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  • December 18, 2018

    In the West Bank, hundreds of armed Israeli settlers visit the Saint Saba Monastery outside Bethlehem overnight, sparking a tense confrontation between their IDF escort and Palestinians in the...

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  • December 10, 2018

    In the West Bank, hundreds of right-wing Jewish activists visit Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus overnight, sparking clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinian residents of the area; 4 Palestinians...

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  • November 15, 2018

    In East Jerusalem, approximately 35 right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 7 Palestinians and confiscate NIS 500,000 (approximately $134,731) during...

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  • June 20, 2018

    Hours after Israeli air strikes across Gaza on 6/19, Hamas and other armed groups launch approximately 45 rockets and other projectiles toward Israel; 3 fall short of the border fence, Israel’s...

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  • June 15, 2018

    Approximately 2,000 Palestinians, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, gather along Gaza’s border fence to perform the traditional morning prayer marking Eid al-Fitr. IDF troops then violently...

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  • March 13, 2018

    Unidentified persons detonate a roadside explosive targeting PA PM Hamdallah’s 3- vehicle convoy in an apparent assassination attempt near Bayt Hanun in Gaza; 7 Palestinians are injured and 3 cars...

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In the West Bank, hundreds of armed Israeli settlers visit the Saint Saba Monastery outside Bethlehem overnight, sparking a tense confrontation between their IDF escort and Palestinians in the area; there are no clashes or injuries reported. Separately, Israeli settlers puncture the tires of several Palestinian vehicles and spray racist graffiti on nearby walls in Yasuf village near Salfit overnight; uproot approximately 100 trees on a Palestinian farm near Hebron; and damage a Palestinian vehicle’s windshield near Nablus. Israeli forces uproot approximately 200 cactus seedlings from a Palestinian farm near Nablus. IDF troops arrest 9 Palestinians during raids near Bethlehem, Ramallah, Hebron, Tubas, Jenin, and Tulkarm; and patrol near Nablus, Hebron, and Ramallah. An IDF raid in Dahaysha refugee camp sparks minor clashes; 1 Palestinian is injured. Unidentified assailants throw stones at an Israeli settler family driving near Hebron, lightly injuring a settler infant. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians at a checkpoint at the entrance to Issawiyya and 15 more Palestinians during raids in the neighborhood. They also demolish 2 Palestinian homes in Jabal Mukabir. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian bird-hinter approaching the border fence near Gaza City. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MNA, MNA 12/18; MNA, MNA, WAFA 12/19; PCHR 12/20)

UN Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov reports to the UN Security Council (UNSC) that the Israeli authorities approved or advanced approximately 2,200 new housing units in West Bank and East Jerusalem settlements between 9/13 and 12/14, marking a record low since the UNSC established its current monitoring system with Resolution 2334 of 12/2016. (HA, TOI, YA 12/19)

The Wall Street Journal reports that the secret U.S.-backed effort to build a relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia has ground to a halt recently following the Saudi government’s removal of 2 top officials involved in the killing of a dissident journalist in Istanbul on 10/2. The killing and the ensuing international outcry have reportedly restricted Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “room to maneuver” and “dampened [his] appetite for risky foreign policy endeavors.” Israeli prime minister Netanyahu said as recently as last week that the killing of the journalist was “horrific,” but that it did not overshadow the value of a strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia. (HA, TOI, WSJ 12/18)

In the West Bank, hundreds of right-wing Jewish activists visit Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus overnight, sparking clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinian residents of the area; 4 Palestinians are injured. Dozens of IDF troops raid the Ramallah headquarters of the PA’s Wafa News and Information Agency, detaining a number of employees, firing tear gas inside the building, and confiscating tapes from surveillance cameras in the building. The raid sparks minor clashes in central Ramallah; 5 Palestinians are injured. Israeli soldiers also shoot and injure 7 Palestinians during clashes sparked by IDF raids in Tubas and Nabi Salih village near Ramallah late at night. Meanwhile, IDF troops arrest 13 Palestinians during further raids near Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya; and patrol in and around Tulkarm and Hebron. Israeli settlers puncture the tires of 3 Palestinian vehicles and leave racist graffiti on nearby walls in Beytin near Ramallah. A separate group of settlers throws rocks at Palestinian vehicles on a road outside Nablus, causing minor damage. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during a raid in Jabal Mukabir. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land near Gaza City. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Rafah, causing no damage or injuries (2 fishermen are arrested and their boat is confiscated). Later in the day, hundreds of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s northern border to continue the Great March of Return and to cheer on a number of Palestinian boats sailing in a symbolic challenge to the Israeli blockade. IDF troops and Israeli naval forces violently disperse the demonstrations; 27 Palestinians are injured. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/10; MNA, MNA 12/11; PCHR 12/13)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the Omani government has given permission for Israeli planes to fly through Omani airspace. “Therefore, only one small thing remains for us to do,” he adds, pointing to Saudi Arabia on a map. “We need to [make it so] that El Al can fly over this, and that’s it—we open new markets.” (AP, JP, TOI, YA 12/10)

In East Jerusalem, approximately 35 right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 7 Palestinians and confiscate NIS 500,000 (approximately $134,731) during raids near Jenin, Tulkarm, Hebron, and Nablus; and patrol near Hebron, Tulkarm, and Salfit. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land near Khan Yunis and open fire on Palestinian shepherds and agricultural lands near Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA 11/15; PCHR 11/22)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas signs accession papers for the State of Palestine to join 11 international organizations and conventions, including the Universal Postal Union, Convention on the Nationality of Married Women, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Basel Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage Resulting from Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, Vienna Convention of Road Traffic, Protocol concerning countries or territories at present occupied, Convention on Consent to Marriage, Minimum Age for Marriage and Registration of Marriages, Agreement Establishing the Common Fund for Commodities, and the International Convention on the Arrest of Ships. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 11/15)

One day after Israeli defense minister Avigdor Lieberman resigned in protest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to reach a cease-fire with the armed Palestinian groups in Gaza, both Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri call for snap elections to be held as soon as possible. Meanwhile, hundreds of Israelis from communities near Gaza gather in central Tel Aviv to protest the government’s response to the recent rocket fire from Gaza. Many call for Netanyahu to resign. Netanyahu, for his part, presents to a group of leaders from the border communities a NIS 500 million (approximately $135 million) plan to support them over the next 2 years. (HA, HA, JP, YA 11/15; HA, MNA, TOI 11/16)

UNRWA commissioner general Pierre Krähenbühl says that the agency has almost entirely made up for the budget shortfall caused by U.S. president Trump’s decision to slash U.S. support for UNRWA earlier this year. He says that UNRWA has raised an addition $382 million, bringing the deficit to just $64 million. “I’ll be very honest in saying, I don’t think many people believed that we would be able to overcome a $446 million shortfall at the beginning of the year,” he says, crediting the EU, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE for each upping their pledges of support this year. (AFP, TOI 11/15)

Hours after Israeli air strikes across Gaza on 6/19, Hamas and other armed groups launch approximately 45 rockets and other projectiles toward Israel; 3 fall short of the border fence, Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts 7, and the rest fall in open areas in Israel, causing no major damage or injuries. The IAF then conducts retaliatory strikes on a number of Hamas and PIJ sites in Rafah and near Gaza City, causing major damage. Late at night, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats off Gaza’s coast near Gaza City, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian driver near Bethlehem. It’s unclear why they opened fire. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home near Jerusalem, arrest 13 Palestinians, and injure 1 during late-night raids near Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus; and patrol near Hebron and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish 1 Palestinian home each in Abu Dis and Qalandia refugee camp. They also arrest 2 Palestinians during late-night raids in Jabal Mukabir and al-Tur. (JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 6/20; MNA, PCHR 6/21; PCHR 6/27)

A Palestinian succumbs to injuries sustained when IDF troops violently dispersed Palestinian protesters along Gaza’s border on 5/14, bringing the death toll stemming from the Great March of Return to 124. (MNA, PCHR, TOI, WAFA 6/21)

In the wake of the rocket fire from Gaza in the morning, Hamas and PIJ issue a joint statement claiming responsibility and threatening to retaliate for any future Israeli strikes in Gaza. “We are committed to a formula of a strike for every strike,” the statement reads. “We will not allow the enemy to dictate a new formula.” Earlier, an IDF spokesperson explained the IDF’s decision to escalate their response to incendiary kite and balloon attacks from Gaza on 6/19: “We struck at a greater intensity, with the intended message for Hamas to understand that we will not allow this situation to continue.” (HA, TOI 6/20)

U.S. president Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Kushner and Special Representative Greenblatt meet with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. They discuss possible humanitarian projects to help improve conditions in Gaza and the Trump administration’s long-awaited Palestinian-Israeli peace plan. (HA, TOI 6/20)

Approximately 2,000 Palestinians, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, gather along Gaza’s border fence to perform the traditional morning prayer marking Eid al-Fitr. IDF troops then violently disperse hundreds of Palestinians who joined protests after the prayer near Rafah and Khan Yunis. For the third time in as many days, the IDF attacks Palestinians reportedly preparing to fly incendiary kites into Israel. An Israeli drone bombs a Hamas observation post near Rafah, causing no reported injuries. Armed Gazans fly a number of incendiary kites across the border fence throughout the day, sparking at least 11 fires in Israel. Separately, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian attempting to cross into Israel near Jabaliya refugee camp. In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol near Qalqilya and Hebron and violently disperse Palestinians gathering in Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya to protest the Israeli occupation; 2 Palestinians are arrested. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Silwan. (HA, MNA, TOI 6/15; TOI 6/16; PCHR 6/21)

U.S. president Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and U.S. special representative Jason Greenblatt meet with UN secretary-general António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres in New York City, days ahead of their week-long trip to the Middle East for meetings on their long-awaited peace plan. The trip is set to include stops in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. (HA 6/17)

Unidentified persons detonate a roadside explosive targeting PA PM Hamdallah’s 3- vehicle convoy in an apparent assassination attempt near Bayt Hanun in Gaza; 7 Palestinians are injured and 3 cars are damaged. Unhurt, Hamdallah attends an inauguration of a wastewater treatment plant. PA officials initially blame Hamas for the attack. After Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks with Hamdallah, they agree that Israel was likely responsible. (HA, MNA, NYT, WAFA, YA 3/13; HA, JP 3/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers chop down 15 Palestinian olive trees near Nablus. IDF troops arrest 5 Palestinians during late-night raids near Jenin and Nablus, and patrol near Hebron and Qalqilya. Israeli forces punitively seal a Jenin-area apartment belonging to the family of a Palestinian arrested for allegedly killing an Israeli settler on 10/4/17 (Israeli forces punitively demolished the family’s home on 12/1/17). Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, WAFA 3/13; PCHR 3/15)

U.S. president Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and Special Rep. for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt host a meeting at the White House to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israeli, Qatari, Saudi, Omani, Bahraini, and UAE officials attend, while Palestinian officials maintain their boycott of the U.S. peace initiative. (JP, TOI 3/13; WAFA 3/14)