The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians during a raid in al-‘Arub refugee camp, leading to tear-gas related injuries; no arrests were reported. Israeli forces also seized 1 bulldozer in Dura. For the 2d day in a row, Israeli authorities closed al-Ibrahimi Mosque for Muslim worshippers during the Jewish New Year holiday. 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 2 Palestinians were arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/20; PCHR 9/24)

Haaretz reported that an Israel association Kedma, which receives funding from the Israeli government, requires students who receive scholarships through the organization to guard settlement outposts in the West Bank. According to Haaretz, Kedma received around $1 million from the Israeli government in 2018. (HA 9/22)

In a tweet, the president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández said that he and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed that Honduras would open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem by the end of the year if the COVID-19 crisis does not prevent it. Honduras would be the 3d country to open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. (REU 9/20; AJ, HA, JP 9/21)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians near al-Walaja, causing both to be hospitalized. Israeli settlers also chopped down 50 olive trees in al-Sawiya. Israeli forces injured 4 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets during the weekly anti-settlement protest in Kafr Qaddum; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 1 Palestinian man, aged 54, died of a heart attack after a stun grenade fired by Israeli forces landed in close proximity to him near the Barta‘a checkpoint. Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians in Hebron, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 2 Palestinians were arrested, including 1 during a late-night raid near Bethlehem and 1 at a checkpoint southeast of Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 7 Palestinians were arrested while leaving the Haram al-Sharif compound. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/18; PCHR 9/19; WAFA 9/20;  PCHR 9/24)

A Hamas senior official denied reports that the Egyptian delegation had made a breakthrough in brokering a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. According to the official, the 2 parties are still far from each other as many obstacles remain. (HA 9/18)

U.S. president Donald Trump said at a press briefing after meeting a Kuwaiti official that he thinks Kuwait will soon follow the UAE and Bahrain in normalizing ties with Israel. Kuwaiti officials said earlier this month that the country would be the last to join a normalization agreement with Israel. (HA 9/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces seized 1 bulldozer north of Tubas. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah, and Jericho. In East Jerusalem, the Islamic Waqf announced that the Haram al-Sharif compound will be closed for prayers for 3 weeks due to a rise in COVID-19 cases. In Gaza, Israeli forces fired missiles at Khan Yunis, Dayr al-Balah, and Bayt Lahiya, causing damage; no injuries were reported. According to Israeli authorities, 13 rockets were launched at Israel, 8 of which were intercepted; neither damage nor injuries were reported. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. In Israel, 1 Palestinian construction worker from the West Bank was stabbed by 1 Israeli at his workplace near Ashdod. (AJ, BBC, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/16; PCHR 9/17)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces handed a demolition order for a Palestinian-owned house in al-Twana sheltering 10 people; 1 other resident in al-Twana received a stop-work order. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 Palestinian-owned bulldozer in Tulkarm. 3 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah and Dura. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli supreme court ruled that 1 78-year-old man in Silwan could be evicted from his home after his landlord sold the house he was living in to the settler organization Elad. Israeli forces stormed the Bab al-Rahma area of the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces also delivered demolition notices for 1 mosque and the house of a Fatah official in Silwan. 2 Palestinian families started demolishing their own homes in Jabal Mukabir. In Gaza, Israeli forces arrested 1 Palestinian cancer patient at the Erez crossing as he was traveling to East Jerusalem for treatment. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 9/14; HA 9/15; PCHR 9/17)

The Israeli settler that in July 2015 burned the house of a Palestinian family, killing 1 18-month-old and his parents and severely burning 1 other child, was sentenced in an Israeli court to 3 life sentences. (GDN, REU 9/14; AJ 9/15; JP 9/16)

The Unified Palestinian Leadership for Popular Resistance, an umbrella organization formed on 9/3 after a meeting between the major Palestinian factions in Gaza and the West Bank, including Fatah and Hamas, declared 9/18 a day of mourning over the normalization agreements between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel. (WAFA 9/14)

Ahead of the signing ceremony on 9/15 formalizing the UAE and Bahrain’s normalization with Israel, PA prime minister Mohmmad Shtayyeh condemned the deal, calling it “a dark day in the history of the Arab nation and of the Arab League,” and further stated that, “[t]omorrow the Arab peace initiative dies, as will the Arab consensus.” He also said that his government has recommended to PA president Mahmoud Abbas that the PA reevaluate its relations with the Arab League. (AJ, HA 9/14)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington D.C. ahead of the signing ceremony for the normalization deals with Bahrain and the UAE on 9/15. His delegation notably did not include his coalition partners defense minister Benny Gantz and foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi. A spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry ruled out that Qatar would normalize relations with Israel before peace is made between Israel and Palestine. (HA 9/14; AJ 9/15)

The EU donated $600,000 to UNRWA to help contain COVID-19 in UNRWA-run refugee camps. (WAFA 9/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces razed Palestinian-owned land in Khirbat Zanuta and razed land and demolished water pipes in al-Twana. Elsewhere, Israeli forces and Palestinians clashed in al-‘Izzariya after Israeli forces stormed a cemetery; 1 Palestinian-owned house was damaged by a fire ignited by sound bombs. 8 Palestinians were arrested, including 6 during raids in and around Shu‘fat, Hebron, Qalandia, Ramallah, and Jericho, and 2 were arrested at checkpoints in Hebron and near Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, an Israeli court issued an eviction order for an extended Palestinian family living in an apartment complex in Silwan; the eviction order affects 28 people. The court ruled in favor of the settler organization Ateret Cohanim. 2 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during late-night raids in Issawiyya and al-Tur; 1 Algerian tourist was arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level land east of Khan Yunis. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya within the allocated fishing zone; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 9/7; PCN 9/9; PCHR 9/10; HA 9/15)

The UN launched a temporary service via the WHO to facilitate transfers of Gaza medical patients to Israel, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank in lieu of Israel and the PA’s ceased cooperation. (HA 9/8)

The EU warned Serbia and Kosovo that moving their embassies to Jerusalem as announced by U.S. president Donald Trump on 9/4 would undermine their hopes to gain membership in the union. (HA 9/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 1 Palestinian accused of attempting to stab an Israeli soldier near the Ariel settlement. Israeli forces also blocked the entrance to Jalazun refugee camp and 1 main entrance to Salfit. 5 Palestinians were arrested, including 4 during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jericho, and Hizma, and 1 was arrested at a military checkpoint east of Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces installed 2 loudspeakers on the Haram al-Sharif compound. 1 Palestinian minor was arrested and later released to 5 days of house arrest in the Old City. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also made incursions to level land east of Khuza‘a. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/6; PCHR 9/10)

Chairman of the Hamas politburo Ismail Haniyeh met with the secretary-general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut to discuss political and military developments in the region. Chairman Haniyeh also visited the Palestinian refugee camp ‘Ayn al-Hilwa. (AJ 9/6)

The king of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud told U.S. president Donald Trump in a phone call that his country would not normalize relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. (GDN, REU 8/6; AJ, HA 9/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized several Palestinian-owned vehicles in Huwwara. Israeli forces wounded 2 Palestinians during a house arrest in Jenin refugee camp; the Israeli army said the 2 were injured by explosives used by Israeli forces to open their door, but Palestinian eyewitnesses said the 2 were shot by live ammunition and were in critical condition; after the 2 injuries, clashes between soldiers and Palestinians erupted in the camp. Israeli forces also clashed with Palestinians during a raid near Ramallah; tear-gas related injuries were reported. Elsewhere, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian workers trying to enter Israel near the separation wall south of Qalqilya, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli authorities announced that Israel had seized the ancient Roman ruins of Dayr Samaan near Kafr al-Dik along with land totaling 6 dunams (1.5 acres). 1 Palestinian was arrested at a military checkpoint south of Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrested 5 Palestinians, including 4 Waqf guards who were later released on condition of not returning to the Haram al-Sharif compound for 7 days, and 1 during a raid in Issawiyya. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis and east of Rafah; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/5; WAFA, WAFA 9/6; PCHR 9/10)

For the 11th week in a row, thousands of Israelis gathered in front of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s official residence to demand his resignation over his corruption cases, Israel’s financial issues, and his government’s COVID-19 response. (AJ 9/5; HA, WAFA 9/6)