The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians, including 7 during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Ramallah, Halhul, and Salfit, and 1 at a flying checkpoint in Hebron; among the arrested at a late-night raid in Ramallah was 1 Palestinian instructor from Birzeit University in Ramallah. Israeli forces also conducted house raids in Zabbuba near Jenin; no arrests were reported. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian-owned vehicles travelling on a road northeast of Ramallah, causing damage. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Issawiyya. 1 Palestinian demolished his store in Silwan after receiving a demolition order by Israeli authorities. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1; PCHR 9/5)

After more than 340 Palestinians had been arrested in Issawiyya in East Jerusalem during the summer, it was reported that the Israeli police, the Jerusalem Municipality, and residents of Issawiyya had come to an agreement on limiting Israeli operations in Issawiyya. The agreement includes that residents of Issawiyya cancel a school strike on 9/2, the 1st day of the school year. (HA 9/1)

According to the Palestinian Energy Authority, Qatar will be cutting the amount of fuel it funds for Gaza by 50 percent, causing the hours of electricity available in Gaza to drop from 8 hours per day to 5 or 6. (HA 9/1)

At a visit to the Israeli settlement of Elkana, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that that he aspires to apply Israeli sovereignty to all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s announcement comes 2 weeks before the Israeli general election. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1)

The al-Kasom Regional Council in the Negev, which presides over a large Bedouin community, announced that 17,000 students would not start the school year as planned on 9/2 as the Israeli education ministry had not given it enough money to begin the school year as planned. (HA 9/1)

Israeli forces and Hezbollah operatives exchanged missiles near the border of Israel and Lebanon. According to Hezbollah, it fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli military vehicles. The Israeli military and Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that it had hit the Hezbollah cell that fired the anti-tank missiles with “100 shells, aerial fire and various measures.” (HA 9/1; AJ, AJ, HA 9/2; HA 9/4)

In the West Bank, several Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces near Khillet al-Dabe village while attempting to plant olive trees. On a road near Ramallah, around 15 Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles passing by the settlers. Damage was reported, but no injuries. Settlers also razed Palestinian farmland in Burin in the West Bank. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police detained an employee of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf for opening the doors to Bab al-Rahma. A similar incident unfolded on 4/1. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level land near Khan Yunis. Israeli naval forces attacked Palestinian fishermen 3 nautical miles from the coast of Gaza City by firing live ammunition at them and spraying with the non-lethal weapon Skunk. A Palestinian teen shot by Israeli forces by the Gaza fence on 4/3 succumbed to his injuries at an Israeli hospital. In Israel, an incendiary balloon was found in a cemetery in the Israeli city Kiryat Gat. Elsewhere in Israel, the Bedouin village of al-Araqib was demolished for the 142d time. Israeli prison forces raided section 1 of the Negev prison and transferred prisoners to other sections of the prison. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/4)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Israeli radio that “All the options are still on the table, including entering Gaza and occupying it, out of consideration of what is best for Israel.” He also said in the interview that he had explored the option of having another country take charge of Gaza, but no one had volunteered. (JP 4/4; MNA 4/5)

The Japanese embassy in Lebanon announced that Japan would contribute an additional $6 million for UNRWA projects in Lebanon. (MNA, WAFA 4/5)