The Palestine Chronology

With tensions on the Gaza border rising, Hamas secures the pledge of the major Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, to observe the cease-fire Hamas declared in 1/2009 in the wake of OCL. Late in the evening, however, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. An Israeli court hands down a 9-yr. jail sentence to Israeli Palestinian Ameer Makhoul, who pled guilty in 10/2010 to spying on behalf of Hizballah as part of a plea deal. (JP, WP 12/31; PCHR 1/6; OCHA 1/7)

In retaliation for Israeli air strikes on 12/18, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the PRCs claim responsibility for firing 4–9 mortars fr. Gaza toward IDF targets just inside the Israeli border, with at least 4 landing inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinian shepherds who stray nr. the border fence, wounding 1. In the West Bank, IDF troops raid and search homes in Bayt Umar, searching for Palestinians who threw stones at an IDF checkpoint into the village, arresting 1 Palestinian man; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and nr. Nablus. Palestinians accompanied by Israeli and international activists hold a nonviolent demonstration against settlement expansion in Bayt Umar. IDF soldiers fire tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters (causing no injuries) and arrest 3 Israelis. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian to demolish his own home or pay the government nearly $5,500 for doing the job; the owner had already been fined more than $26,000 for building without a permit. Inside Israel, Israeli police find the body of American tourist Kristine Luken stabbed to death in a nature area southwest of Jerusalem, inside Israel, nr. the West Bank border. The woman’s friend, American Kaye Susan Wilson, escaped, telling police that she and Luken were ambushed by 2 knife-wielding Arabs who bound and stabbed them. Police say they are classifying the attack as political but have not ruled out criminal motives. (JP 12/19; MNA, NYT, WP, WT 12/20; OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

U.S. special envoy Mitchell returns to the region for a 2-day visit aimed at reviving indirect talks. He says he will urge the Israeli and Palestinian sides to present their final status positions separately to the U.S. in writing so that the U.S. can recommend bridging proposals. (HA 12/13; NYT, WP 12/14)

EU FMs meeting in Brussels say the EU will not recognize a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood until “an appropriate time.” (WJW 12/14)

In the afternoon, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire a flechette round on a group of armed IQB mbrs. operating nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding 2. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Susia settlement nr. Hebron attack 4 nearby Palestinian homes, beating several Palestinians. (PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

The White House abandons efforts to persuade Israel to impose a 90-day settlement construction freeze and takes its generous package of diplomatic and security incentives off the table. The message comes days before senior Israeli and Palestinian negotiators plan to meet in Washington for further talks on the peace process and before U.S. Secy. of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to make a major Middle East policy statement on 12/10. (NYT, WP, WT 12/8)

The IDF makes a brief incursion e. of al-Bureij r.c. in c. Gaza to level lands along the border fence, firing on surrounding areas, causing no reported injuries. Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF responds with air strikes on a poultry farm nr. Khan Yunis (an alleged arms cache) and at a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, IDF escorts plain-clothed individuals into Rafat village nr. Salfit in the morning; the group pauses outside the local mosque, pointing at it and taking notes. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and nr. Nablus, and patrols in Anabta village nr. Tulkarm. In Israel, 47 state-employed Israeli rabbis issue an open letter distributed in synagogues and religious journals saying that it is prohibited by the Torah to sell or rent a house or a field in the land of Israel to non-Jews. Netanyahu denounces the letter. (JP 12/7; WT, YA 12/8; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10; JPI 12/17)

Argentina and Uruguay recognize Palestine as “a free and independent state” within the 1967 borders. The Israeli FMin. calls the moves “disappointing” and “regrettable.” (JAZ, YA 12/7)

To mark the anniversary of the founding of their movement, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mbrs. fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires warning shots at an unidentified Palestinian nr. the Qarni crossing into Gaza, causing no reported injures; restricts animal fodder and wheat imports through the crossing for the rest of the week as punishment. The IDF makes an incursion into s. Gaza to level lands along the border fence e. of Khan Yunis, firing on surrounding areas, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 10 residential structures belonging to 15 Palestinian families (101 persons, including 42 children), a school, and 2 other small classroom structures, and at least 17 animal shelters in Khirbat Tana nr. Nablus. The IDF also conducts daytime patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya and 2 e. of Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in Bayt Liqya, firing live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades on stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. In Gaza, a Hamas-affiliated military court sentences 4 Palestinians to death (3 for a 2007 kidnapping and murder; 1 for collaborating with Israel). (JP, MNA 12/6; OCHA 12/8; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10)

Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem demolish 9 Palestinian shops in Hizma village in the East Jerusalem suburbs. The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza to level land along the border fence to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a mosque, 1 Palestinian home, and 10 storehouses in Khirbat Yazra village nr. Tubas, displacing 15 Palestinians; demolishes another Palestinian home in Yatta village nr. Hebron, displacing 25 Palestinians; conducts rare daytime arrest raids, searches nr. Jenin, Tulkarm; patrols in Tulkarm and Kharbatha al-Misbah village nr. Ramallah in the afternoon, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and beating several stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (PCHR 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

The Knesset passes (65-33, with 22 absent) a law that would require the government to hold a national referendum before ceding Israeli territory, potentially hindering the government’s ability to reach peace deals with Syria and the Palestinians; West Bank lands, which were never annexed by Israel, would not fall under the new requirement. (NYT 11/23)

The IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level lands along the border fence east of Bureij refugee camp (r.c.), firing on residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm in the morning without incident; conducts afternoon arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Jenin, and nr. Bethlehem and Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo settlement nr. Ramallah, escorted by IDF soldiers, expel Palestinian farmers fr. a plot of land adjacent to the settlement. (PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

In the morning, Israeli drones make an air strike on a car driving w. of Gaza City, assassinating Army of Islam (AOI) senior mbr. Muhammad al-Nemnem, wounding 2 bystanders; Israel later accuses Nemnem of involvement in “attacks against Israeli and U.S. targets in the Sinai Peninsula.” The IDF makes a brief incursion into c. Gaza e. of al-Bureij r.c. to level land and clear lines of sight; an Israeli tank fires a shell at the surrounding area, but no damage or injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in al-Yamun village in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Nabi Salih. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces conduct early morning arrest raids, house searches in Silwan, detaining 5 Palestinians (including 4 children ages 13–16). Of note: Israel prevents fmr. PA PM and negotiations adviser Ahmed Qurai‘ from crossing into Jordan via the Allenby crossing, citing a previously unannounced decision by the government that from now on only Pres. Abbas and PM Fayyad would receive special treatment; Israeli security officials say the decision had to do with Qurai‘’s recent statements denouncing Israel’s settlement policy. The PASF for the 1st time arrests a Palestinian for selling goods made in a Jewish settlement, enforcing the PA’s 4/2010 law prohibiting the sale of settlement-produced products (see Quarterly Updates in JPS 156–57); the defendant is jailed in Bethlehem pending trial. (MNA, YA 11/3; NYT, PCHR, UNSCO 11/4; OCHA 11/5; OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 5 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, 2 landing in Israel and 3 inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm in the morning; conducts latenight arrest raids, searches nr. Hebron, Salfit. Jewish settlers fr. Taffuh nr. Salfit attempt to steal a horse fr. a Palestinian harvesting olives but leave when other Palestinians arrive. The PA says that foreign journalists who visit the West Bank through Israeli media facilitators are “unwelcome”—a move seen as an attempt by the PA to control its media image abroad. (JP 10/25; PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29; JPI 11/5)

An explosion inside a Hamas security compound in Rafah damages more than 30 houses, 4 schools, and 1 clinic nearby, injuring 26 Palestinian civilians (including 18 children, 15 of whom were inside their classrooms), mostly by flying glass; the reason for the explosion is unclear. The IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza e. of Khan Yunis to level land along the border to clear lines of sight, firing on surrounding areas to keep Palestinians away, seriously wounding a 65-yr.-old Palestinian harvesting olives 1,000 m away. In the West Bank, the IDF raids a coal plant nr. the separation wall w. of Jenin, confiscating 40 tons of wood and sealing the building, saying that local Jewish settlers claimed it was a nuisance; makes a daytime incursion into Barta‘a nr. Jenin, raiding several stores and interrogating several Palestinians, but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Eli settlement nr. Nablus vandalize and set fire to part of a Palestinian school nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus fire on and chase off Palestinians harvesting olives nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya throw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving on the nearby Nablus–Qalqilya road, causing no injuries. (PCHR 10/21; OCHA 10/22; PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza toward Israel, but it lands inside the Strip, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in al‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron (detaining 1 Palestinian teenager on charges of throwing stones, releasing him later in the day after his family pays a $400 fine), and nr. Jenin. OCHA reports that 13 Palestinians have been injured in tunnel collapses along the Gaza border since 9/15, not including those injured in Israeli air strikes on 9/15. (YA 9/21; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a homemade Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response to this attack and the 8/31–9/2 Hamas shootings in the West Bank, the IDF carries out 2 air strikes on Rafah tunnels (killing 2 Palestinians, injuring 2) and 1 on a tunnel on the Gaza-Israel border e. of Abassan in s. Gaza (causing no reported injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm in the morning, making no arrests; occupies a Palestinian home in Hebron as an observation post; conducts evening and late-night patrols in villages nr. Nablus, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm, making no arrests. For a second day, Jewish settlers gather at the evacuated Homesh settlement site nr. Nablus and stone passing Palestinian vehicles. (CNN, JP 9/5; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

On the eve of ceremonies reopening direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama holds separate meetings with Abbas, Netanyahu, Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak, and Jordan’s King Abdullah. In the evening, Obama hosts the leaders for a working dinner at the White House. (WP 9/1; NYT 9/2)

In the West Bank, the IDF continues to impose a curfew on Palestinian areas nr. the site of the 8/31 attack nr. Hebron and carries out house-to-house searches for the Hamas mbrs. involved, rounding up scores of Palestinians with suspected ties to the organization. In the evening, IQB gunmen shoot at another Jewish settler vehicle nr. Ramallah, in area C, wounding 2 settlers (1 seriously). The IDF also conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers retaliating for the 8/31 Hamas attack stake out a 15-d. plot of Palestinian land (exact location not reported) for a new settlement outpost but leave the area by nightfall, stone Palestinian vehicles on the Nablus–Qalqilya road, and vandalize a Palestinian home and set fire to adjacent grass land in Hebron. Meanwhile, in Gaza, IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the demolished Erez industrial zone, causing no injuries. The IDF also makes an incursion into the s. Gaza border areas e. of al-Shuka, accompanied by drones and helicopters, but withdraws 6 hrs. later without incident. (NYT, PCHR 9/2; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

As the quarter opens, Israel has eased (as of 6/2010) its blockade on Gaza, replacing the blanket ban on imports with two lists of prohibited and regulated items, allowing in more (and more varied) food items, construction materials, and commercial goods, but keeping imports only slightly above subsistence and continuing to bar exports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforces a 300-meter-deep no-go zone inside the full length of the Gaza border and limits the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m off the immediate Bayt Lahiya (northern) and Rafah (southern) coasts, and 3 nautical miles elsewhere—placing 17% of Gaza’s total landmass, including 35% of its viable agricultural areas, and 85% of the maritime areas allocated under the Oslo accords off-limits to Palestinians. In the West Bank, Israel’s easing of restrictions on Palestinian movement between major population centers (which began in summer 2009) continues, and IDF operations are relatively few. Today, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. burying explosive devices nr. the border fence, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr.; the Palestinians return fire, lightly wounding 1 IDF soldier. Hrs. later, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.) and 2 villages nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Shvut Rachel nr. Nablus uproot 100 nearby Palestinian olive trees. Israel’s Housing Min. approves construction of a new settler-only bypass road to link Ma’ale Adumim settlement e. of Jerusalem with the new E1 settlement area in East Jerusalem; explaining the decision, the Housing Min. states that “the decision to freeze construction in [West Bank settlements] does not include services for existing structures.” (JP, YA 8/16; NYT 8/17; PCHR 8/19; OCHA 8/20)

The UN reports that Israel has expanded the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza allowing the number of truckloads of goods crossing daily to increase fr. 100 to 250; despite Israel’s easing of restrictions since 6/17, imports to Gaza are still only 36% of what they were before Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in 6/07. In the West Bank, the IDF raids and threatens to seal Palestinian stores across fr. the Beit Romano settlement in Hebron (site of weekly protests against Israeli settlement expansion); Palestinian and international activists race to the scene to block the soldiers; the IDF arrests 4 Palestinians (released several hrs. later) and 1 international activist (deported). (PCHR 8/12; OCHA 8/13)

In continued retaliation for the 7/30 Grad strike, the IDF carries out a predawn air strike on c. Gaza assassinating senior Hamas military cmdr. and rocket maker Issa Batran, marking the 1st Israeli assassination in Gaza since Operation Cast Lead (OCL) ended in 1/09. (Israel attempted to assassinate Batran during OCL, making an air strike on his home, killing his wife and 5 of his children.) Later in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a vacant daycare facility. The IDF responds with 2 additional air strikes on a smuggling tunnel and an open area in s. Gaza. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites and in the Erez industrial zone, wounding 3 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Hebron, summoning several Palestinians for interrogation; fires tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against land confiscation and settlement expansion nr. Karme Tzur settlement nr. Hebron. (HA, IDF, YA 7/31; MEZ, NYT, WP 8/1; PCHR 8/5; OCHA 8/13)

Israel authorizes the transfer of NIS 100 m. ($25.8 m.) paper currency fr. Palestinian banks in the West Bank to their branches in Gaza plus the replacement of 30 m. damaged shekels; the amounts are 42% of what the Palestinian Monetary Authority requested to alleviate the liquidity crisis in Gaza. The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza nr. the fmr. Jewish settlement sites to level land and clear lines of sight, firing on the surrounding area but causing no reported injuries; makes a 2d brief incursion into s. Gaza e. of al-Shuka village to level land 400 m fr. the border to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 60 tents and huts in Farasiyya nr. Tubas used by itinerant farmers; bulldozes an irrigation network and pool along a settler bypass road nr. Hebron; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm, making no arrests. (OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of al-Qarara, clearing lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, confiscates 1 mobile home, and orders a 4th family to remove their mobile home fr. areas nr. Hebron; makes a late-night incursion into Tulkarm town and r.c., patrolling around and photographing the PA military intelligence headquarters, the main PA security compound, and al-Salam Mosque fr. various angles; conducts late-night patrols in Qarawat Bani Zaid village nr. Ramallah, making no arrests. An Israeli military court convicts an IDF lt. col. and a subordinate on charges of shooting and wounding a bound, blindfolded Palestinian at a demonstration against the separation wall in 7/08; they could face prison terms of up to 3 yrs. (NYT, WP 7/16; OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

Abbas gives an interview to Israel’s 6 leading newspapers to appeal directly to the Israeli people to step up peace efforts, accusing Netanyahu of not being serious about proximity talks and saying that the Palestinians need serious progress on borders and security issues in particular before direct negotiations can begin. Netanyahu replies publicly, saying that if the Palestinians are serious about peace they will proceed immediately to direct talks. Separately, Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman tells the press that Abbas cannot be trusted and that Israelis “don’t need to pay for the pleasure of speaking to Abu Mazin” by making gestures. (NYT, WT 7/2)

The IDF makes a late-night air strike on the Dahaniyya airport site in s. Gaza, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a rare daytime raid into Tulkarm accompanied by Shin Bet units, surrounding and searching a home and farm, questioning several Palestinians, but making no arrests; patrols in ‘Abwayn village n. of Ramallah in the evening without incident; demolishes 14 tents and huts nr. Tammun and Tubas villages used by itinerant farmers, saying the areas are closed military zones; makes a late-night raid on an Islamic charity in Hebron, searching the offices without sealing them, confiscating anything, or making any arrests. (PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, heavily damaging a factory in Sederot, but causing no injuries; the IDF retaliates with air strikes on at least 1 smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, 1 suspected weapons factory in al-Zaytun, causing no reported injuries. During the day, IDF troops reenter (see 6/29) the fmr. n. Gaza settlement sites n. of Bayt Lahiya, firing warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials and forcing them to flee, causing no injuries. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, causing no injuries. IDF senior officers take U.S. special envoy Mitchell to Kerem Shalom crossing to witness Israel’s easing of restrictions on imports to Gaza (up 30% since 6/20), including the transfer of the 1st load of goods fr. the FGM-IHH flotilla. Gaza’s electricity plant receives a shipment of industrial fuel allowing it to resume operations after a 4-day halt (the longest complete stoppage of the facility since the beginning of 2010). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron. In Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest PC mbr. Abu Tir for being in the city illegally; he was ordered (see 5/21) to leave voluntarily or face expulsion to Gaza. Israeli sources reveal that Israel’s Jerusalem Planning Committee recently approved construction of 1,400 new hotel rooms in Jabal Mukabir in East Jerusalem. Israel begins barring all West Bank Palestinian-made products fr. entering East Jerusalem as of 7/1 on the grounds that they did not meet Israeli standards, though the move is widely seen as retaliation for the PA’s boycott on settlement-made good enacted in 4/2010. (IFM, JP, NYT, PCHR, WP, YA 7/1; PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into Khuza village, 400 m into s. Gaza, to level lands to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians staging a nonviolent march to the border fence to protest Israel’s no-go zone, injuring 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (including summoning a 7-yr.-old boy for interrogation). The UN reports that in the previous wk., in addition to the teenager killed on 6/13, 1 Palestinian was killed in a tunnel collapse on the Rafah border. (PCHR 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

Obama receives PA PM Mahmud Abbas in Washington for talks on bilateral relations and how best to proceed with peace talks in light of the flotilla incident. Obama, who has been in regular contact with Netanyahu since the flotilla attack, for the first time publicly proposes that Israel switch fr. a blanket ban on imports to Gaza with a list of exempted items permitted entry and instead allow all imports minus a list of banned items. (WP 6/9; NYT, WP, WT 6/10; WJW 6/17)

The PA says it has given Mitchell its baseline positions for direct talks with Israel and is prepared to begin direct negotiations once Israel does the same. Israel, however, says it will not lay out its negotiating position until direct talks begin “because that would be asking us to negotiate against ourselves.” (NYT 6/10)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in the industrial zone, causing no injuries. IDF troops make a brief incursion into the s. Gaza border area to level land to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrests raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (including surrounding and searching the home of one of the organizers of the local separation wall protests, questioning him for 3 hrs. but not arresting him), Jenin; breaks up Palestinians and Israeli activists holding a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem, arresting 1 Palestinian, 2 Israelis. (PCHR 6/10, 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

Israel warns that it will not allow passage to a flotilla of 8 boats organized by the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) and a Turkish organization, Humanitarian Relief Fund (going by the acronym IHH), currently en route to Gaza in an effort to defy Israel’s siege and deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, saying it will send Israeli naval commandos to intercept the boats and escort them to Ashdod port, where the 100s of activists onboard would be deported. The U.S. urges restraint. (NYT, WP, WT 5/28)

IDF troops on the Gaza border nr. the former Nahal Oz crossing fire on armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. the border fence, injuring 7; the Palestinians respond with mortar fire, causing no injuries. The IDF also makes air strikes, directs tank fire at an area s. of Qarni crossing in response to mortar fire fr. the area; 2 Palestinian civilians, no Israelis are injured in the exchange. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on a Palestinian home in ‘Arab al-Ramadin village nr. Hebron, firing tear gas in the home (8 family mbrs. are evacuated to a medical center for treatment); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron (including arresting a 12-yr.-old boy, who is released on 5/28). (YA 5/28; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

Israel charges 2 Israeli Palestinians, Ameer Makhoul (dir. of Ittijah, a union of Arab organizations in Israel) and Omar Said (also a pro-Arab advocate), with espionage for allegedly passing information on the location of IDF facilities to Hizballah, a charge the men deny. (WP, WT 5/28)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket, 2 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the mortars land inside Gaza. The IDF responds with air strikes on the abandoned Dahaniyya airport site and a target in Bayt Hanun in the n. (seriously injuring 2 Palestinians). The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in former settlement sites nr. the border (wounding 1) and in the former Erez industrial zone (wounding 2). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Jala, nr. Hebron. (OCHA, PCHR 5/27; NYT, WP 5/30; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 4 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel; 3 land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries, while 1 lands harmlessly in Gaza. Late in the evening, the IDF responds with air strikes on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border and on the destroyed Dahaniyya airport site in s. Gaza (causing no injuries), as well as on a Hamas building in Bayt Hanun (destroying it, damaging 26 houses, 23 shops, a clinic, the local municipal building, and a sports club nearby, injuring 15 Palestinian bystanders, and knocking out electricity to some areas). Unidentified Palestinians detonate a bomb hidden in a donkey cart by the Gaza border fence as an IDF border patrol unit on the Israeli side of the border passes, killing the donkey but causing no IDF injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. former settlement sites nr. the border twice during the day, causing no injuries; also fire warning shots at farmers who stray nr. the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. Later, IDF troops make an incursion into the n. Gaza buffer zone nr. Bayt Lahiya to search the area, opening fire but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tubas and nr. Hebron, Nablus. Israel’s Jerusalem District Court upholds a decision to evacuate and seal the Beit Yonatan building in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem, built without a permit in 2004 by the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim and housing 8 settler families. Hamas-affiliated police in Gaza say they have arrested several suspects in the 5/23 UNRWA arson. (HA, JP, JTA, UPI 5/25; JP, YA 5/26; OCHA, PCHR 5/27)

Based on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s 5/20 meeting with Mitchell (see 5/19) and a meeting today between Israeli and PA security officials, Israel announces plans to relax some restrictions on West Bank movement and access over the next 2 wks. as a goodwill gesture to support proximity talks. The promised moves include: removing 60 roadblocks (around 10% of total) across the West Bank, various steps to improve Palestinian tourism and trade, and lifting some restrictions on Israeli Palestinians access to the West Bank. (IFM 5/23; JTA 5/24; OCHA, WJW 5/27)

In Gaza, around 20 armed Palestinians vandalize and set fire to an United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) beachside summer camp for refugee children under construction w. of Gaza City, binding the caretaker and leaving him with a letter threatening UNRWA senior staff; Hamas denounces the attack; no group takes responsibility, but previously Islamist extremists have condemned UNRWA for corrupting Gazan youths by introducing them to activities they deem at odds with Islam. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. former settlement sites nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids in and around Hebron and neighboring al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.), in Jenin and Qalqilya, nr. Jericho and Ramallah. (IFM 5/23; NYT 5/24; OCHA, PCHR 5/27; NYT 6/29)

Israel begins a 5-day nationwide civil defense exercise to test the preparedness of civilians, emergency services, local authorities in case of war. Netanyahu stresses that the drill does not mean Israel is expecting or planning a major security engagement. (NYT 5/24)

Overnight, the IDF makes an incursion into Bayt Awa nr. Hebron, surrounding a home in which a wanted Hamas mbr., Ali Swaiti, is hiding, occupying several nearby homes as observation posts, firing stun grenades into the home, firing on and demolishing the home with Swaiti still inside, killing him; during the operation, local Palestinians throw stones at the troops, who then fire on them with rubber-coated steel bullets, injuring 5 and arresting 3. Palestinians consider Swaiti’s death an assassination, since he could have been captured by troops. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians conducting a nonviolent march to the border fence e. of Khan Yunis to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone, causing no injuries. (OCHA, PCHR 4/29)

Israel allows 3 truckloads of aluminum, 3 of wood into Gaza for the 1st time since 6/07 and 10/08, respectively. Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF seizes 7 d. of Palestinian land nr. Ramat Yishai settlement in Hebron claiming security reasons; makes a late-night incursion into al-Ma‘sara, raiding and searching the home of a local organizer of weekly protests against the separation wall, threatening to arrest him if he continues to organize demonstrations. Hamas authorities in Gaza execute 2 Palestinians convicted in a Hamas military court of collaborating with Israel in the assassination of several resistance fighters, marking the 1st executions since Hamas took control of Gaza in 6/07. (JP 4/15; NYT, WT 4/16; OCHA, PCHR 4/22)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF fires stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists protesting the separation wall and settlement construction in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron (injuring 2 Palestinian journalists, arresting 2 other Palestinian journalists and 2 Israelis); closes the Qalandia checkpoint and fires on stone-throwing Palestinians attempting to march to Jerusalem to mark International Women’s Day (injuring 5 women); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem. (YA 3/17; OCHA, PCHR 3/18)

IDF troops stationed on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing into Gaza fire on Palestinians scavenging bricks from demolished buildings inside the former Erez industrial zone forcing them to flee, causing no injuries.

Palestinians hold protests across the West Bank and East Jerusalem after Friday prayers to denounce Israel’s decision to include West Bank holy sites on Israel’s national heritage register; clashes with the IDF (which include the IDF storming the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, firing tear gas and stun grenades to disperse worshipers) leave 2 Palestinians seriously injured (1 at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount; the other in al-Nabi Salih), and 50 Palestinians and 15 Israeli riot police lightly injured.

The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in a nonviolent march to the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian and international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in protests against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (3 Palestinians are injured, including an 11-yr.-old child); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists staging a nonviolent protest against settlement expansion nr. Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (injuring 6); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. In Gaza, 4,000 Palestinians attend a Hamas rally calling on the PA to “unleash the resistance” over the holy sites controversy. (NYT, WP 3/6; OCHA, PCHR 3/11)