The Palestine Chronology

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a daytime raid into Dura nr. Hebron, firing on residential areas, sparking clashes with Palestinians, wounding 3; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, in and around Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (injuring 1). In Hebron, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba clash with Israeli police demolishing an unauthorized settlement outpost, removing the outpost’s single dwelling, injuring 3 policemen; the settlers also attack local Palestinians and media, injuring 3 Palestinian cameramen for AP and Reuters; in the evening, settlers reoccupy the site. Inside Israel, 2 Israelis stab and wound 2 Palestinian workers in a bakery in Talpiot nr. Jerusalem; Jewish extremists harass Israeli Palestinians in Tiberias, burn 2 Palestinian-owned vehicles. (AFP, AP, REU, WP 11/1; WP 11/2; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6)

A week ahead of her deadline to form a government, Kadima party head and acting Israeli FM Tzipi Livni, with powersharing deals with the Labor and Meretz parties already drafted, unexpectedly informs Israeli pres. Shimon Peres that she cannot form a coalition. She blames other Israeli parties for making unreasonable political and economic demands, stating that she was unwilling to compromise her priciples to form a government (see Quarterly Update). (NYT, WP 10/26; WP 10/27)

Overnight, the IDF, Israeli police, and border police evacuate Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized settlement outpost of Federman Farm in Hebron, sparking violent clashes with the settlers in which 1 policeman is seriously injured, 2 settler girls attempt to burn police vehicles, and settlers rampage through Palestinian areas, slashing the tires of 22 cars and vandalizing a Muslim cemetery. In interviews with the press afterward, Jewish settlers call for retributive attacks on the Israeli security forces. During the day, Jewish settlers fr. Harsina settlement in Hebron attack, vandalize, attempt to occupy a Palestinian home and land adjacent to the settlement; Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian cars in Hizma village nr. Jerusalem; and 10 masked settlers attack IDF soldiers guarding Palestinians harvesting olives nr. Otniel settlement nr. Hebron, injuring 1 soldier. At the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, Olmert warns that the government “will show no tolerance toward such expressions and actions,” while Shin Bet security chief Yuval Diskin states that he is “very concerned” that right-wing settler groups might try to assassinate pro-peace politicians. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem. (IFM 10/26; NYT 10/27; OCHA 10/29; PCHR, WJW 10/30; WP 11/2)

In Acre, clashes between Israeli Palestinians and Jews continue; residents report at least 3 Arab homes destroyed by fire and several others heavily damaged since 10/8. Overnight, in the West Bank, the IDF makes an incursion into Bayt Umar nr. Hebron, raiding, searching, and occupying 2 homes; in the morning, troops fire rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians and international peace activists who gather for a nonviolent protest, injuring 3 Palestinians and 1 international activist, arresting 9 Palestinians (including 3 children), releasing most and withdrawing by evening. The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 5); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (injuring 6); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar attack a Palestinian family harvesting olives nearby, damage 15 trees. Jewish settlers fr. Abracha settlement nr. Nablus attack Palestinians harvesting olives nearby; 6 Palestinians require hospitalization. In Hebron, PA security forces raid a home in Hebron, confiscating weapons and explosives, arresting 11 Hamas-affiliated Palestinians, accusing them of planning to use the arms against the PA. (NYT 10/13; OCHA 10/15; PCHR 10/16)

In the afternoon, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border nr. al-Qarara fire on 2 unarmed Palestinians who stray nr. the border fence, order them to lie on the ground, then send soldiers into Gaza to arrest and remand them to Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts afternoon arrest raids nr. Tulkarm; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (1 Palestinian journalist, 1 Japanese activist are wounded); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (wounding 7); conducts late-night house searches in Jenin town and r.c. but makes no arrests. At least 50 Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians harvesting olives nearby, injuring 1 Palestinian and 2 Israeli peace activists aiding with the harvest. (OCHA 10/8; PCHR 10/9)

U.S. Secy. of State Condoleezza Rice arrives in Israel for a 2-day visit to press Israel and the PA for a joint statement on the peace process before the end of Pres. George W. Bush’s term. Hrs. before her arrival, Israel releases 198 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture to Abbas, including 2 long-held prisoners given life sentences for murdering Israelis: Said al-Atba (a mbr. of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine [DFLP] convicted in 1977) and Muhammad Abu Ali (convicted in 1980; elected to the PA legislature representing Fatah while jailed); none of those released are fr. Hamas. In Gaza, Palestinians fire 2 rockets into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Susia in Hebron destroy a Palestinian olive crop nearby. (NYT 8/26; OCHA 8/27; PCHR 8/28)

Israel releases Reform and Change PC mbr.Mansur (detained without charge in Nablus on 7/20). The IDF repatriates to Gaza another 26 of the 188 Fatah mbrs. who fled on 8/2; the PA allows 88 to take asylum in Jericho; 16 who were wounded during their flight remain in Israeli hospitals; the other 24 remain in IDF custody, where they are questioned regarding possible ties to attacks on Israeli targets. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts early-morning house searches in Yatta nr. Hebron, including searching the home of PC mbr. Khalil al-Rab‘i, holding him for questioning; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and nr. Tubas, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Taffuh settlement nr. Salfit, beat a Palestinian shepherd and steal 23 sheep, open fire on residential areas nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat an elderly Palestinian couple outside their home nr. the unauthorized settlement outpost in Wadi al-Nassara (see 8/1). A Palestinian teenager dies of injuries sustained when the IDF opened fire on a funeral in Ni‘lin on 7/30. (NYT, WP 8/5; OCHA 8/6; PCHR 8/7)

Palestinian construction worker Hussam Dweikat (who has Israeli residency status in East Jerusalem) commandeers a Caterpillar bulldozer (symbolic, as the IDF uses Caterpillar D9 bulldozers to level Palestinian homes and land in the occupied territories) from the Jerusalem construction site where he works, plows through midday traffic in West Jerusalem’s business district, overturning a bus, running over at least 2 cars, killing 3 Israelis, injuring more than 40 before a police officer fatally shoots him. Israeli officials believe Dweikat acted alone. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in Tubas, and nr. Jenin, Nablus (also raiding a mosque and its library, taking computers, documents, books), Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Massu’a in the Jordan Valley attempt to fence off and confiscate a plot of land in Jiftlik village, but the Palestinian owners drive them away. Palestinian youths stone a Jewish settler bus nr. Ramallah, causing damage but no injuries. In Gaza, 1,000s of Palestinians storm the Rafah crossing, demanding entry to Egypt and throwing stones at Egyptian security forces, who respond by pushing the crowd back with water cannons and tear gas; Hamas-affiliated police bring the situation under control. Hamas-affiliated police launch a campaign to removed small shops and huts erected along the Gaza shoreline without municipal permission. Nr. Shuka, 2 Palestinian teenagers are injured when they accidentally trigger IDF unexploded ordnance (UXO). (AP, BBC, HA, IFM, Israel Radio, MA, MM, PCHR, REU, YA 7/2; NYT, WP, WT 7/3; MM, WP 7/4; OCHA 7/9; PCHR 7/10)

On the 1st day of the cease-fire in Gaza, no Israeli-Palestinian violence is reported inside the Strip. Israeli naval vessels, however, fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Rafah, forcing them to return to shore. Hamas removes armed mbrs. fr. posts along the border with Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Qalqilya; raids several Palestinian homes in Hebron, detains and photographs 30 residents for no apparent reason; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus and in Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus block a road, stone Palestinian cars driving in the area, burn 800 d. of Palestinian olive groves, stone local Palestinians who attempt to reach the area to put out the fires; the IDF observes but only intervenes to detain Palestinians who arrive to extinguish the fire. Jewish settlers fr. Tapuach settlement nr. Salfit burn 48 d. of nearby Palestinian crops. A Jewish settler seriously injures a 70-yr.-old Palestinian man in a deliberate hit-and-run along the Qalqilya-Nablus road outside Qalqilya; the IDF evacuates him to an Israeli hospital. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen fire on the offices of a Hamas-affiliated newspaper, causing damage but no injuries. In al-Bureij r.c., Hamas-affiliated police raid, fire in the air to disperse a wedding party, claiming attendees were playing pro-Fatah songs; no injuries are reported. (MM 6/19; AHR, NYT, WP 6/20; OCHA 6/25; PCHR 6/26)

The IDF sends tanks, armored vehicles, bulldozers into 2 areas e. of al-Maghazi in c. Gaza and around the Qarni industrial zone to level land. On the Rafah border, Egyptian border police find, demolish 7 smuggling tunnels. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, Ramallah. Armed Jewish settlers fr. Dov Nesher nr. Hebron attack Palestinian farmers and shepherds on nearby land, forcing them to flee the area. A Jewish settler wounds a Palestinian in a drive-by shooting in Hebron; the IDF transports the Palestinian to an Israeli hospital. A dispute erupts btwn. Hamas, Islamic Jihad mbrs. over control of a Gaza City mosque; Hamasaffiliated police intervene, dispersing the groups and closing the mosque. (OCHA 5/21; PCHR 5/22)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Khuza, imposing a curfew, firing on residential areas (killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2 inside their homes), exchanging gunfire with armed Palestinians (wounding 3), arresting 2 Palestinians, and bulldozing 106 d. of agricultural land, 1 Palestinian home, 4 greenhouses, 2 poultry farms before withdrawing late in the morning. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore but causing no reported damage or injuries. Palestinians fire at least 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries; fire 1 mortar at Nahal Oz crossing while an emergency fuel shipment to UNRWA is been transferred into Gaza, prompting the Israelis to close the terminal. In the West Bank, the IDF removes the tiny unauthorized settlement outpost of Hazon David nr. Kiryat Arba; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad Farm outpost nr. Qalqilya attack a Palestinian shepherd, steal a sheep. (NYT 5/5; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8)

As a unilateral Palestinian cease-fire seems to hold in Gaza (see 3/6), Israeli PM Olmert publicly states that if Palestinian rocket fire resumes “we will shoot. If it will not, we will have no reason to shoot.” IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on agricultural areas nr. Abasan nr. Khan Yunis, wounding a Palestinian farmer tending his field. In the West Bank, the IDF occupies a Palestinian home in Marda nr. Nablus as an observation post; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus. A Palestinian civilian wounded in a 3/1 IDF air strike on Gaza City during Operation Hot Winter dies. (NYT, WP 3/11; OCHA 3/12; NYT, PCHR 3/13)

Israel sends troops to the unauthorized settlement outpost of Esh Kodesh e. of Ramallah to disconnect a water pipe, highlighting the move as evidence that it is taking steps against outposts as requested by the U.S.; within hours, settlers reconnect the pipe and restore water service. Also in the West Bank, the IDF fires on Palestinians in Bil‘in demonstrating against Operation Hot Winter, wounding 1; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. (a 72-yr.-old Palestinian woman dies of a heart attack when soldiers raid her home), nr. Jenin. Unidentified gunmen fire on a car with Israeli license plates nr. Hebron, killing a Palestinian man, wounding an Israeli civilian. In Gaza, Islamic Jihad and the PFLP fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. (NYT, PCHR 3/6; OCHA 3/12; PCHR 3/13)

Abbas suspends peace talks with Israel to protest Operation Hot Winter. Overnight, the IDF makes air strikes destroying Haniyeh’s vacant office in Gaza City and Change and Reform offices in Khan Yunis. During the day, IDF assaults kill at least 21 Palestinians (including at least 7 civilians, including 3 children; 5 militants; 2 Hamas-affiliated policemen); 4 IDF soldiers are wounded. Palestinians fire about 33 rockets (3 of them Grads, according to the IDF) fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. Egypt opens its border to allow transportation of wounded Palestinians to Egyptian hospitals, but Palestinian hospitals report that many patients are too badly injured to be moved. Late in the evening (9:00 P.M. EST; 4:00 A.M. on 3/3 local time), the IDF withdraws ground troops fr. the Jabaliya area, substantially reducing the scope of Operation Hot Winter. Meanwhile, across the West Bank, 1,000s of Palestinians protest the Israeli strikes on Gaza (in Ramallah, 100s of Palestinians waving Hamas banners rally outside the Muqata‘a). The IDF fires on 3 protests nr. Hebron, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian and wounding a total of 16 Palestinians (including 10 teenagers); patrols in, fires on residential areas of Hijja nr. Qalqilya, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Nablus, nr. Jenin. (WP 3/2; HA, NYT, WP, WT 3/3; PCHR 3/6) 

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)

In response to IDF attacks on 2/5, Palestinians fire at least 20 rockets and mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, injuring 2 Israeli girls (ages 1, 12) playing outside in Kibbutz Beeri. The IDF then steps up air strikes and shelling of Hamas targets around Bayt Hanun, Gaza City, Jabaliya r.c., and Khan Yunis, wounding at least 3 Hamas mbrs. and an 80-yr.-old woman. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, bedouin tents, and 2 merchandise stalls in Jiftlik in the Jordan Valley, displacing 29 Palestinians; demolishes 4 tents, 9 animal pens, 2 other structures belonging to bedouin families nr. Tubas, displacing 30 Palestinians; bulldozes a room of a home nr. the separation wall in Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus and in Hebron (again targeting the homes of the alleged 2/4 bombers), Qabatya, Ramallah, Tulkarm. Israeli authorities demolish 1 Palestinian home in the Old City of Jerusalem (leaving 30 Palestinians homeless). (PCHR, WP 2/7; OCHA 2/13; PCHR 2/14)

On the Israeli side of the Erez crossing into Gaza, more than 1,000 Israeli Palestinians and left-wing peace activists rally to urge Israel to lift the siege on Gaza, while in Gaza City, 100s of Palestinians hold a parallel demonstration “to join the hands of Israeli and Palestinian peace activists who want to end the siege and all forms of violence.” In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Jewish settlers stone Palestinian vehicles driving on Wadi Qana Road nr. Qalqilya, damaging 1 but causing no injuries. (NYT, WT 1/27; OCHA 1/30; PCHR 1/31)

PFLP founder George Habash dies of a heart attack in Amman at age 82. (AP, NYT, REU, WP, WT 1/27; NYT 1/28)

IDF troops in the Erez industrial zone fatally shoot 2 armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nearby, wound and arrest a 3d; fire a shell at Palestinian resistance mbrs. e. of Jabaliya, killing 1 armed Palestinian, wounding another armed Palestinian, 2 bystanders. Hamas mbrs. fire 3 mortars and a rocket fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with an air strike on the launch site, killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 4. As the Annapolis mtgs. open, at least 15,000 right-wing Israeli demonstrators protest in Jerusalem against any possible concessions by Israeli PM Ehud Olmert to the Palestinians. In Gaza, Hamas and Islamic Jihad host a conference on Palestine, attended by Hamas’s top leaders (including Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmud Zahar), vowing to “not relinquish a centimeter of Palestine” or recognize Israel’s right to exist. (NYT, WP, WT 11/27; OCHA 11/28; PCHR 11/29)

In Gaza, an ailing 8-yr.-old Palestinian boy dies when the IDF denies permission to transport him through the Erez crossing to an Israeli hospital despite his having the proper Israeli permits. The IDF fires on several al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbrs. attempting to infiltrate the border nr. Bayt Lahiya, killing 2 AMB mbrs.; raids Khan Yunis, firing on residential areas and then exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen who confront them, killing 1 Palestinian (possibly armed), seriously wounding 1 Palestinian civilian, moderately wounding 2 gunmen. Palestinians fire 8 mortars at IDF bulldozers sent into the Erez industrial zone to level land; the IDF responds with heavy machine gun fire; no injuries are reported. Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing damage at a cemetery but no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Tubas, partially demolishing a Palestinian home, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 9. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus ambush, stone a Palestinian taxi driving nearby, heavily damaging the car but not injuring the driver. AMB gunmen protesting the upcoming Annapolis summit fire on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Keddumim settlement outside Qalqilya, killing 1 settler. The Israeli High Court rules that the 3/07 purchase by Israelis of a Palestinian house overlooking Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron was illegal, stating that Israeli police may evict Jewish settlers who have since occupied the site. (IFM 11/19; PCHR 11/20; OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22, 11/29)

The West Bank and Gaza remain effectively severed from each other following Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in 6/07, with Hamas controlling Gaza and Fatah the West Bank (see Quarterly Update in JPS 145). Tight Israeli restrictions on Gaza’s borders dating from 8/07 remain in place, including reduced fuel imports, a near-total ban on exports, and limited imports of basic goods. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) roadblocks in the West Bank divide the territory into 3 cantons, and Palestinian access to the Jordan Valley is limited. In Gaza, 30,000 Palestinians attend a Hamas-organized rally in Gaza City to protest ongoing Israeli archaeological excavations nr. al-Aqsa Mosque. Some 1,500 Palestinians attend a similar Hamas rally in al-Maghazi refugee camp (r.c.), also denouncing the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Annapolis peace summit, tentatively set for 11/26–27. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, and in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus, Salfit; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in nr. Ramallah (injuring 5). Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus set fire to 50 nearby Palestinian olive trees. Hamas releases almost all of the approximately 450 Fatah mbrs. detained during demonstrations in Gaza City on 11/12. (NYT 11/16; OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire a surface-to-surface missile at a group of Palestinians preparing to fire a rocket into Israel, killing 2 Palestinian resistance mbrs., wounding 4; exchange fire with Palestinian gunmen across the border nr. Erez crossing, causing no reported injuries; make air strikes on as many as 5 suspected rocket-launching sites in the Bayt Hanun area, causing no reported injuries; shell an open area nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. Hamas organizes large rallies in Gaza City (7,000), Rafah (3,000), al-Bureij r.c. (2,000), and Nussayrat r.c. (2,000) to protest ongoing Israeli excavations nr. the al-Aqsa Mosque. A Palestinian is killed when a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Balata r.c., Nablus; erects checkpoints, checks IDs in al-Bireh. Jewish settlers fr. Aley Zahav and P’duel w. of Salfit vandalize a nearby Palestinian home, light a fire near the house, damage a car and an animal pen; IDF troops observe but do not intervene. In Gaza City, unidentified assailants detonate an explosive device outside an ESF post, causing damage but no injuries. Later, unidentified assailants detonate a bomb outside Fatah al-Yasir offices nearby, causing significant damage but no injuries.ESF officers find, dismantle another explosive device in Gaza City; the target of that attack is unclear. (OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22)

The IDF makes an air strike on Gaza City, assassinating PRC leader and Interior Min. official Mubarak Hasanat; bulldozes at least 150 d. of Palestinian citrus groves nr. Bayt Hanun, also demolishing a storehouse and fuel tank. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. Palestinians fire 8 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries; the IDF responds by shelling launching sites, causing no reported injuries. An ailing 77- yr.-old Palestinian dies at the Erez crossing when the IDF denies him transit to an Israeli hospital despite having the proper Israeli permits. PA security forces raid the home of a Hamas mbr. in Hebron, confiscating a computer, personal belongings. A Palestinian prisoner dies of injuries sustained in the 10/22 riot in Israel’s Ketziot jail. (NYT, OCHA, WP 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

As a gesture to Abbas, Israel frees 57 Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank (mostly Fatah mbrs. but also mbrs. of the DFLP, PFLP, and PA security forces) to mark Ramadan; the release of 29 prisoners fr. Gaza to “encourage the moderates” there is delayed until 10/2 after Israeli pres. Shimon Peres initially refuses to sign the releases, citing captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s continued detention in Gaza, finally signing them late in the evening. Meanwhile, the IDF on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fires at a crowd on the Palestinians side gathered to welcome home the prisoners, wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Hebron, nr. Ramallah; removes Jewish settlers fr. 2 unauthorized settlement outposts occupied on 9/30 as well as fr. 2 new sites occupied today nr. Elon Moreh settlement nr. Nablus and Keddumim settlement nr. Qalqilya. In Gaza, some 300 PFLP mbrs. stage a solidarity sit-in outside the home of a UNRWA staff mbr. who was temporarily kidnapped, beaten by unknown assailants earlier in the day. (NYT 10/2; OCHA 10/3; PCHR 10/4)

In an agmt. reached between Hamas and Egypt, apparently without Israeli knowledge, 85 Palestinians fr. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PRCs stranded in Egypt since the Gaza border was closed on 6/12 are transported in Egyptian busses to the Rafah crossing and allowed entry into Gaza before dawn. The 80 include 2 Reform and Change legislators, a number of suspected Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants, and Palestinian civilians with suspected ties to Hamas whom the PA did not grant permission to return to Gaza with the 6,000 Palestinians allowed reentry last quarter (see Chronology in JPS 145). In Gaza, the IDF sends troops into areas e. of Jabaliya r.c., exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen who confront them, killing 2 armed Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin. Some 500 Jewish settlers occupy a hill overlooking Road 60 nr. Hebron, barring Palestinian farmers fr. reaching their land. Jewish settlers also occupy sites nr. al-Nabi Yunis Junction in Hebron and nr. Efrat settlement (nr. Bethlehem), declare formation of 2 new unauthorized settlement outposts. (OCHA 10/3; PCHR 10/4)

Overnight, the IDF makes an incursion into Khuza’a nr. Khan Yunis, storming houses, occupying homes and a school as observation posts, clashing with and calling in air strikes on armed Palestinians who confront them (wounding at least 6 Palestinians, including 2 civilians), bulldozing 6 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of Palestinian land, detaining 5 Palestinians (4 of whom are released later in the day). During the day, IDF troops on the Gaza border fire a surface-tosurface missile into Gaza at a group of Hamas mbrs., killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 1. Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire an RPG at an IDF patrol on the Gaza border nr. Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. Nr. Gaza City, 1 Hamas mbr. is killed, another wounded when a roadside bomb they are planting explodes prematurely. In 2 separate incidents in Hebron, Jewish settlers attack, vandalize Palestinian homes. In Wadi al-Juz in East Jerusalem, the IDF raids a home where some 25 Israeli Palestinian religious figures, including Islamic Movement head Shaykh Raed Salah, are having a dinner, ordering the group to disband because they are holding an “illegal meeting”; when the group refuses, the IDF fires percussion grenades into the home, injuring 4. (REU 8/23; OCHA 8/29; PCHR 8/30)

Overnight, Hamas secures the release of BBC reporter Johnston fr. the Army of Islam, which kidnapped him on 3/12; Haniyeh holds a press conference with Johnston at his Gaza City home, facilitates his transfer to the British Consulate in Jerusalem; British FM David Miliband “fully acknowledge[s] the crucial role” played by Hamas and Haniyeh in securing his release. Meanwhile, the IDF bulldozes Palestinian land in n. Gaza, reinforces troops inside the border nr. Bayt Hanun (conducting arrest raids, house searches, occupying a Palestinian home, bulldozing land), expanding the IDF’s n. Gaza buffer zone. Islamic Jihad fires an RPG at an IDF jeep on the Israeli side of the border fence nr. Dayr al-Balah; the missile lands inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Tulkarm. A Palestinian teenager dies of wounds received during a 2004 IDF raid on Hebron. (BBC, HA, NYT, WP 7/4; PCHR, WP 7/5; Jewish Telegraphic Agency 7/6; WP 7/8; OCHA 7/11; PCHR 7/12)

Overnight, the IDF sends tanks and troops, backed by air support, into Gaza City and Khan Yunis in a major day-long ground offensive targeting primarily Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but also including the AMB, arresting 10s of Palestinians, bulldozing 1 Palestinian home and 70 dunams of land, and leaving at least 13 Palestinians (including at least 4 gunmen and 6 civilians, including a 10-yr.-old boy) dead, more than 50 Palestinians and at least 2 IDF soldiers wounded; Fatah and Hamas gunmen fight side-by-side against the IDF, using small arms and antitank weapons. The IDF also makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City, assassinating Islamic Jihad senior cmdr. Raed Fanuna; bulldozes Palestinian land on the Gaza side of the Qarni crossing and industrial zone, along the border southeast of Khuza’a in s. Gaza. For a 2d day, the Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza City coast, forcing them back to shore. Islamic Jihad fires 4 rockets, 5 mortars fr. Gaza toward the Erez crossing; 2 mortars land on the Gaza side, injuring a Palestinian child; those landing on the Israeli side cause no damage or injuries. In Khan Yunis, a Palestinian is killed when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF launches a major arrest campaign in the Old City of Nablus, imposing a curfew, searching homes (occupying at least 7 as sniper posts), taking over local radio stations, searching hospitals; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, nr. Jenin. In Ramallah, unidentified gunmen fire on the home of senior Fatah official Hani al-Hassan, causing no injuries. In Hebron, unidentified gunmen fire on the home of the local PA General Intelligence head, causing no injuries. Islamic Jihad mbr. Zakariyya al-Tartar dies of injuries received in a 6/24 IDF air strike on his vehicle in Gaza City. (PCHR, WP, WT 6/28; OCHA 7/4; PCHR 7/5)

In retaliation for the deaths in Jenin late on 6/19, the AMB, Islamic Jihad fire at least 6 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, lightly injuring 1 Israeli; the IDF responds with helicopter air strikes on 2 launching sites nr. Bayt Hanun, 1 nr. Erez crossing, causing no reported injuries. Islamic Jihad mbrs. also fire 4 RPGs at IDF soldiers nr. Dayr al-Balah and detonate a roadside bomb, causing no injuries. The IDF makes a major raid on al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis, killing 5 Palestinians (at least 4 of them armed, including at least 2 Hamas mbrs.); 1 IDF soldier is injured. After the UN and Israeli human rights groups warn of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza within a mo. if borders are not opened to trade, Israel allows shipments of wheat flour into Gaza through Kerem Shalom; also temporarily opens the Erez crossing to allow some 200 foreign nationals, a handful of special medical cases to leave Gaza. Meanwhile, Egypt withdraws its security delegation fr. Gaza, orders its amb. to move residence fr. Gaza to Ramallah in what is seen as a political move backing Abbas and breaking ties with Hamas. ESF mbrs. kidnap, fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. in Gaza City. Unidentified gunmen fire on an ESF patrol nr. Nussayrat r.c., causing no injuries. AMB mbrs. stage a march in Hebron in support of Abbas. (NYT 6/20; Interfax, MNA, OCS, XIN 6/20 in WNC 6/21; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/21; OCHA 6/27; PCHR 6/28)

As part of an ongoing crackdown on Hamas in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) makes an air strike on a Rafah building controlled by the Executive Support Force (ESF)—a branch of the Palestinian Authority (PA) Interior Min. loyal to Hamasaffiliated PM Ismail Haniyeh—killing 3 ESF mbrs. and wounding at least 21 ESF mbrs., 3 mbrs. of the Fatah-affiliated PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) in a PSF office nearby, 3 bystanders (including 2 journalists). Hamas mbrs. fire 12 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a home in Sederot, moderately injuring 1 Israeli, and hitting a transformer, cutting electricity to 24,000 residents. The IDF responds with an air strike on a house nr. Jabaliya refugee camp (r.c.), killing 2 Hamas mbrs., wounding 3. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert convenes his security cabinet which authorizes the IDF to carry out “severe and harsh” attacks on Gaza, including assassinations of resistance leaders, to prevent further rocket fire, effectively ending the 11/26/06 Gaza cease-fire, frequently violated by both sides. Meanwhile in Gaza, factional fighting btwn. Fatah, Hamas (ongoing since PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas [Fatah] deployed 1,000s of PA security forces under his control without coordinating with either independent Interior M Hani al-Qawasmi, who resigned in protest, or ESF cmdrs. on the ground) escalates sharply, particularly in Gaza City, leaving at least 20 Palestinians dead, 10s wounded, and a number of Fatah and Hamas mbrs. kidnapped. Among the incidents: an Egyptian official is fatally shot by Fatah mbrs. while walking the streets of Rafah with Fatah and Change and Reform legislators to test the intra-Palestinian cease-fire declared on 5/15; Hamas mbrs. ambush a PSF vehicle not knowing that it is transporting Hamas detainees, killing 5 Hamas mbrs., 2 PSF mbrs.; Fatah makes a retaliatory strike on an ESF post outside the Interior Min.’s offices in Gaza City, firing rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), killing 4 ESF mbrs.; some 200 Hamas mbrs. attack and occupy the home of PA internal security head Rashid Abu Shibak (who is not home at the time), killing at least 4 bodyguards; Hamas mbrs. fire mortars at Abbas’s Gaza residence, causing no injuries; Hamas mbrs. fire antitank rockets at the PA General Intelligence base nr. Shati‘ r.c. (After Fatah’s attacks today, the ESF, which has largely remained in its barracks, deploys “to respond with all our power” to further attacks.) Among the wounded are 8 Palestinian civilians among 200 who turned out in Gaza City to protest the interfactional violence and who placed themselves btwn. Fatah and Hamas gunmen to prevent further clashes. Palestinians in Ramallah observe a 1-day general strike to protest the factional violence. Midday, Hamas announces a unilateral cease-fire to begin at 8:00 P.M. local time, and Abbas calls on Fatah mbrs. to follow suit, but gun battles resume within hrs., leaving 2 Fatah mbrs. dead, 10 Palestinians wounded (included in totals above). Israeli Vice PM Shimon Peres says that Israel would respond favorably if Abbas asked for assistance in quelling the violence. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids in al-Til nr. Tulkarm (deliberately setting fire to a Palestinian home, damaging 5 others), neighboring Allar, and in and around Balata r.c. and Nablus. Jewish settlers fire on Palestinian homes in Bayt Furik nr. Nablus, causing no injuries; the IDF intervenes, removes the settlers. (BBC, HA, REU 5/16; IFM, NYT, WP, WT 5/17; PCHR 5/21; OCHA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy who apparently strays nr. the border fence nr. Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes w. of Bethlehem nr. Kefar Etzion settlement; patrols Burkin southwest of Nablus (setting up a checkpoint, checking Palestinian IDs), Tulkarm; fires tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians as well as Israeli and international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, beats others, injuring 8; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians at the Qalandia checkpoint protesting Israeli excavations at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 1. Jewish settlers fr. Negohot settlement nr. Hebron stalk, beat, seriously injure an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In Bayt Lahiya, 3 Palestinians are injured in a family feud with factional overtones. In Gaza City, Hamas mbrs. fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. (OCHA 3/28; PCHR 3/29)

IDF troops at Gaza’s Qarni crossing fatally shoot a Palestinian who strays close to the border fence, marking the 1st IDF killing since the 11/26 cease-fire went into effect. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fisherman off the coast nr. Rafah, wounding 3. In the West Bank, a Palestinian stabs, wounds a private Israeli security contractor at Qalandia checkpoint outside Jerusalem. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., Tulkarm r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Tulkarm that will isolate 2,000 d. of Palestinian land btwn. the wall and the Green Line. The Israeli High Court rules that a section of the separation wall northeast of Jerusalem btwn. Dahiyat al-Barid and alRama may stand. In Jenin, AMB gunmen fire on the governorate building, set fire to a PA police station, exchange fire with police (injuring a 14-yr.-old bystander) to protest the fatal PA police shooting of an AMB mbr. in an incident involving a stolen vehicle. In Nussayrat r.c., unidentified assailants throw an explosive device into a crowd of Hamas supporters holding a rally, injuring several. In Gaza City, ESF, PSF mbrs. exchange fire, wounding a Palestinian girl. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah gunmen assassinate Hamas cmdr. Bassam al-Farra, forcing him to kneel, shooting him execution-style; Haniyeh, currently in the Sudan, cuts short his regional tour to return to Gaza to deal with the escalating intra-Palestinian violence. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/14; OCHA 12/20; PCHR 12/21; AIC 1/17)