The Palestine Chronology

Israeli forces arrested 18 Israeli settlers while evacuating temporary homes at an Israeli-deemed illegal settlement east of the Ofra settlement. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities issued 2 demolition orders for 2 buildings in Shu‘fat refugee camp. Israeli forces also demolished 2 Palestinian-owned homes in Silwan; at least 1 Palestinian was injured trying to protect his home. In Gaza, Israel reduced the fishing zone from 15 nautical miles to 6 in response to the rocket fired from Gaza on 4/29. Israeli authorities said that the rocket was launched by Islamic Jihad. Off the coast of Gaza City, a Palestinian fisherman was injured when he was hit by a rubber-coated bullet fired by Israeli naval forces. Israeli naval forces also removed and destroyed all fishing nets placed outside of the 6-nautical-mile fishing zone. In Israel, 2 Israelis were sentenced to 1 year in prison for assaults made on 4 Palestinian citizens of Israel in 2017 to deter them from dating Jewish women. (AJ, HA, HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/30; HA, HA 5/1)

The EU called on Israel not to deport Human Rights Watch director for Israel and Palestine Omar Shakir, who was denied a petition at the Jerusalem district court to halt his pending deportation on 4/16. (HA 4/30)

The EU asked the PA to accept the reduced tax revenue Israel is offering until a solution to the PA’s financial crisis is found. The EU stressed that the request “does not constitute a legal or political endorsement of Israeli deductions.” (HA 4/30; HA 5/1)

The U.S. government is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization, said the White House. According to New York Times reporting, U.S. president Donald Trump was urged by Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to make the designation while on an official visit to Washington on 4/9. (AJ, NYT 4/30)

In a joint statement by U.S. democrats in the House of Representatives, concern was expressed for the Israeli-planned demolition of Khan al-Ahmar and Susiya. The U.S. members of Congress signing the statement were Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), David Price (D-NC), John Yarmuth (D-KY), Peter Welch (D-VT), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Lloyd Doggett (D-TX). (Schakowsky’s Office 4/30; WAFA 5/2)

Member of the House of Representatives Betty McCollum (D-MN) reintroduced her bill H.R.2407 “Promoting Human Rights for Palestinian Children Living Under Israeli Military Occupation Act.” The bill, if passed, would amend the Foreign Assistance Act, cutting assistance to foreign countries that uses “military detention, interrogation, abuse, or ill-treatment of children in violation of international humanitarian law,” and authorize $19 million annually to NGOs monitoring human rights abuses associated with Israel’s military detention of children. (Congress 4/30; McCollum’s Office, MDW 1/5)

The outgoing French ambassador to the U.S. Gérard Araud, who on 4/19 called Israel an apartheid state, will not be meeting Israeli officials when he visits Israel in early May, as Israel has barred its officials from meeting Araud. Additionally, Israel summoned France’s ambassador to Israel Hélène Le Gal to the Israeli foreign ministry for a reprimand for Araud’s statements. (HA 4/30)

The United Kingdom announced that it was contributing $11.7 million to help build a water desalination plant in Gaza. (WAFA 4/30)

The EU contributed $4.1 million to the PA’s private sector reconstruction agricultural program to help farmers in Gaza. In a separate announcement, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the EU was contributing with an additional $24.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. (MNA, WAFA, WAFA 4/30; MNA 5/1)

Approximately 10,000 Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border to continue the Great March of Return. IDF troops violently disperse them near Rafah, Khan Yunis, al-Bureij refugee camp, Gaza City, and Jabaliya refugee camp; 1 Palestinian is killed and 146 are injured. This brings the death toll stemming from the Great March of Return to 199. Also along Gaza’s border, IDF troops arrest 2 Palestinians who crossed the border fence into Israel. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian minor accused of throwing stones at vehicles driving outside Silwad village near Ramallah. They also violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday protests against the Israeli occupation in 2 villages near Ramallah (al-Mughayyir and Ras Karkar); 3 Palestinians are injured. Israeli troops shoot and injure 2 more Palestinians during clashes in Tuqu‘ near Bethlehem; and patrol near Tulkarm and Hebron. Late at night, Israeli settlers smash the windows of 3 Palestinian vehicles in Turmus ‘Ayya village near Ramallah. Settlers also throw stones at a Palestinian home on the outskirts of Hebron, lightly injuring 2 Palestinians. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/25; HA, MNA, MNA, MNA 1/26; PCHR 1/31)

After Hamas refused to allow the next tranche of $15 million from Qatar into Gaza on 1/24, a senior Qatari official says that Doha plans to transfer money to families in urgent need and humanitarian and infrastructure projects in Gaza. “The main goal of the Qatari grant is to ease the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he says. “Some parties have interpreted the humanitarian aid as ‘calm in return for dollars’ and this is not true.” He also criticizes Israel: “There are other parties that are exploiting the humanitarian aid for the internal elections and to score political points.” The official says that Doha is working with the UN to distribute as much as $20 million. The original $15 million was planned to help pay the salaries of the civil servants of the Hamas-run government and to support families in urgent need in Gaza. Later, a senior Hamas official welcomes the Qatari plan to maintain humanitarian aid to Gaza. (JP, TOI 1/25; REU, YA 1/26)