The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Ni‘lin and punitively demolished the family home of a Palestinian man who was killed after he allegedly killed 1 Israeli woman in Tel Aviv on 3/9; 2 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition while protesting the demolition. The punitive demolition was carried out in a 4-story apartment building on the second floor with explosives, causing damage to other apartments. Israeli forces also shot and injured 2 Palestinians during a raid in Qabatiya. Elsewhere, Israeli forces issued a demolition order for a house under construction in Tura. Israeli forces also seized 2 tractors in Deir Sharaf. Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided Bardala, sealing water wells. 18 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Qabatiya, al-Jalama, Tubas, al-Am’ari refugee camp, Nablus, Salem, al-Arroub refugee camp, Birzeit, al-Mughayyir, and al-‘Awja. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested in Jabel Mukaber and al-Tur. (AP, HA, QDS, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/23; PCHR 5/25; UNOCHA 6/2)

The head of the Israeli police’s operational division Sigal Bar-Zvi said that Israel should declare a state of emergency over the continuing rise in gun violence in the Palestinian cities and towns in Israel. So far this year, 80 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been murdered. Bar-Zvi blamed organized crime for the rise in the murder rate. (HA 5/24)

Haaretz reported that the second largest Israeli spyware company QuaDream had announced that it would shut down due to its failure to get authorization from the Israeli Defense Ministry to sell its Reign spyware to Morocco and other new clients. Morocco was reportedly barred by Israel from buying QuaDream’s spyware as it had used NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware to target senior officials in Europe, including French president Emmanuel Macron. (HA 5/23)

Turkish media reported that Turkish intelligence had arrested 11 members of a Mossad spy ring that operates against Iran. (HA 5/23)

The City of Geneva banned an exhibition organized by Samidoun and Rouge secour organization that highlights the plight of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. (NA 6/1)

Germany pledged $134 million in support of Palestinian development projects in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem for 2023-24. (WAFA 5/23)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 69 olive and almond trees near Salfit. Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders for 4 structures east of Yatta and agricultural structures east of Tubas. Israeli forces also arrested 1 Palestinian working his land east of Khirbat Einoun and confiscated 1 vehicle. Elsewhere, Israeli forces placed dirt mounds on 4 roads linking Huwwara to ‘Ayn Bus, ‘Urif, and Jamaeen. 13 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Dura, al-Doha, Jalazun refugee camp, and Beita. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/18; PCHR 7/21; UNOCHA 7/22)

Israel said it had downed 1 drone entering Israel from Lebanon, claiming it belonged to Hezbollah. (HA 7/18; AP, HA 7/19; ALM 7/20)

The PA called on Israel to address a situation at the Allenby Bridge where thousands of Palestinians reportedly have been waiting for days to cross from Jordan to the West Bank. (WAFA 7/19; MEE 7/20)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas landed in Romania for the 1st day of 3-day trip to Romania and France where he will meet with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis and French president Emmanuel Macron. (WAFA, WAFA 7/18)

The Israeli defense ministry sent a letter to the lawyers representing 6 Palestinian rights organizations placed on the Israeli terrorism list, telling them they would need to get official permission to represent the organizations or face up to 7 years in prison. The letter was sent 2 days ahead of a hearing on the legality of the terrorism designations. (+972, HA 7/18)

Chief of staff of the Israeli armed forces Aviv Kochavi visited Morocco for meetings with Moroccan defense officials. During his visit, Chief of Staff Kochavi will meet his Moroccan counterpart Belkhir El-Farouk and Moroccan defense minister Abdellatif Loudiyi. (MEE 7/17; HA, REU 7/18; ALM, HA 7/19; TOI 7/21)

21 Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives led by Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) wrote a letter to secretary of state Antony Blinken and director of national intelligence Avril Haines, expressing concern over Israel’s decision to label 6 Palestinian rights organizations terrorist organizations without producing any credible evidence to support the claim. Earlier this month, 9 EU countries dismissed Israel’s allegations from 10/2021 due to the lack of evidence against the rights organizations. (AJ 7/18; MDW 7/19; AA, WAFA, WAFA 7/20)

EU foreign ministers agreed to restart the EU-Israel Association Council set up in 1995 but suspended in 2012 due to Israel’s settlement policy. EU high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell said that the situation in Palestine was deteriorating and that the annual meetings of the Association council “would be a good occasion to engage with Israel on these issues.” (HA 7/18; ALM 7/19; HA 7/26)

Amnesty International and Citizen Lab published a report saying that at least 30 cell phones belonging to Thai pro-democracy activists, academics, lawyers, and NGO workers were implanted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware in 2020 and 2021. (AI, HA 7/18)

In the West Bank, PA security forces, dressed in civilian clothes, violently dispersed Palestinian students and staff protesting the dismissal of 10 students from the Islamic bloc and 5 employees at An-Najah National University in Nablus, causing several injuries from beatings and pepper spray. The Iranian news agency Tansim said 1 of its Palestinian reporters was abducted by Palestinian gunmen while covering the events before being beaten and warned against writing negatively about the PA. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling between Nablus and Jenin. Israeli settlers also vandalized 8 olive trees in Qaryut. Israeli forces evicted 4 Palestinians from their land in Wadi Fukin. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ramallah, Tuqu‘, Bethlehem, Surif, al-Tabaqa, Nablus, Far‘un, Rumana, and Aqabat Jaber refugee camp; Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the raid in Nablus, injuring 2 with shrapnel. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces assaulted and arrested 2 Palestinians in Silwan and arrested 1 other in Isawiya. (MEE, WAFA, WAFA 6/14; PCHR 6/15; PCHR 6/16; AP, HA 6/17; UNOCHA 7/2)

Hamas released a statement accusing PA forces in the West Bank of torturing Hamas supporters. (ALM 7/2)

EU commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced that the frozen $224 million in economic aid to the PA from 2021 had been unfrozen and would be transferred to the PA. The announcement came ahead of a meeting between President von der Leyen and PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh in Ramallah. Von der Leyen later met with Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and president Isaac Herzog. The EU funding to the PA was frozen due to 1 Hungarian commissioner’s concern over “incitement” in PA schoolbooks. Prime Minister Shtayyeh also met with his Italian counterpart Mario Draghi. (AA, HA, JP, POL, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/14; AJ, WAFA 6/15)

Israel’s deputy religious affairs minister Matan Kahana of the Yamina party was filmed telling Israeli high schoolers in the Efrat settlement that “if there was a button that could be pressed, that would remove all the Arabs from here, send them on an express train to Switzerland—where they would live an amazing life, I wish them all the best in Switzerland—I would press that button. . . . there is no such button. We were probably meant to [co]exist here on this land in some form,” Palestinian members of the Israeli parliament attacked Kahana for his remarks and he later apologized for wording his statements poorly. (AJ, AP, HA, MEE 6/14; HA, MDW, TOI 6/15)

The U.S. White House expressed concern over negotiations between the Israeli spyware company NSO Group and the American defense contractor L3Harris for the latter to buy technology from the former. The deal would see NSO Group removed from the U.S. department of commerce’s blacklist and would transfer NSO’s clients in the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, and possibly EU and NATO countries to L3Harris. The New York Times later reported that the negotiations had collapsed after they were made public and that U.S. intelligence officials had backed L3Harris’s potential acquisition of NSO Group. (HA 6/14; MEE, REU 6/15; NYT, WP 7/10; HA, TOI 7/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at 1 Palestinian vehicle driving near the Homesh settlement outpost, injuring 1 and damaging the car. Thousands of Palestinians partook in a funeral ceremony in Ramallah for Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed by Israeli forces on 5/11 in Jenin refugee camp. PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the ceremony and awarded her the Al-Quds star of honor. Abu Akleh will be buried in East Jerusalem on 5/13. Israeli forces prevented Palestinians in the funeral procession from accompanying her casket through the Qalandia checkpoint from Ramallah to East Jerusalem. Israeli forces also demolished a water collection pond used for irrigation in Marj Na‘aj. 7 Palestinians were arrested, including 5 during a late-night raid in Hebron, Rumana, Qabatiya, and Burqin, and 2 at flying checkpoints in Hebron and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided a house in Bayt Hanina, where friends and family of Abu Akleh were holding a memorial ceremony for her; Israeli forces confiscated Palestinian flags. Israeli police also raided Abu Akleh’s house on 5/11, confiscating Palestinian flags. 5 Palestinians were arrested during raids. (AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, GDN, HA, MEE, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/12; WAFA 5/13; PCHR 5/19; UNOCHA 6/4)

Israel’s higher planning council approved 4,427 new settlement housing units in the West Bank. 2,791 received final approval, while 1,636 were deposited for public comment before final approval. Among the new housing units are the retroactive legalization of the Mitzpeh Dani and Givat Oz VeGaon settlement outposts and expansion of the settlements of Negohot, Shvut Rachel, Dolev, Betar Ilit, and Kiryat Arba. According to Haaretz, the government’s meeting to approve the settlements was a condition by Yamina MK Nir Orbach to remain in the fragile government coalition. UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland condemned the settlement expansions. On 5/13, 15 European countries urged Israel to reverse its decision, including France, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Poland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden. (PCN 5/9; ABC, AJ, AP, GDN, HA, JP, MEE, MEMO, REU, TOI, WAFA 5/12; AJ, ALM, F24, REU, WAFA, WAFA 5/13)

Ecuadorian president Guillermo Lasso met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, saying he will open a representative office in Jerusalem and support Israel in votes at the UN. President Lasso also met with prime minister Naftali Bennett and foreign minister Yair Lapid. (HA 5/12)

The New York Times reported that the FBI stated in a 2018 letter to the Israeli government that it wanted to use NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware “for the collection of data from mobile devices for the prevention and investigation of crimes and terrorism” before purchasing the spyware later the same year. (NYT 5/12)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort attempted to raid a school in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya before they were repelled by Palestinians protecting the students. Israeli forces razed agricultural lands in Birin, uprooting 120 olive and almond trees and demolishing 1 well in Khillat al-Furn. Israeli forces also raided Birzeit University, injuring 1 student with a rubber-coated bullet who was protesting the raid. 17 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Deir Abu Mash‘al, Deir Nidham, Kafr Ni‘ma, Bethlehem, al-Walaja, Sa‘ir, al-Shuyukh, Tarqumiyah, Tulkarm, Far‘un, and Kafr al-Labad; Israel also said that it had arrested 11 students of An-Najah University in Nablus, saying they were connected to a Hamas student network. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished the foundations to a house in al-Tur and demolished 1 house near the Old City. 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Wadi al-Juz and Isawiya; Israeli forces confiscated 11,500 NIS ($7,300) during a raid in Sur Baher. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 6 nautical miles north of Rafah; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/14; PCHR 12/16)

Israeli Channel 13 reported that a group called Returning to the Mount are praying at the Haram al-Sharif compound by disguising themselves as Muslims while following Islamic practices of prayer, but reciting Jewish prayers. Channel 13 reported that members of the group meet to learn how to appear like Muslim worshippers. (MEMO, TOI 12/14)

The Palestinian prisoners’ club said Israeli prison guards assaulted at least 3 female prisoners in Damon prison when they refused to leave their cell. The 3 prisoners were also transferred to solitary confinement. (MEMO, WAFA 12/19; MEE, MEMO 12/20)

PA and U.S. officials held a virtual meeting discussing economic ties. The meeting was headed by PA economic affairs minister Khaled Osaily and acting assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs Yael Lambert. (MEMO, WAFA 12/15; ALM 12/18)

Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett said settler violence is an “insignificant phenomena” in the West Bank, criticizing Israel’s public security minister Omer Bar-Lev, who on 12/13 brought up the issue in a meeting with U.S. state department undersecretary for political affairs Victoria Nuland. Prime Minister Bennett said that the settlers were the victims in the West Bank and needed the support of the Israeli government. Public Security Minister Bar-Lev subsequently reiterated his focus on settler violence during a trip to Hebron, saying that “it is truly difficult for some to look in the mirror” instead of tackling the issue of extremist settlers. (HA 12/14; HA 12/15; ALM 12/17)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate what HRW have found to be organized discriminatory behavior of Israeli law enforcement agencies when dealing with “Jewish ultra nationalist” and Palestinian citizens of Israel during the May 2021 civil unrest. HRW found that Israeli law enforcement used excessive force when dispersing Palestinians in Lydda while “failing to act even-handedly as Jewish ultra-nationalists attacked Palestinians.” (HRW, MEMO, WAFA 12/14)

Israel’s interior minister Ayelet Shaked announced that plans to construct the Trump Heights settlement in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights had advanced. The Trump Heights settlement, named after former U.S. president Donald Trump, will cover 70 acres. The announcement stated that construction of homes, public buildings, industrial zones, and roads can begin. (HA 12/14)

The Knesset passed the 1st reading of a bill that would allow Israeli police to conduct house raids in Israel without a court-issued warrant. An explanatory note to the bill clarified that the bill was intended for the Israeli police to use “in its battle against serious crime, and particularly serious crime in Arab society.” (Knesset 12/14; MEMO 12/15)

The officer of the Knesset granted the leader of United Arab List Mansour Abbas a security detail, as he was receiving a growing number of death threats. (MEMO 12/15)

The UAE said it had suspended talks with the U.S. on buying 50 F-35 fighter jets, citing “[t]echnical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis.” The announcement follows U.S. concerns about the UAE’s relationship to China, including the UAE using Huawei 5G technology. The Trump administration had agreed to allow the UAE to purchase the F-35 fighter jets as part of the UAE’s and Israel’s normalization agreement. The UAE announced on 12/3, during a visit to the country by French president Emmanuel Macron, that it would buy 80 French-made Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters. (AJ 12/3; AJ, AP, HA, MEMO, REU 12/14; REU, REU 12/15)

18 Democratic members of U.S. Congress wrote a letter to the Treasury and State Departments asking them to put sanctions on 4 foreign surveillance companies, including the Israeli NSO Group, citing the companies’ assistance in human rights abuses. Among the signatories were Senate finance committee chairperson Ron Wyden (D-OR) and House intelligence committee chairperson Adam Schiff (D-CA). (AJ, HA, MEMO, REU 12/15; +972 12/17)

Italy contributed $2.25 million to UNRWA programming in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and $1.13 million to UNRWA programming in Syria. (WAFA 12/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 11-year-old boy near Beit Umar who was sitting in his father’s car; according to the family, the child’s father decided to turn his car around after seeing a flying checkpoint near the city, when the Israeli forces fired 13 bullets at the car. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Evyatar settlement outpost, injuring 8 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered demolition orders against 1 water well and 1 agricultural structure in al-Fakheit in the Masafer Yatta area. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jenin refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces razed land and demolished 1 agricultural structure in al-Tur. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. (AA, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/28; AA, MEE, MEE, PCHR 7/29; MEMO, WAFA 7/30; HA 8/3; AA, WAFA 8/4; MEE 8/5; HA 8/8)

The Israeli ministry of defense said it had informed the PA that it would increase the number of work permits for Palestinians by 16,000. 15,000 of the permits would be for construction work and 1,000 would be for work in hospitality. The Israeli government would still need a final approval for the increase. (MEMO, TOI 7/28)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with EU envoy for the Middle East peace process Sven Koopmans in Ramallah, where he called for a revival of the peace process under the auspices of the Quartet on the Middle East. Envoy Koopmans also met with PA foreign minister Riyad Maliki and head of the civil affairs authority Hussein al-Sheikh. (WAFA 7/28; MEMO 7/29)

PA health minister and head of the PA environmental quality authority Mai al-Kaila and Jamil Matour met with the Israeli health and environmental protection ministers Nitzan Horowitz and Tamar Zandberg, both of the Meretz (Vigor) party, in Jerusalem to discuss cooperation on health and environmental issues. The agreements reached included direct ambulance service from Gaza to the West Bank via the Beit Hanun crossing, easing restrictions on Palestinian medical teams accessing East Jerusalem and Area C, and for Israel to accept vaccination certificates produced by the PA. The meeting was arranged by Israel’s minister of regional cooperation Issawi Frej upon the request of the U.S. The last time PA and Israeli ministers met was in 2018 when PA prime minister Rami Hamdallah met with Israeli finance minister Moshe Kahlon. (HA 8/28; MEMO 7/29; ALM 8/5)

Israel’s defense minister Benny Gantz visited the French defense minister Florence Parly in Paris to relay Israeli findings in regards to the news that the Israeli company NSO Group’s spyware Pegasus had been used to spy on French President Emmanuel Macron’s phone. (AJ, HA, HA, REU 7/27; REU 7/28; ALM, MEMO, MEMO 7/29)

In a briefing at the UN security council, the deputy special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Lynn Hastings said that the UNRWA was facing “an imminent cash flow crisis” amounting to $100 million. Deputy Special Coordinator Hastings also called for Israel to ease restrictions on the entry of goods and people into Gaza. (MEMO 7/28; MEMO, WAFA 7/29)

In the West Bank, 3 Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian marble factory in Jamma’in near Huwwara, causing damage of around $920,000. 6 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Zabbuba and al-Walaja. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested in the Old City. In Gaza, an explosion at the Zawiya market killed 1, injured 14, and caused damage. According to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), the explosion was caused by explosives stored in a residential building at the market. After the PCHR reported its findings, it was smeared and threatened by the National and Islamic Factions’ Follow-up Committee in the Gaza Strip. In Israel, Israeli forces arrested 2 people who had crossed into Israel from Lebanon. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEMO, WAFA 7/22; PCHR 7/23; PCHR 7/25; AQ 7/26; PCHR 7/29)

Israel’s public security minister Omer Bar-Lev called PA president Mahmoud Abbas to wish him well on Eid al-Adha and said he used the oppounity to discuss more communications between the 2. (ALM, WAFA 7/22 HA 7/23)

Haaretz reported that although the ban on family reunifications for Israeli citizens married to Palestinians expired on 7/6, it has not been possible to make an appointment to process an application. According to Haaretz, interior minister Ayelet Shaked has ordered her ministry not to handle any of the requests until a new policy has been formulated. (HA, MEMO 7/22)

The Israeli government told the Israeli high court of justice that it would not grant work permits to Palestinians seeking asylum in Israel based on anti-LGBTQ persecution or domestic violence, saying that the PA “does not systematically persecute people because of their sexual orientation.” (HA 7/23)

In Syria, Israeli forces conducted air strikes for the 2d time in 1 week, this time in the Quseir region. It was unclear if there were any casualties. Syria’s military said its air defenses had intercepted most of the missiles. Russian officials later claimed that it was its air defenses in Syria that had intercepted the Israeli missiles. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 7/22; MEMO 7/23; HA 7/25)

French president Emmanuel Macron called Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett for clarification about Macron being a target of Pegasus spyware exported from the Israeli company NSO Group with Israeli government approval. (HA 7/24; MEMO 7/25)

The African Union (AU) said it would readmit Israel as an observer country. Israel was ejected as an observer 19 years ago after pressure from then brotherly leader of Libya Muammar Gaddafi. The Israeli foreign ministry had prior to the readmission sent a senior official to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to meet with 30 ambassadors to the AU. Hamas later issued a statement calling the AU decision “shocking and reprehensible.” The South African government called the AU decision appalling, “unjust and unwarranted.” Algeria, Egypt, Comoros, Tunisia, Djibouti, Mauritania, and Libya later voiced opposition to Israel’s readmission, saying that the decision could divide the AU nations. (HA, TOI 7/22; AJ, ALM, MEMO 7/23; MEMO, MEMO 7/26; AA, AJ 7/28; WAFA 8/1; MEMO, MEMO, MEMO 8/2; AJ, MEMO, MEMO 8/4; MEMO 8/9; MEE 8/11; AA 8/17; WAFA, WAFA 8/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up mobile homes outside of the Shvut Rachel settlement near Jalud to expand the settlement. Israeli forces demolished several structures in Khirbet Humsa after demolishing more than 30 structures on 7/7. Israeli forces also demolished 1 large Canaanite-era cemetery near al-Khader to expand a settlement road; the cemetery was dated around 2300 to 1550 B.C.E. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished a large water tank in Bayt Dajan. Palestinian students from Birzeit University held a sit-in protest at the university for the mass arrest of 33 students on 7/14 by Israeli forces in Turmus ‘Ayya, were the students were visiting the family who were victims of a punitive demolition on 7/8. All of the 33 students were released the same day. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around ‘Asira al-Qibliya, Marah Rabah, Deir Qaddis, Abu Dis, and ‘Anin. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a house raid in al-Tur. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian agricultural lands east of Khuza‘a; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/15; PCHR 7/29)

The Intercept and Local Call reported that Israeli settlers and soldiers had cooperated in the deliberately killing at least 4 Palestinians on 5/14, a day where Israeli soldiers and settlers ultimately killed 11 Palestinians across the West Bank. In videos obtained by B’Tselem, it is evident that Israeli settlers stand side by side with Israeli soldiers firing automatic rifles at Palestinians trying to protect themselves from a settler raid in ‘Urif. Similar joint attacks by settlers and soldiers led to killings of Palestinians in Iskaka, ‘Asira al-Qibliya, and al-Reihiya. (+972, INT 7/15; HA 7/16)

Haaretz said that documents they had examined revealed that the Israeli defense ministry had worked with a Jewish National Fund subsidiary, Himanuta, to purchase Palestinian-owned land in the West Bank and to prevent Palestinians from accessing the land in question. The deals between Himanuta and the defense ministry were made in 2018 and 2019. Among the purchases were a 1,000-dunam (250 acres) plot of land near the Hamra settlement, which Israel closed off to its Palestinian owners more than 50 years ago; a plot of land near Ramallah; the home of the Bakri family in Hebron; and a 218-dunam (54 acres) plot of land near the Argaman settlement. (HA 7/15)

Israel and Morocco signed a cybersecurity agreement in Rabat, further bolstering the 2 countries’ normalization deal. (MEMO 7/15)

The New York Times reported that Israel is refusing to extricate a Mexican former federal prosecutor, Tomas Zeron De Lucio, who is wanted for falsifying evidence, torture, and misuse of the NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware. According to NYT sources, Israel is refusing the extradition because of the country’s perception of Mexico as supportive of Palestine. Zeron De Lucio is said to have sought political asylum in Israel. (HA, MEMO, NYT 7/15; GDN, TOI 7/22; TOI 7/23)

The Canadian cybersecurity research group Citizen Lab said that spyware from the Israeli company Candiru was used to spy on more than 100 activists from several countries including Saudi Arabia, Israel, Hungary, Indonesia, the UK, Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Spain, Turkey, Armenia, and Singapore. Spyware was installed on the users’ computers using the Microsoft operating system Windows. Microsoft said it had updated its software to close the hole in its security. 1 of the ways the spyware infected users’ devices was when a user clicked on a URL set up by the attacker. Citizen Lab found that activists had been hacked through domain names from fake websites with domain names such as “amnesty reports,” “refugee international,” woman studies,” “euro news,” and “CNN 24-7.” (AJ, AP, GDN, MEE, REU 7/15; ALM 7/16; NYT 7/17)

Lebanese prime minister-designate Saad Hariri resigned 9 months after being picked to try to form a government. Hariri’s resignation followed a meeting with President Michel Aoun on 7/14, where he proposed a 24-minister cabinet. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 7/14; AJ, AP, AX, HA, MEMO, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU 7/15; AP 7/16)

Facebook suspended the account of a Palestinian user who uploaded a letter from the Palestinian political prisoner in Israeli jail Khalida Jarrar to her recently deceased daughter. The account was initially suspended for 60 days but was unblocked by Facebook on 7/20. (HA 7/20; HA 7/21)

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said at a conference hosted by the Geneva Institute that China plans to increase its involvement in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. At the virtual conference were also a member of the Knesset from the Meretz (Vigor) party and Ahmad Majdalani, the PA social development minister. (HA 7/15)

A football exhibition match between Beitar Jerusalem and the Spanish F.C. Barcelona was canceled after Barcelona demanded the game should not be held in Jerusalem, which the owner of Beitar Jerusalem refused. Barcelona’s demand came after weeks of pressure from Palestinians, including chairman of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub and Joint List member of Knesset Sami Abu Shehadeh. (ALM 7/13; AJ, AP, HA, MEE, MEMO 7/15; ALM 7/16; WAFA 7/17; MEMO 7/18)