251 / 15150 Results
  • June 14, 2011

    In Gaza, 1 Palestinian is injured in a smuggling tunnel accident on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes the bedouin village of Fasayil al-Wusta in the Jordan Valley, saying it...

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  • December 22, 2009

    In the West Bank, the IDF stages synchronized late-night house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., making no arrests; conducts other late-night arrest raids, house searches n. of Jerusalem...

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  • September 30, 2009

    Israel and Hamas announce a deal (to be implemented 10/2) in which Israel would free 20 female Palestinian prisoners (4 fr. Hamas, 5 fr. Fatah, 3 fr. Islamic Jihad, 1 fr. the PFLP, and 7 not...

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  • March 16, 2009

    Gaza’s power plant is forced to shut 1 turbine for lack of spare parts, increasing rolling power outages across the Strip fr. 4–6 hrs./day to 8–12 hrs./day for 3 days until parts are allowed in...

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  • December 15, 2008

    Israel releases 224 Palestinian prisoners; at least 9,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails. Gaza’s power plant shuts down after 4 days of operation for lack of fuel (see 12/11). In the West...

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  • July 23, 2008

    IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian collecting scrap metal who strays nr. the border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF detain without charge the father of a young girl who...

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  • December 13, 2007

    Islamic Jihad fires a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, moderately wounding 1 Israeli. Hrs. later, in response, the IDF fires a surface-tosurface missile at a car in Gaza City, assassinating a cmdr. of...

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  • December 3, 2007

    Israel releases 429 Palestinian prisoners (overwhelmingly Fatah, but including some mbrs. of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the PFLP; around 20 are fr. Gaza) as a gesture...

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  • October 24, 2007

    After PRC members fire more than 20 rockets into Israel (causing no damage or injuries) to protest the 10/23 assassination of PRC head Hasanat, Israeli DM Barak authorizes the IDF to cut...

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  • October 23, 2007

    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...

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  • October 22, 2007

    In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on an ESF vehicle in al-Bureij r.c., wounding 1 ESF mbr. Palestinians fire 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel; the IDF responds by shelling suspected launching...

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  • October 2, 2007

    Israel releases 29 Palestinian prisoners fr. Gaza (see 10/1); once again, the IDF fires on Palestinians waiting at the Erez crossing to welcome the prisoners home, wounding a Reuters cameraman....

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  • October 1, 2007

    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...

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  • August 29, 2006

    The IDF continues operations in Gaza City, shelling, firing on, and using drones to fire missiles at any group of Palestinians in the eastern part of the city, killing at least 4 Palestinian...

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  • July 17, 2005

    The IDF continues massing tanks, armored vehicles on the n. Gaza border; Sharon instructs security officials to take “all measures, without restrictions, in order to stop the wave of terrorism,”...

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  • June 2, 2005

    Israel releases the last 398 Palestinian prisoners of 900 that Sharon promised to free in his 2/8 mtg. with PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas in Sharm al-Shaykh; 2 prisoners refuse release (1 to stay in...

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  • April 16, 2005

    Israel orders the Israeli police in Jerusalem to expand their jurisdiction to include Jewish settlement areas north, west, and south of Jerusalem that will eventually be west of the separation...

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  • March 17, 2005

    The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. Ramallah; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays too close to Rafiah Yam settlement in s. Gaza; conducts arrest raids, house searches in the Wadi...

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  • August 22, 2004

    The IDF reimposes a curfew (lifted on 8/19) on Nablus, then sends jeeps to the central market square to fire on surrounding areas to force dealers to close stalls and Palestinians to return home,...

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  • August 15, 2004

    The IDF surrounds an area of Wadi alSilqa, orders all men ages 16–50 to assemble in a field, holds them for 3 hrs., checks their IDs, releases them; for a 2d day sends troops into Balata r.c.,...

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  • April 14, 2004

    The IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall nr. Biddu, wounding 12; blows up 2 Palestinian homes in Bethlehem, 1 in Nablus;...

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  • March 22, 2004

    The IDF assassinates Hamas spiritual leader and founder Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, firing 3 internationally banned flechette missiles at him as he leaves a Gaza City mosque after morning prayers, also...

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  • December 8, 2003

    The IDF imposes curfews on Salfit, 6 surrounding villages; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her school; conducts arrest raids in Aida r.c.;...

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  • August 15, 2003

    The IDF conducts overnight arrest raids in Qalqilya, targeting the PFLP, exchanging gunfire with some wanted men, leaving 1 Palestinian injured; conducts other arrest raids in Nablus, Tamun;...

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  • August 12, 2003

    An AMB suicide bomber fr. Nablus detonates a device in a supermarket in Rosh Ha’ayn, just across the West Bank border, inside Israel, killing 1 Israeli, wounding 10; the area was already on alert...

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  • August 6, 2003

    Israel releases 335 Palestinian prisoners (see 8/4). The IDF makes a rare raid on Jericho, imposing a 5-hr. curfew, arresting 15 mbrs. of the Palestinian security services for allegedly plotting...

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  • July 14, 2003

    The IDF imposes a curfew on Ramallah in its search for an Israeli taxi driver missing since 7/13; the Palestinian prisoners association calls on whoever is holding the man to release him. The IDF...

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  • July 10, 2003

    In Dayr al-Ghasun, Palestinians, accompanied by ISM volunteers, for the 1st time attempt to gain access to farmland newly cut off by Israel’s separation wall to plant fall crops, but the IDF...

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  • July 5, 2003

    The IDF fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah; bulldozes 14 dunams of land nr. Rafah. In s. Gaza, 3 Palestinians apparently planting a roadside bomb trigger the device, killing 1, wounding...

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  • May 11, 2003

    The IDF places its tightest seal on the Gaza Strip since the al-Aqsa intifada began, barring everyone except diplomats and aid workers fr. entering or exiting (though 9 international aid workers...

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In Gaza, 1 Palestinian is injured in a smuggling tunnel accident on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes the bedouin village of Fasayil al-Wusta in the Jordan Valley, saying it was erected on state land nr. a settler-only bypass road, displacing 103 bedouin (including 63 children); demolishes 2 wells nr. Hebron; patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin and 1 nr. Tulkarm in the morning; arrests Qalqilya Fatah official Muhammad Walawil and his brother during the day, without giving cause; raids Tulkarm late at night to arrest 3 Palestinians who had ignored orders to appear before an Israeli military court on 6/13/11 to testify against a Palestinian prisoner. The IDF also escorts 8 Israeli MKs on a rare daytime visit to Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, where they publicly call on the government to declare sovereignty over the site. Jewish settlers in Hebron vandalize nearby Palestinian homes. (WT 6/15; JPI 6/24)

In the West Bank, the IDF stages synchronized late-night house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., making no arrests; conducts other late-night arrest raids, house searches n. of Jerusalem. The UN reports that in the previous wk., 1 alleged Hamas mbr. was killed and another wounded mishandling explosives in Gaza; 1 Palestinian was electrocuted and injured in a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. (OCHA, PCHR 12/23; PCHR 12/30)

After 2 days of intensive talks and a meeting that stretches overnight, Netanyahu is unable to secure cabinet approval for a German deal endorsed by Hamas to release some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for the release of captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit. DM Barak tells the press that freeing Shalit is still a “top priority” but “not at any price.” (WP 12/22; WT 12/23; JPI 1/1)

Israel and Hamas announce a deal (to be implemented 10/2) in which Israel would free 20 female Palestinian prisoners (4 fr. Hamas, 5 fr. Fatah, 3 fr. Islamic Jihad, 1 fr. the PFLP, and 7 not affiliated with any group) convicted of minor offenses in exchange for definitive proof that captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit is still alive. (NYT, WP 10/1)

In the West Bank, an IDF jeep hits and kills 1 Palestinian teenager on the grounds of a school nr. Jenin in disputed circumstances (the IDF says it was an accident, whereas Palestinian eye-witnesses say the jeep was chasing the youth); angry Palestinians throw stones, clash with IDF troops, who respond with tear gas, causing minor injuries. The IDF also conducts latenight raids, house searches in and around Qalqilya, and nr. Jenin, Hebron, and Jericho, arresting 12 Palestinians (including 1 teenager) and summoning 6 others for questioning. (OCHA 9/09; PCHR 10/1; OCHA 10/2; OCHA 10/8; PCHR 10/8)

Gaza’s power plant is forced to shut 1 turbine for lack of spare parts, increasing rolling power outages across the Strip fr. 4–6 hrs./day to 8–12 hrs./day for 3 days until parts are allowed in for the repair. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in villages around Hebron and Jenin; conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Silwad nr. Ramallah, nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba settlement seriously beat a Palestinian woman walking nearby; the IDF observes but does not intervene. A Palestinian prisoner dies of apparent torture in Hamas police custody in Gaza. (OCHA 3/17, 3/18; PCHR 3/19; OCHA 4/1)

Israel releases 224 Palestinian prisoners; at least 9,000 Palestinians remain in Israeli jails. Gaza’s power plant shuts down after 4 days of operation for lack of fuel (see 12/11). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron; hours later conducts synchronized house searches in 4 villages and al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron. The IDF also sends undercover units in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates into al-Yamun village nr. Jenin, where they ambush and assassinate Islamic Jihad mbr. Jihad Nawahda. Israel’s High Court orders a 2d revision of the planned separation wall around Bil‘in, ruling that the new IDF route (submitted in compliance with a 9/07 High Court decision) still directs the wall unnecessarily through private Palestinian land. (NYT, WT 12/16; OCHA 12/17; PCHR 12/18)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian collecting scrap metal who strays nr. the border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF detain without charge the father of a young girl who filmed IDF troops in Ni‘lin shooting and wounding a bound Palestinian prisoner on 7/7; fire on residential areas of Bayt Umar nr. Hebron, then fire on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1; also patrols in, fires on residential areas of Baytin and al-Bireh nr. Ramallah, causing no injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Qalqilya. (PCHR 7/24; OCHA, PCHR 7/30)

Islamic Jihad fires a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, moderately wounding 1 Israeli. Hrs. later, in response, the IDF fires a surface-tosurface missile at a car in Gaza City, assassinating a cmdr. of Islamic Jihad’s rocket crews, Sami Tafish, also killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., 1 AMB mbr., and 1 civilian. The IDF also levels land inside the Gaza border e. of Dayr al-Balah. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in cars with Palestinian license plates into Jenin r.c. to conduct arrest raids; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin. In Gaza City, a Palestinian prisoner dies in Hamasaffiliated police custody; no details are released. (NYT, WP 12/14; OCHA 12/19; PCHR 12/27)

Israel releases 429 Palestinian prisoners (overwhelmingly Fatah, but including some mbrs. of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the PFLP; around 20 are fr. Gaza) as a gesture to Abbas. Israel also allows 150 Palestinian pilgrims to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing for the Hajj. The IDF conducts arrest raids in Wadi al-Silqa nr. Dayr al-Balah, shooting and wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tubas and nr. Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. The PA orders 92 Hamas-affiliated charities in the West Bank to close. (NYT, WP 12/4; OCHA 12/5; PCHR 12/6)

After PRC members fire more than 20 rockets into Israel (causing no damage or injuries) to protest the 10/23 assassination of PRC head Hasanat, Israeli DM Barak authorizes the IDF to cut electricity for several hrs. to parts of Gaza fr. which rockets were fired.; Dep. DM Matan Vilnai says that targeted power cuts will increasingly be used to punish the Palestinians as long as rocket fire continues and that he expects electricity to be cut by two-thirds in the coming weeks. In the evening, IDF fires a surface-to-surface missile at a suspected rocket-launching site e. of Gaza City, killing 2 Palestinian boys (ages 14, 17), wounding 2 other Palestinians; sends troops into Abasan, where they clash with armed Palestinians, wounding 2. A Hamas mbr. is killed when a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem and Hebron, and in Jenin r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus prevent local Palestinians fr. harvesting their olive groves. Armed Palestinians fire on a bus stop outside Ariel settlement, wounding 3 Jewish settlers. ESF officers storm and occupy a Fatah office in central Gaza; no injuries or arrests are reported. Some 5,000 Hamas supporters stage marches in n. Gaza camps in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. (PCHR, WT 10/25; OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/1)

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)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on an ESF vehicle in al-Bureij r.c., wounding 1 ESF mbr. Palestinians fire 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel; the IDF responds by shelling suspected launching site; no injuries or damage are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a major raid on Jenin targeting Islamic Jihad, demolishing 1 building, fatally shooting 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in an exchange of fire that also leaves 1 IDF soldier wounded; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus. Around half of the 2,200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel’s Ketziot prison riot against searches by guards, leaving 14 prisoners, 15 guards injured. An 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl wounded by the IDF during 10/18 arrest raids in Tulkarm dies. In Gaza City, 100 Palestinians protest outside the UNSCO building against the PA’s halt to issuing passports and travel documents for Gazans. (WT 10/23; NYT, OCHA, WP 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

Lebanese PM Siniora delays elections for a 2d time until 11/12 to give the governing coalition and opposition more time to agree on a compromise candidate. (NYT, WP 10/23) (see 9/22)

Israel releases 29 Palestinian prisoners fr. Gaza (see 10/1); once again, the IDF fires on Palestinians waiting at the Erez crossing to welcome the prisoners home, wounding a Reuters cameraman. Late in the evening, the IDF sends troops into Khan Yunis, bulldozing agricultural land, searching and occupying Palestinian homes as observation posts, exchanging fire with local Palestinian gunmen, killing 1 armed Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, nr. Ramallah. At least 15 Jewish settlers, escorted by IDF soldiers, enter and stay overnight in Joseph’s Tomb nr. Nablus. 100s of Jewish settlers set up tents on the vacated Homesh settlement site, level land, set up sand barriers; the IDF restricts Palestinian movement in the area. In Gaza City, 4 AMB mbrs. are killed when explosives they are carrying detonate prematurely outside an ESF post that they apparently planned to attack; 1 passerby is wounded. (OCHA, WP 10/3; NYT, PCHR 10/4; NYT 10/5)

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)

The IDF continues operations in Gaza City, shelling, firing on, and using drones to fire missiles at any group of Palestinians in the eastern part of the city, killing at least 4 Palestinian civilians, wounding at least 12. Also in Gaza, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who approaches the n. Gaza border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, fatally shoots 2 AMB mbrs. in what may be an assassination; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Qalqilya. Of note: The Israeli prison authority transfers jailed Fatah tanzim leader and elected PC mbr. Marwan Barghouti fr. Haradim penitentiary nr. Tel Aviv to Nafha prison in the Negev; Palestinians alleged he was moved to isolate him fr. other Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reports a “substantial increase” in the past 2 mos. of IDF soldiers beating, mistreating, humiliating Palestinians during encounters in the West Bank. Some 300 unemployed Palestinians demonstrate, scuffle with police in Gaza City, demanding welfare payments fr. the PA (see 8/28). (NYT, WP, WT 8/30; PCHR 8/31)

The IDF continues massing tanks, armored vehicles on the n. Gaza border; Sharon instructs security officials to take “all measures, without restrictions, in order to stop the wave of terrorism,” though his advisers suggest that any push into Gaza likely would not happen until after Condoleezza Rice’s visit on 7/22. An IDF sniper (reportedly firing fr. a nearby Jewish settlement) assassinates senior Hamas cmdr. Sa‘id Siyam (not Shaykh Sa‘id Siyam, the Hamas spokesman) outside his home in Khan Yunis. The IDF also lifts the curfews on Tulkarm and surrounding areas imposed on 7/13; fires missiles at a Palestinian vehicle in Bayt Lahiya, injuring 1 Hamas mbr., injured 2 bystanders in an apparent assassination attempt; fires on stone-throwing youths in Tulkarm, wounding 1; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah and in ‘Azun, Hebron, Kafr Thuluth, Qalqilya, Saida nr. Tulkarm, Wadi al-Silqa. In retaliation, Hamas fires Qassam rockets into Neve Dekalim (hitting a house, injuring 6 settlers), Sederot (causing no injuries). Israel bars indefinitely all visits to Palestinian prisoners as punishment for the 7/12 Netanya bombing. A Palestinian injured in the IDF assassination of 3 Hamas mbrs. in Salfit on 7/15 dies. (HA, IMEMC, PRCS, XIN 7/17; VOI, VOP, YA 8/17, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation 7/18 in WNC 7/18; NYT, WP, WT 7/18; XIN 7/18 in WNC 7/19; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)

Israel releases the last 398 Palestinian prisoners of 900 that Sharon promised to free in his 2/8 mtg. with PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas in Sharm al-Shaykh; 2 prisoners refuse release (1 to stay in prison with his brother, 1 to take the Palestinian high school matriculation exams [tawjihi] slated to be given to prisoners shortly). The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Tulkarm and in Azariyya, Balata r.c., Nablus; searches, temporarily occupies a flour mill in Gaza’s al-Qarara for use as an observation tower to protect Jewish settlers traveling btwn. Gush Katif and Israel; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall s. of Nablus. Palestinian residents of Dayr al-Hatab nr. Nablus report that the IDF has for 3 wks. been bulldozing Palestinian land around Elon Moreh to create a buffer around the settlement. Israel issues tenders for the construction of 22 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim settlement, despite U.S President George W. Bush’s calls to stop all settlement expansion. A Jewish settler injures a Palestinian girl in a hit-andrun incident n. of Ramallah. In Gaza City, 100s of armed Palestinians (mbrs. of PA military intelligence, the AMB, Fatah) protest the PA’s decision to dismantle the military intelligence service, merge it with the PA security forces, and retire a number of officers; some demonstrators fire in the air. (IMEMC, JP, JTA, WAFA 6/2; VOI 6/2 in WNC 6/3; WP, WT 6/3; IMEMC 6/4; OCHA, PR 6/8; PCHR 6/9)

Israel orders the Israeli police in Jerusalem to expand their jurisdiction to include Jewish settlement areas north, west, and south of Jerusalem that will eventually be west of the separation wall and that Sharon plans to annex under final status. The IDF sends troops into Qiffin nr. Tulkarm, fires tear gas at 10s of Palestinian children on their way to school, arrests a 16-yr.-old boy; sends troops into Marda nr. Nablus, fires tear gas at Palestinian children on their way home from school, confiscates a school bag fr. a 13-yr.-old Palestinian; arrests 2 Palestinian farmers working their land nr. Tulkarm for straying too close to the separation wall; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hazma nr. Jerusalem, al-Til nr. Tulkarm; raids Dayr al-Balah and arrests 2 Palestinians who allegedly attempted to sneak into Israel to find work. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails begin a 2-day hunger strike to protest their deteriorating living conditions. (PR 4/20; PCHR 4/21)

The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. Ramallah; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays too close to Rafiah Yam settlement in s. Gaza; conducts arrest raids, house searches in the Wadi al-Husayn area of s. Hebron, rounding up all men and holding them for 5 hrs. of interrogation; places temporary curfews on Bardala and Kardala e. of Jenin, orders all Palestinian males ages 15– 60 to surrender for ID checks; also conducts arrest raids in al-Mawasi nr. Khan Yunis. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a Palestinian in Hebron; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (HA 3/18; JP 3/28; OCHA, PR 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

Palestinian factions meeting in Cairo pledge to extend the unofficial truce until the end of 2005, provided that the lull in violence continues and that Israel follows through on its Sharm al-Shaykh pledges to turn over security control of West Bank cities and release a significant number of Palestinian prisoners.Abbas and the factions agree to form a comm. to study rebuilding the PLO on new foundations that would allow Hamas, Islamic Jihad to join. (Daily Star, MM, REU 3/17; BBC, HA, MM, NYT, VOP, WP, WT 3/18; JAZ 3/19; AP, JAZ 3/21; PR 3/23; MEI 4/1)

The IDF reimposes a curfew (lifted on 8/19) on Nablus, then sends jeeps to the central market square to fire on surrounding areas to force dealers to close stalls and Palestinians to return home, injuring 15 Palestinians (including 8 children). The IDF also bulldozes Palestinian land in Bardala in the northeastern tip of the Jordan Valley for construction of security and tax offices; fires on residential areas in Rafah, nr. Ramallah. Palestinian Hussein Jabari dies of injuries sustained in the IDF assassination attempt against his brother, Ahmad Jabari. Palestinian Authority (PA) Prisoner Affairs M Hisham ‘Abd al-Raziq, 70 Palestinian figures begin a hunger strike in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners; Israeli prison officials say that the number of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners has nearly doubled to 2,900 since the strike began on 8/15. (WP 8/23; PR 8/25; PCHR 8/26; MM 8/27)

The IDF surrounds an area of Wadi alSilqa, orders all men ages 16–50 to assemble in a field, holds them for 3 hrs., checks their IDs, releases them; for a 2d day sends troops into Balata r.c., Nablus under cover of shelling, fires on stone throwing Palestinians who confront them, seriously injuring 2 stone throwers and a passerby; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, IDF soldiers fatally shoot a Palestinian who attempts to stab a soldier at a checkpoint. Some 1,700 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails begin a hunger strike, citing 57 demands for improved conditions. (PM, XIN 8/15; MM 8/16; MENA, VOI, VOP 8/17 in WNC 8/19; MM, PR 8/18; MM, PCHR 8/19)

The IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall nr. Biddu, wounding 12; blows up 2 Palestinian homes in Bethlehem, 1 in Nablus; conducts arrest raids in and around Bethlehem and in a-lArub r.c., East Jerusalem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus; demolishes a PSF post, bulldozes 1.5 dunams of agricultural land nr. Dayr al-Balah. In Gaza City, 3,000 Palestinians demonstrate for the release of jailed Fatah tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti, other Palestinian prisoners. Jewish settlers attempting to rebuild the illegal outpost in Hebron removed on 4/13 scuffle with IDF troops; 2 settlers are injured. Late in the evening, the IDF begins sending troops into Rafah allegedly to search for smugglers’ tunnels, firing on residential areas. (HA 4/14; VOP 4 /14 in WNC 4/16; PCHR 4/15, 4/22)

Meanwhile in Washington, Bush meets with Sharon, formally endorses Sharon’s unilateral disengagement plan, marking a dramatic shift in U.S. policy toward the peace process (HA, MM, REU 4/14; JP, VOP 4/14 in WNC 4/16; al-Ra’i 4/14, AFP, DUS, THWR, TSHR, VOP, XIN 4 /15 in WNC 4/17; HA, JP, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 4/15; CSM, HA, FT, JT, MEI, MM 4/16; AFP, DUS, ITARTASS, MENA, NHR, al-Ra’i 4/16 in WNC 4/20; NHR 4/16 in WNC 4/27; WP 4/17; JTA 4/19; PR 4/21; MEI 4/30)

The IDF assassinates Hamas spiritual leader and founder Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, firing 3 internationally banned flechette missiles at him as he leaves a Gaza City mosque after morning prayers, also killing 3 bodyguards, 4 bystanders, wounding at least 17 Palestinians, including Yasin’s 2 sons. Immediately, 100,000s of Palestinians take to the streets throughout the territories to protest the assassination. The IDF seals Gaza; clashes with Palestinian demonstrators in Balata r.c. (killing an al-Najah Radio correspondent in Balata r.c., apparently thinking his mobile phone was a weapon), Bethlehem, Dayr al-Balah, Hebron (fatally shooting 1 Palestinian watching fr. his balcony), Jenin, Khan Yunis (killing 3 Palestinians), Nablus; fires on residential areas of Rafah, Qalqilya, Tal Zu’rub; imposes a curfew on areas around Jenin, fires on residential areas; temporarily occupies a Palestinian home as an IDF post nr. Dayr al-Balah. 100s of Palestinian youths in East Jerusalem gather at checkpoints to throw stones at IDF soldiers; Palestinian prisoners in 2 Israeli jails riot. Palestinians fire Qassam rockets, mortars, antitank rockets at Gush Katif and Netzarim settlements, nearby IDF posts, the western Negev, damaging 2 apartments in Netzarim but causing no injuries. An ax-wielding Palestinian fr. the West Bank village of Bidiyya wounds 3 Israelis outside an army base in Tel Aviv before being arrested. An unidentified assailant said to be Arab stabs, lightly wounds 3 Israelis on a Jaffa bus. 4 Palestinians are arrested for beating up a Jewish settler in East Jerusalem. Jewish settlers detain, beat a Palestinian man in the Jordan Valley. An estimated 200,000 Palestinians, including reps. of all Palestinian factions, take part in Yasin’s funeral services later in the day, with 21 PSF officers forming an honor guard for Yasin’s coffin, Gaza churches ringing their bells, mosques broadcasting Qur’anic verses. Meanwhile, Israeli defense chiefs meet, agree to target the entire remaining Hamas leadership immediately, without waiting for another Hamas attack. Israel also announces that it will close the only mental health clinic serving East Jerusalem Palestinians (1,200 patients) because of “security concerns.” (AP, BBC, CSM, HA, MA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 3/22; AP, ATL, ITARTASS, MNR, MENA, IDF Radio, IRNA, ITARTASS, JP, VIRI, VOI, VOP, XIN 3/22 in WNC 3/24; al-Arabiyya TV [Dubai], Syrian Arab News Agency 3/22 in WNC 4/27; AFP, BBC, CSM, HA, JT, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/23; AFP, AYM, DUS, HA, al-Hayat al-Jadida, JT, MA, MENA, al-Ra’i, THWR, TSHR, VIRI, YA 3/23 in WNC 3/25; MM, NYT, PR, WP 3/24; ATL, ITAR-TASS, Izvestiya, JT, al-Ra’i, SA, VOP, XIN 3/24 in WNC 3/26; AYM 3/24 in WNC 4/3; JT, MM, PCHR, WJW 3/25; ITAR-TASS, MENA, NHR, VIRI 3/25 in WNC 3/27; MM 3/26; MNR 3/27 in WNC 3/30; AYM 3/30, VOP 3/31 in WNC 4/2; MEI 4/2; PCHR 4/15)

In Washington, Shalom holds further talks on Sharon’s disengagement plan with VP Dick Cheney, Powell, Rice. (WP 3/23)

The IDF imposes curfews on Salfit, 6 surrounding villages; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her school; conducts arrest raids in Aida r.c.; seals a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. Palestinians fire a mortar at Gaza’s Gadid settlement, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian prisoner who suffered a stroke in Israel’s Megiddo prison on 12/4 dies; the PA says that he was healthy when he entered prison, that Israel was negligent in delaying his transportation to a hospital. (VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; VOI 12/9 in WNC 12/11; PR 12/10; PCHR 12/11)

Palestinian factions end a round of cease-fire talks in Cairo, with the factions refusing to adopt a unilateral cease-fire but expressing a “general readiness” for a comprehensive cease-fire involving Israel. (MENA, QA, VOP, al-Zaman [London] 12/8 in WNC 12/10; AYM 12/8, al-Quds 12/9 in WNC 12/11; MM, WP 12/9; MM 12/10; QA 12/11 in WNC 12/16; QA 12/12, AYM, SA 12/14 in WNC 12/16; al-Quds 12/18 in WNC 12/23; MEI 12/19)

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passes a nonbinding resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague to issue an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s separation wall. (HA 12/8; ITAR-TASS, VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; HA, MM, WP 12/9; JP 12/9 in WNC 12/10; PR 12/10; THWR 12/12 in WNC 1/16; MEI 12/19)

The IDF conducts overnight arrest raids in Qalqilya, targeting the PFLP, exchanging gunfire with some wanted men, leaving 1 Palestinian injured; conducts other arrest raids in Nablus, Tamun; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Balata r.c.; arrests Hebron’s Shaykh Taysir Tamimi after Friday prayers on charges of incitement. The IDF also releases 73 Palestinian prisoners, including 1 woman, most of whom were convicted of being in Israel illegally. Israel eases restrictions on Bethlehem Palestinians’ entry into Israel, says it will allow 2 colleges in Hebron to reopen. (HA, MM8/15; HA 8/18)

Dahlan accepts Mofaz’s proposal to redeploy fr. Jericho and Qalqilya. Israel agrees to consider redeployment fr. Ramallah, Tulkarm. (HA 8/15; HA, NYT, WP, WT 8/16)

Israeli warplanes fly low-level sorties over Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad’s summer palace in Latakia, on the Syrian coast, as a warning that he must curb Hizballah actions in Lebanon. (HA 8/17)

An AMB suicide bomber fr. Nablus detonates a device in a supermarket in Rosh Ha’ayn, just across the West Bank border, inside Israel, killing 1 Israeli, wounding 10; the area was already on alert after the PA informed Israel of reports of a pending attack. Soon after, a Hamas suicide bomber fr. Nablus, retaliating for the IDF killing of 2 Hamas mbrs. on 8/8, detonates a device at a bus stop outside Ariel settlement, killing 1 Jewish settler, wounding 3. Israel freezes the release of another 76 Palestinian prisoners who were to be freed today; seals Azun and Qalqilya to conduct searches for Palestinians who may have aided the bombers, arresting several persons; places a closure on Nablus; otherwise says it will not respond. Abbas, in Qatar, cuts short his visit to the Gulf, heads to Amman, where he condemns the bombings but also Israeli provocations. The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in the Jabal Mukabir area of East Jerusalem. (BBC, HA, MM 8/12; Interfax, MENA, XIN 8/12 in WNC 8/14; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/13; JP, MA, VOI, YA 8/13 in WNC 8/15; NYT, PCHR, WP 8/14)

Israel releases 335 Palestinian prisoners (see 8/4). The IDF makes a rare raid on Jericho, imposing a 5-hr. curfew, arresting 15 mbrs. of the Palestinian security services for allegedly plotting an attack. Palestinians toss a grenade at Neve Dekalim settlement in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In Nazareth, Israeli Jewish youths throw stones at Israeli Arab vehicles, damaging 6 cars, lightly injuring 1 woman. (BBC, HA, MM, NYT 8/6; HA, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 8/7)

The IDF imposes a curfew on Ramallah in its search for an Israeli taxi driver missing since 7/13; the Palestinian prisoners association calls on whoever is holding the man to release him. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; fires on a PSF post nr. Khan Yunis, causing damage but no injuries; bulldozes a tent, 2 rooms of a home, a bird farm s. of Khan Yunis. The BBC reports that Irishman John Morgan, arrested by the IDF on 7/12, is a journalist and peace activist; Israel acknowledges that he may not be a Real IRA bomb maker, but contends that he is “involved with terrorist organizations in the territories.” (Guardian, HA, MM 7/14; BBC, HA, NYT, PM, WP, WT 7/15; PCHR 7/24)

In Dayr al-Ghasun, Palestinians, accompanied by ISM volunteers, for the 1st time attempt to gain access to farmland newly cut off by Israel’s separation wall to plant fall crops, but the IDF denies them passage; the wall cuts off 500 farmers fr. 3,000 dunams of village crop land. Nr. Nablus, the IDF arrests 6 ISM mbrs. who remove 2 earthen roadblocks barring Palestinian traffic on a local road. The IDF also issues order for the confiscation of 424 dunams of land n. of Tulkarm (for construction of the separation wall), 100s of dunams of land in al-Khadir (reportedly to expand Ofra settlement); tightens roadblocks around Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah; fires on a PSF post in Rafah, causing no injuries; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah; demolishes a Palestinian home in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Hebron. Palestinians rally in Khan Yunis to call for Israel’s release of Palestinian prisoners. Jewish settlers scuffle with IDF soldiers attempting to evacuate an unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Nablus. A Palestinian boy is hit and killed by a Jewish settler driving nr. Nablus. (AP, HP, ISM press release 7/10; NYT, PMC 7/12; PR 7/16; PCHR 7/24)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah; bulldozes 14 dunams of land nr. Rafah. In s. Gaza, 3 Palestinians apparently planting a roadside bomb trigger the device, killing 1, wounding the other 2. Shin Bet produces a list of 100 Palestinian prisoners, out of the more than 5,500 (some say up to 8,000) currently held, that it says could be freed without harming Israeli security. (NYT 7/6; PCHR 7/10)

The IDF places its tightest seal on the Gaza Strip since the al-Aqsa intifada began, barring everyone except diplomats and aid workers fr. entering or exiting (though 9 international aid workers are denied entry for no reason; see 5/10), requiring journalists to apply for entry and to coordinate their trips with the IDF. International medical relief organization Medecins du Monde permanently ends its operations in Gaza, saying IDF measures make it impossible to continue work; numerous other international aid groups suspend Gaza operations. The IDF demolishes at least 3 Palestinian homes in Rafah, also bulldozing 40 dunams of land; conducts arrest raids in Jenin. Palestinian gunmen fire on a vehicle nr. Ofra settlement, killing 1 Jewish settler; the AMB, PFLP each claim responsibility. (XIN 5/11; AIDA, HA, MM, NYT 5/12; AYM 5/13 in WNC 5/15; PR 5/14; PCHR 5/15)

Sharon presents Powell with a plan for a series of limited measures to ease restrictions on Palestinians, releases 63 Palestinian prisoners as a gesture. Powell asks Israel to accept the road map, but Sharon refuses. Powell then meets with Abbas and PC speaker Ahmad Qurai‘, presses the PA to disarm Palestinian militant groups. Abbas says he will start with dialogue, not force; criticizes Sharon’s proposed gestures as mostly symbolic. (MENA, VOI 5/11 in WNC 5/12; SA 5/11, JP, QA 5/12 in WNC 5/13; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/12; AFP 5/13; AYM 5/12 in WNC 5/15; MM, PR 5/14; MEI 5/16)