The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Abu Dis nr. Jerusalem, ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a (moving from house to house by breaking through walls, as it did during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002; firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 1), Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah. Expecting the IDF to forcibly evict 2 Jewish settler families squatting in vacant Palestinian stores in Hebron’s wholesale market (in 4/07, the Israeli High Court ordered them to vacate the site by 7/27), 100s of Jewish settlers begin arriving at the site to block the eviction, harassing local Palestinians; among the incidents: a Jewish settler fr. Beit Hadasah injures a Palestinian man in a deliberate hit and run; Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack, vandalize Palestinian homes, cars; Jewish settlers set fire to the Hebron Rehabilitation Comm. offices (previously declared a closed military zone by the IDF). (OCHA 8/8; PCHR 8/9)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on 2 Palestinian teenagers who stray nr. the border fence, wounding 1. Palestinians fire an antitank missile at an IDF post along the Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun; the IDF responds with heavy gunfire; no injuries are reported on either side. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Nussayrat r.c. and Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. In Rafah, a Hamas mbr. is injured when an explosive device he is handling explodes prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen nr. Ramallah, leaving 2 IDF soldiers wounded; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians at Qalandia checkpoint, causing no reported injuries; demolishes 6 Palestinian homes (48 residents) nr. Susia settlement, 1 home (16 residents) nr. another Hebron settlement; bulldozes 5 d. of Palestinian olive groves nr. Avigail settlement nr. Hebron; raids the Change and Reform offices in Hebron, confiscating computers and files; conducts late-night arrest raids in Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya and nr. Hebron. For the 3d day, Jewish settlers occupying a Palestinian home in Hebron vandalize nearby Palestinian homes, attack Palestinian residents, and try to break into several Palestinian homes. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen shoot, wound a PA intelligence officer in Qalqilya. (NYT 4/20; OCHA 4/25; PCHR 4/26)

The IDF sends 3 tanks, 2 bulldozers into Gaza nr. Bureij r.c. to level land. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols, fires on residential areas of Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and nr. Jenin (firing on residential areas, partially demolishing a Palestinian home); fires on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. Hebron and Tubas, injuring 6. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on beat a Palestinian farmer, occupy a 16 d. plot of Palestinian land nr. the settlement and set up tents to enlarge the unauthorized settlement outpost, Havat Maon; Palestinian owners of the land complain to the IDF and Israeli police, which refuse to intervene. In Hebron, AMB mbrs.temporarily occupy the local Education Min. offices to protest the PA’s choice of a new director (the previous director was arrested by the IDF a week ago). (OCHA 4/18; PCHR 4/19)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on, send a drone to fire missiles at a group of armed Palestinians attempting to cross into Israel e. of Jabaliya, killing 1 armed Palestinian, wounding 4. For the 3d day, the IDF sends bulldozers and tanks into Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun to level land; this time, Palestinian gunmen fire an RPG at a tank, sparking an exchange of gunfire, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. late in the evening, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen who confront the troops, wounding local AMB leader Zacharia Zubeidi; conducts arrest raids, house searches in alBireh, Nablus, Qalqilya; fires rubber-coated steel bullets on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. the Qalandia checkpoint, injuring 2; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at 10s of Palestinians and Israeli and international peace activists protest the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, injuring 14; similarly fires rubber-coated steel bullets on Palestinians, international peace activists protesting the construction of the separation wall nr. Um Salamuna nr. Bethlehem, injuring 8. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai set fire to a Palestinian car in Hebron; the IDF bars fire engines fr. reaching the scene. For a 2d day, Jewish settlers occupying a Palestinian building nr. Kiryat Arba throw bottles and stones at local Palestinians, use trained dogs to scare Palestinian children; the IDF observes but does not intervene. In ‘Abasan, Fatah-Hamas clashes leave 11 Palestinians wounded. A Palestinian wounded in an IDF artillery strike on ‘Abasan on 9/6/06 dies. (OCHA 4/11; PCHR 4/12)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy who apparently strays nr. the border fence nr. Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes w. of Bethlehem nr. Kefar Etzion settlement; patrols Burkin southwest of Nablus (setting up a checkpoint, checking Palestinian IDs), Tulkarm; fires tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians as well as Israeli and international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, beats others, injuring 8; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians at the Qalandia checkpoint protesting Israeli excavations at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 1. Jewish settlers fr. Negohot settlement nr. Hebron stalk, beat, seriously injure an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In Bayt Lahiya, 3 Palestinians are injured in a family feud with factional overtones. In Gaza City, Hamas mbrs. fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. (OCHA 3/28; PCHR 3/29)

Overnight, the Israeli navy rounds up 14 Palestinian fishing boats, detains 56 fishermen, releases 50 later in the day. A Hamas sniper fires across the Gaza border into Israel, wounding an Israeli electrical worker in the 1st armed attack by Hamas since the Gaza cease-fire went into effect 11/26/06. Hamas mbrs. also fire 2 mortars at the IDF post at Qarni crossing, causing no damage or injuries. Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad reiterates Hamas’s call for mutual calm; Israel says that it will continue to abide by the truce but that its patience is wearing thin. In Shati’ r.c., an Islamic Jihad mbr. is killed, 9 Palestinians are injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. Egyptian security forces announce that they have captured a Hamas mbr. in the n. Sinai, who allegedly intended to sneak into Israel to stage a suicide bombing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians, wounding 4. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba bar Palestinian worshipers fr. entering al-Ras Mosque in Hebron; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Separately, 50 Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, under IDF protection, occupy a 4-story Palestinian residential building in Hebron, claiming to have legally purchased it; the owner denies this; officers fr. the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) ask the settlers to see the purchase documents, but they refuse. A Jewish settler fr. Hebron seriously injures a Palestinian man in a deliberate hit and run. In Gaza City, 200 family mbrs. of Palestinians detained by Israel hold a sit-in to demand greater PA and international efforts to secure a prisoner release. (al-Mezan, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 3/20; PCHR 3/22)

As the quarter opened, Israel and the Palestinians both stated they were observing a cease-fire in Gaza that went into effect on 11/26/06, though near-daily cross-border incidents occurred. Israel’s siege of Gaza, in place since Hamas took control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on 3/28/06, remained, as did heavy restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank. Today, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops on the n. Gaza border fire on several Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding a 12-yrold boy. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Aida refugee camp (r.c.) nr. Bethlehem, Azun nr. Qalqilya, Qalandia r.c. (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 2 IDF soldiers wounded), Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in and nr. Hebron demonstrating against Israel’s new construction at the Haram alSharif/Temple Mount (see 2/6/06 in the Chronology in JPS 143); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians, as well as Israeli and international activists, taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 8. Jewish settlers fr. Tel Rumeida in Hebron occupy a Palestinian home next to the settlement; the IDF evicts the settlers but declares the area a closed military zone, barring the Palestinian family fr. returning. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron vandalize Palestinian homes, shops; the IDF observes but does not intervene. A Fatah mbr. dies of injuries received in recent clashes in Jabaliya with members of the PA Interior Min.’s predominantly Hamas Executive Support Force (ESF). PA health sector employees in the West Bank begin an open-ended strike to protest the PA’s failure to pay their salaries. (OCHA 2/21; PCHR 2/22)