The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Luban al-Sharqiyya and at a house in the village. Israeli settlers also uprooted 35 Palestinian-owned olive trees in al-Twana. 8 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Tura al-Ghabiyya, Nablus, and Hebron; 1 Palestinian was assaulted by the raiding Israeli forces in Tura al-Ghabiyya and was treated at a hospital. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed a Christmas celebration caravan in Bayt Hanina. 1 Palestinian family of 4 was handed a demolition order for their 2-story house in Silwan. 4 Palestinians were arrested in and around the Old City and Issawiyya. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/24; WAFA 12/25; PCHR 12/31)

Israel arrested 1 Palestinian man suspected of killing 1 Israeli settler on 12/20. (HA, TOI 12/24)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. was inaugurating “a virtual presence post effective immediately” as the U.S. continues work to establish a physical consulate in the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara. The U.S. announced on 12/10 that it recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara in return for Morocco normalizing ties with Israel. (AJ, HA 12/24)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers clashed with Palestinians while touring an evacuated settlement outpost south of Jenin. Israeli forces raided the headquarters of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees, an office of the PFLP, and the Abu Judeh Print Shop. Israeli forces also seized 1 coffee shop cart in Huwwara. 26 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around al-‘Arub refugee camp, Bayt Umar, Tubas, Kaubar, Abu Dis, and Jericho. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler attacked a 6-year-old boy in Silwan. 1 Palestinian began demolishing his grocery store in Jabal Mukabir and 1 Palestinian family received a demolition order for their house in Silwan. 2 Palestinians were arrested in Issawiyya. In Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 12/10; PCHR 12/17)

The Tulkarm, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Hebron, governorates entered a week-long lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus. (WAFA 12/10)

U.S. president Donald Trump announced that Morocco had decided to normalize relations with Israel in a deal where the U.S. reverses decades of policy to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara. As part of the deal, Morocco will open a diplomatic office in Tel Aviv and Israel in Rabat, which eventually will be turned into embassies; both will also grant overflight rights to each other. The UN recognizes the legitimate rights of the Sahrawi people to self-determination as it does the Palestinian people. U.S. officials later told Reuters that the U.S. is negotiating with Morocco to sell 4 sophisticated drones to the country. According to the prime minister of Morocco Saad-Eddine El Othmani, the king of Morocco Mohammed VI and PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke on the phone after the announcement of the normalization deal. Prime Minister El Othmani also said Morocco still rejects the U.S. peace plan and remains “supportive of the Palestinian cause.” Hamas called the normalization deal a betrayal while the PA has been silent. Moroccans protested the normalization in several cities after the announcement. It was reported by the New York Times that the U.S. also promised Morocco to facilitate an investment of $3 billion over 3 years as part of the deal. (AJ, AP, AX, BBC, GDN, HA, POL, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU 12/10; AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, REU 12/11; AJ, AJ, REU, TOI 12/12; AJ, GDN, HA 12/13)

India contributed $2 million to the UNRWA. (WAFA 12/10)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed a 14-year-old Palestinian using live ammunition during a protest against a settlement outpost in al-Mughayyir; 4 were shot by rubber-coated bullets and others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed a seed planting event in Bayt Dajan, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed the weekly anti-settlement protests in Kafr Qaddum and a similar protest in Salfit; tear-gas related injuries were reported. Israeli forces also clashed with Palestinians in Hebron, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 3 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 at a checkpoint in the Jordan Valley near Jenin and 1 during a late-night raid in Nablus. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler tried to set fire to the Church of All Nations, but only managed to cause moderate damage before being stopped by church guards; the settler was arrested by Israeli forces shortly after. PA president Mahmoud Abbas called the incident a terror attack. 1 Palestinian was arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers near Bayt Lahiya and Bayt Hanun; no injuries were reported. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 4 nautical miles west of al-Sudaniyya; no injuries were reported. (AJ, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/4; AJ, HA, HA, HA, MEE, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/5; AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/6; GDN 12/7; PCHR 12/10; +972 12/14)

The Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said at a virtual meeting that Saudi Arabia’s demand before normalization with Israel is a “peace deal that delivers a Palestinian state with dignity and with a workable sovereignty that Palestinians can accept.” (AJ 12/4)

In the West Bank, Palestinians fended off Israeli settlers trying to seize their land in Birin. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian using live ammunition near the separation wall north of Jenin. 5 Palestinians were arrested, including 4 during late-night raids in Nablus, Anata, Kisan, and Hebron; 1 was arrested by undercover Israeli forces while working at a gas station near Kafr Qaddum. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians started demolishing their own homes to avoid exorbitant Israeli demolition fees. Israeli forces summoned 3 members of Fatah for interrogation in Silwan. (WAFA, WAFA 8/31; PCHR 9/3)

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar announced that Hamas and Israel had reached an understanding to de-escalate the conflict after nearly a month of daily attacks on Gaza and incendiary balloons launched toward Israel. The understanding was facilitated by Qatari mediators. As part of the de-escalation, the Kerem Shalom border crossing would be reopened on 9/1 and the fishing zone would be reopened up to 15 nautical miles. Sources in Hamas told Haaretz that Israel would allow Qatari aid to enter Gaza again, and that Qatar was granted approval by Israel to build a gas pipeline and operate a power station in Gaza. (AJ 8/31; HA 9/1)

A delegation of senior Israeli and U.S. officials arrived in the UAE to discuss the details of the UAE’s normalization deal with Israel. The delegation arrived in the UAE on an El Al plane flying directly from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi using Saudi Arabian airspace. In Israel, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a press conference that he would discuss sales of U.S. F-35s and other advanced weaponry to the UAE with U.S. president Donald Trump while stressing that U.S. sales of weapons to the UAE was not part of the normalization deal. In a joint statement released by the 3 parties, the language between the English and Arabic releases differed on Israel’s commitment not to annex parts of the West Bank as part of the normalization deal. In the Arabic version it said the agreement had “stopped” Israel’s plans while the English said it had led to “the suspension of Israel’s plans to extend sovereignty.” (HA, REU 8/31; AJ 9/1; REU 9/2)

Syrian officials said that Israel fired missiles at military installments south of Damascus, killing 2 Syrian soldiers and wounding 7. The London-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights later said that the number of deaths was 10, most of them foreign. (HA 8/31; HA 9/1)

A former Lebanese ambassador to Germany Mustapha Adib was announced as the new prime minister of Lebanon after the government resigned earlier this month. The announcement came as French president Emmanuel Macron was en route for Beirut. Reuters reported that Adib was President Macron’s preferred choice. (AJ, HA 8/31)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a tractor and wrote racist graffiti in ‘Urif and slashed tires on several vehicles and wrote racist graffiti on buildings in Yasuf. Israeli settlers also threw stones and paint at an Israeli border police vehicle near the Yitzhar settlement. Israeli settlers also set fire to Palestinian agricultural lands in Asira; subsequently, local Palestinians and Israeli forces clashed in the area, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also razed land east of Tulkarm. Separately, Israeli forces injured 3 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets as they were seeking to enter Israel via the separation wall near Far‘un. 20 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Hizma, Bethlehem, Salfit, Nablus, Tulkarm, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family demolished part of their house built to accommodate their disabled son in Sur Bahir. 4 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 during late-night raids in Issawiyya and the Old City, and 1 Waqf guard at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israel fired missiles at Gaza City, Bayt Hanun, and Dayr al-Balah, causing damage; incendiary balloons were launched from Gaza toward Israel, sparking fires. 1 unexploded Israeli shell was found at an UNRWA school west of Gaza City. Israel announced that it would stop all imports of fuel into Gaza as collective punishment for incendiary balloons landing in Israel. (AJ, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/13; HA, HA 8/14; PCHR 8/16; PCHR 8/17; PCHR 8/19)

Russia announced that it would open trade representation offices in Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus. (WAFA 8/13)

U.S. president Donald Trump announced that Israel and the UAE had agreed to establish full diplomatic ties and that Israel, as part of the agreement, had decided to suspend annexation of parts of the West Bank. In a joint statement from the 3 parties, it said that “Israel will suspend declaring sovereignty over areas outlined in the President’s Vision for Peace and focus its efforts now on expanding ties with other countries in the Arab and Muslim world.” Later, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that annexation is “still on the table” and a promise he is committed to. Subsequently, President Trump said, “Israel agreed not to annex parts of the West Bank. It is more than taking it off the table—they agreed not to do it. This is a very smart concession by Israel. It is off the table now.” U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman later said that annexation is “off the table now but it’s not off the table permanently. You can’t have peace and annexation at the same time.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas called the deal a “betrayal of Jerusalem, al-Aqsa Mosque and the Palestinian cause.” The PA also recalled its ambassador to the UAE. Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said of the deal: “[t]his announcement is a reward for the Israeli occupation’s crimes . . . The normalization is a stabbing in the back of our people.” U.S. officials also said that Bahrain and Oman are likely to soon normalize relations with Israel. (HA, HA, HA, HA, REU, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 8/13; AJ, AJ, REU, REU, REU 8/14; HA 8/15; REU 8/16; AJ 8/17)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and wrote racist graffiti on walls in al-Bireh. Israeli forces razed Palestinian farmland to expand an Israeli settlement near Burqin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seized 4 animal barns in Nahalin. 11 Palestinians were arrested, including 9 during late-night raids in and around Anata, Hebron, Shu‘fat, and Jenin; 2 were arrested at a military checkpoint near Nablus. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level land east of Rafah. (HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/27; PCHR 7/29)

In the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants were said to have exchanged fire near the Lebanese border; no casualties were reported. Israel claimed that Hezbollah operatives had entered Israel, leading to an exchange of fire. Hezbollah, however, said that it had not opened fire on Israeli forces and that the Israeli claims were a publicity stunt. The Lebanese prime minister Hassan Diab later said that Israel’s conduct was a dangerous military escalation in violation of Lebanese sovereignty. (REU, REU 7/27; AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU 7/28)

The U.S. Democratic Party finalized its platform for the 2020 elections. While the platform states opposition to Israeli annexation of West Bank settlements and calls for a 2-state solution, it also dismissed progressive amendments to dealing with Israel, such as conditioning military aid and calling for an end to the occupation of the West Bank. The amendments were voted down 117-34. The platform also recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Jewish Voice for Peace called the platform “wildly out of touch with the Democratic base.” (HA 7/27; JVP Action 7/28; WAFA 7/29)

The EU said it was “deeply concerned” about the detention of PA governor of Jerusalem Adnan Gheith and called for “full respect of bilateral agreements between Israel and the PLO” with regard to East Jerusalem. Governor Gheith was arrested on 7/19 during a house raid; it was the 18th time he has been arrested since becoming governor 2 years ago. (WAFA 7/28)

The EU contributed with $27 million to the PA to help pay for the June salaries for PA civil servants. The PA has only paid civil servants half their salaries, citing the refusal to receive tax revenue payments collected by Israel because it would include coordination between the PA and Israel. (WAFA, WAFA 7/27)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers injured 2 Palestinians while throwing stones at a Palestinian-owned house in Yatma. Separately, Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian-owned agricultural lands east of Tulkarm, damaging olive and almond trees. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 residential caravan in Bayt Dajan. 26 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bayt Umar, Dura, Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Ya‘bad, Jenin, Nablus, and Qalqilya. During a raid near Ramallah, 1 Palestinian was injured by a rubber-coated bullet; 1 other Palestinian was injured by gunfire in Qalqilya, and clashes erupted during a raid in Ya‘bad; no injuries were reported there. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were injured in 2 separate attacks by unidentified perpetrators; 1 4-year-old girl was hit in the head by a bullet in Issawiyya and 1 man and his child were shot while working in a store in Shu‘fat. 1 Palestinian was arrested in Issawiyya. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 5/21; PCHR 5/28)

The PA formally informed Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and the CIA that it was no longer participating in security coordination and intelligence sharing. PA forces also left Area B which, like Area C, is under Israeli military control. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh also said that the PA would not accept COVID-19-related aid sent from UAE on a direct plane to Israel landing on 5/20, noting that the PA had not been informed about the shipment before it took off. All the COVID-19 material will instead go to Gaza, which witnessed 29 new confirmed COVID-19 cases today. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 5/21)

18 Democratic senators signed a letter addressed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz, warning that annexation of parts of the West Bank “would betray our shared democratic values by denying Palestinians’ right to self-determination in a viable, sovereign, independent and contiguous state.” It further stated that annexation would likely erode the American people’s support for the U.S.-Israeli special relationship. (HA 5/21; WAFA 5/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces uprooted some 400 olive tree saplings west of Bethlehem and seized a residential tent, a generator, and an animal barn in al-Mughayyir. Israeli forces also arrested 15 Palestinians during raids in and around al-‘Arub refugee camp, Ramallah, Baytin, Tulkarm, Jenin, and Nablus. In Gaza, the death toll from the fire in a bakery on 3/5 rose to 13 after 2 more people succumbed to their injuries. Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian shepherds east of al-Maghazi; no injuries were reported. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen 2 miles west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/9; PCHR 3/18)

Israeli defense minister Naftali Bennett announced that the Israeli government had approved to build a separate road for Palestinians to connect the northern and southern parts of the West Bank as Israel is moving forward with building 3,500 settler units in E-1 near East Jerusalem. Defense Minister Bennett said that Israel is “applying sovereignty [over the West Bank] in deed, not words.” The PA foreign Ministry said in a statement that, with the move, Israel is seeking to close the door for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. (HA, JP, WAFA 3/9; AJ 3/10)

Qatar donated $10 million worth of medical equipment to help the PA combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the West Bank. There are 25 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the West Bank. (WAFA, WAFA 3/9)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided a Palestinian-owned house in Kaubar and took measures to punitively demolish it; 2 of the house’s occupants are detained by Israel. Israeli forces also arrested 11 Palestinians, including 4 during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Jenin, and Ramallah; 1 on a street near Nablus; and 7 during daytime raids in and around Ramallah, Nablus, ‘Ayn al-Hilwa, and Hebron. During a daytime raid in Nablus, Israeli forces confiscated a tractor, and separately during a different raid in Nablus, Israeli forces seized carpentry equipment. 1 Palestinian was shot by Israeli forces after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing by the Gush Etzion junction. Israeli forces also seized and impounded a PA health ministry vehicle providing medical services to 1,500 Palestinians in rural areas south of Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas and arrested 3 Palestinians at Bab al-Rahma in the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/2; WAFA 1/3; HA 1/7; PCHR 1/9)

9 Palestinians from Issawiyya in East Jerusalem were placed under nighttime curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. 6 of the men were told that they were facing a nighttime curfew on 12/29, but the curfew did not take effect until 1/2. The Israeli military cited a 1945 Mandate-era regulation to justify placing the 9 under nighttime curfew. (HA 1/2)

The U.S. assassinated Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and commander of the IRGC’s special forces Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and the deputy chairman of the Iraqi government-sanctioned militia Popular Mobilisation Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, along with several other Iranian and Iraqi officials at Baghdad International airport. The assassinations were carried out by an American MQ-9 drone that fired missiles at the officials’ convoy as it was leaving the airport. The Pentagon released a statement saying that the strike was directed on behest of U.S. president Donald Trump and was aimed at “deterring future Iranian attack plans.” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Iran would have 3 days of mourning followed by a retaliation. The speaker of the Iraqi parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi condemned the assassination, calling it “a flagrant breach of sovereignty and violation of international agreements.” (DOD, NYT, REU 1/2; AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, HA, WP 1/3; HA 1/4)