The Palestine Chronology

The Gaza cease-fire holds, with no Israeli or Palestinian violence reported. Israeli officials say the IDF has accelerated its withdrawal fr. Gaza in hopes that it will be completed by the time U.S. pres.-elect Barack Obama is sworn in on 1/20. Across Gaza, some stores reopen, and traffic along the main north–south route (occupied by the IDF during the war) resumes, though observers say (WP 1/20) that “much of the main highway was nearly impassable from the dirt and debris plowed up by Israel’s military”; Hamas-led police provide traffic control in damaged areas and generally try to assert a presence. Israel allows a small group of foreign reporters into Gaza and permits them to interview Palestinians, but requires them to team report as a pool and runs their coverage through IDF censors, given the continued presence of Israeli soldiers in the field. Israel for the first time since 12/27 allows a few truckloads of commercial goods into Gaza in addition to humanitarian aid; in total, 208 truckloads are allowed entry. Rescue workers continue searching for survivors and uncovering bodies (at least 14 today), particularly in al-Zaytun. (AY, DUS, MM, YA 1/19; NYT, WP, WT 1/20; DUS, al-Hayat, JP, MM, QA 1/21; NYT, PCHR, UNICEF press release, WT 1/22; PCHR 1/29; AP 1/30; WT 2/4; WP 2/8; Electronic Intifada 2/24)

The IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus; issues military orders confiscating 3,000 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of land in Yatta s. of Hebron and 13 d. nr. Bethlehem for settlement expansion, and 500 d. of land in Abu Dis for construction of the separation wall around Jerusalem. A Jewish settler driving nr. Ramallah is shot, seriously wounded fr. a passing car. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces evict a family (18 mbrs.) and seal their home in Jabal al-Mukabir, where Israelis are expanding a Jewish settlement. (HA, NYT 1/20; MM 1/21; PCHR 1/22)

International diplomacy to end OCL clicks into gear with France proposing that Israel and Hamas impose a 48-hr. humanitarian truce to try to defuse the violence and restore the Gaza cease-fire, with humanitarian groups, Egypt, the EU, the Quartet, and the U.S. opening mediation channels (see Quarterly Update). Israel’s security cabinet meets to discuss the French proposal but does not formally respond.

Israeli actions: The IDF conducts 70 air strikes on Gaza, while the Israeli navy continues shelling from the sea, killing at least 10 Palestinians and wounding 40, bringing the death toll to about 370. The IDF reports hitting 110 individual sites, with primary targets being tunnels on the Rafah border, suspected weapons factories and rocket-launching sites, civil and naval police stations, and groups of resistance mbrs. In Gaza City, at least 20 air strikes hit Haniyeh’s offices, PA Interior Min., and main PA government complex in Gaza City, all of which had been targeted previously; 1 air strike hits an ambulance, killing 1 paramedic, seriously wounding a doctor and the driver. Part of Gaza’s main power grid is also hit, cutting all power to Gaza City. A fuel depot in Rafah is destroyed. In al-Bureij r.c., a mosque and health clinic are hit. In Khan Yunis, a money exchange is destroyed. At least 7 homes across the Strip are targeted. Target locations include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, al-Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi (c. Gaza), al-Mughraqa, al-Qarara, Rafah. The IDF launches a YouTube channel to broadcast declassified videos of its operations in Gaza, “other footage of interest to the international community” (JPI 1/8) and begins regular briefings for Internet bloggers worldwide.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 41 rockets, 10 mortars into Israel, damaging 1 home in Sederot and causing several light injuries (excluding shock); 1 rocket lands in Beersheba, 25 mi. fr. the Gaza border, marking the farthest strike to date; 2 other long-range rockets land in Ashdod. Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 93 trucks into Gaza (50 carrying medical supplies and food donated by aid groups; 43 carrying commercial goods), but Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital says it is out of 150 kinds of medicine and 230 other medical supplies, including gloves, scissors, sterilization equipment, nitrogen for anesthesia. Fuel shipments are still cut off; Gaza’s power plant shuts down for lack of fuel. (BBC, HA, Independent 12/30; IDF, IFM, NYT, REU, UNOSAT, WP, WT 12/31; JP, PCHR 1/1; ITV 1/2; IDF 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM 1/8; NYT 1/13)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian worker in Mod’in Ilit settlement, angry over Israel’s war on Gaza, stabs, wounds 4 Jewish settlers before being shot and wounded by a paramedic who arrives on the scene. The IDF fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against OCL in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron, wounding 3 (including teenagers ages 13, 14); makes simultaneous afternoon incursions into Beita and Hawara villages nr. Nablus, imposing curfews through 12/31; conducts simultaneous late-night raids, house searches on 4 villages nr. Jenin, firing on residential areas in all cases, causing no injuries and arresting only 1 teenager; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Tulkarm. (PCHR, WJW 1/1)

As massive Israeli strikes on Gaza enter a 2d day, IDF Southern Command head Maj. Gen. Yo’av Galant says (HA 12/28) that the IDF aims to “send Gaza decades into the past” in terms of Hamas’s leadership, weaponry, and smuggling capabilities while achieving “the maximum number of enemy casualties.” Israel’s security cabinet authorizes the IDF to call up 6,500 reservists, and the IDF begins massing tanks and troops on Gaza’s border, indicating planning for a ground incursion. Israel’s Homefront Command orders 80 factories and businesses within 3 mi. of the Gaza border to close indefinitely for their safety (a move expected [WJW 1/1] to cost Israel’s economy $1 m./day), indicating concerns of increased Palestinian rocket fire once ground operations begin. Israeli Military Intelligence breaks into Palestinian radio broadcasts to warn Gazans against cooperating with Hamas. The IDF drops 300,000 leaflets across Gaza warning residents to evacuate areas where Hamas is operating or storing weapons or to remain at their own risk. The Israeli FMin. opens an international media broadcast outlet in Sederot (a main target of Palestinian rockets), begins tours of Sederot and other Gaza border communities for foreign media, diplomats, and VIPs. (Israel continues to prevent the foreign media fr. entering Gaza.)

Israeli actions: The IDF reports air and naval bombardment of 100 sites across Gaza, bringing the number of targets destroyed since operations began to more than 210. The 2-day Palestinian toll rises to an estimated 300 dead (including at least 22 children, 9 women, 60 other civilians) and 1,300 injured (including at least 235 children and 200 women). Target areas include Abasan, Bayt Hanun, Bayt Lahiya, Bani Suhayla (s. Gaza), Bir al-Naja (n. Gaza), Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City (city center, al-Rimal, Shaykh Ridwan, Shati’ r.c., al-Shuja‘iyya, Tal al-Hawa, al-Zaytun), Jabaliya town and r.c., Khan Yunis, Khuza (east of Khan Yunis), Nussayrat r.c., al-Qarara (s. Gaza), Rafah, Shati’ r.c., and Tal al-Za‘atar (nr. Jabaliya).

The IDF’s primary targets are around 40 tunnels along the Rafah border, hit with GBU-39s. Other major targets include several buildings at Islamic University (including a science building Israel claims was connected to rocket manufacturing); Gaza City’s PA ministry compound, the offices of acting PM Ismail Haniyeh, and the main police station (destroying the Saraya; allowing about 50 Fatah prisoners to escape, but killing at least 4); Rafah’s main PASF, governorate, and municipal complexes; more civil and naval police stations, metal workshops believed to make rockets; the Gaza City and Rafah ports; at least 3 mosques (Imad ‘Akel Mosque in Jabaliya r.c., Izzeddin al-Qassam Mosque in Abasan, al-Rimal Mosque in Gaza City) alleged to be weapons depots; a Palestinian Energy Authority building in Khan Yunis; a private medical warehouse; and at least 8 homes and 3 apartment buildings.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 17 rockets, 18 mortars into Israel, injuring at least 6 Israeli civilians (including cases of shock). The rockets include 1 manufactured Grad/Katyusha that lands in Gan Yavne 20 mi. inside Israel, outside Ashdod, the farthest to date. In the evening, 100s of Palestinians attempt to flee Gaza through small breaches in the border wall apparently caused by IDF air strikes; they are sent back by Egyptian security forces, who exchange fire with the crowd, leaving at least 1 Palestinian, 1 Egyptian border policeman dead, 4 Palestinians, 5 Egyptian border policemen, an 8-yr.-old Egyptian child wounded.

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows the entry to Gaza of 100 truckloads of food and medical aid, 10 ambulances, and fuel for hospitals, donated by Jordan, Turkey, and international aid organizations. The shipments include 4 truckloads of pharmaceuticals from the PA central pharmacy in Ramallah (the 2d PA delivery since the PA had blocked the shipments of medicine to Gaza in early 9/08; see 12/16), transferred by the PA at UNRWA request. Humanitarian groups, however, continue to warn of deteriorating medical conditions and lack of food in Gaza and urge Israel to allow unrestricted entry of aid. OCHA reports power outages of up to 16 hrs./day in Gaza City, n. Gaza, and c. Gaza; says all flour mills have shut down for lack of grain imports, threatening widespread bread shortages. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IDF, IFM, JAZ, OCHA, REU 12/28; IDF, JP, al-Masryun[Egypt], NYT, SFR, WP, WT 12/29; BBC, Defense Update [online], Global Research [online], WP 12/30; REU, UNOSAT 12/31; JP, PCHR, WJW, WP 1/1; IDF, NYT 1/3; WP 1/4; IFM 1/8; WP 1/10)

Across the West Bank, Palestinians protest against OCL, clashing with the IDF at numerous points (Abu Dis, Issawiyya, and al-Ram nr. Jerusalem; Bani Na‘im nr. Hebron; Ni‘lin and Silwad nr. Ramallah), leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 31 Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier, 1 Israeli child injured. In at least one instance, PASF breaks up one protest by 100s of Palestinians in Ramallah when demonstrators unfurl Hamas banners; the PASF reportedly (NYT 1/3) has been ordered to prevent any popular displays of support for Hamas. The IDF conducts daytime house searches nr. Jenin, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in and nr. Hebron, Nablus. Palestinians stone a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Hebron, lightly injuring an 8-yr.-old girl. (PCHR, WJW 1/1)

In the West Bank, IDF troops stationed nr. Yitzhar settlement fatally shoot a 14-yr.- old Palestinian boy who allegedly planned to throw a Molotov cocktail at them. The IDF also raids an apartment building in Abu Dis in search of wanted Palestinians, pushing a 56-yr.-old Palestinian woman down a flight of stairs, killing her; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Ni‘lin, nr. Bethlehem and Hebron (firing on residential areas of Ithna village, causing no injuries). Jewish settlers fr. Beit HaShalom throw garbage and rotten vegetables at local Palestinians; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (OCHA 9/24; PCHR 9/25)

Overnight, the IDF makes an incursion into Khuza, bulldozing 225 d. of agricultural land, 41 greenhouses, at least 150 beehives. During the day, the IDF makes an air strike on a group of Hamas mbr. in al-Qarara, killing 1 Hamas mbr., seriously wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 2 d. of Palestinian land nr. a settlers-only bypass road s. of Hebron to erect a military post; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Nablus, and nr. Hebron (targeting the home of a journalist, arresting him). (PCHR 5/15)

UNRWA resumes food aid in Gaza after Israel allows a special delivery to UNRWA of a 5-day supply of fuel. Palestinians fire several rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. Egyptian border guards discover, demolish 5 smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF raids and seals for 3 yrs. a sewing factory in Hebron owned by the ICA (see 4/26); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. and Nablus, in Abu Dis and Azariyya nr. Jerusalem, and nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize 11 Palestinian cars nr. the settlement. (IFM 4/29; AP, OCHA, PCHR 4/30; PCHR 5/8)

The PFLP fires a rocket (the IDF alleges a Grad) fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting nr. Ashqelon, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 4 Palestinian homes (displacing 31 Palestinians) nr. Tubas, another 4 homes in Bayt Dajan in the Jordan Valley (also displacing 31 Palestinians), 2 bedouin tents nr. Hebron, and 2 shops in Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Jabal Mukabir nr. Jerusalem, Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya (firing on residential areas, wounding 7 Palestinians, including a woman and 5 children), and Qabatya, as well as nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. (IFM, NYT, OCHA 3/12; PCHR 3/13)

The IDF makes a predawn incursion into al-Shuka in s. Gaza, exchanging fire with local Palestinians, leaving 3 Hamas mbrs. and 1 mbr. of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRCs) dead, more than 20 Palestinians wounded (including “several” gunmen), 1 IDF soldier seriously injured; at least 80 Palestinians are detained for questioning before the IDF withdraws in the afternoon. The IDF also sends armored vehicles, bulldozers into areas n. of Bayt Lahiya in n. Gaza to level land. After a Palestinian rocket hits a home in Sederot later in the day (causing no injuries), Israeli PM Ehud Olmert gives the IDF a “free hand” to operate against militants in Gaza, stating that Gazans would “not be allowed to live normal lives” as long as Israelis are targeted by rocket fire. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., in Abu Dis nr. East Jerusalem and Nablus, nr. Jenin; fences off farmlands along a settler-only bypass road nr. Azun, nr. Nablus to prevent Palestinian youths fr. stoning passing Jewish settler vehicles. Nr. Hebron, a Palestinian boy is injured when he accidentally triggers unexploded ordnance (UXO) left by the IDF. (NYT, WP 2/18; OCHA 2/20; PCHR 2/21)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats that stray nr. the border with Egypt, sinking 1; armed Palestinians on shore fire toward the navy vessels, prompting the IDF to call in helicopter air strikes on a naval police post, damaging it and a nearby mosque; no injuries are reported. The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza e. of Dayr al-Balah to level land along the border, firing on Palestinian farmers in the area, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, nr. Tulkarm. In Nablus, 11 AMB mbrs. turn themselves into the PA police, hoping to be granted amnesty by Israel under the terms of Israel’s 7/07 amnesty offer to the AMB (see Quarterly Update in JPS 145); Israel does not agree. (OCHA 2/9; PCHR 1/10)

IDF troops on the Gaza border shell Hamas mbrs. preparing to fire a mortar into Israel, killing 2, wounding at least 2. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem, where they are confronted by PA security officers who do not realize their identity, sparking an exchange of fire that kills 1 PA security officer. Egypt allows 2,000 Gazans to enter Egypt through the Rafah crossing for the Hajj in a deal arranged by Hamas and coordinated with Saudi Arabia, angering the PA, Israel, and the U.S. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Abu Dis outside Jerusalem, Qalqilya. (NYT, PCHR 12/6; NYT 12/11; OCHA 12/12; PCHR 12/13)

The IDF makes an air strike targeting armed Palestinians nr. Khan Yunis, causing no reported injuries; levels land inside the Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes a Palestinian road and barn in al-Walaja nr. the separation wall outside Bethlehem; raids, searches a secondary school in Azun nr. Qalqilya when staff is present but classes are not in session; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, in Abu Dis nr. Jerusalem, and nr. Bethlehem. During the day, the new PA policing unit in Nablus, deployed by Palestinian Authority (PA) PM Mahmud Abbas on 11/2 to enhance security in keeping with the road map, makes major arrest raids into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. (WT 11/19; OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22, 11/29)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Abu Dis nr. Jerusalem, ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a (moving from house to house by breaking through walls, as it did during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002; firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 1), Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah. Expecting the IDF to forcibly evict 2 Jewish settler families squatting in vacant Palestinian stores in Hebron’s wholesale market (in 4/07, the Israeli High Court ordered them to vacate the site by 7/27), 100s of Jewish settlers begin arriving at the site to block the eviction, harassing local Palestinians; among the incidents: a Jewish settler fr. Beit Hadasah injures a Palestinian man in a deliberate hit and run; Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack, vandalize Palestinian homes, cars; Jewish settlers set fire to the Hebron Rehabilitation Comm. offices (previously declared a closed military zone by the IDF). (OCHA 8/8; PCHR 8/9)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on Palestinian agricultural areas e. of Khan Yunis, sparking a fire that destroys a wheat field; discover, disarm a roadside bomb nr. the former Kissufim crossing e. of Khan Yunis. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on Nablus, firing on residential areas and exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen who confront them, shooting and wounding a pregnant Palestinian woman inside her home, causing her to lose her baby; 2 armed Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier are also wounded. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem (targeting the AMB) and in Balata r.c., Tulkarm; issues stop-work orders for 10 Palestinian homes, a mosque in villages nr. Negohot settlement w. of Hebron that would constrain eventual expansion of the settlement. Israel’s Jerusalem Construction and Planning Comm. approves plans to build 3 new ultra-Orthodox settlements on the outskirts of occupied East Jerusalem to create territorial unity btwn. Jerusalem and Gush Etzion s. of Bethlehem and btwn. Jerusalem and Beit El n. of Ramallah; the plans call for 20,000 housing units in the new settlements, plus 500 new units for settlers in Abu Dis. Abbas deploys 3,000 PA security forces under his control in Gaza City and n. Gaza as part of a new, high-profile “law and order” campaign meant to undermine Hamas. In Bureij r.c, unidentified gunmen fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. in a drive-by attack on a Fatah base. Unidentified assailants ambush, kidnap a PA colonel driving in Nussayrat r.c.; no group claims responsibility. (PLONAD 5/10; MM, NYT 5/11; OCHA 5/16; PCHR 5/17)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Bayt Lahiya, forcing them to return to shore. The IDF sends bulldozers into Gaza n. of Bayt Lahiya to level land along the border fence to improve lines of sight. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis nr. East Jerusalem; conducts patrols, fires on residential areas of Jenin town and r.c., Tubas. (OCHA 3/21; PCHR 3/22)

With approval of the PC, PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas (Fatah) swears in the first Palestinian national unity government headed by PM Ismail Haniyeh (Change and Reform), in keeping with agreements reached by Fatah and Hamas in Mecca on 2/8 aimed at halting intra-Palestinian violence. (NYT, WP, WT 3/18; WP 3/19) 

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, wounding 3 fishermen. IDF troops discover, dismantle a roadside bomb nr. the s. Gaza border fence nr. Rafah. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, in Marda, and nr. Hebron, Tulkarm; fires on a number of Palestinian vegetable traders in Abu Dis who reportedly ignore orders to halt, seriously wounding 1, denying him medical attention for 40 mins. Hamas, Fatah mbrs. clash in Bayt Hanun, leaving a Hamas cmdr. dead; the ESF closes local roads, damages 4 homes of Fatah mbrs. with explosive devices, sets fire to the local PA National Security Forces and Force 17 offices during the clashes; Islamic Jihad mbrs. intervene to mediate an end to the fighting. Unknown assailants fire a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at the home of a Fatah activist in Bayt Hanun, causing damage but no injuries. (WP 3/12; OCHA 3/14; PCHR 3/15)

Israel allows the Rafah crossing to Egypt to open for departures for the 1st time since 3/6, sparking a surge by 100s of Palestinians seeking to exit that leaves a 61-yr.-old Palestinian dead; PA presidential guardsmen controlling the exit use clubs, fire at the ground to push back travelers seeking to exit, wounding 7 and prompting the European Union (EU) observers to close the crossing. The IDF also sends bulldozers into Gaza e. of Bureij r.c. to level land. Palestinians shut the Sufa crossing to protest the attack today on the Palestinian director of the crossing by unknown gunmen (no injuries reported). In the West Bank, the IDF storms a mosque, several houses in Hebron nr. the settler-only bypass road Route 60, threatening to demolish the mosque if there were any more stone-throwing from the area (the IDF cmdr. involved is later suspended for his actions); fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Tubas nr. Jenin, wounding 3 Palestinian teenagers and a 60-yr.-old bystander; shoots, wounds an unarmed Palestinian attempting to cross the separation wall nr. Abu Dis; conduct arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 2 with live ammunition). PA security force mbrs. demonstrate in Gaza City and Bureij r.c. to protest the PA’s nonpayment of salaries, local banks’ automatic deduction of debts owed from the partial salary payments that are automatically deposited. (WT 3/9; OCHA 3/14; PCHR 3/15)

IDF troops on the Gaza border n. of Sufa crossing fire heavy machine guns into Gaza at a group of Palestinians preparing to launch rockets, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Abu Dis, and nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah, Tulkarm. Fatah mbrs. loyal to Dahlan manning a checkpoint in Gaza City fire on the car of PA Culture Min. dir. gen. ‘Izz al-Din al-Masri (Change and Reform) when his driver refuses to stop for inspection; no injuries are reported. In Bethlehem, unidentified assailants set fire to 2 cars, a shop owned by prominent Hamas mbrs. An 8-yr.-old Palestinian boy dies of injuries received during clashes btwn. the ESF, presidential guard on 2/1 in Bureij r.c. (OCHA 2/14; PCHR 2/15)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fires on a group of Palestinians in the fmr. Nisanit settlement area nr. the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF sends an undercover unit in a car with Palestinian license plates into Tulkarm r.c., fires on a group of Palestinians wounding 4 (an AMB mbr., an Islamic Jihad mbr., 2 bystanders ages 10 and 16), then fires 5 shots at 1 of the wounded, AMB mbr. Jasr Zughayb, assassinating him; fatally shoots 2 AMB mbrs. in an exchange of fire in Nablus, also demolishing the home in which they were staying; fatally shoots a 17-yr.-old Palestinian who attempts to cut through the separation fence nr. Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis; raids the Modern College building in Beitunia nr. Ramallah, firing on PSF officers dispatched to the scene responding to reports of suspicious activity, killing 2 PSF officers. In Gaza, a combined group of Hamas, ESF mbrs. acting on rumors of Fatah of smuggling weapons halt, demand to inspect a 4-truck convoy escorted by Abbas’s presidential guard that entered Gaza fr. Israel through the Kerem Shalom crossing, sparking an exchange of gunfire that leaves at least 5 Palestinians dead (including 4 presidential guardsmen, 1 female bystander), 34 wounded (including 14 bystanders); the shipment of supplies (widely believed to be arms and ammunition though in separate statements, Fatah says it is food and medical supplies, equipment and tents, generators and spare parts) fr. the UAE reportedly was organized by Gaza strongman Dahlan, with the knowledge of the U.S. and Israel, and was intended for guard units loyal to him; the contents of the trucks cannot be confirmed, as they are seized during the clash (it is unclear by whom). The convoy incident precipitates Fatah-Hamas gunfights across the Strip that kill at least 3 Palestinians, wound at least another 50, and end a 3-day truce. In the most serious incidents: PA Presidential Guard units storm the Islamic University campus, clash with ESF mbrs. guarding the campus (leaving 22 wounded), claim to seize a large weapons cache and to detain 7 Iranian “explosives experts”; Hamas denies the presence of any Iranians in Gaza, Fatah does not give any proof of the arrests, Israel and the U.S. say they cannot corroborate the story; suspected Fatah gunmen fire on Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum nr. Gaza City, causing no injuries. Other Fatah-Hamas clashes are reported in Bayt Hanun, Bureij r.c., Gaza City, Jabaliya r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah. In Gaza City, 5,000 Palestinians attend a rally organized by the National and Islamic Higher Comm. for the Follow-up of the Intifada (NIHC) calling for a cessation to intra-Palestinian violence. Abbas issues a presidential decree taking over 18 acres of Palestinian land nr. the Qarni crossing for construction of a presidential guard training base, to be funded by Western donors; the UN will provide training; a 16-acre presidential guard base and intelligence services training college is also being built in Jericho. (MM 2/1; NYT, WP, WT 2/2; WP 2/3; Middle East Newsline 2/5; MM 2/6; OCHA 2/7; PCHR 2/8; NYT 2/23; JTA 3/4)

The IDF injures a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a hit-and-run incident nr. Tubas; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. several settlements nr. Bethlehem close off a main road southeast of Bethlehem to Palestinian traffic to protest the IDF’s ban on their using the road. In Jabaliya r.c, Hamas gunmen surround the home of local Fatah leader Mansur Shalail, attempting to detain him in connection with the killing of 2 Hamas supporters; after several hrs.10s of Hamas mbrs. storm the house exchange fire with Shalail and a supporter, leaving 2 Hamas mbrs. dead and withdrawing without detaining or harming Shalail. Meanwhile, Fatah mbrs. storm the al-Hidaya mosque in Gaza City, open fire on worshipers, killing 5 Palestinians, and taking 10 Hamas mbrs. hostage, threaten to kill them if Shalail is harmed; the 10 are not released after Shalail is left unharmed. The incident sparks heavily clashes (including mortar and RPG fire) btwn. Hamas, Fatah mbrs. in Gaza City, including a Hamas attacks on the PSF headquarters, gun battles outside the residences of Abbas, Zahhar, PA internal security head Rashid Abu Shibak of Fatah. Clashes are also reported in and around Jabaliya, in Khan Yunis. In total, 14 Palestinians are killed (including a 2-yr.-old boy killed during an exchange of gunfire btwn. Hamas, Fatah mbrs. in Khan Yunis), 45 wounded in intra-Palestinian fighting during the day. Fatah, Hamas say that national unity talks will be suspended until fighting ceases, each blaming the other for staring the violence. Hamas claims that talks were close to an agmt. when “putschists inside Fatah rushed to blow up the situation to serve their own interests and a foreign agenda.” (NYT, WP, WT 1/27; NYT, WT 1/28; OCHA 1/31; PCHR 2/1; AIC 2/13)

For the 2d day, IDF troops stationed in the Erez industrial zone fire at Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence, wounding 1. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, Azariyya, Nablus, and Qabatya, in and around Hebron, and nr. Jenin, Tulkarm. Israel’s Local Committee at the Jerusalem Municipality submits plans to build 1,000 housing units in the East Jerusalem settlement of Har Homa. Plans reportedly are also being drafted to expand the Jewish settlements of Ramat Rachel, Mei Naftuah, New Arnona, Gilo, and Givat Hamatos. In Ramallah, unidentified assailants attempt to kidnap the acting mayor of al-Bireh; unknown gunmen fire on the offices of fmr. PA Finance M Salam Fayyad, causing no injuries; suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on 13 shops and offices run by Hamas mbrs., set fire to 1. In Gaza, 10,000s of Fatah supporters hold the largest Fatah rally since 1994 marking the 42d anniversary of the movement; speeches by Fatah leaders focus on rallying support for Fatah and against Hamas. (MM, YA 1/8; MM 1/9; OCHA 1/10; PCHR 1/11; OCHA 1/17)

DF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun open fire on Palestinian farmers who stray too nr. the border fence, seriously injuring 1. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries, bringing to 21 the number of rockets fired since the Gaza cease-fire went into effect on 11/26. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital in Nablus, allowing him to die. Following the 12/11 attack on Balusha’s car in Gaza City, Abbas deploys extra security forces under his command across the Strip, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. during a Fatah demonstration in Khan Yunis against the killings, leaving 4 Fatah mbrs. injured. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish 4 homes in the unrecognized village of Um Mitnan in the Negev. (IMEMC, MM 12/12; OCHA, WP 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a car driving nr. Gaza City, killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding a bystander; fatally shoots a Palestinian nr. Bayt Lahiya attempting to fire a rocket into Israel, also wounding 8 bystanders; shells a group of armed Hamas mbrs. nr. the Qarni crossing, killing 1 Hamas mbr., a PA Preventive Security Forces (PSF) officer at a post nearby; fires into al-Qarara, wounding 1 Palestinian farmer; shells the PA Education Min. offices nr. Bayt Lahiya; directs shells, air strikes on Bayt Hanun and Jabaliya, severely damaging 1 Palestinian home, an UNRWA clinic, a PA school; warns residents of a pending air strike on another Palestinian home nr. Jabaliya, but 10s of neighbors gather in the home, forcing the IDF to call off the operation. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas phones Israeli PM Ehud Olmert to offer a total cease-fire in Gaza (including halts to rocket fire, digging of tunnels) in exchange for a halt to IDF operations in the Strip. Olmert agrees that if Palestinians halt actions first at 6:00 A.M. local time on 11/26, the IDF would halt operations, quickly withdraw troops fr. Gaza if the truce holds. Some Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades factions say they will not adhere to the truce until Israel halts actions first. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, IDF troops patrolling in Abu Dis chase a group of Palestinian children who throw stones at their vehicles, firing into the air and firing percussion grenades, detaining 4 children ages 11–13 for questioning; demolishes 4 shops nr. Salfit. PA security forces demonstrate in Gaza City against the Hamas-led government’s failure to pay back salaries. (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 11/26; OCHA 11/29; PCHR 11/30)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a car driving in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas mbrs. ‘Abd al-Qadir Habib, Basil Obaid, wounding 5 bystanders, including a 2-yr.-old boy; sends bulldozers into areas nr. the Sufa crossing to demolish 2 Palestinian homes, into Khan Yunis to demolish 3 greenhouses. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian teenager who approaches soldiers nr. Jericho carrying a toy gun; sends undercover units into Bethlehem, arresting a wanted Islamic Jihad mbr.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem (sealing the Orphan Care Society in Bethlehem) and in Abu Dis nr. East Jerusalem, Qabatya nr. Jenin. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in a 1/5 attack on Jabaliya. (NYT, WT 11/21; OCHA 11/22; PCHR 11/23)

Israel says that the death of 19 Palestinians in Bayt Hanun on 11/8 was caused by a faulty artillery radar system. Palestinians fire 6 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Hebron, nr. Bethlehem and Qalqilya. In Jabaliya, a roadside bomb explodes outside the home of a PFLP cmdr., injuring his bodyguard; internal Palestinian rivalries are suspected to be the cause. (NYT, WP, WT 11/10; OCHA 11/15; PCHR 11/16)

French DM Michele Alliot-Marie ` says that French forces in s. Lebanon came within seconds of firing on IDF F-16s that repeatedly dived on their positions a wk. ago. The IDF says the incident is under investigation. UNIFIL reported 14 Israeli violations of the cease-fire last wk., including near daily overflights of Lebanon, including 3 mock air raids over the French troops’ headquarters in the south. (WP 11/10)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Abu Dis and Qabatya, nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad attack Palestinians harvesting an olive grove nr. Qalqilya, injuring 5. Unidentified assailants stab, wound a Fatah mbr. in al-Bureij r.c. (OCHA 11/1; PCHR 11/2)

In Gaza, the IDF sends tanks, troops into Jabaliya r.c., clashing with Palestinian gunmen, killing 1 Hamas mbr., 1 Palestinian civilian; expands operations on the Rafah border, taking up positions nr. Rafah crossing, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen (killing 2 Palestinian militants), ordering male residents in some neighborhoods to surrender for interrogation (handcuffing and blindfolding them), reportedly finding a smugglers tunnel (the 13th it says it has found in the past 3 mos.); simultaneously sends troops into al-Shuka, conducting arrest raids, house searches. Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Qabatya, conducts arrest raids and house searches, exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen (killing 1 Palestinian gunman, wounding 3), fires on stone-throwing youths who confront them (killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 7). Also in the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in vehicles with Palestinian license plates into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus, opening fire on a taxi, assassinating wanted AMB mbr. ‘Adil Abu al-Rish, killing his cousin, who was not wanted; raids offices of Change and Reform PC mbrs. in Ramallah, arresting the office director; raids al-Quds University campus of religious studies in Abu Dis, arresting 2 Palestinians; makes arrest raids in Qalqilya (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, killing an Islamic Jihad mbr., wounding 13 Palestinians), nr. Nablus, Tulkarm; later makes a 2d raid into Qalqilya, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians, fatally shooting a Palestinian civilian. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus detain 2 Palestinian workers in the nearby Hawara cemetery, releasing them after the IDF intervenes. In Khan Yunis, unidentified gunmen fire on the home of a Fatah mbr., wounding him. A Fatah mbr. dies of injuries received in clashes with Hamas on 10/1. (NYT, WP, WT 10/8; OCHA 10/18; PCHR 10/19; OCHA 11/1)

IDF gunboats off the Gaza coast shell the fmr. settlement areas of Ganei Tal, Netzer Hazani in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Abu Dis, Hebron. The IDF also bars Palestinians under age 40 fr. Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. (OCHA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

In the afternoon, after seeing a draft UN res. on halting violence that he says he cannot accept, Olmert authorizes the IDF to expand ground operations in s. Lebanon. The IDF quickly begins moving additional troops, armor into s. Lebanon, while troops already in Lebanon prepare to move toward the Litani. During the day, the IDF continues air and artillery strikes, hitting targets in s. Beirut, areas of n. Lebanon (including Abu Diya, Akkar), s. of Sidon, and in the Biqa‘ Valley (including strafing some 1,300 cars evacuating some 3,000 residents of Marja’uyun, occupied by the IDF on 8/10, who chose to follow a convoy of 350 UNIFIL and Lebanese army troops evacuating the area in coordination with the IDF; 6 Lebanese civilians, 1 Lebanese soldier are killed and 36 are wounded). Ground operations continue in Labuna in the east, Aita al-Sha‘b in central s. Lebanon, and Khiyam, Markaba, Qantara, Qlei‘a further to the northeast. Hizballah fires 124 rockets into n. Israel, injuring 5 Israelis and targeting sites in Acre, Carmiel, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad, Shlomi. (AP, WP 8/11; NYT, WP, WT 8/12; NYT, WP 8/13; WP 8/24)

Late in the evening, the UN Security Council unanimously passes Res. 1701, calling for Israel and Hizballah to halt violence in place as of 8:00 A.M. on 8/14 local time (1:00 A.M. ET), demanding that Hizballah cease all attacks and that Israel stop offensive operations (allowing “defensive” responses if they perceive a threat). (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 8/12; NYT 8/14; NYT 8/15) 

Sharon authorizes the widening of the IDF’s campaign to include Hamas. Later 4 rockets fired fr. n. Gaza hit the Israeli town of Netiv Haasara, killing 1 Israeli woman, wounding 1; Hamas, the AMB each claim responsibility (the AMB for the fatal strike, which it says was in retaliation for the 7/10 assassination attempt); as many as 21 mortars and rockets are fired during the day, also damaging an IDF post. The IDF also continues operations in and around Tulkarm; launches arrest raids targeting Islamic Jihad nr. Bethlehem, in Abu Dis and Asira al-Qibliyya, and in and around Hebron. Abbas declares a state of emergency, placing PA security forces in Gaza on high alert and ordering them to prevent any fire on Israeli targets. PA police later fire on a car that fails to stop at a checkpoint in Bayt Lahiya, sparking a clash with Hamas gunmen in the car that leaves 5 Hamas mbrs., 3 policemen wounded; Hamas mbrs. later attack a PA police post, torch 2 police cars in retaliation. Abbas goes to Gaza to hold emergency talks with Hamas leaders regarding clashes in Bayt Lahiya. An Israeli wounded in the 7/12 bombing dies, bringing that toll to 5. (AFP, IMEMC, JTA, PRCS 7/14; HA, VOI, VOP 7/14 in WNC 7/15; HA, NYT, UNIS, WP, WT, XIN, YA 7/15; NYT, REU, WP 7/16; HA 7/17; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)

IDF soldiers break into, occupy a Palestinian home in Hebron to watch a soccer championship on the family’s satellite TV; the IDF confirms the incident took place, says the cmdr. of the squad has been suspended. The IDF also completes a segment of the separation wall n. of Bethlehem; fires on residential areas of Rafah, wounding 1 Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, apartment searches in Abu Dis, targeting al-Quds University students. An Israeli navy gunboat fires on 2 Palestinian fishing vessels off the coast of Gaza, seriously damaging them. Mbrs. of rival PA security forces exchange gunfire for several hrs. in Ramallah, causing no injuries; a similar incident occurs in Rafah, leaving 1 officer wounded. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba set fire to Palestinian olive groves, vandalize 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda stone Palestinian homes in Hebron; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Late in the evening, Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino in Hebron throw Molotov cocktails at a market storage area where Palestinian keep their carts and goods, causing moderate damage. (HA 5/27; OCHA, PR 6/1; PCHR 6/2)

The IDF sends troops into Balata r.c. and Nablus, destroys a Palestinian car; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; imposes curfews on Abu Dis and Azariyya nr. Jerusalem, searches the College of Science and Technology campus in Abu Dis, checks IDs of all staff mbrs. and students; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin. A Jewish settler shoots, wounds a Palestinian nr. Tulkarm. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in an IDF raid on Jenin r.c. on 1/28/03. (VOP 3/2 in WNC 3/3; PCHR 3/3; OCHA 3/9; PCHR 3/10)