The Palestine Chronology

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troopsstationed along the n. border open fire on a group of stonethrowing Palestinians, injuring 4. A Palestinian is injured in an explosion nr. the French Cultural Center in Gaza City. (A small armed group takes responsibility for the attack on 12/18.) In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements, and occupation, as well as the recent death of a senior PA official on 12/10 nr. Ramallah, Nablus, Hebron, and 1 village nearby (Bayt Umar), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). Two Palestinians are hit by tear gas canisters in Bil‘in and 7 are shot with rubbercoated metal bullets elsewhere. Meanwhile, a Palestinian man throws vinegar at a family of 5 Israeli settlers nr. Bethlehem, lightly injuring all of them. (The Israeli press 1st reported the story as an acid attack.) Another Israeli settler hits the Palestinian man with his car and shoots him in the leg, moderately injuring him. Shin Bet officers arrive soon after to detain the Palestinian man. The IDF then conducts a raid of his home. Separately, Palestinians throw stones at IDF troops on a patrol of Bayt Umar nr. Hebron, sparking clashes in which 3 Palestinians are injured with rubber-coated metal bullets. The IDF also patrols in the n. Jordan Valley, where they assault a Palestinian farmer and lightly injure him. IDF troops fire tear gas at dozens of Palestinians throwing stones at the soldiers; 1 Palestinian youth and 1 Israeli officer are injured. Israeli soldiers also conduct a raid s. of Bethlehem; patrol in Tulkarm. Following a march marking Hamas’s 27th anniversary, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli police increase their patrols and deploy additional officers around Haram al-Sharif. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WP, YA 12/12; MNA, TOI 12/13; IMEMC 12/14; AFP, PCHR 12/18; EI 12/22)

The Israel Prison Service threatens to move the 70 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike since 12/9 to criminal sections of their prisons, which would decrease their quality of life, if they continue their strike. (MNA 12/12)

U.S. Secy. of State Kerry phones Russian FM Sergey Lavrov and PA Pres. Abbas separately to discuss the French and Palestinian draft UNSC res. Kerry pressures Abbas not to end security coordination with Israel in response to the 12/10 death of senior PA official Ziad Abu Ein. Following the call, senior PLO and Fatah officials postpone their meeting to discuss a response until 12/14. (JP, MNA 12/13)

The Portuguese parliament adopts a recommendation calling on the govt. to recognize Palestinian statehood “in coordination with the EU.” (AFP, TOI 12/12; HA, IMEMC, WAFA 12/13)

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Russia for talks with Pres. Vladimir Putin about the peace process and regional developments, including Syria. Netanyahu asks Putin not to supply S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Bashar al-Asad’s regime. (HA 5/14)

The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Fatou Bensouda says she will open a preliminary examination into Israel’s 2010 attack on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid flotilla, following a referral from Comoros, to which one of the vessels raided was registered. (REU 5/14)

Thousands of Palestinians hold Nakba Day rallies in cities across the West Bank; the IDF violently disperses protesters in al-Khader, causing no serious injuries. The IDF also patrols in al- ‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, injuring 1 Palestinian in clashes. Jewish settlers uproot around 150 trees south of Nablus and also set fire to Palestinian agricultural lands in Bayt Furik village nr. Nablus. There is also a ‘‘price tag’’ attack in in Umm al-Qutuf village in Wadi Ara, a Palestinian village inside the Green Line, in which suspected Jewish extremists vandalize a mosque and 3 vehicles. (JTA, MNA, WAFA 5/14; PCHR 5/16)

Fatah and Hamas representatives hold reconciliation talks in Cairo. Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouq says the sides have pledged to complete formation of a long-anticipated unity government within 3 months (see QU 168 for details). (JP, MNA 5/14)

Egypt’s upper house holds a special session to discuss recent clashes (5/7) in al-Aqsa Mosque and demands the immediate expulsion of Israeli ambassador Ya’akov Amitai in protest, but the government takes no immediate action. (ToI 5/14)

Palestinian prisoner and administrative detainee Samer al-Issawi agrees to end his hunger strike—which has lasted for more than 8 months and inspired widespread Palestinian protest in solidarity—in exchange for an early release. At one such rally today, IDF soldiers clash with residents in Abu Dis, East Jerusalem, shooting and injuring 1. In the West Bank, Jewish settlers destroy hundreds of almond and olive trees in Bayt Dajan nr. Nablus, while in Dayr Jarir nr. Ramallah, settlers attack Palestinian property and set fire to 10 vehicles. The IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin and 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the morning, and in 1 village nr. Hebron, 2 villages nr. Jericho, 3 villages nr. Jenin, 1 village nr. Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Salfit and 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night. IDF soldiers conduct house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin and in 1 village nr. Jericho at night. The IDF conduct a ground incursion close to the border nr. Bayt Hanun and level land. (REU, WAFA 4/22; MNA 4/23; PCHR 4/25)

An Israeli delegation meets their Turkish counterparts in Ankara to discuss ways of improving bilateral relations, including the question of financial compensation by Israel to the families of Turkish activists killed on the Mavi Marmara in 2010. (JP 4/21)

Al-Ahram cites Palestinian government sources claiming that Palestinian pres. Mahmud Abbas has asked Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Turkey play a more prominent role in the drive for national reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. (HA 4/22)

U.S. Defense Secy. Chuck Hagel announces an arms deal with Israel at a press conference in Tel Aviv alongside Israeli DM Moshe Ya’alon. The sale includes V-22 Osprey helicopter-plane aircraft, refueling tankers, advanced radars for fighter jets, and advanced missiles that target air defenses. During their remarks, Ya’alon tacitly confirms that Israel was responsible for a 1/30 air strike on an army convoy in Syria, saying that Israel has already acted to stop weapons falling into Hizballah’s hands: ‘‘When they crossed this red line, we acted.’’ (AFP, JP 4/22)

In a meeting chaired by Pres. Abbas, the PLO Executive Comm. affirms the need for a UNSC resolution against Israeli settlement construction. Abbas also signs a decree changing the name of the PA to the ‘‘State of Palestine,’’ with all stamps, signs, and official letterheads set to carry the new name. (MNA 1/3; ToI 1/4)

IDF soldiers make a brief incursion into c. Gaza, e. of Juhur al-Dik, to level land 100 m inside the border fence. In the West Bank, Israeli undercover forces launch an arrest raid into Jenin, sparking a clash with a large crowd of stone-throwing Palestinians; troops open fire on the crowd, wounding 1 man in the leg. The IDF also patrols in 1 village each nr. Jericho, Ramallah, and Salfit in the morning, in 2 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Salfit and 1 village each nr. Jenin, Jericho, and Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin in the morning and in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Salfit at night. (MNA 1/3; PCHR 1/10)

An anonymous Israeli security source says that the IDF is planning to escalate arrest raids targeting Hamas mbrs. in the West Bank due to a ‘‘certain awakening’’ or simmering unrest. (YA 1/3)

Around 30,000 people participate in a festival in Nablus to mark Fatah’s 48th anniversary. Meanwhile, the movement’s supporters in the Gaza Strip begin to gather in preparation for their rally on 1/4. (MNA 1/3)

The Israeli organization Ir Amin reports that in 2012, publication of tenders for settlement apartments in East Jerusalem showed a three-fold increase compared to 2011 (rising to 2,386 units), and units approved for future construction a four-fold increase (to 6,932 units). (HA 1/3)

Head of Operations, Logistics, and Property at Israel’s Defense Ministry, Bezalel Treiber, says that in light of the war in Syria, the government is looking to improve the border fence with Syria and may do the same with Jordan, funds permitting. (NYT, ToI 1/3)

Speaking at an annual conference for Israel’s ambassadors abroad, PM Netanyahu says that Iran has not yet crossed the ‘‘red line’’ set by Israel on its nuclear program. The same gathering receives a Foreign Ministry paper predicting that the Syrian civil war has weakened the ability of Asad and Hizballah to respond in the event of an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. (JP, ToI 1/3)

UK foreign secretary William Hague urges the U.S. to take a ‘‘decisive lead’’ in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts in coming months, adding that ‘‘we’re coming to the final chance, maybe, for a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be successfully resolved.’’ (BBC 11/25)

Fatah Central Comm. mbr. Nabil Shaath announces that the PA will release Hamas-affiliated detainees as a gesture to boost reconciliation efforts. Hamas officials say they will move to release Fatah prisoners in the Gaza Strip. The leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine Saleh Zeidan reports that Pres. Mahmud Abbas will call a meeting of the PLO Reform Comm. in Cairo after returning from the UN to revive talks of expanding the PLO to include Hamas and Islamic Jihad as part of a national reconciliation deal. Meanwhile, Hamas officials in Gaza announce plans for Hamas leader Khalid Mishal to visit the Gaza Strip for the 1st time on 12/5, timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Hamas’s founding. (MNA, HA 11/25)

Israel successfully tests its David’s Sling missile defense system, designed to shoot down midrange missiles. Development of David’s Sling, like the Iron Dome long-range missile defense system, has been largely funded by the U.S. (AP 11/25)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF opens fire on farmers nr. Bayt Hanun in the morning and again in the afternoon, causing no injuries. The IDF also opens fire on Palestinians nr. Khan Yunis, lightly wounding 1 man. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the morning and 5 villages nr. Hebron, 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village each nr. Qalqilya and Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Nablus, Tulkarm, 1 village nr. Salfit, 1 village nr. Tubas, and 2 villages nr. Qalqilya at night. Suspected right-wing Jewish extremists vandalize 8 cars in the Palestinian neighborhood of Shu‘fat in occupied East Jerusalem in a ‘‘price-tag’’ attack. (HA, MNA 11/25; PCHR 11/29)

Turkish FM Ahmet Davutog˘lu tells CNN that Turkey will not make any concessions in order to resolve the diplomatic crisis with Israel, following reports (11/23) of an informal meeting in Geneva. (HA 11/25)

Gunfire coming from inside Syria hits an Israeli military vehicle in the occupied Golan Heights, causing no injuries. Israel lodges a complaint with the UN in response. (REU 11/25)