The Palestine Chronology

The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) cuts the power supply to 2/3 of the Jericho district because of alleged unpaid debts on the part of the PA and the Jerusalem District Electricity Corp. (JDECO). A JDECO official says that his org., the PA, and the IEC have a disagreement over rate calculation and interest rates, and that a lawsuit is pending. Meanwhile, IDF troops conduct late-night raids and house searches nr. Bethlehem and Nablus, arresting 8 Palestinians, and patrol during the day nr. Salfit and Hebron. In Israel, Israeli forces shut down a poultry factory in the Negev as punishment for employing Palestinians working in Israel illegally. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. Khan Yunis, and violently disperse Palestinian protesters nr. Jabaliya r.c., injuring 1 Palestinian. (HA, MNA 3/31; AFP 4/3; PCHR 4/7)

An IDF military tribunal downgrades the charges facing Elor Azaria, the soldier who killed the supine Palestinian in Hebron on 3/24, from “murder” to “manslaughter.” The soldier will be released on bail on 4/1. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA 3/31)

In the Gaza Strip, a mbr. of Hamas’s armed wing, IQB, dies of injuries sustained in Gaza City on 7/29/2014, during OPE. Also, a 3-story building in Dayr al-Balah collapses after being damaged during OPE last year. Meanwhile, Egyptian security forces shoot and injure a Palestinian exiting a tunnel on the Egyptian side of the border nr. Rafah. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish a synagogue in a settlement outpost nr. Hebron early in the morning. The IDF conducts house searches and raids in Nablus, a nearby village, and Balata r.c., arresting 31 Palestinians, most affiliated with Hamas. They also arrest a Palestinian on a raid in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Jenin and patrol in 3 villages each nr. Hebron and Tulkarm, and 1 nr. Jenin. Nr. East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a mobile home in Bayt Hanina. In Israel, an Israeli man assaults a Palestinian worker from Jenin in a shop in Umm al-Fahm. Israeli forces demolish 3 structures in an unrecognized bedouin village in the Negev. (JP, MNA, WAFA 4/14; HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 4/15; HA, PCHR 4/16)

Israel’s COGAT Mordechai announces that starting today, Palestinian vehicles from the West Bank will be allowed to enter Jerusalem. In the 1st of 2 planned stages, over 100 Palestinian doctors are allowed to enter. Unrestricted travel for Palestinian businessmen and women will follow in the next phase. Palestinian cars have been banned from Jerusalem since the onset of the 2d intifada in 2000. (JP, MNA 4/14; HA 4/15)

In Syria, Palestinian residents of Yarmouk r.c. report that ISIS has begun retreating from previously held positions in the camp. Meanwhile, UNRWA sets up a distribution mission in a village nr. the camp to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees fleeing Yarmouk. (AFP, WAFA 4/14)

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Comm. unanimously approves, 19–0, an amended version of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which would give Congress an opportunity to approve or disapprove of any agreement made between the P5+1 and Iran and increase congressional oversight on verification of the deal. The bill is now available for a vote on the Senate floor. (AP, HA, NYT, POL, REU 4/14; AP, HA, MDW, TOI 4/15)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian at a junction between Bethlehem and Hebron, later alleging that the man was attempting to steal a car. The IDF raids the home of 2 PA security officers nr. Nablus, and Palestinian officials call it a provocative step. On a late-night arrest raid in Jenin r.c., Israeli soldiers shoot and injure a Palestinian man with rubber-coated metal bullets and arrest 4 others, sparking clashes with stone-throwing residents and arresting 1 more. Hours after unknown assailants shoot at an Israeli military vehicle nr. Abud village n. of Ramallah, Israeli forces conduct house-to-house raids in the village, fire stun grenades and flares, and shut down a road leading to a nearby monastery. The IDF also conducts house searches and arrest raids nr. Salfit and Hebron; demolishes 1 Palestinian home and 2 animal shelters in a village nr. Ramallah; arrests a Palestinian outside the Gush Etzion settlement nr. Bethlehem. Separately, an Israeli settler runs over with his car 2 sheep belonging to a Palestinian nr. Nablus. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities reopen the Erez border crossing, having closed it on 1/8. IDF troops e. of Rafah open fire on agricultural land nr. the border fence, causing damage. Dozens of employees of the Hamas-run govt. protest outside the PA unity govt.’s headquarters in Gaza City, calling for their full salaries to be paid for the 1st time since 6/2. In East Jerusalem, unknown Israelis vandalize 11 Palestinian-owned vehicles in Bayt Safafa, puncturing tires and leaving racist pricetag graffiti. Israeli forces conduct a house search in al-‘Izzariya, arresting 2 Palestinians. In s. Israel, an Israeli police officer shoots and kills a 22-year-old Palestinian with live ammunition during an arrest raid in Rahat in the Negev, sparking clashes between the police and local Palestinians. Separately, Israeli forces demolish several steel structures in the nearby Palestinian bedouin village al-‘Araqib. This is the 80th time Israeli authorities have ordered demolitions in the village since 2010, when it was 1st targeted. (JP, MEE, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA 1/14; MNA, PCHR, WAFA 1/15; EI 1/16; PCHR 1/22; OCHA 1/23)

Hamas reactivates Gaza’s separate Palestinian Legislative Council and convenes a session of the body, a move that contravenes the national reconciliation deal that was announced on 4/23. No other parties attend the session. The decision comes after 2 weeks of increased tension between Hamas and the PA unity govt. (AFP, MNA, NYT 1/14; MNA 1/15)

PA Pres. Abbas meets with Egyptian pres. al-Sisi in Cairo to discuss Abbas’s proposed resubmission of the draft UNSC res. and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. (MNA, REU, WAFA 1/14)

U.S. Secy. of State Kerry meets with Iranian FM Zarif in Geneva to discuss the negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Kerry says he is hoping to “accelerate the process to make greater progress,” but he will not participate in the coming 3 days of bilateral talks or the broader talks between reps. of Iran and the full P5+1 on 1/18. (ALM 1/17)

In the Sinai Peninsula, the Sinai Province of the Islamic State kills 3 bedouins suspected of collaborating with Israel. (MNA 1/15)

Israeli attacks by land, air, and sea on the Gaza Strip continue, killing 47 Palestinians. A unit of al-Qassam Brigades fighters enters Israeli territory through a cross-border tunnel and kills Israeli soldiers nr. Sufa, e. of Rafah. The Hamas armed wing says that 5 soldiers are killed while the IDF says it is only 2. In fighting in Gaza City, Palestinian fighters wound 3 Israeli soldiers. The armed Palestinian groups fire around 90 rockets into Israel, killing 1 and wounding 3 in a bedouin village in the Negev. The IDF says that its forces have unearthed and destroyed 34 “terror tunnels,” 5 of which crossed the Gaza border fence. The IDF says that Palestinian factions have used up or lost around half of their rocket supplies, with 30–40% destroyed by Israeli attacks, and 10–20% fired into Israel. In the West Bank, IDF troops clash with Palestinian youth in n. Bethlehem, injuring 3 with live ammunition. There are also clashes in Hebron, where IDF troops shoot and injure 1 Palestinian, and in al-‘Arub r.c., where 5 are injured. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Hebron at night; patrols in Hebron and 1 village, al-‘Arub r.c. and al-Fawar r.c. nearby, in 5 villages nr. Ramallah, and 2 villages nr. Jericho during the day. (AFP, AP, HA, MNA, REU, YA 7/19; PCHR 7/20)

Meanwhile, French FM Fabius holds talks with Netanyahu about a cease-fire. After the meeting, Fabius tells reporters that“the call for a cease-fire has not been heard, and on the contrary, there’s a risk of more civilian casualties.” Senior Hamas official Usama Hamdan says that Turkey and Qatar are trying to help secure an end to the violence. (AFP, AP, HA, MNA, REU, YA 7/19)

The IDF launches dozens of air strikes across the Gaza Strip, killing 28 Palestinians and wounding approximately 550. There are fatal strikes in Gaza City, Rafah, Dayr al-Balah, Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, and Bayt Lahiya, among others. Palestinians fire dozens of projectiles into Israel, with 1 rocket hitting a house in Ashdod, causing damage. Other targeted towns include Beersheba, Ashqelon, and Sdot Negev in the s., and Rehovot, Yavne, Lod, Ramle, and Gadera in the c. Iron Dome batteries intercept 2 rockets fired at the Jerusalem area and 2 others fall in open areas. A mortar shell injures 2 Israeli soldiers close to the border. (AFP, AP, HA, JP, MNA, REU 7/10; PCHR 7/11)

Israeli PM Netanyahu says that attacks will continue to “expand and continue until the fire on our communities is over and the quiet returns.” The PM also tells mbrs. of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Comms. that a cease-fire with Hamas is not on the agenda. Islamic Jihad spokesperson Abu Ahmad says the “factions in Gaza are not going to surrender.” At an emergency meeting of the UNSC in New York, UN Secy.-Gen. Ban says that “it is now more urgent than ever to try to find common ground for a return to calm and a cease-fire understanding,” and that he has been in contact with Israel, the PA, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, the Arab League, the U.S., and the EU. Palestinian UN amb. Riyad Mansour tells the meeting that the international community is obliged to ensure protection of Palestinian civilians, and accuses Israel of violating its responsibility as an occupying power. Israeli UN amb. Ron Prosor says Hamas is “committing a double war crime: targeting Israeli civilians while hiding behind Palestinian civilians.” Pres. Obama telephones PM Netanyahu and tells him that the U.S. is willing to help negotiate a cease-fire. State Dept. spokesperson Psaki says that Kerry has been “reaching out to countries in the region” including Qatar and Egypt, which “can play a role in bringing an end to the rocket fire from Hamas.” (AFP, AP, HA, JP, MNA, REU 7/10)

Off the coast of the Gaza Strip nr. Khan Yunis, Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages nr. Nablus and 1 village nr. Bethlehem at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, in 1 village nr. Hebron in the afternoon, and in Salfit and 1 nearby village, al-Fawar r.c. and 3 villages nr. Hebron, 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 village each nr. Bethlehem and Ramallah at night. Jewish settlers destroy 35 olive trees in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc s. of Jerusalem, leaving “price tag” graffiti at the scene. Meanwhile in Israel, a Palestinian citizen’s car is vandalized in Acre with “price tag” graffiti. (HA, MNA 5/4; PCHR 5/8)

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society says that the number of prisoners on hunger strike against their detention without trial has reached 120, with participating prisoners being held in solitary confinement in the Negev, Ofer, and Megiddo jails. (MNA 5/3)

Senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuq says that Hamas will not accept the conditions demanded by the Quartet, including recognition of Israel, in remarks made at a press conference in Gaza City. Abu Marzuq also says that it is likely Hamas will participate in the proposed Palestinian presidential elections. (AFP, MEMO 5/3)

Off the coast of the Gaza Strip nr. Bayt Lahiya, Israeli naval vessels attack Palestinian fishermen, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village each nr. Ramallah and Jenin at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Salfit in the morning, in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm, in Salfit and 1 nearby village, and in Hebron in the afternoon, and in 1 village and al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron and in Tulkarm at night. (PCHR 1/9)

U.S. Secy. of State Kerry visits Jordan and Saudi Arabia before returning to Jerusalem, in a day of whistle-stop diplomacy focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. In Amman, Kerry meets with Jordan’s King Abdallah II and FM Nasser Judeh, and then with King Abdallah in the Saudi monarch’s desert residence. Following 3 days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, an anonymous Palestinian official says that Kerry demanded Abbas recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland, in exchange for Israel’s acceptance of its pre-1967 borders as the basis for talks. Meanwhile, Israeli FM Lieberman tells a meeting of Israeli diplomats that he supports a comprehensive agreement with the Palestinians in the context of U.S.-led negotiations, but also says that he would only accept an agreement including the exchange of land and population, a reference to his longstanding proposal to move a number of Palestinian citizens into a putative Palestinian state. (See document C2 in JPS 171 for extended excerpts of Lieberman’s remarks.) Separately, Israel’s ministerial cmte. on legislation rejects 2 bills proposed by the Labor Party that would have facilitated a two-state solution by placing restrictions on settlement construction and preventing unilateral annexation. (AFP, AP, HA, JP 1/5)

UNRWA workers in the Gaza Strip go on strike over pay and employment conditions, joining West Bank-based UNRWA employees, who went on strike on 12/3. (MNA 1/5)

The Israeli PM’s Office passes responsibility for creating and implementing govt. development plans for the Bedouin communities in the Negev to the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry. Until now, the legislative measure set to codify the Prawer Plan was being overseen by former minister Benny Begin. (ToI 1/3; ToI 1/5)

U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry meets with Palestinian pres. Mahmud Abbas in Ramallah, and reportedly offers him incentives for a return to direct negotiations with Israel. Palestinian sources say that offers include ensuring that Israel does not withhold transfer of tax revenues again and possibly expanding the PA’s jurisdiction to parts of West Bank Area C (under Israeli civil and security control). In addition, a Palestinian official claims that Kerry expresses interest in reviving the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002, which offered Israel full normalization for Israel’s complete withdrawal from the o.t. (including the Golan). (AP, MNA, REU 4/7)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 3 rockets from the Gaza Strip, with 1 landing in the Negev causing no damage or injuries and 2 landing inside Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the north Gaza coast, causing no injuries or damage. In the West Bank, IDF forces shoot and seriously injure a Palestinian child during a protest in Aida r.c. in Bethlehem; another Palestinian is injured by the IDF during a demonstration in Um Rokba nr. Bethlehem. The IDF also patrols in Tulkarm in the morning, in 1 village nr. Hebron and 2 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in al-‘Arub r.c., and 1 village nr. Hebron, and 1 village nr. Bethlehem at night. In another incident, Jewish settlers vandalize a mosque in in the Palestinian village of Tekoa nr. Bethlehem, leaving price-tag graffiti on the walls. (AFP, HA 4/7; PCHR 4/11)

Israel transfers tax revenues to the PA 2 weeks ahead of schedule in recognition of the economic crisis. The PA fin. min. announces it will pay partial salaries to workers. (MNA 10/18, 10/20)

Israel grants final approval to a plan for 800 new homes in East Jerusalem, meaning an expansion of Gilo settlement. (AFP 10/18)

Bedouin citizens of Israel hold a protest outside government offices in Beersheba to call for an end to the pending demolition orders in Bir Hadaj village in the Negev. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities demolish the Bedouin village al-Araqib for the 43rd time. (JP 10/18; MNA 10/19)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya, 3 villages nr. Ramallah, and 2 villages nr. Jenin in the morning; in 2 villages nr. Jericho and 2 villages nr. Hebron in the afternoon; and in al-Bireh, 2 villages nr. Jericho, 1 village nr. Jenin, and 2 villages nr. Hebron (in 1 of which the IDF uses tear gas against stone-throwing Palestinians) at night. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli naval vessels open fire at Palestinian fishermen, causing no injuries. (PCHR 10/24)

In a report submitted to the UN Security Council (UNSC), UN secy.-gen. Ban Ki-moon calls the Hizballah drone sent into Israeli airspace a ‘‘reckless provocation,’’ and criticizes Israel’s use of drones and fighter jets in Lebanese airspace as a violation of sovereignty. (AP 10/18)

As the campaign period for the 1/25 Palestinian elections opens, Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Independent Palestine candidate Mustafa Barghouthi as he campaigns, releases him after 4 hrs.; detain 7 Fatah candidates campaigning in the city; disperse a Third Way rally led by Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Hanan Ashrawi (Jerusalem); in 2 separate incidents, bars Central Election Commission (CEC) staff mbrs. fr. crossing a Tulkarm checkpoint to attend an election-related mtg. in nearby Dayr al-Ghusun and the Jordan Valley; blocks the transportation of election campaigning material fr. the West Bank to Gaza; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. Meanwhile, the IDF opens the new Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border; fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Mustafa Muhammad during an arrest raid nr. Hebron; raids a Palestinian school in Anata n. of Jerusalem, firing rubber bullets, injuring 1 teacher, 1 student and then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jalazun r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya; dismantles 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Bat Ayin, Efrat, Pdu’el. In response to the 1/2 assassination, Islamic Jihad fires at least 12 rockets at the Negev, the ARB fires a rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire on 8 roads leading to the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no injuries. The AMB, ARB claim joint responsibility for detonating an explosive device nr. an IDF bulldozer operating on Jenin r.c., seriously injuring 1 IDF soldier. PA police arrest Gaza AMB leader Ala’ al-Hams for plotting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino break into, rob, vandalize several Palestinian shops in Hebron. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ 1/3; IMEMC, PMC, WP, WT, YA 1/4; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA 1/6; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)

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 fatally shoots a Palestinian at a checkpoint in s. Gaza after he opens fire on a car carrying Jewish settlers, wounding 3; fatally shoots a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays too close to Aley Sinai settlement; conducts arrest raids in Ramallah. Late in the evening, 2 Palestinian gunmen (1 Hamas, 1 Islamic Jihad) infiltrate an IDF barracks at Netzarim settlement, fatally shooting 3 IDF soldiers, wounding 2 before the Hamas mbr. is shot dead, the Islamic Jihad mbr. escapes. 2 Palestinians die of injuries received in the 10/20 IDF attack on Nussayrat r.c., bringing that toll to at least 10. Palestinians also fire a Qassam rocket at the Negev, causing no damage or injuries. In Tulkarm, the AMB executes 2 Palestinians suspected of providing Israel with information used to assassinate an AMB mbr. on 10/4. Israel issues tenders for construction of 333 new housing units in West Bank Jewish settlements. Jewish settlers attack Palestinian cars, property in Hebron. (HA 10/23; VOP 10/23 in WNC 10/25; AFP, HA, MM, NYT, WP 10/24; VOP 10/24, MENA 10/26 in WNC 10/28; NYT, WT 10/25; NYT 10/26; HA, MM 10/27; MM 10/28; AYM 10/28 in WNC 10/30; PR 10/29; PCHR 10/30; MEI 11/7)