The Palestine Chronology

villages nr. Salfit, 1 nr. Qalqilya (firing percussion grenades to intimidate residents), and 1 nr. Ramallah; detains 4 Palestinian children nr. Qalqilya for stone throwing; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah (fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, causing no serious injuries) and 1 nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, causing no serious injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Esh Kodesh settlement nr. Nablus uproot 45 olive trees on nearby Palestinian land. (PCHR 9/15; OCHA 9/16)

After Friday prayers, 1,000s of Egyptian protesters besiege the Israeli emb. in Cairo, tear down the wall recently built outside (see 9/3), scale the building to rip down the flag, gain access to the offices, and throw documents into the street. Egyptian security forces collect the ambassador, his family, and other staff who are away from the emb. and secure them at the airport for evacuation to Israel. The 6 employees inside the emb. lock themselves in an office and await rescue. Egyptian riot police arrive in 50 APCs and fire tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters, who respond with stones and Molotov cocktails. Heavy clashes continue overnight, with riot police unable to secure the embassy. (WP 9/10; NYT, WP 9/11)

In the West Bank, a Jewish settler opens fire on a group of Palestinian youths who throw stones at him as he passes nr. Iraq Burin village nr. Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian teenager. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus set fire to a Palestinian car and vandalize a Palestinian home in the nearby village of ‘Ayn Abous. The IDF prevents Palestinian farmers guarded by solidarity activists (including PA officials and a rep. of the U.S. consulate) fr. reaching their agricultural land nr. Bet Ayn and Karme Tzur settlements nr. Hebron; patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin, and 1 nr. Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem Jewish settlers harass Palestinians in Silwan. In Gaza, 2 Palestinian brothers tending sheep nr. Shuka village accidentally trigger IDF UXO, killing 1 Palestinian boy and 2 sheep. (OCHA, WP 1/28; PCHR 2/3; OCHA 2/4)

More than 10,000 Yemenis rally in Sana’a and 1,000s in other cities around the nation, taking inspiration from antigovernment protests in Tunisia and Egypt. The government deploys riot police, but little violence is reported. Government spokesmen state that the regime “strongly respects the democratic right for a peaceful assembly.” Unlike Tunisia and Egypt, where demonstrations were spontaneous and broad based, those in Yemen seem to be made up mostly of students organized by opposition parties. While all protesters highlight poverty, corruption, and lack of jobs among their grievances, they seem divided on other key goals, with some prioritizing secession for the south and others calling on Pres. Saleh to resign after being in power for more than 30 yrs. (NYT, WP, WT 1/28)

In Tunisia, after a spike in violence in the week following Ben Ali’s departure on 1/14 (mostly involving desperate Ben Ali loyalists making a final attempt to reassert control) and days of low-level demonstrations (1,000 or fewer protesters) denouncing the high number of Ben Ali loyalists in the new interim government, demonstrations taper off. By this date, the interim government has reduced the curfew and released at least 1,800 political prisoners, with more to be freed soon. Today, a reshuffled interim government with the “clear mission” of guiding “a transition to democracy” is announced and begins work to redraft the constitution and prepare for elections in 6 mos. While most mbrs. of Ben Ali’s old cabinet have now stepped down, Ghannouchi retains his post as interim PM but vows he will not run in elections. (NYT 1/27, 1/28; NYT 2/14; see also NYT, WP, WT 1/17; NYT, WP, WT 1/18; NYT 1/19; WP 1/20; WT 1/21; WP 1/26)

After receiving a warning fr. Egypt that Israel is serious about preventing further rocket and mortar fire fr. Gaza, Hamas authorities hold a 2d mtg. (see 1/11) with smaller factions to urge them to adhere to a cease-fire, then deploys IQB mbrs. along the border and at makeshift checkpoints on roads leading toward the border to deter groups fr. firing into Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF steps up patrols dramatically, operating in 8 villages nr. Qalqilya, 3 nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Tulkarm between late morning and late afternoon, arresting 1 stone-throwing teenager nr. Tulkarm and summoning several residents of Bayt Qad nr. Qalqilya for questioning; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. a settlement outpost nr. Nablus attack a Palestinian farmer working his field nearby; when nearby villagers come to the farmers aid, IDF troops intervene, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the Palestinians, seriously injuring 2 and moderately injuring 1. (NYT, WP 1/14; PCHR 1/20; OCHA 1/21)

In Tunisia, opposition forces call for massive antigovernment demonstrations after Friday prayers on 1/14 to demand Pres. Ben Ali’s immediate resignation. In the days since 12/29/2010, protests have increasingly come to reflect deep-seated frustration with overall government corruption and lack of political freedom, rather than just economic angst. The major riots that first roiled the countryside have become increasingly violent and spread nationwide, reaching the capital on 1/12 and the key resort city of Hammamet (where Ben Ali and his extended family have residences) on 1/13, leaving at least 30 dead. In effort to quell protests, Ben Ali has simultaneously moved to appease and clamp down on critics, pledging to investigate government corruption and recent “excesses” by the security forces and firing his interior minister (directly responsible for orchestrating the crackdown on demonstrators), but also deploying army units and riot police around Tunis and imposing a nighttime curfew, blaming “foreign terrorists and Islamic radicals capitalizing on the frustrations of the unemployed.” Rumors suggest that close relatives of Ben Ali, including billionaire businessman Muhammad Sakher El Materi (his son-in-law and heir apparent), have already fled the country. Today, Ben Ali gives a hastily prepared television address. Appearing unsettled, he orders security forces to hold their fire and release jailed protesters, agrees to make other minor reforms, and pledges to give up the presidency when he turns 75 (in 2014) in keeping with the constitution, but rejects demands to step down immediately and end his 23-yr. authoritarian rule. In a threatening move, however, he withdraws the army fr. Tunis, replacing them with special police and other security forces more loyal to his ruling party. Credible rumors say the shift has come about because Tunisia’s army chief Gen. Rachid Ammar has refused Ben-Ali’s orders to shoot demonstrators. By this date, small protests inspired by Tunisian demonstrators have been held in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Morocco denouncing unemployment and corruption among the ruling elites, but are not perceived as destabilizing. (NYT, WP 1/13; NYT 1/14, 1/17, 2/24; see also WP 1/10, NYT 1/12)