The Palestine Chronology

Israel announces that it will build 3,000 new settlement housing units as a response to the successful Palestinian UN vote, as well as advance plans for thousands more units in occupied East Jerusalem and the area known as E1, between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim settlement. White House spokesperson Tommy Vietor says the Israeli decision is ‘‘counterproductive’’ and makes ‘‘it harder to resume direct negotiations or achieve a two-state solution.’’ Palestinian pres. Abbas says he has no immediate plans to take Israel before the ICC in The Hague, but suggests it could be a future option. (AFP, YA, HA, JP 11/30)

U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton praises the PA in a speech at Brookings Institutions’ Saban Forum 2012 in Washington, D.C., for ‘‘building a security force that works every single day with the IDF’’ and being ‘‘nationalistic—but largely secular.’’ (HA 12/1)

The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works in the Gaza Strip announces that the Hamas government will sign an agreement with Egypt next week to enable construction materials to enter the territory via the Rafah crossing. (MNA 12/1)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF fires on Palestinian civilians and farmers close to the border fence in separate incidents nr. Jabalya, Khan Yunis, al-Bureij r.c., and Bayt Hanun; a total of 10 Palestinian civilians are injured. The IDF also mortally wounds 1 Palestinian civilian nr. Rafah when Israeli forces open fire on dozens of Palestinians nr. the border fence; he dies on 12/1. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, 1 village each nr. Jericho and Hebron in the afternoon, and in Hebron and 1 village each nr. Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah, and Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Ramallah at night. Israeli soldiers violently disperse weekly nonviolent demonstrations held by Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Nabi Salih) and 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma‘sara). There are no serious injuries, except in Bil‘in, where 1 Palestinian is shot in the hand with a rubber-coated metal bullet, and another Palestinian is wounded in the leg by a tear-gas canister. (PCHR 12/6)

An Israeli official tells the media that U.S.-Israeli efforts to soften the wording of the Palestinians’ resolution for the UNGA have failed, though reports indicate that the U.S. is still trying to convince key countries not to support it. Other reports suggest that the UK will back the bid if Abbas agrees not to use the upgrade to take Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague. France says it will vote in favor. (Guardian, HA, JP, REU 11/27)

Investigators exhume the remains of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah in order to seek possible traces of poison. A Palestinian medical team worked with Swiss, French, and Russian forensic teams, before the tomb is resealed. French magistrates opened a murder inquiry into Arafat’s death in August, following findings by a Swiss institute of high levels of polonium on Arafat’s clothing supplied by his widow Suha, as part of an Al Jazeera investigation. (AFP, REU 11/27)

Former Israeli FM Tzipi Livni announces that she is leaving the Kadima party and will run in the forthcoming elections as the head of a new party, Hatnua. A handful of Kadima MKs resign from the party and are expected to join her new party. (YA 11/27)

In Gaza, a Fatah delegation joins Hamas PM Ismail Haniyeh for a ceremony to honor families bereaved in Operation Pillar of Defense. Meanwhile, Palestinian factions hold a meeting in Gaza Strip and agree to hold a joint rally raising Palestinian flags to support the UN bid. (MNA 11/27)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF opens fire on farmers and civilians nr. Jabalya at the border fence, causing no injuries. The IDF opens fire nr. Rafah at Palestinians nr. the border, wounding 1. The IDF also fires warning shots at Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin, and conducts house searches and arrest raids in Tulkarm at night. Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails launch a 1-day hunger strike in solidarity with long-term hunger strikers Ayman Sharawna and Samer Issawi. (MNA 11/27; PCHR 11/29)

Kadima head Shaul Mofaz arrives in Washington for his 1st official visit as Israel’s vice PM in charge of overseeing peace process issues. He meets with U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton and U.S. security officials and urges the U.S. to support reviving peace talks with the Palestinians, stating that the greatest threat to Israel is not Iran but a Palestinian demographic majority. He presents his own peace plan (1st unveiled in 2009 and not endorsed by Netanyahu), which calls for the creation of an interim Palestinian state with temporary borders on 60% of the West Bank, land swaps making up for the other 40%, and Israel’s permanent control over most settlement areas. (WP 6/20)

Israeli drones and warplanes carry out another 5 air strikes across Gaza, leaving at least 2 armed Palestinians and 1 Palestinian child dead and 10 Palestinians (2 armed, 8 civilian) wounded. The strikes include (1) an air strike on Gaza City targeting 2 members of the Salafist Tawhid and Jihad (TAJ) group whom Israel now alleges were involved in the 6/18 attack on Israel from the Sinai (1 TAJ member is killed, 1 is wounded; a family picnicking nearby is also hit, leaving a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy dead, and 4 mbrs. of his family, including 3 children, seriously injured); (2) 2 missiles fired at a rocket-launching team in Rafah (1 armed Palestinian killed, 1 wounded); (3) air strikes on 2 IQB training camps in Jabaliya r.c. and Nussayrat r.c. (injuring 5 bystanders in nearby homes). Meanwhile, Palestinians fire more rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a house but causing no injuries. Since 6/17, Israel has carried out at least 17 air strikes on Gaza, and Palestinians have fired more than 100 rockets and mortars. By late evening, Hamas officials in Gaza say that Gaza’s factions have agreed to an Egyptian-brokered cease-fire with Israel to end 3 days of cross-border violence. In addition, Israeli naval vessels fire on and detain 3 Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza shore, questioning 6 fishermen (all released on 6/21). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Salfit, and nr. Hebron and Jenin; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho. (YA 6/20; NYT, PCHR, WP 6/21; PCHR 6/28; OCHA 6/29)

Overnight, the YESHA settlers’ council reaches a deal with the Israeli government to peacefully evacuate Ulpana outpost in exchange for a promises that 300 new housing units will be built in neighboring Beit El settlement and that the deal would not be used as a precedent for deciding the fate of other unauthorized settlement outposts. Meanwhile, some 1,000 Israeli police officers undergo special training to prevent violence and injuries during the Ulpana evacuation. (NYT 6/20)

Several U.S. representatives from both parties testifying before the House Armed Services Comm. recommend that the Pentagon begin preparing for military action against Iran, including expediting deployment of bunker-busting munitions that could target Iran’s underground facilities. (WP 6/21)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on open areas nr. the border fence e. of Khuza’ and Khan Yunis, damaging 2 houses but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm. OCHA reports that since 4/7, 3 Palestinian children have been injured when they accidentally triggered unexploded IDF ordnance nr. Rafah and Jabaliya r.c. (PCHR 4/12; OCHA 4/13)

Israel says it plans to prevent the entry of 100s of pro-Palestinian activists expected to fly into Israel’s Ben-Gurion airport over the next few days as part of a nonviolent protests called by Palestinian activists. This is the 2d “flytilla” that Palestinians have organize (the 1st was in 7/2011; see QU in JPS 161). (WP, WT 4/11)

Iran announces that it has arrested an Israeli-backed “terrorist team” of 15 people (Iranians and foreigners) that planned attacks inside Iran, stating that “heavy bombs, machine guns, handguns, silencers, military and telecommunications equipment, and other terrorist tools” were found on the team. Israel declines to comment. (WP 4/11; NYT 5/16)

Israeli pres. Shimon Peres sends a letter to U.S. Pres. Obama requesting clemency for convicted spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard, citing his declining health. Today, Peres also forwards 2 petitions he has received urging him to seek Pollard’s release: 1 signed by 35,000 Israeli citizens (including fmr. captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit) and 1 from 80 Israeli MKs. (WJW 4/12)

Israeli warplanes make 6 late-night air strikes targeting a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border in Yibna r.c. (causing no injuries); a home in Rafah (phoning the family 5 mins. in advance to warn them to leave); an open area nr. Khan Yunis (no injuries); a storage building in Nussayrat r.c. (no injuries); and a grocery store in Bayt Lahiya (damaging 13 nearby buildings; lightly injuring 3 bystanders, including 2 children). Israeli drones make air strikes on 2 Palestinian homes in Jabaliya (lightly injuring 1 Palestinian; damaging 8 homes, an elementary school nearby). In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 30 d. of Palestinian land in Jayyus village n. of Qalqilya, in an area where Jewish settlers have previously attempted to place mobile homes to expand Tzofim settlement; patrols in 6 villages nr. Ramallah and 2 villages nr. Qalqilya in the morning; and in Tulkarm and 3 nearby villages, and 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon. The IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya. (JP 2/3; PCHR 2/9; OCHA 2/10)

UN Secy.-Gen Ban makes a brief visit to Gaza to inaugurate a UN-funded housing project. Relatives of Palestinians jailed in Israel try to block his entry to the Erez crossing to protest his refusal to meet with them. During the visit, Ban calls on Israel to maintain the cease-fire with Gaza and allow Gaza’s borders to open for trade. Later, he addresses the Herzliya conference, telling Israeli officials and analysts to “think carefully about how to empower those on the other side who wish for peace.” (WP, WT 2/3)