The Palestine Chronology

A Palestinian suicide bomber fr. n. Gaza hikes through the Egyptian desert into Israel, hitches a ride to Elat with an Israeli motorist, detonates a device at a bakery there, killing 2 Israelis, 1 foreign worker fr. South Africa, wounding 1; the AMB, Islamic Jihad jointly claim responsibility for the attack, which is the 1st inside Israel since 4/17/06. Islamic Jihad says the bombing sends “a clear message” to Fatah and Hamas to end infighting and unite against Israel. In response, the IDF makes an air strike on a smuggler’s tunnel on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Ramallah. In Gaza, at least 5 Palestinians (2 ESF mbrs., 1 PA police officer, 2 bystanders) are killed in Fatah-Hamas fighting in Gaza, with clashes reported in Bayt Lahiya, Gaza City, Jabaliya, Khan Yunis. In the most serious incident, ESF mbrs. raid, demolish a Force 17 base s. of Khan Yunis, kidnapping and later releasing 6 Force 17 mbrs. (AP, HA, IFM, MM, NYT, REU 1/29; MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/30; MM, OCHA 1/31; PCHR 2/1)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun shoot, wound 2 Palestinians who stray nr. the border fence while trapping birds. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya, nr. Jenin; begins construction of a new fence around Karmi’el, Ma’on settlements nr. Hebron that will confiscate around 1,000 d. of Palestinian land to create territorial unity btwn. the 2 settlements. In Gaza City, Hamas-Fatah violence continues for a 6th day, leaving an ESF officer, 3 Hamas mbrs. dead, and 8 ESF mbrs. injured; among the incidents, a bomb explodes outside the home of a Dahlan bodyguard (causing no injuries), Hamas mbrs. fire mortars and antitank rounds at the Fatah-controlled PA police headquarters. Other clashes are reported in and around Khan Yunis, nr. Jabaliya, and in Bayt Hanun. Several Palestinians are also kidnapped during the day in Hamas-Fatah rivalries: Fatah’s Brig. Gen. Sayyid Shaban, head of the PA National Security Forces in central Gaza (quickly released); senior Hamas cmdr. Ashraf Firwana; 2 teenage children of a Fatah col.; a senior Fatah official; a Fatah municipal official. A Fatah mbr. dies of injuries received in the latest round of intra-Palestinian fighting. Fighting also spreads to Nablus, where Fatah mbrs. kidnap, quickly release several Hamas mbrs. In Jabaliya r.c., PFLP mbrs., Islamist parties hold a sit-in to protest the ongoing Palestinian violence. In Ramallah, AMB mbrs. kidnap, kill an alleged Palestinian collaborator with Israel. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/29; OCHA 1/31; PCHR 2/1; AIC 2/13)

The IDF injures a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a hit-and-run incident nr. Tubas; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. several settlements nr. Bethlehem close off a main road southeast of Bethlehem to Palestinian traffic to protest the IDF’s ban on their using the road. In Jabaliya r.c, Hamas gunmen surround the home of local Fatah leader Mansur Shalail, attempting to detain him in connection with the killing of 2 Hamas supporters; after several hrs.10s of Hamas mbrs. storm the house exchange fire with Shalail and a supporter, leaving 2 Hamas mbrs. dead and withdrawing without detaining or harming Shalail. Meanwhile, Fatah mbrs. storm the al-Hidaya mosque in Gaza City, open fire on worshipers, killing 5 Palestinians, and taking 10 Hamas mbrs. hostage, threaten to kill them if Shalail is harmed; the 10 are not released after Shalail is left unharmed. The incident sparks heavily clashes (including mortar and RPG fire) btwn. Hamas, Fatah mbrs. in Gaza City, including a Hamas attacks on the PSF headquarters, gun battles outside the residences of Abbas, Zahhar, PA internal security head Rashid Abu Shibak of Fatah. Clashes are also reported in and around Jabaliya, in Khan Yunis. In total, 14 Palestinians are killed (including a 2-yr.-old boy killed during an exchange of gunfire btwn. Hamas, Fatah mbrs. in Khan Yunis), 45 wounded in intra-Palestinian fighting during the day. Fatah, Hamas say that national unity talks will be suspended until fighting ceases, each blaming the other for staring the violence. Hamas claims that talks were close to an agmt. when “putschists inside Fatah rushed to blow up the situation to serve their own interests and a foreign agenda.” (NYT, WP, WT 1/27; NYT, WT 1/28; OCHA 1/31; PCHR 2/1; AIC 2/13)

The IDF sends bulldozers, a helicopter into Nablus searching for wanted Palestinians, surrounds and partially bulldozes a home before realizing it is vacant, calls in reinforcements who clash with Palestinian gunmen and fire on stone-throwing youths, killing 1 armed Palestinian, a 15-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 5 Palestinians; fires on Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall in Anata, seriously injuring a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl; demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Tur in East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Qalqilya, and in Azariyya, Jenin town and r.c. A Palestinian is injured when he accidentally detonated unexploded IDF ordnance nr. Jabaliya r.c. In Ramallah, unidentified masked men set fire to 2 mobile TV units belonging to Saudi TV channels. (OCHA 1/24; PCHR 1/25)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers in Hebron beat a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy. The Fatah-aligned PA Government Employees Union (GEU; comprising some 80,000 members, about half of public workers, including 25,000 healthcare workers and 37,000 teachers) ends a strike that began on 9/2 to protest the Hamas-led PA’s failure to pay salaries (see Quarterly Update in JPS 142); the workers are to receive 1-mo.’s salary immediately, with the remaining back salaries paid in installments over the next 6 mos. In Jabaliya r.c., unidentified gunmen shoot, wound 2 PRC mbrs. (NYT 1/14; OCHA 1/17; PCHR 1/18)

U.S. Secy. of State Condoleezza Rice begins a 3-day tour of Israel, Ramallah, Egypt, Jordan to explore with Olmert, Abbas, Pres. Husni Mubarak of Egypt, King Abdallah of Jordan the possibilities of reviving road map implementation and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. (IFM, NYT, State Dept. press release, WP, WT 1/14; IFM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/15 MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/16; MM 1/18)

Egyptian troops demolish a smugglers’ tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tamun; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Kahil. PA security forces, ESF mbrs. exchange fire in Jabaliya r.c., wounding 1 Palestinian. Later, PA security forces, ESF mbrs. in Jabaliya clash again after the PA forces discover a tunnel under their base; no on is injured. (OCHA 1/17; PCHR 1/18)

IDF soldiers on the n. Gaza border fire on a group of Palestinians scavenging in the fmr. Dugit settlement site n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1. IDF soldiers on the central Gaza border fire on Palestinian shepherds who stray nr. the border fence nr. Bureij r.c., causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Kahil, Tubas, and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm (targeting Islamic Jihad); issues a military order confiscating 200 d. of Palestinian land nr. Tulkarm to build a fence around Avnei Hefetz settlement. The Israeli High Court rules that Palestinian residents of al-Hadidiyya (pop. 80) in the Jordan Valley pose a security threat to Jewish settlers in Ro’i settlement and must vacate the village by 2/10 or face eviction. In Bayt Lahiya, suspected Hamas gunmen fatally shoot an AMB mbr.; suspected Fatah mbrs. ambush an ESF patrol, wounding 2 ESF mbrs.; suspected Hamas mbrs. then kidnap 4 Fatah mbrs. In Khan Yunis, PSF and ESF forces clash, leaving 3 PSF officers dead (each side claims the other fired first); suspected Hamas mbrs. kidnap a PSF officer. In Jabaliya r.c, Fatah, Hamas mbrs. exchange gunfire, killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 9 Palestinians. In Tulkarm, unidentified gunmen fire on the Religious Affairs Min., causing no injuries. (REU 1/3; MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/4; OCHA 1/10; PCHR 1/11; OCHA 1/31)

The Israeli navy fires 7 shells at Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, causing no injuries, but forcing the boats to return to shore. Palestinian militants fire mortars at Qarni crossing, lightly injuring an Israeli truck driver. In Bayt Lahiya, a Hamas mbr. dies, 1 is wounded when a bomb he is handling explodes prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Tulkarm in a vehicle with Palestinian license pates to arrest a wanted Palestinian; sends undercover units into Balata in 2 vehicles with Palestinian license plates to arrest a wanted Palestinian, exchanging fire with the suspect, wounding him and a 2d Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tubas. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. in Jabaliya r.c. release all remaining mbrs. kidnapped on 1/1. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Lahiya, wounding 2 Palestinians. (MM 1/2; OCHA, WP 1/3; PCHR 1/11)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and in Aida r.c., Bayt Fajjar. In Jabaliya r.c., a Hamas mbr. shoots, wounds the brother of a senior Fatah mbr., violating a deal for a general truce btwn. the factions and prompting Fatah mbrs. to seize 10 Hamas mbrs., sparking an exchange of gunfire (leaving 3 wounded, including at least 1 bystander) and the retaliatory kidnapping of 7 Fatah mbrs.; Fatah releases 7 of the Hamas mbrs. later in the day. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen kidnap Peruvian AFP photographer Jaime Razuri; the Daghmash clan, reportedly behind the 8/27 kidnapping of 2 Fox News journalists in a bid to gain control of the local PRC faction, is reportedly behind the kidnapping, demanding that Hamas handover several mbrs. responsible for killing clan mbrs. in exchange for Razuri’s release. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/2; OCHA 1/3; NYT 1/7; PCHR 1/11)