The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish 18 Palestinian homes and agricultural stores in 3 villages in the n. Jordan Valley and another home nr. Hebron. IDF troops conduct late-night raids and house searches in 2 villages nr. Nablus, Hebron and nearby villages, and 1 village nr. Jenin, arresting 7 Palestinians and issuing an arrest summons to 1. They also conduct raids in a village nr. Ramallah, issuing arrest summons to 3 Palestinians and sparking minor clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 5 Palestinians are arrested. In East Jerusalem, Israeli officials order 2 Palestinians to vacate their homes before 8/11 on the grounds of “absentee ownership.” Similarly, the extended Abu Nab family is ordered to vacate their Silwan homes before 8/11 following a court ruling in favor of Israeli settlers’ ownership claims (the Israeli police will forcibly remove the Abu Nab family from their homes on 10/19). In East Jerusalem, an Israeli court orders the release of the Islamic Waqf employees that were detained on 8/4. (MNA, WAFA 8/5; HA, PCHR 8/6; PCHR 8/13)

Around 120 Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s Nafha Prison start an open-ended hunger strike in protest of solitary confinement, the recent ban on family visits, and other violations. The prisoners will continue their strike until the Israeli authorities end the “rabid attack against them,” according to PA Prisoners’ Affairs Comm. head Issa Qaraqe. (MEMO 8/6; MNA 8/8)

In Cairo, the Arab League’s Arab Peace Initiative follow-up comm. agrees to hold “Arab and international consultations” to draft a UNSC res. condemning Israeli settler violence against Palestinians. PA pres. Abbas attends and says that “if the Israeli govt. does not take steps to catch the perpetrators of the [7/31 arson attack], it will be a partner of these crimes.” (MNA 8/5; JP, MNA 8/6)

In Gaza, the IDF bars a Palestinian journalist from passing through the Erez border crossing, despite the fact that he was issued a permit on 6/20. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish 2 Palestinian structures nr. Salfit. IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, confiscating property and arresting 3 Palestinians. Israeli settlers spray price-tag graffiti on walls in Tiberius; assault Palestinians in c. Hebron; cut down 70 olive trees nr. Nablus. In East Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabs and seriously injures an Israeli border policeman nr. Damascus Gate of the Old City. The policeman then shoots the Palestinian man multiple times, leaving him in critical condition. Israeli forces consequently raid the Palestinian man’s home nr. Hebron. Israeli forces later clash with Palestinians gathering nr. Damascus Gate and separately with Palestinians leaving Haram al-Sharif; 4 Palestinians are injured. They conduct late-night raids in Silwan, Jabal Mukabir, and Issawiyya, arresting 3 Palestinians. In n. Israel, thousands of Christians attend a protest rally to condemn the 6/17 arson attack on a nearby church. (HA, MNA, WAFA, YA 6/21; MNA 6/22)

In response to the 6/19 shooting nr. Ramallah and today’s stabbing in East Jerusalem, Israeli PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon annul the 6/16 announcement permitting 500 Palestinians to fly abroad via Ben Gurion Airport during Ramadan. Additionally, they instruct the Defense Ministry to revoke the work permits of all Palestinian residents of the village nr. Hebron where today’s perpetrator is from, and say they will consider further punitive restrictions. (HA, TOI 6/22)

In Ramallah, French FM Fabius meets with PA pres. Abbas to discuss the French initiative to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, including a French-drafted UNSC res. Fabius then meets with Netanyahu in Israel to discuss the same issues. Ahead of the meeting, Netanyahu opposes the French initiative, saying “we will forcibly reject any attempt to force upon us international dictates”. (JP 6/17; HA, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA 6/21)

The Egyptian govt. announces the appointment of a new amb. to Israel, Hazem Khairat, who will travel to Tel Aviv in the coming mos. Egypt has not had an amb. to Israel since 2012, when Atef Salem was recalled in the midst of Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense. (HA, YA 6/21)

Israeli mbr. of Knesset (MK) Basel Ghattas (Joint List) announces his plans to join the Freedom Flotilla III, an international activist effort to deliver aid to Gaza and call attention to the Israeli blockade (the flotilla will set sail on 6/25). He calls on Netanyahu and the IDF to allow the flotilla to reach Gaza without their interference. (HA 6/21; MEE, MNA, WAFA 6/22)

Iranian parliamentarians approve amendments to the bill introduced on 6/17 to increase oversight on implementation of any agreement made with the P5+1. The amendments shift oversight responsibilities, and the power to end the deal, from parliamentarians to the Supreme National Security Council, which is chaired by Pres. Hassan Rouhani and controlled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The bill must still be approved by the parliament and ratified by the Khamenei-controlled Guardian Council to become law. (AFP, REU 6/21)

In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian man in al-Tur after he drives his car into a crowd, injuring 2 border police guards. Israeli forces demolish a 3-story building in Ras al-Amud claiming it was built without a license. In the West Bank, Israeli forces close the entrance to a village nr. Nablus after a Palestinian throws a Molotov cocktail at a settler’s car. The IDF also conducts late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus, and in Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, arresting 14 Palestinians; patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah during the day. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 5/20; MNA, PCHR, WAFA 5/21; PCHR 5/28)

Following public criticism and consultation with DM Moshe Ya’alon, Israeli PM Netanyahu orders the suspension of the new 3-mo. pilot project restricting Palestinian travel, initiated on 5/19. Ya’alon says he will continue his efforts to reduce the number of Palestinians entering Israel illegally. (HA, MNA, NYT, TOI, YA 5/20) 

EU foreign policy chief Mogherini meets with Netanyahu in Israel, who says he is still committed to the 2-state solution and he proposes a new round of peace negotiations with the Palestinians with the specific goal of establishing borders for Israel’s West Bank settlement blocs (the news of his proposal will not break until 5/26). Also, Mogherini reportedly tells Netanyahu that the European campaign calling for labeling of products from Israeli settlements is unstoppable. The PM’s office will deny that they discussed the labeling campaign when the news breaks on 6/2. Mogherini also meets with PA pres. Abbas and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat in Ramallah. (HA, JP, YA 5/20; WAFA 5/21; HA, REU, TOI 5/26; HA 6/2)

Norwegian FM Børge Brende meets with Netanyahu in Jerusalem and tells him that international pressure on Israel regarding its treatment of the Palestinians will likely resume after the P5+1 (the 5 permanent mbrs. of the UN Security Council plus Germany) reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran by their 6/30 deadline. (LF 5/19; EI, HA, 5/20; HA, YA 5/21)

In Gaza, over 70 Palestinians are injured when police accidentally detonate an unexploded Israeli rocket in Gaza City. Off the coast nr. Jabaliya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces clash with Palestinians in a village nr. Ramallah, shooting 3 youths with live ammunition; clash with Palestinians in a village s. of Bethlehem, causing several to suffer from tear gas inhalation. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles nr. Nablus and Bethlehem, causing damage. Late at night, IDF troops clash with stone-throwing Palestinian youth in e. Nablus, injuring 19 with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades. The IDF raids a barber shop in ‘Askar r.c. nr. Nablus and a home nr. Jenin, arresting 1 Palestinian and issuing arrest summons to 2; patrols in and around Jenin, 3 villages nr. Hebron, and 1 each nr. Ramallah and Qalqilya. A Palestinian driver rams his car into 3 Israeli teenagers on a road nr. Bethlehem, injuring all 3; the IDF arrests the man an hour later. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, WAFA 5/14; AFP, MNA 5/15; PCHR 5/21)

Senior PLO official Wasel Abu Yousef says that the Palestinians will not enter a new round of peace negotiations with Israel unless a deadline for the occupation is set. Meanwhile, in Tunisia, PA Pres. Abbas says that the Palestinians welcome the French efforts to resume Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and have the UNSC pass a corresponding res. (JP, TOI 5/14; JP 5/15)

Israel’s Housing Ministry issues tenders for the construction of 85 new residences in the Givat Ze’ev settlement, n. of Jerusalem, and 1,500 new hotel rooms in the Jabal Mukabir neighborhood of East Jerusalem. Later, UN Secy.-Gen. Ban “strongly deplores” the new settlement announcements over the past 3 weeks. (AFP, HA, WAFA 5/14; AP, TOI 5/15)

The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act by a vote of 400–25. (It passed in the Senate on 5/7.) The bill now goes to Pres. Obama, and White House spokesperson Josh Earnest says that he intends to sign it into law.

Meanwhile, Israeli govt. sources say the govt. will be willing to accept a nuclear deal with Iran in exchange for compensation in other areas from the U.S. (AP, JP, TOI, YA 5/15)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of Palestinians approaching the border fence, causing 3 to suffer from tear gas inhalation. Separately, IDF troops stationed e. of Rafah open fire on agricultural lands nr. the border fence, causing damage. In 2 incidents off the coast nr. Jabaliya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at demonstrations to commemorate Land Day, upcoming on 3/30, and protest Israel’s occupation in 6 areas nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih, Silwad, outside Ofer Prison, and Jalazun r.c.), and Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya; 10 Palestinians are moderately injured. The Israeli soldiers also cut off a main waterline into Kafr Qaddum, denying the village water for several hours. IDF troops also violently disperse Palestinian and international activists gathering in Abu Dis at the site of the “Gate of Jerusalem” protest tent camp. The IDF conducts house searches and raids in and around Hebron, arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts patrols in 2 villages nr. Hebron and 1 each nr. Jenin and Jericho. (MNA 3/27; PCHR 4/2)

The Israeli PM’s office announces that it is unfreezing tax revenue transfers to the PA that it has held as a punitive response to the Palestinian accession to the ICC since 1/2015. A statement announcing the move says that the total will be reduced by an undisclosed amount to pay portions of the PA’s debts to Israeli utility providers, such as the IEC. The PA FM criticizes the announced deductions, saying in a statement that they are “an unjustified and illegal procedure that could cause complications.” (AP, HA, JP, NYT, TOI 3/27; AFP, WAFA 3/28; JP 3/29)

French FM Fabius announces that, now that the 3/17 Israeli election has passed, he plans to explore the prospect of introducing another United Nations Security Council (UNSC) res. laying out parameters for a new round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Meanwhile, an EU spokesperson announces that Hamas will remain a designated terrorist organization pending a decision on an appeal of the General Court’s 12/17/2014 removal of Hamas from the list. Similarly, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which the U.S. claims funneled money to Hamas, has been removed from the list since it was last published in 7/2014. (AFP, AP, HA, REU, TOI 3/27; AFP 3/28)

The PA unity govt. delegation led by PM Hamdallah meets with Fatah and Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip, concluding its 3-day trip. (MNA 3/26) The Egyptian attorney, Samir Sabri, who filed the original motion to designate Hamas a terrorist organization in Egypt withdraws his case, saying he hopes to remove “obstacles which Egypt’s political leadership might face in serving its role in the Palestinian reconciliation.” The Court of Urgent Matters, which designated Hamas a terrorist organization 2/28, is expected to reconsider its initial ruling, though it was only in part based on Sabri’s motion. (AHR, MNA 3/27)

The 28th regular session of the UNHRC concludes today after a mo. of meetings, with the council having agreed on 3 res. on the Palestinians. They reaffirm the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, confirm Palestinian rights to sovereignty over their natural resources, and condemn ongoing settlement growth in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (TOI 3/27; MNA 3/28)

PA Pres. Abbas arrives in Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt, to participate in an Arab League summit on 3/28 and 3/29. Ahead of the summit, the Arab League agrees to send a delegation to Washington to lobby the U.S. Congress and promote the Arab Peace Initiative. (WAFA 2/25; MNA 3/27; HA 3/28)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops e. of Khan Yunis detain 3 Palestinians as they attempt to cross the border fence into Israel. In the West Bank, Israeli forces conduct house searches and arrest raids nr. Ramallah and Jenin; patrol nr. Hebron and Salfit; demolish 30 dunams (around 7.4 acres) of wheat fields nr. Bethlehem; and deliver eviction orders to several Palestinian bedouin families in a village nr. Jericho. Israeli settlers level land so they can establish a road leading to an outpost s. of Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fire sound bombs and tear gas at Palestinian students as they exit their elementary school in al-Tur, then arrest 1 of their parents. (MNA, WAFA 1/15; PCHR 1/22; OCHA 1/23)

In Cairo, the Arab League agrees to make the “necessary communications and consultations” with international partners to submit a new proposal on behalf of the Palestinians to the UNSC. Diplomats from 5 Arab countries will form a joint comm. to organize the resubmission, and PA Pres. Abbas agrees to respect the comm.’s decisions regarding timing. (AP, HA, JP, MNA, WAFA 1/15; TOI 1/17)

After meeting with the U.S. Consul Gen. to Israel and Palestine Michael Ratney in Ramallah, PA PM Hamdallah calls on the international community to pressure Israel into unfreezing its tax revenue transfers to the PA. (AJ, REU, WAFA, YA 1/15) 

Iranian FM Zarif meets with German FM Steinmeier in Berlin, then with EU foreign affairs chief Mogherini, to discuss the ongoing negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. In Geneva, reps. of Iran and the U.S. discuss the negotiations. (AFP 1/16; MNA 1/17)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian at a junction between Bethlehem and Hebron, later alleging that the man was attempting to steal a car. The IDF raids the home of 2 PA security officers nr. Nablus, and Palestinian officials call it a provocative step. On a late-night arrest raid in Jenin r.c., Israeli soldiers shoot and injure a Palestinian man with rubber-coated metal bullets and arrest 4 others, sparking clashes with stone-throwing residents and arresting 1 more. Hours after unknown assailants shoot at an Israeli military vehicle nr. Abud village n. of Ramallah, Israeli forces conduct house-to-house raids in the village, fire stun grenades and flares, and shut down a road leading to a nearby monastery. The IDF also conducts house searches and arrest raids nr. Salfit and Hebron; demolishes 1 Palestinian home and 2 animal shelters in a village nr. Ramallah; arrests a Palestinian outside the Gush Etzion settlement nr. Bethlehem. Separately, an Israeli settler runs over with his car 2 sheep belonging to a Palestinian nr. Nablus. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli authorities reopen the Erez border crossing, having closed it on 1/8. IDF troops e. of Rafah open fire on agricultural land nr. the border fence, causing damage. Dozens of employees of the Hamas-run govt. protest outside the PA unity govt.’s headquarters in Gaza City, calling for their full salaries to be paid for the 1st time since 6/2. In East Jerusalem, unknown Israelis vandalize 11 Palestinian-owned vehicles in Bayt Safafa, puncturing tires and leaving racist pricetag graffiti. Israeli forces conduct a house search in al-‘Izzariya, arresting 2 Palestinians. In s. Israel, an Israeli police officer shoots and kills a 22-year-old Palestinian with live ammunition during an arrest raid in Rahat in the Negev, sparking clashes between the police and local Palestinians. Separately, Israeli forces demolish several steel structures in the nearby Palestinian bedouin village al-‘Araqib. This is the 80th time Israeli authorities have ordered demolitions in the village since 2010, when it was 1st targeted. (JP, MEE, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA 1/14; MNA, PCHR, WAFA 1/15; EI 1/16; PCHR 1/22; OCHA 1/23)

Hamas reactivates Gaza’s separate Palestinian Legislative Council and convenes a session of the body, a move that contravenes the national reconciliation deal that was announced on 4/23. No other parties attend the session. The decision comes after 2 weeks of increased tension between Hamas and the PA unity govt. (AFP, MNA, NYT 1/14; MNA 1/15)

PA Pres. Abbas meets with Egyptian pres. al-Sisi in Cairo to discuss Abbas’s proposed resubmission of the draft UNSC res. and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. (MNA, REU, WAFA 1/14)

U.S. Secy. of State Kerry meets with Iranian FM Zarif in Geneva to discuss the negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Kerry says he is hoping to “accelerate the process to make greater progress,” but he will not participate in the coming 3 days of bilateral talks or the broader talks between reps. of Iran and the full P5+1 on 1/18. (ALM 1/17)

In the Sinai Peninsula, the Sinai Province of the Islamic State kills 3 bedouins suspected of collaborating with Israel. (MNA 1/15)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops e. of Khan Yunis open fire on Palestinians as they approach the border fence, causing no injuries. Meanwhile, 100s of civil servants hired by the Hamas-run govt. protest the fact that they have not been paid since 6/2/2014. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron, sparking clashes with residents; 5 Palestinians are injured with rubber-coated metal bullets. The IDF also patrols nr. Hebron, Ramallah, and Jenin. Israeli settlers vandalize Palestinian property in Turmus ‘Ayya village nr. Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces conduct house searches and arrest raids in al-Tur. (MNA 1/13, 1/14; PCHR 1/15; OCHA 1/23)

Before departing Ankara for Cairo, PA Pres. Abbas confirms that the Palestinian leadership would like to resubmit their draft res. to the UNSC after they refer the issue to the Arab Peace Initiative for approval. (JP, WAFA 1/14)

An official in the former Hamas-run govt. in Gaza says that some security personnel hired after 2007 will receive NIS 1,000 (around $250) on 1/15, their 1st payment since 6/2. Civil servants employed by the Hamas-run govt. were paid a partial salary of around NIS 4,800 (around $1,245) on 10/29. (AFP, MNA 1/13)

The U.S. State Dept. announces that any bill Congress passes regarding new sanctions on Iran will be vetoed by the pres. Meanwhile, Pres. Obama calls Israeli PM Netanyahu to brief him on the negotiations with Iran, ahead of the meeting between reps. of Iran and the P5+1 in Geneva set for 1/15. (JP 1/14)

In the Gaza Strip, Egyptian troops open fire on Palestinian youth along the border e. of Rafah, killing 1 and arresting 3. In 2 separate incidents, Israeli soldiers stationed along the border fence (e. of Khan Yunis r.c. and e. of Jabaliya r.c.) open fire on stone-throwing Palestinians, moderately injuring 2. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers from the Adi Ad outpost throw stones outside Turmus ‘Ayya at 2 vehicles from the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, causing light damage. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements, and occupation in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Nabi Salih, and Ni‘lin), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum), where they arrest 1 Palestinian. In the evening, Israeli troops clash with stone-throwing Palestinians in a village nr. Ramallah, then impose a curfew on the village and arrest 1 resident. (AP, HA, MNA, TOI 1/2; IMEMC, MNA, YA 1/3; OCHA 1/15)

Senior Palestinian leaders meet in Ramallah and discuss resubmitting their res. to the UNSC since 5 new mbrs. joined the council on 1/1. PA Pres. Abbas meets with Jordanian officials about the timing of the resubmission. (TOI 1/3; DS 1/4)