The Palestine Chronology

Israel orders the Israeli police in Jerusalem to expand their jurisdiction to include Jewish settlement areas north, west, and south of Jerusalem that will eventually be west of the separation wall and that Sharon plans to annex under final status. The IDF sends troops into Qiffin nr. Tulkarm, fires tear gas at 10s of Palestinian children on their way to school, arrests a 16-yr.-old boy; sends troops into Marda nr. Nablus, fires tear gas at Palestinian children on their way home from school, confiscates a school bag fr. a 13-yr.-old Palestinian; arrests 2 Palestinian farmers working their land nr. Tulkarm for straying too close to the separation wall; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hazma nr. Jerusalem, al-Til nr. Tulkarm; raids Dayr al-Balah and arrests 2 Palestinians who allegedly attempted to sneak into Israel to find work. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails begin a 2-day hunger strike to protest their deteriorating living conditions. (PR 4/20; PCHR 4/21)

The IDF demolishes an illegal outpost nr. Kiryat Arba comprising only a makeshift synagogue; the site has been demolished and rebuilt by Jewish settlers on 24 previous occasions. The IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Anata in Jerusalem, evacuates another 30 bedouin families fr. tents in the area, saying they are too close to the Anatot IDF base and that some land is needed for construction of the separation wall; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. and Nablus, exchanging gunfire with armed Palestinians, wounding 2. An IDF jeep on patrol in Bethlehem accidentally overturns, trapping 4 lightly injured soldiers inside; when 10s of Palestinians surround, throw stones at the jeep, the soldiers fire live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at the crowd, injuring 4. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) fires 2 rockets at an IDF post in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim, guarded by IDF soldiers, bulldoze 30 d. of Palestinian agricultural land for expansion of the settlement. Unidentified gunmen fire on the Bir Nabala home, car of proreform PC mbr. Ahmad Batsh (Fatah-Jerusalem) causing damage but no injuries. (AP, HA, REU, XIN 4/13; VOI, VOP 4/13 in WNC 4/14; HA, PCHR 4/14; PR 4/20; PCHR 4/21)

IDF troops in Hebron beat, temporarily detain 7 unarmed PA traffic policemen in the Bab al-Zawiyya district in the Palestinian sector of the city, claiming they were in a prohibited area (see 3/29), beat 3 of the policemen; fire live ammunition, tear gas at Palestinians who attempt to intervene, causing no injuries; fire on residential areas. The IDF also raids, searches a house in East Jerusalem, arresting 1 Palestinian; patrols inside Tamun nr. Jenin, randomly checking Palestinian IDs; uproots 100 olive trees in Bil‘in for construction of the separation wall. For the 2d day, a Jewish settler fr. Kiryat Arba shoots, wounds a Palestinian farmer working his nearby field. A Palestinian Resistance Comm. (PRC) gunman shoots, seriously wounds a Jewish settler working in a greenhouse in Morag settlement, claiming the act is in retaliation for recent Israeli violations of the unofficial truce. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF patrol in Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. Hamas complains that the PA has recently fired a number of teachers working in PA schools who are Hamas supporters. (AFP, IMEMC, YA 4/5; HA, NYT, OCHA, WT 4/6; PCHR 4/7)

The IDF demolishes 6 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina, East Jerusalem; severely beats a Palestinian shepherd herding his flock nr. the separation wall outside Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun, Husan, Marda nr. Nablus, Nabi Elias nr. Qalqilya, al-Ras (drawing maps of several homes), al-Til; patrols inside Tubas. Israel posts an Israeli border police company nr. Yitzhar settlement to prevent settler violence against Palestinians. A Jewish settler fr. Kiryat Arba shoots, wounds a Palestinian farmer working his field nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by the IDF, begin leveling Palestinian land for construction of a bypass road. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim bar 10s of Palestinian farmers fr. neighboring Kafr Qadim fr. reaching their agricultural land. (YA 4/4; OCHA 4/6; PCHR 4/7)

The IDF shoots, wounds, then beats a Palestinian in Hebron for no apparent reason; sends troops into Nablus, erects checkpoints, searches several Palestine Red Crescent Society ambulances; conducts arrest raids in al-Tawani nr. Hebron, Tubas, Yatta; fires steel-coated rubber bullets, tear gas at Palestinians, Israelis, international peace activists conducting a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring an Israeli. (OCHA 4/6; PCHR 4/7)

The IDF attempts to break up a Land Day demonstration nr. Tulkarm, sparking clashes in which 1 Palestinian is injured; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dayr al-Ghusun, Tubas nr. Jenin uproots 1,500 olive trees nr. Hebron for construction of the separation wall; fires steel-coated rubber bullets, tear gas at Palestinians conducting a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Nazlat Issa nr. Tulkarm, wounding 1 Palestinian. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai, escorted by IDF soldiers, occupy a Palestinian home in Hebron, throw the contents of the home into the street, also rampage through the area damaging several other Palestinian homes. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on and Suissa settlements attack 3 Palestinians working on their lands in nearby Yatta. (IMEMC 4/2, 4/3; OCHA 4/6; PCHR 4/7)

The IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes, 1 shop in Wadi Rahal nr. Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall; raids the home nr. Jenin of the family of a Palestinian arrested several wks. ago, interrogates the family, beats the prisoner’s father; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah; erects a new military post, observation tower outside Aley Sinai settlement in Gaza. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a Palestinian farmer working his land nearby, force him to leave, threaten to shoot him if he comes back. Angry Palestinians set fire to a PA police checkpoint in Tulkarm after officers manning the post fire on a suspected stolen vehicle, wounding at least 1 Palestinian. Unidentified assailants torch the cars of several candidates in municipal elections in Gaza. (IMEMC 3/31; HA, MM, NYT, WP 4/1; OCHA 4/6; PCHR 4/7)

The IDF erects 10s of new checkpoints around Tulkarm (turned over to PA security control on 3/22), imposes a curfew on the nearby villages of Allar (sparking demonstrations by local residents), Saida (also conducting house searches); conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun, and Bayt Umar and Halhul nr. Hebron; informs residents of a house nr. a settler bypass road in Wadi al-Silqa that they will only be allowed to enter and leave their home during three 2-hr. periods each day (see 3/19); begins construction of a new 43-km stretch of the separation wall btwn. Tarqumiyya (northwest of Hebron) and Sammu‘ (southwest of Hebron). Palestinians throw stones, a Molotov cocktail at a Jewish settler vehicle Modi’in settlement nr. Ramallah. lightly injuring 3 settlers. After 26 AMB mbrs. on Israel’s wanted list are forced by the PA to leave the PA’s Ramallah headquarters, where they have been given sanctuary for more than a yr., 6 of them go on a rampage, firing on Abbas’s office inside the compound while Abbas is there, ransacking several nearby restaurants, causing no injuries. A PA court convicts 4 Palestinians of collaborating with Israel, sentences 3 to jail terms of 3–5 yrs., releases the 4th. (IMEMC 3/30; AYM 3/30 in WNC 3/31; MM, NYT, PCHR 3/31; JAZ, VOI 3/31 in WNC 4/1; MM, WP 4/1; OCHA 4/6; PCHR, PR 4/7)

The IDF severely beats an 80-yr.-old Palestinian at a flying checkpoint outside Tulkarm, accusing him of warning wanted Palestinians of the presence of the IDF in the area; arrests 3 unarmed PA traffic policemen in the Palestinian section of Hebron on charges that they were in a prohibited area; arrests 3 Palestinians in Gaza on suspicion of smuggling arms; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Asira nr Nablus; begins construction of a new 2-km section of the separation wall w. of Ramallah. An AMB mbr. being pursued by the IDF is killed in a car crash in Ramallah. In Rafah, 5 unidentified Palestinians beat, moderately injure Hamas municipal elections candidate Azmi Abu Mur. (PR 3/30; AYM, HJ 3/30 in WNC 3/31; PCHR 3/31; OCHA 4/6)

Overnight, the IDF makes a major raid into Jenin, sending in 30 military vehicles and helicopters, fires on residential areas, raids and searches Palestinian homes, detaining at least 9 Islamic Jihad mbrs. The IDF also shoots, wounds a Palestinian shepherd grazing his flock nr. the separation wall in Bayt ‘Awwa nr. Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahariyya, Fahma nr. Jenin (arresting 3 PA security officers), Jama‘in and Kafr Qalil nr. Nablus (firing on residential areas, wounding 2 Palestinians inside their home), Surif, Za’atra nr. Hebron. In Gaza City, Fatah-affiliated lawyer Majid al-Jafari is moderately injured when an explosive charge planted underneath his parked car explodes; Jafari received death threats after recently announcing his independent candidacy for the local bar association; no group claims responsibility. (OCHA 3/30; PCHR 3/31; OCHA 4/6; al-Quds 4/23 in WNC 4/26)

The IDF for no apparent reason severely beats 3 Palestinians in 3 separate incidents at checkpoints in Hebron; beats, detains a 50-yr.-old Palestinian at a checkpoint outside Tulkarm after a prolonged interrogation; issues military orders for 40 residents of Nahalin village nr. Bethlehem to vacate their 4,000 d. of land nr. the Gush Etzion bloc within 45 days for construction of the separation wall. An Israeli guard patrolling a separation wall construction site near Bayt ‘Awwa fires on, injures a Palestinian who accidentally strays too close to the area. Jewish settlers fence off a piece of Palestinian land in Silwad nr. Ramallah for expansion of Ofra settlement. (IMEMC 3/27; OCHA, PR 3/30; PCHR 3/31)

The IDF raids Budrus nr. Ramallah, fires on residential areas, sparking clashes that leave 2 Palestinians injured; sends troops into Salim with military orders to occupy a Palestinian home as an IDF post for 1 mo., confining the 16 family mbrs. to 1 floor; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at a nonviolent Palestinian demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1 Palestinian), Dayr Ballut nr. Nablus (wounding 2 Palestinians). Palestinians complain that 100s of people were unable to attend Friday prayers at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque because of prolonged IDF checks at the newly installed electronic gates surrounding the site (see 3/13, 3/24). A Palestinian is injured in an explosion in Gaza City, reportedly while preparing a bomb; 3 Palestinians are injured in a similar incident in Khan Yunis. Some 20 Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus rampage through the nearby village of Asira, breaking windows, throwing stones, beating a 50-yr.-old Palestinian woman; when IDF troops come to Yitzhar later in the day to investigate, some 150 settlers throw stones, clash with troops; later in the evening settlers attack Palestinian homes again, causing damage but no injuries; Yitzhar officials say the attackers were “a number of boys” who had gotten drunk for Purim. Jewish settlers fr. Otniel nr. Hebron detain 3 Palestinian women, 4 children cultivating olives on their nearby land; hold them at the settlement for 5 hrs., until PA security officials intervene with the IDF to secure their release. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai rampage through Palestinian areas of Hebron for 3 hrs., damaging Palestinian homes but causing no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba throw stones and bottles at 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron, threaten to burn them. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack 10s of Palestinians, 4 international peace activists helping Palestinians clean up poisoned feed that the settlers spread on Palestinian land nr. Yatta on 3/22. (HA 3/26; OCHA 3/30; PCHR 3/31)

The IDF eases some restrictions on Palestinian movement around Nablus; conducts a late-night raid on Budrus village nr. Ramallah, site of several recent demonstrations against the separation wall, rounding up women and children, photographing them; installs 2 new electronic gates at the entrances to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs to control Palestinian access (see 3/13); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron (occupying a Palestinian home as an observation post, then allowing settlers to move in), Husan (occupying a Palestinian home as an IDF post). Israeli border police drive through Bil‘in village nr. Ramallah, taunting local youths over loudspeakers, saying “All of Bil‘in’s children are cowards. Let’s see you throw stones”; detains a 14-yr.-old boy who throws stones, questions him, releases him 2 mi. fr. the village. In Hebron, a Jewish settler woman stops a 9-yr-old Palestinian boy on his way home fr. school, takes him to Ramat Yishai settlement, and severely beats him with a rock, breaking his teeth, injuring his back and limbs. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino attack 4 nearby Palestinian homes, causing damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat, injure an international peace activist in Hebron. (WT, YA 3/25; IMEMC 3/26; OCHA 3/30; PCHR 3/31)

The IDF, PA security officers hold a ceremony to jointly unlock the gate (set up after the outbreak of the al-Aqsa intifada, locked since 2001) on the Anabta–Tulkarm road, finalizing the transfer of security control over Tulkarm; the IDF sets up a checkpoint 30 m. down the road to check Palestinian IDs; all other checkpoints into and out of the city, all villages surrounding Tulkarm remain under Israeli control. The IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Silwan; uproots 300 olive trees in Surif nr. Hebron for construction of the separation wall; issues a military order confiscating a plot of land (exact size not specified) in Nahalin w. of Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall, citing the 1950 Absentee Property Law (see Quarterly Update in JPS 135). Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on spread poisoned food pellets on 30 d. of Palestinians grazing land. The IDF says that the PA security forces have sealed 18 smuggler’s tunnels to date. (HA 3/22; HA, OCHA, PR 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

After further talks btwn. Israeli, PA officials, the IDF turns over security control of Tulkarm, pledges not to target wanted Palestinians fr. Tulkarm. The IDF closes checkpoints into East Jerusalem for several hrs; lifts the curfew on Allar, imposed on 3/18; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; fires on residential areas of Burqa nr. Nablus, occupies a Palestinian home as an observation post; raids, searches the Youth Development Society in Husan nr. Bethlehem, temporarily detains 4 board mbrs.; bulldozes 2 d. of Waqf land nr. Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem to build a parking lot for busses transporting Jewish worshipers to the site; bulldozes 4 d. of agricultural land e. of Hebron to establish a new military post; uproots 16 olive trees w. of Ramallah for construction of the separation wall, turns the trees over to local Palestinians for replanting. (JP 3/21; NYT, WP, WT 3/22; OCHA, PR, WP 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

Israeli PM Ariel Sharon approves the construction of 3,500 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim to link the Jewish settlement to East Jerusalem; claims the building would not violate the road map because the construction was approved in principle in 1999 and the project is of “strategic importance” to Israel. The PA protests. The U.S. State Dept. refuses to comment. (AP, BBC, REU 3/21; VOP 3/21 in WNC 3/28; JP, MENA, NYT, WP, WT 3/22; CSM, PR 3/23; MM 3/29; MEI 4/1)

An Israeli border policeman fires on a group of Palestinians attempting to circumvent a checkpoint btwn. Jerusalem and Bethlehem, seriously injuring 1. The IDF fires on a group of Palestinian children returning home fr. school who apparently stray too close to a separation wall construction site, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Saida, Nur al-Shams r.c. (targeting Islamic Jihad mbrs.), Tulkarm r.c.; bulldozes 22 d. of land in Surif nr. Hebron for construction of the separation wall. Palestinians fire a rocket toward Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen fire on an IDF patrol searching for stolen cars in al-Amari r.c. nr. Ramallah, wounding 2 soldiers seriously, 2 lightly; the IDF seals al-Amari, conducts house searches. A PA court sentences 5 Palestinians to jail terms of 3–5 yrs. for collaborating with Israel. (HA, VOP 3/20; VOI 3/21; OCHA 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

The IDF imposes a curfew on Allar nr. Tulkarm, raids and occupies a girls school and 4 Palestinian homes as observation sites, detains 10s of Palestinians for interrogation; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, Dahariyya nr. Hebron; closes checkpoints into East Jerusalem before Friday prayers, fires tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse Palestinians waiting to cross; beats a Palestinian farmer tilling his land nr. the separation wall in Dayr al-‘Asal nr. Hebron; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at a nonviolent Palestinian demonstration against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, seriously injuring a Palestinian, lightly injuring a foreign journalist with the Associated Press. Some 40 Jewish rabbinical students club, stone 8 Palestinian laborers working legally at Nachliel settlement, seriously injuring at least 5; Israeli police intervene but the settlers escape; police sources say the 8 Palestinians were “almost lynched.” Jewish settlers fr. Brakha settlement nr. Nablus ambush, beat, seriously injure a Palestinian truck driver passing the settlement. 10s of Jewish settlers fr. Halamish settlement occupy a plot of nearby Palestinian land housing the water spigots controlling the water supply to the settlement and nearby Palestinian villages. PA security officers seal a smugglers’ tunnel in Rafah; some Palestinians confront the officers with stones, causing no injuries; 1 Palestinian is arrested. (HA, MM 3/18; VOP 3/19; AYM 3/20; OCHA 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

Ma’ariv 3/18 reports that that the financial officer of the Greek Orthodox Church, Nikolaos Papadimas, who has power of attorney for Greek Orthodox Patriarch Irineos, recently signed a secret deal, without Irineos’s permission, to sell the church’s Omar Bin Khattab Square property in the Old City of Jerusalem to Jewish investors fr. abroad and then fled the country with his family, depositing $1.5 m. in a Tel Aviv bank account. The square is a valuable commercial area inside the Jaffa Gate, where 3 prominent Palestinian hotels and a number of shops are located. Irineos denies that he gave permission for the sale, meaning that, by church bylaws, the sale is void. (JAZ, MA, al-Quds, VOP 3/19 in WNC 3/28; HA, VOP 3/23; AP 3/24; NYT 3/25; PR 3/30; al-Quds, VOP 4/3 in WNC 4/4; NYT 4/4; Independent 5/10; HA 5/15; PR 5/18)

The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in n. Jerusalem to make way for the separation wall; fires on Palestinians who halt their car and emerge to survey their agricultural land nr. Tulkarm (lightly injuring 1), takes them to the hospital only after 3 hrs. of questioning; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays nr. the separation wall nr. Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hazma nr. Jerusalem, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids Hebron, al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis, Salim nr. Nablus, Sawahara nr. Jerusalem. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF patrol on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. For a 2d day, Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on shoot at, attack Palestinian shepherds grazing their animals nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Almatan nr. Qalqilya uproot 10s of olive trees, bulldoze Palestinian agricultural land in neighboring Kafr Thuluth. A Jewish settler injures an 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl in a hit-and-run in Hebron. A Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. (IMEMC 3/14; OCHA 3/16; PCHR 3/17)

The IDF fires on 3 Palestinians attempting to sneak into Israel fr. Jabaliya to find work, seriously wounding 1, lightly injuring 1, while 1 escapes; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Baqa‘ al-Sharqiyya. The IDF also imposes new restrictions on Palestinian movement nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, erecting an iron gate 30 m away fr. the site, closing the main road leading to the site to Palestinians, checking all Palestinians before allowing them through the gate to the site. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack 5 Palestinian shepherds grazing their animals nearby; the IDF intervenes, arrests the Palestinians, takes them to Kiryat Arba for interrogation, releases them later. Israel authorizes the construction of a “temporary wall” btwn. Jerusalem, the West Bank in areas where the legal disputes to the route of the separation wall are still underway; approves a new route for the separation wall around Jerusalem that would annex Ma’ale Adumim settlement, surround Shu‘fat r.c. with fences, isolate Palestinian neighborhoods and villages n. of the city, incorporate Bilal Bin Rabah mosque n. of Bethlehem into Jerusalem. At Hebron University, 100s of students supporting Fatah disrupt a Hamas student rally in advance of campus elections, leaving 9 Palestinians injured. (AP, IMEMC 3/13; WT 3/14; OCHA 3/16; PCHR 3/17)

Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners, all of whom must sign pledges that they “opposed terror” and will not undertake “any activity against the State of Israel”; the IDF bars journalists fr. filming prisoners released at Tarqumiyya crossing nr. Hebron, detaining 3 journalists for 1 hr. The IDF imposes a curfew, closure on Nahalin village after local Palestinian youths throw stones at Beitar Ilit settlement, lightly injuring a 2-yr.-old child; raids Nablus to arrest a senior Hamas mbr. who allegedly was plotting a car bombing against an IDF target; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron; fires on Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in outside Ramallah, wounding 10. Jewish settlers place 5 mobile homes on Palestinian land in al-Rashayda nr. Bethlehem, establishing an unauthorized outpost. (HA, MM 2/211; NYT, WP, WT 2/22; NYT, PR 2/23; PCHR 2/24; MEI 3/4)

The IDF beats, fatally shoots a 16-yr.- old Palestinian allegedly wielding a knife in Hebron (Palestinian witnesses deny he was armed); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya, and in Dura, Nablus, Yatta; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina; orders 3 Palestinian families to leave their Yatta homes and property or be expelled; begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in Hazma, Anata villages northeast of Jerusalem. A Jewish settler fr. Keddumim verbally abuses, attempts to attack several Palestinians waiting to be allowed to cross an IDF gate into nearby Kafr Qadim; Palestinians fend him off, the IDF does not intervene. Unidentified gunmen fire on the Gaza City home of Fatah Revolutionary Council mbr. Sakhr Bseiso, causing damage but no injuries; Bseiso is head of the Fatah comm. charged with investigating corruption. (WP 2/15; NYT, OCHA, PR 2/16; PCHR, PM 2/17)

Fmr. Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri is assassinated in a major car bombing in Beirut; 7 bodyguards, 6 passers-by are also killed, more than 100 are wounded (3 of whom later die). A previously unknown group called Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria claims responsibility. (BBC, al-Hayat, JAZ, MM 2/14; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/15; Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, al-Quds, VOI, XIN 2/15, JAZ, QA 2/16, AFP, Le Monde 2/17 in WNC 2/18; MEI 2/18)

The IDF confiscates 301 d. of land on both sides of the separation wall w. of Jenin. PA security services summon several Hamas mbrs. for questioning in various locations. Hamas complains that mbrs. are harshly, though not violently, treated. Late in the evening, Jewish settlers fr. Neve Dekalim fire percussion grenades at residential areas of Khan Yunis. (PR 2/16; PCHR 2/17)

In response to the 2 Palestinian deaths on 2/9, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PRCs fire 35 mortars and 18 rockets at Gush Katif, Morag, Neve Dekalim settlements, causing minor damage to 1 house and no injuries, threatening the Israeli-Palestinian truce. The IDF fires on a Palestinian car that attempts to bypass a roadblock, causing the car to crash, killing the Palestinian driver; issues military orders confiscating 150 d. of Bayt Hanina land, 50 d. of Shu‘fat land for construction of the separation wall around Jerusalem. Palestinian gunmen aligned with a senior Fatah official break into a PA prison in central Gaza, fatally shoot 3 Palestinians in retaliation for the slaying of the official’s brother. (BBC, MM, NYT, WT 2/10; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/11; AP 2/14; PCHR 2/17; MEI 2/18)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 unarmed Palestinians apparently attempting to sneak into Israel nr. Bayt Hanun to find work; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; fires tear gas at Palestinians conducting a peaceful protest against the separation wall nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’ale Gilboa in the n. Jordan Valley fence off 400 d. of Palestinian land n. of Bardala village e. of Jenin, begin grazing cows. A Jewish settler seriously injures a Palestinian in a hit-and-run incident nr. Qalqilya. (IMEMC 2/6; PCHR 2/10)

The IDF arrests a 16-yr.-old Palestinian at Hawara checkpoint nr. Nablus for carrying a bag with “an apparent explosive belt, an improvised weapon, and 20 bullets”; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Ithna, al-Mawasi, Nablus; sends troops into al-Fara’a r.c. to search local Palestinians on the street, fires on Palestinian youths who throw stones at troops; issues military orders confiscating at least 130 d. of agricultural land s. of Nablus to establish a buffer zone around Emmanuel settlement; issues a military order confiscating 25 d. of Azariyya land for separation wall construction. A DFLP mbr. throws grenades at an IDF vehicle in s. Gaza, slightly wounding 2 soldiers; soldiers shoot, kill the assailant. 2 AMB mbrs. fire on an IDF jeep nr. Hebron, wounding 4 IDF soldiers, escaping. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in IDF shelling of Bayt Lahiya on 1/4/05. (IMEMC 2/3; HA, WP 2/4; NYT 2/6; PCHR 2/10; OCHA 2/23)

Inside Israel, some 1,000 Israeli border police backed by 16 bulldozers level 4,000 d. of bedouin land in the al-Araqib area of the Negev, seal off all roads leading to the area to prevent the bedouin owners fr. returning. The Israel Lands Dept. says the goal of the operation is to “salvage the state’s lands from the Arab bedouins who seized and exploited them.” (JAZ 2/4)

The IDF issues confiscation orders for 150 d. of Palestinian land n. of Ariel settlement for construction of the separation wall. Palestinians fire mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Israel says it will not hand over security control of West Bank cities until the mortar fire ceases, demands the PA security forces in Gaza step up their efforts to maintain quiet. A Jewish settler is injured when a Palestinian throws a Molotov cocktail at his car nr. Migdalim s. of Nablus and e. of Salfit. (JP 2/1; HA, NYT, OCHA 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

The IDF fatally shoots a 60-yr.-old Palestinian who strays into a closed military zone nr. the Rafah-Egypt border; issues notices to residents of al-Jib northwest of Jerusalem that 2,362 d. of their land is slated for confiscation for construction of the separation wall; bulldozes at least 50 d. of agricultural land s. of Hebron (on top of at least 90 d. bulldozed in the previous wk.) apparently to turn the land over for Jewish settlers’ use; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Mawasi. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa settlement nr. Hebron uproot 300 Palestinian olive trees in neighboring al-Mu‘in. (VOI 1/30 in WNC 1/31; NYT 1/31; PCHR 2/3)

After the PA security forces complete their deployment in Gaza, the IDF announces that, in light of ongoing PA cooperation, it has issued orders to stop all “offensive operations” in Gaza, to scale back operations in the West Bank, and to remove an unspecified number of roadblocks in the West Bank to ease Palestinian movement, saying it will only conduct assassinations if there is immediate threat of an attack and only with the “explicit authorization” of IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon. Meanwhile, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who strays into a closed military zone nr. Kissufim crossing; fires on Palestinians conducting a nonviolent march protesting construction of the separation wall, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’, Yatta. Palestinians fire 4 mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. An 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy injured when he accidentally triggered unexploded IDF ordnance on 1/25 dies. (MM 1/28; MA, VOI, VOP 1/28 in WNC 1/29; NYT, WP 1/29; VOP 1/29 in WNC 1/30; OCHA 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian nr. the Gaza border; sends troops into Silat al-Harithiyya, fires on houses, then fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 1; fires on a car crossing the Abu Huli checkpoint in Gaza, wounding 3 Palestinians; begins leveling a 180-d. stretch of land s. of Hebron for construction of the separation wall; bars Palestinian shepherds fr. grazing their flocks in an area immediately n. of Ma’on settlement nr. Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, in Silwad and Ramallah. Nr. Ramallah, 2 Palestinian boys (ages 11, 13) are injured when they accidentally detonate a piece of unexploded IDF ordnance. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in Hebron on 12/27/04. (JTA 1/25; VOP 1/25 in WNC 1/25; OCHA 1/26; PCHR 1/27; OCHA 2/2)

The IDF revives its psychological warfare unit after 5 yrs. of suspended activity, allotting 70 positions for officers, soldiers to conduct propaganda, psychological warfare, disinformation in the occupied territories. (HA 1/25; JAZ 1/26)

The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian near the separation wall in Qalqilya; clashes with Palestinians in Salim nr. Nablus, leaving 1 Palestinian wounded; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, Saida. A Jewish settler fr. Hebron seriously injures a 4-yr.- old Palestinian in a hit-and-run. (VOI 1/23 in WNC 1/24; OCHA 1/26; PCHR 1/27)

The AMB, DFLP, PFLP say they are ready to halt violence if the IDF halts military operations; Israel says it is considering the idea, with Sharon advisers Zalman Shoval and Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland saying “if there will be quiet on the Palestinian side, then there will be quiet on our side.” (VOI, VOP 1/22, VOP 1/23 in WNC 1/24; NYT, WP 1/23; MM 1/24)