The Palestine Chronology

The IDF makes 1 air and 3 artillery strikes on a field deep inside the n. Gaza no-go zone nr. Bayt Lahiya, killing 2 Palestinians; occupies the PA military intelligence headquarters in Jenin, forcing all PA officers to leave, arresting 1; conducts arrest raids in and around Jenin town and r.c., and in Hebron, Nablus, al-Til, Tulkarm, Yatta. Some 50 AMB gunmen occupy a PA Interior Min. office in Gaza for several hrs., demanding jobs. Some 30 armed mbrs. of a Palestinian clan that clashed with PA police in Gaza City on 12/29 and 12/30 rally outside the Rafah crossing, threaten to bar PA officials fr. crossing if their relative is not freed by police.AMB mbrs. protesting the Fatah party list (see 12/28) take over a West Bank hotel, demand that foreign election observers leave. (REU, XIN, YA 12/31; IMEMC, NYT, WP 1/1; PCHR 1/5)

The IDF continues to shell the n. Gaza no-go zone; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dayr al-Ghusun nr. Tulkarm, Jenin town and r.c. (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront troops, wounding 9), al-Til, Yatta; removes without incident 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Beit El, Kiryat Arba, Shvut Rachel. Some 100 PA policemen occupy the Rafah border terminal to protest the death of a policeman on 12/29; EU monitors shut the crossing, leave the area for several hrs., until the demonstration breaks up. In Gaza City, a Palestinian clan attacks a PA police station, trades gunfire with police for a 2d day in an attempt to force them to free a jailed relative; a 14-yr.-old Palestinian is fatally shot in the crossfire. During the day, the AMB, Hamas hold separate rallies in Gaza protesting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28; the Britons are released late in the evening; just before freeing them, a group calling itself the Brigades of the Mujahiddin (reportedly connected to Fatah) issues a videotaped statement claiming responsibility, calling on Britain to take a harder line with Israel. (IMEMC, JAZ, YA 12/30; NYT, WP, WT 12/31; HA 1/1; PCHR 1/5)

Overnight, the IDF launches a major raid on Nablus, surrounding and searching houses, assassinating senior Hamas military cmdr. for the n. West Bank, Amjad Hinnawi, and arresting several other Palestinians. The IDF also partially demolishes an apartment building in alZababda nr. Jenin; imposes a curfew on parts of Hebron, conducts arrest raids and house searches, occupying 1 Palestinian home as an observation post; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yatta (arresting local Islamic Jihad leader Mahmud al-Haddar), nr. Bethlehem. A Palestinian gunman fires on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Halhul, causing damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar burn 30 Palestinian olive trees in Nablus. In Rafah, gunmen of a previously unknown group called the Islamic Army raids and orders closed a PA Central Election Commission (CEC) office, saying that the upcoming parliamentary elections are un-Islamic and a plot by the U.S. and Israel; CEC officials refuse to leave, PA security forces arrive, the gunmen leave. (HA 11/14; IMEMC, REU, WP 11/15; PCHR 11/17)

As Operation Starting All Over Again continues, IDF warplanes launch 12 more air strikes on Gaza, cutting electricity to 1,000s of Palestinian homes, causing serious damage but no injuries; continue conducting sonic booms over the Strip roughly every 20 mins. almost around the clock. The IDF also drops leaflets on Gaza warning of more air strikes until there is a “total cessation of terror attacks”; responds to Palestinians firing a rocket at Sederot (no damage or injuries) with artillery fire on the launch site in n. Gaza, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches and fires on residential areas in and around Balata r.c., Nablus; Palestinians set fire to 1 IDF vehicle in Nablus during the operation. The IDF also fires on stonethrowing Palestinians in Dura, wounding 8. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba rampage through Palestinian areas of Hebron, damaging 10s of houses, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian. Jewish settlers fr. Carmiel, rampage through Yatta village, damaging 10s of Palestinian homes and 1 car. In Ramallah, PA police break up a protest in front of the PA headquarters by Birzeit University students demanding the release of jailed student leader of the Islamic movement at Birzeit, Ala’ Barahma; several students are injured. (ABC News, YA 10/29; AFP, HA, IMEMC, WT, YA 10/30; IMEMC, OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

Israel says it is weighing a plan to bar private Palestinian vehicles fr. using all main roads in the West Bank “to protect Israeli motorists from roadside shootings,” drastically to expand the system of settler-only bypass roads and bridges to completely separate Palestinian and Israeli transportation networks within 2 yrs., and to bar all Palestinian workers’ entry into Israel within 3 yrs. The IDF sends troops backed by tanks, armored personnel carriers into Jenin town and r.c. to conduct arrest raids, house searches; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on vandalizes Palestinian homes in Yatta. (AFP, HA, IMEMC, REU 10/19; HA, NYT, PCHR, WT 10/20; HA 10/24; PCHR 10/27)

The IDF closes the Qarni crossing (reopened on 10/9); begins construction of a 6-m.-high concrete wall 15 m inside the n. Gaza border (see 9/18); conducts arrest raids in and around Hebron (targeting Hamas), Nablus, Yatta. Jewish settlers fr. Elkana beat, chase off a Palestinian family harvesting their olive trees nr. Salfit. AMB mbrs. briefly kidnap an American journalists, British photographer in Khan Yunis, giving no reason; Fatah secures their quick release unharmed. (AFP, IMEMC 10/12; IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 10/13; PCHR 10/20; OCHA 10/31)

The IDF arrests fmr. Hamas mbr. and al-Najah University prof. Nasir Sha’ir of Nablus, who has announced plans to run in legislative elections as an independent; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; fires on residential areas in Hebron. More than 200 PA police surround, search homes in Yatta, seeking suspected arms smugglers and drug dealers, arresting 30 and confiscating illegal weapons. The OBKB releases Hamas mbr. Raz (kidnapped in Tulkarm on 10/6), who says his captors beat him but later apologized. (AP, Irish Examiner 10/7; AFP 10/8; PCHR 10/13)

The IDF fires live ammunition at Palestinian protesters marching to their lands outside Qalqilya that have been cut off by the separation wall, seriously wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in al-Mawasi, Nablus, Tamun. In separate incidents in Karmil and Yatta, 5 Palestinians are injured when they accidentally trigger unexploded IDF ordnance. Jewish settlers protesting Israel’s planned evacuation of Homesh settlement in the West Bank march fr. nr. Tulkarm toward Nablus, throwing stones, bottles at Palestinian homes along the way; when Palestinian youths respond by throwing stones at the settlers, the IDF intervenes, fires percussion grenades and rubber bullets, injuring 2 Palestinian teenagers, 1 journalist covering the incident. (IMEMC 8/12; PCHR 8/18; PR 8/25)

An IDF soldier, who deserted 2 mos. ago to protest disengagement and moved to the right-wing West Bank settlement of Tapuach, boards a Haifa–Shafa‘ Amr bus, still dressed in fatigues and carrying his military issue weapon; when the bus enters the Israeli Palestinian town of Shafa ‘Amr, the driver asks him whether he’s on the right bus; the soldier then shoots the Israeli Palestinian driver dead and opens fire on the passengers, killing another 3 Israeli Palestinians, wounding 20 before a mob beats him to death. Sharon denounces the “reprehensible act by a bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist”; YESHA settlers council also condemns the attack; the U.S. terms it a “terrible act of terrorism.” In Gaza City, the PA opens (symbolically on Arafat’s birthday) a 2-wk. “victory festival” to celebrate the pending disengagement and a wk.-long UNDP-funded publicity campaign called “Gaza—Reclaiming our Gem”; 10,000s of Palestinians, predominantly Fatah supporters, rally outside Gaza’s PC headquarters to hear speeches by Abbas, Qurai‘, Dahlan, who emphasize national unity, call on Palestinians not to take any actions that would jeopardize the national image, emphasize that the world is watching how Palestinians react to disengagement and assume responsibility for Gaza. The IDF raids Ramallah, arrests Islamic Jihad spokesman Shaykh Khadir ‘Adnan; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. (arresting a PA security officer), Bayt Fajjar, Hebron (occupying 2 houses as observation posts), al-Til, Yatta; patrols in Bethlehem; arrests a PA security officer at a checkpoint outside Jerusalem. A Jewish settler fr. Neve Dekalim throws a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian home in al-Mawasi, causing damage but no injuries. Israel announces plans to build 72 new housing units in Beitar Ilit settlement nr. Jerusalem. A Palestinian dies of injures received on 8/2 in Bayt Hanun. (IMEMC, HA, REU, YA 8/4; AFP, BBC, JAZ, MA, NYT, WP, WT, YA 8/5; VOP 8/5 in WNC 8/5; NYT, WP, WT 8/6; OCHA, PR 8/10; PCHR 8/11)

The BBC reports that papers in the British National Archives show that in 1958, Britain secretly sold Israel 20 tons of heavy water vital for production of plutonium and the manufacture of nuclear weapons at its Dimona reactor. No “peaceful use only” condition was placed on the sale. (BBC 8/4) The World Bank releases a report showing Israel to be 2d only to Italy as the most corrupt, least efficient of developed countries. The report states that “Israel is considered one of the riskiest places in the Western world, with an unstable, inefficient regime, low accountability, a relative high rate of state corruption, and poor law enforcement.” (HA 8/4)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bani Na‘im s. of Hebron, fires on residential areas, wounding 2 Palestinian children; patrols in Aida r.c. (conducting random ID checks), Bala’a nr. Tulkarm (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 3 of them, 1 bystander), Bayt Khalil; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement btwn. Salfit, Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron uproot 80 Palestinian olive trees, beat 4 Palestinian farmers in nearby Yatta. Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh uproot 250 Palestinian olive trees outside Salfit. Some 10,000 Palestinian health workers in PA government clinics begin an openended strike, demanding an increase in pay; they have been observing occasional strike days over the past 3 wks., without response fr. the PA. In Tulkarm, 10s of PA special forces protest the PA’s decision to merge them under the PA public security. The Rafah zoo, demolished by the IDF during Operation Rainbow in 5/04 (see Chronology in JPS 133), reopens. (IMEMC, JAZ 7/30; IMEMC 7/31; PR 8/3; PCHR 8/4)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Dura, Qabatya, al-Til. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa attack, beat 3 Palestinian farmers working their land in Yatta; the IDF intervenes to arrest a 4th farmer. Relatives of PA military intelligence officer ‘Abid (kidnapped 7/28) abduct 2 foreign UN workers in Gaza City to pressure the PA to get ‘Abid released; the PA secures ‘Abid’s release within hrs., and the UN workers are freed. (AFP, IMEMC, PCHR 7/29; PCHR 8/4; HA 8/8)

Israel says it has begun construction of 2 additional fences around the Gaza Strip—1 of razor wire, 1 with electronic sensors and surveillance cameras—to ensure Israeli security after disengagement; both fences will be inside Israel. IDF undercover units make a major incursion into Tulkarm, raid the home of wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Mu’ayyad Musa, fatally shoot him in an apparent assassination. The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Husan w. of Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall; fires on residential areas of Budrus nr. Ramallah, Rafah; raids the Abu Huli neighborhood of Dayr al-Balah, searches homes, rounds up residents for interrogation, arrests 2; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bayt Khalil nr. Hebron, Burqin, Nablus, Qabatya, Yatta. Palestinians fire 3 rockets at Sederot and the Negev, a mortar at the Gaza security fence, causing no damage or injuries.Armed mbrs. of the Jenin Martyrs Brigades (a Bureij cell of the PRCs affiliated with Fatah) kidnap PA military intelligence officer Jihad ‘Abid (fmr. aide to fmr. military intelligence head Musa Arafat) as he returns to Gaza through the Rafah crossing. (AFP, HA, XIN, 7/28; NYT 7/29; PR 8/3; PCHR 8/4; HA 8/8)

The IDF bulldozes 8 Palestinian homes, a gas station constructed without permits in areas of East Jerusalem slated for a new park; demolishes 22 structures (including a school) in Khirbet Tana nr. Nablus (pop. 450) built without permits, leaving only 2 buildings in the village and the 200-yr.-old mosque standing; imposes a curfew on ‘Ayn al-Bayda nr. Jenin, searches homes, arrests around 30 Palestinian farmers, shepherds who are not residents of the village; raids a municipal building in n. Ramallah, arresting 1 Palestinian; fires live ammunition at Palestinians protesting separation wall construction in Qutna nr. Jerusalem, wounding 2; fires on residential areas of Aida r.c.; raids, occupies 3 Palestinian homes in Yatta as observation posts. Hamas holds a prayer rally in Nablus calling on Palestinians to boycott the evening’s Palestine International Festival (an annual wk.-long festival, not held since 2000, that opened in cities across the West Bank on 6/30) performance in the city by pop singer Ammar Hassan, citing the impropriety of men and women dancing to “risqu´e” music as well as of holding such a celebration when families are still mourning the losses of the intifada; the AMB assures that it sanctioned the event after Hassan agreed to sing only “conservative songs”; the performance ultimately is disrupted by some masked AMB mbrs. fr. Nablus and Balata r.c., who fire guns in the air, destroy some sets, force Hassan to cut short his performance. (HA, REU 7/5; IMEMC, OCHA, PR, XIN 7/6; PCHR 7/7; PR 7/13; HA 7/28; PR 8/3)

The United Church of Christ passes a resolution calling for the use of “economic leverage” to promote Middle East peace, but rejects resolutions calling for divestment in companies that supply Israel with bulldozers, military equipment. Two additional resolutions also denounce all forms of violence in the Middle East, “including suicide bombing by Palestinians and the use of force by Israelis in perpetuating occupation of Palestinian lands,” and call on Israel to dismantle the separation wall. (JTA, WP 7/6; AP 7/7; CSM 7/8)

The IDF directs tank fire at Palestinian militants laying a roadside bomb nr. Morag, critically wounding 1 Palestinian; fires on residential areas of Dura, Rafah; occupies 3 Palestinian homes in Hebron, 1 in Yatta as observation posts; patrols in Palestinian areas of Hebron; conducts house searches nr. Tulkarm. Some 40 armed AMB mbrs. raid, temporarily occupy a PA building in Gaza City, demanding Abbas make good on promises to recruit them into the security forces. Jewish settlers fr. Elkana attack, damage a Palestinian home in nearby Masha nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim close a nearby road used by Palestinians, stone passing Palestinian cars. (HA, IMEMC 7/2; VOP 7/2 in WNC 7/3; OCHA 7/6; PCHR 7/7)

The IDF declares Gaza settlements closed military zones so that they may bar and remove from them any nonresident Israelis protesting disengagement, then evicts 150 right-wing Israeli disengagement protesters (mostly West Bank settlers, many aligned with the outlawed Kach movement) fr. an abandoned hotel in s. Gaza that they have been occupying for 1 mo.; detains, handcuffs for several hrs. 2 Israeli journalists covering the evictions. The IDF sends troops into Balata r.c., Nablus after Palestinians stating they are mbrs. of the AMB–Ayman Juda Brigade falsely claim to have captured 2 IDF undercover soldiers who entered the city; troops clash with stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them (leaving 7 Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier injured), detain and beat 2 Palestinian journalists covering the incursion; the AMB, Islamic Jihad deny involvement. The IDF fires on residential areas of Dura; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Hebron, 3 in Yatta, all bordering Jewish settlements; occupies 2 Palestinian homes nr. Tulkarm, 1 in Jenin as observation posts; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., Bayt Fajjar, Hebron. An Israeli naval vessel fires on a Palestinian fishing boat off Gaza, wounding 1 fisherman. Jewish settlers fr. Gush Katif attack Palestinian traders, farmers waiting nr. the Tuffah checkpoint n. of Gaza City; the IDF intervenes, disperses the settlers. Nr. Nablus, 5 Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar throw stones at a Palestinian taxi. Hamas fires a Qassam rocket at Neve Dekalim, causing no damage or injuries. (BBC, WAFA, XIN 6/30; VOI, VOP 6 /30 in WNC 7/2; IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 7/1; HA 7/3; OCHA, PR 7/6; PCHR 7/7)

The IDF fatally shoots an unarmed Palestinian teenager, wounds a 2d who were nr. a closed military zone outside Bureij r.c.; fires on Palestinians conducting a nonviolent protest against the separation wall nr. Yatta, wounding 8; imposes a curfew on, patrols in Baqa‘ al-Sharqiyya nr. Tulkarm; for no apparent reason fires on a Palestinian car driving in central Hebron, wounding the driver; later conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron as well as in Bethlehem and Sawahara al-Sharqiyya nr. Jerusalem, nr. Tulkarm. An Islamic Jihad gunman fatally shoots a Jewish settler driving nr. Tulkarm, wounds his passenger. Palestinians fire mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. (IDF Radio, VOI, XIN, YA 6/20 in WNC 6/21; HA, WP, WT 6/21; OCHA, PR 6/22; PCHR 6/23)

The IDF seals the Gaza Strip; shoots, wounds a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays into a closed military zone nr. the Rafah terminal to Egypt; conducts arrest raids nr. Jenin; patrols in Nablus; bulldozes around 170 d. of agricultural land e. of Yatta for construction of a road along the separation wall. An ailing 70-yr.-old Palestinian woman trying to reach a hospital in Jerusalem dies of a heart attack at an IDF checkpoint nr. Bethlehem after being delayed passage. (IMEMC 6/17; XIN 6/18; OCHA 6/22; PCHR 6/23)

The IDF bars an ambulance transporting a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital in Tulkarm, allowing him to die; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Yatta. Masked Palestinian gunmen fire on the PA preventive security forces headquarters outside Gaza City, causing no injuries. (PR 6/15; PCHR 6/16)

At its annual conference, the New England United Methodist Church passes a resolution calling for divestment and economic action against Israeli occupation. The resolution denounces Israel’s construction of the separation wall, settlement expansion, confiscation of Palestinian property, as well as the “unemployment, malnutrition, restrictions on movement, denial of medical cared, denial of access to their agricultural lands, humiliation at checkpoints, and extended lockdowns called curfews” caused by the IDF. (United Methodist Church press release 6/20)

The IDF fires on a group of Palestinian teenagers who stray close to the fence around Gaza’s Neve Dekalim settlement, injuring 1; demolishes a Palestinian home, several farm buildings in Yatta; raids a dental clinic in Hebron, arrests the director, questions the staff, summons local Palestinians for questioning; conducts arrest raids in Tulkarm, exchanging fire with wanted Palestinians, detaining 3, wounding 1. Armed AMB mbrs. occupy the PA Interior Min. offices in Nablus to protest the ministry’s failure to provide them protection, salaries; 1 AMB mbr., 1 PA security officer are injured in scuffles outside the complex; the standoff ends when the PA reportedly agrees to their demands. (AP 6/5; PR 6/8; PCHR 6/9; al-Ahram 6/10)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches around Bethlehem and in al-‘Azza r.c., Bayt Surik nr. Jerusalem, Yatta; halts a taxi nr. Ramallah, detains 1 passenger— Samir Burnat, a leading organizer of nonviolent protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in. Some 40 mbrs. of PA military intelligence loyal to Musa Arafat (forced to retire in 4/05) attack the PC building in Gaza City and block the main road to Rafah checkpoint, temporarily detain PA Amb. to North Korea Shakir Abu Aida in protest against Abbas’s recent age limits for PA security officers, release him unharmed. Palestinian attorneys stage a 1-day strike to protest the PA’s failure to protect judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers fr. increasing vigilantism. (HA 6/4; AP, IMEMC, NYT 6/5; PCHR 6/9; al-Ahram 6/10; PR 6//15; BBC 6/16)

The IDF, accompanied by Israeli Interior Min. officials, enters Bayt ‘Ouna nr. Bethlehem, imposes a curfew, makes a census of residents. The IDF also cordons off part of Dura nr. Hebron, occupies a home as an observation post, searches several homes, stops Palestinians randomly for ID checks, stops children fr. leaving for school, fires on youths who throw stones at troops, wounding 1 teenager with live ammunition; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Nr. Hebron, 3 armed Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on severely beat a Palestinian shepherd, steal 7 sheep; IDF troops intervene, arrest the Palestinian. Other Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on bar Palestinian farmers fr. reaching their land in Yatta, beat 3 Palestinians. Several 1,000 Hamas supporters demonstrate in Gaza City against court decisions calling for recounts in the latest round of municipal elections, a possible delay in the 7/17 legislative elections. (NYT 5/24; OCHA 5/25; PCHR 5/26)

The IDF bulldozes 5 Palestinian homes in Yatta nr. Hebron; fires on a Palestinian car nr. Bayt Furik checkpoint nr. Nablus, hitting the driver 7 times, wounding him; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya; conducts patrols in Jinata nr. Bethlehem. Israeli border police raid a Central Elections Commission (CEC) registration center in Nabi Samuel outside Jerusalem, check IDs of the staff; raid another center in Harmala nr. Bethlehem, holding staff for 3 hrs. In Bayt Lahiya, 2 Palestinian boys are injured when they accidentally trigger a roadside bomb; 2 Palestinian boys are injured in a similar incident nr. the Rafah border fence. (IMEMC 5/23; OCHA 5/25; PCHR 5/26)

Israel announces that it has arrested 3 PFLP mbrs. for allegedly plotting to assassinate Shas party leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. The IDF orders 27 bedouin to evacuate 3 sites nr. Tubas. Israel also opens bidding on 50 plots of land in Elkana settlement nr. Nablus for construction of new homes. The IDF issues military orders for the demolition of 3 Palestinian homes, 10 wells, 6 sewage systems outside Yatta for expansion of Carmiel settlement; resumes construction on a segment of the separation wall n. of Jerusalem; starts construction of a settler bypass road linking Neve Yaqub settlement to others around Jerusalem; raids Dayr al-Balah for a 2d day, arrests 3 Palestinians who allegedly attempted to sneak into Israel to find work; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, Silwad nr. Ramallah. Jewish settlers set up 2 new unauthorized outposts nr. Elon Moreh settlement nr. Nablus, nr. Hebron. A Jewish settler injures a 12-yr.-old Palestinian child in a hit-and-run nr. Bethlehem. Palestinians fire on IDF soldiers outside Neve Dekalim settlement, lightly wounding 1. In Jenin, 10s of AMB mbrs. take over a main intersection, close down a government building, demanding that the PA provide jobs to unemployed militants, fmr. prisoners, relatives of Palestinians killed by the IDF. Palestinian teachers open a 2-day strike to protest PC inactivity in amending the civil service law to increase teacher salaries (see 4/6). (NYT 4/18; MM 4/19; OCHA, PR 4/20; PCHR 4/21)

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 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)

Palestinian gunmen fire on an Israeli border police post nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, wounding 2. In response, the IDF imposes a 24-hr. curfew on Palestinian areas of Hebron (still in place as of 3/12), beats several Palestinians, raids and searches homes, rounds up 200 Palestinians ages 16–40 for interrogation. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun, Yatta, Qabatya nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack Palestinians herding sheep outside Hebron, injuring 3. Rival PA policemen clash in Ramallah, leaving 1 PA policeman dead. (MM 3/7; WT 3/8; OCHA, PR 3/9; PCHR 3/10; IMEMC 3/12)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa fence off and begin planting 40 d. of Palestinian land in Yatta, on the eastern side of the settlement. (OCHA, PR 3/9; PCHR 3/10)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Mughraqa in central Gaza, Yatta. Palestinian gunmen with the Fatah offshoot al-Awda Brigades fire on a PA security office in Nablus, sparking an exchange of gunfire with security forces that leaves 2 PA officers, 1 bystander wounded. Unidentified gunmen fire at the home of Fatah PC mbr. Jamal Tarifi in Ramallah, causing damage but no injuries. (WP, WT 3/5; PR 3/9; PCHR 3/10)

The IDF demolishes a 6-story residential building on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yatta nr. Hebron. (OCHA 2/23; PCHR 2/24)

In Geneva, the World Council of Churches, the main global body of non-Catholic Christians, urges all 342 mbr. churches to divest fr. companies that profit fr. Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. (HA 2/22; AP, PR 2/23)