AP, NYT, WP, WT 4/19; PR 4/21; PCHR 4/22)

After completing a stretch of the separation wall cutting off Jenin fr. Israel, the IDF removes the closure on Jenin, withdraws troops inside the city for the 1st time since 8/03, redeploys troops that have been encircling the city for most of the past 3 yrs. The IDF also fatally shoots a Palestinian allegedly attempting to lay a roadside bomb outside a Gaza settlement; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Nablus; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Hebron; places a curfew on, conducts arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah, Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarm; imposes a curfew on, digs trenches across the entrances to Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron. (WP 1/3; WP, WT 1/4; LAW 1/8; PCHR 1/9)