The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian as he attempts to cross the separation wall into Israel nr. Bethlehem. Elsewhere in the West Bank, the IDF arrests 14 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya; and patrols nr. Hebron. Israeli soldiers also assault and arrest a Palestinian attempting to stop them from arresting his mentally handicapped daughter. Israeli forces demolish 3 homes and a livestock barn in a small Bedouin village nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, dozens of Jewish settlers tour Haram al-Sharif. Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during raids in Silwan and the Old City. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. al-Bureij r.c. (MNA, WAFA 8/14; PCHR 8/17)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for a limited period, allowing 800 Palestinians from Gaza to embark on the pilgrimage to Mecca. (WAFA 8/14; OCHA 8/17)

In an unusual incident in Ramallah, 9 Israelis try to visit a Palestinian’s home for a fastbreaking meal, but stone-throwing Palestinian youths block them and set their vehicle on fire. PASF and IDF troops secure the group’s departure from the oPt. Meanwhile, the IDF arrests 3 Palestinians during late-night raids nr. Bethlehem and Tulkarm and patrols nr. Hebron and Ramallah throughout the day. Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to 2 residential buildings under construction and demolition notices to 4 structures nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 15 Palestinians during late-night raids in Ras al-Amud, Silwan, Qalandia r.c., and Wadi al-Juz. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish the bedouin village of al-Araqib for the 100th time in 6 years. (MNA, TOI 6/29; JP, PCHR 6/30; PCHR 7/14)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for the 1st of 5 planned days over the course of the next week. (OCHA 7/5)

Israel’s security cabinet approves the reconciliation deal with Turkey announced officially on 6/27. Only 3 ministers vote against it: DM Lieberman, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. During a debate over the deal in the Knesset, MK Haneen Zoabi (Joint List) calls the IDF soldiers who raided the Mavi Marmara in 5/2010 “murderers,” sparking a heated confrontation with several right-wing MKs. Later, PM Netanyahu pledges to expel Zoabi from the Knesset. (HA, JP, YA 6/29).

Following pressure from the Israeli NGO Adalah, Israeli police make public portions of their new rules of engagement, approved by Israel’s atty.-gen. in 9/2015 amid the surge of violence. The new rules authorize the police to respond to stone- or firecracker-throwing with live fire. (JP 7/4; HA 7/5)

In a 2d day of cross-border violence, Palestinians fire mortar shells at Israeli patrols along Gaza’s s. and n. borders in 3 separate incidents, causing no injuries or damage. Hamas will take credit for at least 1 of the shellings. Israeli forces launch artillery shells at the 3 sources of shelling and conduct at least 5 air strikes in s. Gaza, causing damage and no injuries. After the day’s violence, the IDF declares a region nr. the border a closed military zone and, according to Palestinian sources, IDF troops conduct unspecified operations along the border in Rafah and nr. Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in and around Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, arresting 6 Palestinians; patrols nr. Hebron. Israeli forces deliver a stop-work order to a Palestinian home under construction in Hebron. Israeli settlers attack a group of Palestinian schoolchildren in c. Hebron, causing no injuries, and assault a Palestinian activist nr. al-Ibrahimi Mosque, causing moderate injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during raids and patrols in Issawiyya and al-Tur. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish 2 homes in bedouin communities in the Negev and nr. Lydda. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 5/4; MNA, TOI 5/5; OCHA 5/6; PCHR 5/12)

Israeli PM Netanyahu’s office says that DM Ya’alon and Public Security Minister Erdan have been authorized, as of 5/1, to decide whether or not to return the bodies of Palestinians killed in confrontations with the IDF and Israeli police. This statement reverses Netanyahu’s decision, on 3/27, ordering Ya’alon not to return any bodies. (HA, YA 5/4)

The PLO Exec. Comm. decides to start implementing the PA’s threat to limit security coordination with the IDF if the “current situation” continues. PASF troops are instructed to implement the decision “under supervision of the Palestinian political echelon” and security agencies will decide how quickly to implement it. (MNA 5/7)

In the Gaza Strip, civil employees continue their strike for a 2d day, protesting the fact that they haven’t been paid a full salary since 6/2. Separately, almost 200 Palestinians gather nr. the French Cultural Center in Gaza City to protest the recent publication of cartoons featuring the Prophet Muhammad by Parisbased satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Gaza’s police arrest 7 of the protesters. Late at night after the protests, unknown assailants set off a homemade bomb under the car of an administrative official with Hamas’s military police, which was parked outside his home in Shaykh Radwan. Off the coast nr. al-Sudaniyya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. Additionally, Israeli naval forces capture a boat sailing from the Sinai to Gaza with materials for building rockets and detain the 3 Palestinians aboard, according to the IDF. (The incident will not be reported until 2/11, due to an IDF gag order.) In the West Bank, IDF troops expel 2 Palestinian women from their home in c. Hebron, then seal the property. In nearby villages, Israeli forces close 2 Palestinian-owned stores; destroy a well and an animal barn. They also deliver a stopwork order to a site nr. Jenin where Palestinians are building a new park. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids nr. Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, and at Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem neighborhoods, Israeli forces demolish 2 homes and a residential building. As a result, 1 Palestinian woman is injured with a rubber-coated metal bullet during clashes with IDF troops in Issawiyya. Nearby, Israeli forces arrest 9 Palestinians, including 1 pregnant Palestinian journalist and 4 other women at Haram al-Sharif. Across Israel, 100s of Palestinians gather to protest the killing of 2 Palestinian bedouins in Rahat on 1/14 and 1/18. After a funeral for the man killed on 1/18, clashes break out between residents of Rahat and Israeli police, but police refrain from using crowddispersal measures on orders from a district cmdr. Meanwhile, residents of Rahat continue their strike. (MNA, WAFA 1/19; JP, MNA, WAFA 1/20; HA, MEE 1/21; PCHR 1/22; OCHA 1/23; YA 2/11)

In Brussels, EU FMs agree to appeal the Gen. Court of the EU’s 12/17 decision to remove Hamas from the body’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. (AFP, JP 1/19)

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)

The IDF makes a brief early morning incursion into c. Gaza, searching and firing on residential areas in Bureij r.c., but entering no buildings and making no arrests. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 4 tents, 3 barnyards, and 3 residential barracks in a bedouin encampment in al-Maleh in the Jordan Valley; demolishes 2 barnyards nr. Tubas. The IDF also patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, and 1 village nr. Ramallah in the evening; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Bethlehem, and nr. Ramallah (firing on the occupants of 1 raided home, wounding 3 Palestinians); conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha settlement nr. Nablus attack Palestinian farmers working their land nearby; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops begin leveling a large area of Palestinian agricultural land in Kafr Lakif village nr. Qalqilya; local Palestinian gather to protest and are informed by the IDF that the area has been approved for construction of an industrial zone; the soldiers agree to suspend the digging until the matter is clarified but bar Palestinians from the site. (PCHR 3/29; OCHA 3/30)

Jailed Fatah tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti issues a statement on the 10th anniversary of his arrest by Israel that is read to a crowd of supporters in Ramallah, stating that “the launch of large-scale popular resistance at this stage serves the cause of our people.” He also calls for “stopping all forms of security and economic coordination [with Israel] in all areas immediately.” (JPI 4/6)

Israel severs working relations with the UNHRC over the 3/22/12 res. calling for an investigation into settlements, calling the council biased against Israel. (NYT, WP, WT 3/27; JPI 4/6)

The U.S. Supreme Court orders a lower court to decide whether Americans born in Jerusalem can claim Israel as their birthplace on their passports. Congress approved legislation in 2002 allowing this, but the executive branch has claimed Congress overstepped its authority by attempting to override the president’s right to set foreign policy. The U.S. officially recognizes Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory and does not recognize Israel’s claim to united Jerusalem as its capital. (NYT 3/27; WJW 3/29)

J Street holds its annual conference. Fmr. Israeli PM Ehud Olmert gives the keynote speech at the gala dinner, emphasizing that PA pres. Abbas “wants peace with Israel and he accepts the existence of Israel as Israel declares itself to be.” (JPI 4/6)

Israeli and Palestinian officials issue opposing statements on the content of Israel’s principles on borders presented in the Jordanian-sponsored exploratory talks last quarter. Israeli officials say the principles “effectively means a withdrawal from 90% of the West Bank,” similar to proposals made by Israel at the 2008 Annapolis conference. Palestinian officials counter that Israel never presented maps or discussed percentages, stating “If they wanted to say 90% they should have said 90%.” (WT 2/24)

Jerusalem Post reports that Naftali Bennett, former head of PM Netanyahu’s office and a former head of the YESHA settlers council who has recently launched a new group called One State Israel, has started circulating his proposed solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict to Israel’s political and military elites, who reportedly give it “high praise.” His “Israel Stability Initiative,” which he describes as “a practical plan for managing the . . . conflict,” calls for: (1) Israel unilaterally extending sovereignty over West Bank area C (60% of the West Bank); (2) granting citizenship to the 50,000 (by his estimate; as of 8/2011, OCHA put the figure at 150,000) Palestinians in Area C; (3) full PA “autonomy” in and freedom of movement among West Bank areas A and B; (4) no right of return for Palestinian refugees and no access for Palestinian refugees to areas under PA control; (5) a “full Israeli security umbrella” covering all of the West Bank; (6) the permanent separation of Gaza from the West Bank; and (7) heavy Israeli investment in economic projects in the West Bank that reinforce separation, such as joint industrial zones and separate road networks. (JP 2/23; YA 2/24; Foreign Policy online 5/1; see also OCHA, “Displacement and Insecurity in Area C of the West Bank,” 8/2011)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In retaliation, Israeli warplanes and IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on open areas e. of Khan Yunis, causing no reported injuries. Late at night, after unidentified Palestinians fire another 2 Qassam rockets into Israel (causing no damage or injuries), Israeli warplanes make 3 air strikes on a group of armed Palestinians operating nr. Gaza City and on a Hamas training base in n. Gaza, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops nr. Hebron uproot 690 trees and bulldoze 22 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of agricultural land, a well and water tank, and 800 meters (m) of fence surrounding the fields, located in Surif village; and demolish a mosque, a school, and 19 shelters in Khirbat Janba bedouin community; conducts daytime patrols in Qalqilya, Tulkarm, 4 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Jenin (accidentally damaging 1 home and a water network when an IDF vehicle gets stuck); conducts afternoon and evening patrols in Qalqilya and 1 nearby village, Tulkarm and 3 nearby villages, and 1 village nr. Salfit; conducts late night patrols nr. Qalqilya. In Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest 7 Palestinians for jeering a group of Jews touring the Temple Mount/alAqsa Mosque compound. (JP 2/23; JP, WT, YA 2/24; PCHR 3/1; OCHA 3/2)

PA pres. and Fatah head Abbas holds separate meetings in Cairo with Hamas leader Mishal and Hamas’s acting PM in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh (marking their 1st meeting since 2007). Afterward, Fatah officials stated (Jerusalem Post 2/26) that Abbas has agreed to Mishal’s request to suspend talks on implementation of the 5/2011 Fatah-Hamas unity deal until Hamas resolves its internal disputes. (REU 2/23; JP 2/26)

IDF troops make a brief incursion into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Lahiya for unknown reasons and are engaged by a Hamas border patrol unit, causing no initial casualties; the IDF troops call in artillery fire, directing at least 4 shells at the surrounding area (forcing local farmers to flee, injuring 2 civilians, and damaging a civilian vehicle), and deploy drones and helicopters to chase and fire missiles at Hamas mbrs., firing at least 3 missiles that kill 2 IQB mbrs. and cause some collateral damage. In the West Bank, the IDF takes down several electricity poles supplying bedouin encampments nr. Havat Maon unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Hebron, stating that no permit was obtained to expand electricity services; patrols in Tulkarm in the morning and 1 village nr. Ramallah late at night. (PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

Israel announces it has signed a prisoner swap agreement in Cairo with Hamas, which agreed to free IDF soldier Gilad Shalit (captured on the Gaza border in 6/2006). In return, Israel will release around 1,027 Palestinian prisoners in 2 stages: the 1st 450 Palestinians would be exchanged for Shalit within a wk.; the remaining 550 or so Palestinians would be freed within 2 mos. In Gaza, 1,000s pour into the streets to celebrate. (NYT, WP, WT 10/12; NYT, WP 10/13; NYT 10/17, 11/6)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops in Hebron violently beat a group of Palestinian children and teachers who refuse new IDF demands to submit to searches before crossing a permanent checkpoint in al-Shuhada Street to reach the Cordoba Elementary School, moderately injuring 7 children (ages 10–15). The IDF also demolishes a newly constructed mosque in Khirbat Yazra nr. Tubas; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes and an animal pen belonging to a bedouin family outside Qalqilya; conducts synchronized latenight patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya. (YA 10/11; PCHR 10/13; OCHA 10/14)

In the West Bank, IDF troops supported by Israeli border police uproot 600 olive saplings and demolish 4 houses and 10 tents in Khirbet Um Nir s. of Hebron, displacing 8 Bedouin families (50 individuals). The IDF also patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning and 4 villages nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Jericho, and 1 nr. Ramallah late in the evening; makes a late-night incursion into Jenin r.c., surrounding and raiding a home, arresting 1 Palestinian. (OCHA, PCHR 5/12)

In the morning, the IDF makes 2 brief incursions into Gaza to level land along the border fence in s. Gaza to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 8 tents (home to 40 Bedouin) and 2 wells nr. Suissa settlement outside Hebron; sends some 40 undercover troops into Salim nr. Nablus, where they raid an apartment building and arrest a wanted Palestinian; patrols in and around Tulkarm, in Qalqilya, and in villages nr. Jenin in the morning, summoning 4 Palestinians to appear for questioning; conducts late-night patrols in al-Bireh, Qalqilya, and 2 village nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Bat Ayin nr. Hebron uproot at least 250 olive trees in nearby Jab’a village. (WT 2/23; PCHR 2/24; OCHA 2/25)

After a televised speech in which Libya’s Col. Qaddafi vows to hunt down and kill protesters “house by house,” 1,000s of his supporters take to the streets of Tripoli brandishing machetes and join trucks heading to outlying areas to conduct neighborhood searches. With most residents bunkered in their homes and media outlets cut off, the extent of the violence in the Tripoli area is unclear. Rights groups estimate that 519 Libyans have been killed, 3,980 have been wounded, and at least 1,500 have gone missing since violence erupted a wk. ago. Hereafter, fighting quickly devolves into bitter civil war. (NYT, WP, WT 2/23; NYT, WP, WT 2/2; NYT, WP, WT 2/25; NYT, WP, WT 2/26–3/1)

In Bahrain, more than 100,000 protesters (a fifth of the population, mostly Shi‘a) turn out for the largest prodemocracy rally to date in Pearl Square calling for the govt. and the monarchy to step down. (NYT, WP, WT 2/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm and 2 villages nr. Jenin, making no arrests; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. In Jerusalem, Israeli police and municipal authorities crack down on Palestinian street vendors operating without licenses, confiscating their goods and fining them $270. Inside Israel, 1,300 Israeli police evict 300 bedouin fr. the unofficial village of al-Arakib before dawn, then level the village, demolishing 45 structures including homes and chicken coops to make way for the Jewish National Fund to plant a forest. (BBC, JAZ, YA 7/27; HA 7/28; PCHR 7/29; OCHA 7/30; Inter Press Service 8/10; WJW 8/12; NYT 8/26)

The IDF sends troops back into n. Gaza to level more land along the border fence nr. Bayt Hanun (see 7/14). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 19 Bedouin tents and animal pens along the Ramallah–Jericho road belonging to 7 Bedouin families, displacing 50 Palestinians, including 32 children; conducts late-night house searches in Bethlehem (including the home of Abbas adviser Brig. Kifah Barakat, stating that he had “overstepped red lines” in Jerusalem, not further explained), Jenin town and r.c., and Tulkarm r.c., making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. and Nablus, nr. Hebron and Jenin. Israel grants Israeli Palestinians permission to travel to Nablus by car for the mo.- long Nablus shopping festival (ends 8/16); they have previously been allowed to enter Nablus on foot only, leaving their cars at IDF checkpoints at the entrance to the city. (PCHR 7/16; OCHA, PCHR 7/23)

The IDF makes a late-night incursion into n. Gaza to level land along the n. border fence nr. Bayt Hanun. In the West Bank, the IDF raids and demolishes a bedouin encampment in al-Fahm southeast of Nablus, demolishing 8 homes and livestock pens, confiscating the contents and displacing 50 Palestinians; demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem, displacing a mother, father, and 5 children; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. In keeping with separation wall construction work begun on 4/19, the IDF declares 4,000 d. of Palestinian land s. of Hebron (belonging to the villages of ‘Arab al-Ramadin, Dura, and Dahariyya) a closed military zone. (PCHR 4/23; OCHA, PCHR 4/29)

Israel orders borders with Gaza sealed after an early warning system detects a rocket launch fr. Gaza into Israel, but later admits that the system malfunctioned and no rocket was fired; the seal is lifted. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Bethlehem, and nr. Hebron (raiding 2 Palestinian colleges, detaining 27 students for questioning); demolishes 36 structures (approx. 23 dwellings and 13 animal pens) belonging to bedouin families in Mughayyir al-Dir, outside Ramallah and adjacent to Mitzpe Dani settlement outpost, displacing 97 individuals (including 51 children), on the grounds that the structures were built in a closed military zone. Jewish settler girls (ages 12–17) stone Israeli border police demolishing an “illegal structure” in Givat Harsina outpost in Hebron, injuring 2 officers; the girls are arrested. Hamas releases 17 Fatah mbrs. fr. detention in Gaza, saying they are the only political prisoners being held and are being freed as a gesture to Fatah before national unity talks set to open in Cairo on 11/9 (see 10/20). (OCHA, REU, YA 10/30; YA 11/2; XIN 11/5; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6)

Another FGM boat (see 8/23) carrying 27 international activists defies Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, sails into a Gaza port delivering humanitarian supplies; Israeli naval vessels do not challenge the boat. In the West Bank, IDF troops operating in Yamun village nr. Jenin before dawn fatally shoot a 67-yr.-old Palestinian shepherd who fired a rifle at the patrol fearing they were rustlers; demolish 6 structures in the bedouin village of Umm al-Khayr nr. Carmiel settlement s. of Hebron, displacing 45 Palestinians, including a 1-wk.-old baby; conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem and Hebron. Israel’s High Court orders Jewish settlers to vacate the illegal outpost of Beit Shalom, in the al-Rajabi building in Hebron, within 24 hrs. or face eviction (at the end of the quarter, however, the settlers have not been forced to leave). Israel’s High Court also gives approval for the demolition of the historic Ma’man Allah Muslim cemetery (4,000 tombs) in West Jerusalem for construction of the Center for Human Dignity–Museum of Tolerance, designed by Frank Gehry. (NYT, PCHR, WP 10/30; OCHA 11/5; PCHR 11/6; OCHA 11/19s)

In the West Bank, the IDF makes a morning incursion into Ni‘lin, surrounding and firing tear gas into a girls school for no apparent reason while classes are in session (10s of students suffer tear gas inhalation), then fires on 10s of stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 7; destroys an unlicensed fruit and vegetable stand nr. the Qalandia checkpoint that provides the only source income for 6 Palestinian families; demolishes 32 bedouin structures in Mu’arrajat nr. Ramallah, displacing 60 bedouin (including 36 children); seizes Palestinian land in Hebron to erect a new electricity network to serve local Jewish settlements; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in Dahaysha r.c. and Nablus, and in al-‘Askra village nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba stone Palestinian elementary school students on their way home fr. school, occupy the yards of 2 Palestinian homes and hold prayers (the IDF removes them). (OCHA 9/10; PCHR 9/11; AIC 11/9)

The Pentagon announces a $77-m. deal to sell Israel 1,000 GBU-39 bunker-buster munitions. Israeli military experts say the bombs would not be suitable for an attack on Iran but “could provide a powerful new weapon” against Gaza. (AP 9/15)

The PFLP fires a rocket (the IDF alleges a Grad) fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting nr. Ashqelon, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 4 Palestinian homes (displacing 31 Palestinians) nr. Tubas, another 4 homes in Bayt Dajan in the Jordan Valley (also displacing 31 Palestinians), 2 bedouin tents nr. Hebron, and 2 shops in Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis and Jabal Mukabir nr. Jerusalem, Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya (firing on residential areas, wounding 7 Palestinians, including a woman and 5 children), and Qabatya, as well as nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. (IFM, NYT, OCHA 3/12; PCHR 3/13)

In response to IDF attacks on 2/5, Palestinians fire at least 20 rockets and mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, injuring 2 Israeli girls (ages 1, 12) playing outside in Kibbutz Beeri. The IDF then steps up air strikes and shelling of Hamas targets around Bayt Hanun, Gaza City, Jabaliya r.c., and Khan Yunis, wounding at least 3 Hamas mbrs. and an 80-yr.-old woman. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, bedouin tents, and 2 merchandise stalls in Jiftlik in the Jordan Valley, displacing 29 Palestinians; demolishes 4 tents, 9 animal pens, 2 other structures belonging to bedouin families nr. Tubas, displacing 30 Palestinians; bulldozes a room of a home nr. the separation wall in Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus and in Hebron (again targeting the homes of the alleged 2/4 bombers), Qabatya, Ramallah, Tulkarm. Israeli authorities demolish 1 Palestinian home in the Old City of Jerusalem (leaving 30 Palestinians homeless). (PCHR, WP 2/7; OCHA 2/13; PCHR 2/14)

The IDF makes an air strike on Gaza City, targeting a car carrying PRC mbrs., hitting another car instead, killing 3 Palestinian civilians (including a 5-yr.-old boy), wounding other bystanders; makes an air strike on a car nr. al-Bureij r.c., assassinating PRC mbrs. Wa’il Ahil and Muhammad Safadi, wounding 1 bystander; fires a missile across the border at PRC mbrs. nr. Jabaliya r.c., seriously wounding 2; for unknown reasons makes an air strike on a tract of agricultural land (exact location not reported), wounding a 65-yr.-old Palestinian man. Palestinians fire 50 rockets and mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel; 19 land inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF evicts 5 bedouin families (30 Palestinians) living nr. Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Silwad nr. Ramallah, nr. Tulkarm; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Nablus; evacuates 2 unauthorized settlement outposts, removing 20 settlers; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at demonstrators in Hebron protesting IDF attacks on Gaza, wounding 4. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim stone Palestinian vehicles traveling on Road 55 nr. Qalqilya, damaging 2. (PCHR, WP 1/17; PCHR 1/19; OCHA 1/23; PCHR 1/24)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Gaza City, clashing with local gunmen and calling in air strikes in support, killing 7 Palestinian gunmen (including 4 Hamas, 2 PRC mbrs.), wounding 4 bystanders. In an apparent assassination attempt, the IDF fires a missile at a car nr. Nussayrat r.c. driven by a senior PRC mbr., leaving him unharmed but injuring 3 PRC mbrs. traveling with him. Citing humanitarian concerns, Egypt allows 2,152 Palestinian pilgrims, including at least 1 senior Hamas official, to return to Gaza via the Rafah crossing, angering Israel; 1,000s of Hamas supporters rally at the crossing to welcome the pilgrims home. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 7 bedouin tents nr. Mikhmas outside Ramallah, displacing 60 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Jenin town and r.c.; occupies a vacant Palestinian home in Kafr Dan nr. Jenin as an observation post; patrols in Tulkarm, firing live ammunition at stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1 teenager. Jewish settlers fr. Matityahu settlement attempt to set up 2 trailers on Palestinian land in Bil‘in; the IDF removes the settlers. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/3; OCHA 2/9; PCHR 1/10)

Olmert convenes his security cabinet, which declares Gaza “hostile territory” controlled by a “terrorist organization” (Hamas); imposes additional sanctions on Gaza with the stated aim of reducing Palestinian rocket fire, including cutting back fuel and electricity services to the Strip, further reducing imports to and travel from Gaza. Early in the morning, the IDF sends troops into al-Shuka to raid and search homes. The IDF also makes an air strike on a PRCtraining camp e. of Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF continues operations in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a for a 2d day, raiding and searching homes, fatally shooting a mentally handicapped Palestinian who steps onto his balcony, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 8; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in Jenin, Qalqilya, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Karmiel settlement nr. Hebron vandalize a nearby, fenced-in crop area planted by local bedouin to feed their herds.Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on an ESF patrol nr. Shati’ r.c. in Gaza, injuring 2 ESF officers. Nr. Gaza City, the ESF intervenes to prevent a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. fr. firing rockets into Israel, sparking an exchange of gunfire that leaves no reported injuries. In Rafah, unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. (IFM 9/19; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 9/20; NYT 9/22; IFM 9/24; OCHA 9/26; PCHR 9/27)

In Beirut, unidentified assailants detonate a car bomb assassinating Christian Phalange party MP Antoine Ghanem (the 8th anti-Syrian figure killed in the past 3 yrs.), reducing the governing coalition’s parliamentary majority to 67 of 128 seats only 6 days before parliament is to convene to elect a new pres. by simple majority. Ghanem’s bodyguard and 5 bystanders are also killed; 56 are wounded (19 seriously). (REU 9/19; NYT, WP, WT 9/20; NYT, WT 9/21)

After Islamic Jihad fires several rockets fr. Gaza into Israel (causing no reported injuries), the IDF makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City assassinating Islamic Jihad mbr. Hussam Harb, wounding a 2d Islamic Jihad mbr., 3 bystanders. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Nablus for a night, causing no injuries. Inside Israel, Israeli security forces demolish several bedouin homes in Um al-Hiram in the Negev. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in interfactional violence in Gaza City on 6/13. (WP 6/25; OCHA 6/27; PCHR 6/28)

Outside Metula in s. Lebanon, unidentified assailants detonate a car bomb as a UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) convoy passes, killing 6 UNIFIL soldiers (3 Columbians, 3 Spaniards), wounding 2 in the 1st targeted attack on the international mission since the 2006 Lebanon war. Amal, Hizballah denounce the attack, deny involvement. (NYT, WP, WT 6/25; NYT 7/7)

The IDF makes air strikes on a car in Bayt Lahiya, assassinating 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. (Muhammad Abu Nima, Mahmud Awad, Majid al-Batash, ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Hilu); on an alleged weapons factory in Gaza City, damaging several neighboring houses but causing no injuries; on a group of armed Palestinians in al-Bureij r.c., missing them, hitting a building, damaging 7 homes, injuring 4 bystanders (including a 1-yr.-old child). The IDF also conducts an arrest raid in Bayt Lahiya. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Comms. (PRCs) fire 15 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel (3 land in Gaza), hitting a car in Sederot, killing 1 Israeli woman (the 11th killed by Palestinian rocket fire since rockets came into use in 1/02; the previous deadly strike occurred on 11/21/06), wounding 2 men. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and in Balata r.c. (targeting the AMB), Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Jewish settler teenagers fr. Karmi’el nr. Hebron throw stones at a bedouin woman nr. Yatta, injuring her. Fatah mbrs. shoot, wound 2 Hamas mbrs. in Khan Yunis and set fire to a library on the campus of the predominantly Hamas College of Science and Technology. An NSF mbr. dies of injuries received in clashes with Hamas on 5/16. (NYT, WP, WT 5/22; OCHA, WP 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

The Lebanese army’s siege of Nahr al-Barid r.c. continues overnight. During the day, fighting is heavy: Army snipers atop buildings surrounding the camp firing on anyone moving in the streets inside, soldiers open machine gun fire on anyone trying to leave the camp; FI responds with automatic weapons, mortar fire, anti-aircraft guns; the army responds with artillery, tank fire. (The army also surrounds the volatile ‘Ayn al-Hilwa r.c. as a precaution, prompting armed Palestinian factions there to go on alert.) The UN secures a brief cease-fire in the afternoon, allowing the evacuation of 16 wounded Palestinian civilians fr. the camp before FI breaks the truce. Lebanese PM Fuad Siniora asks the U.S. to expedite $280 m. in previously pledged military aid to more effectively combat FI. After dark, army shelling of Nahr al-Barid increases significantly. In Beirut, another car bomb explodes in the predominantly Sunni Verdun area, wounding 6 Lebanese, setting 2 buildings on fire. (AP, NYT, REU 5/21; NYT, WP, WT 5/22; NYT, WP 5/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids in al-Til and neighboring ‘Allar; fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinians demonstrating against Israeli excavations at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 2. In addition to the weekly nonviolent demonstration in Bil‘in, 100s of Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists take part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall nr. Bethlehem, Marda, Salfit, Tulkarm; in each case, the IDF fires tear gas, percussion grenades to disperse the demonstrators, injuring several. In an evacuated settlement site nr. Khan Yunis, 1 Hamas mbr. is killed, 9 are wounded when explosives they are handling during a training exercise accidentally detonate. Nr. Rafah, 3 Palestinians are injured when they accidentally trigger an unexploded IDF shell. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Hadasah in Hebron chase, severely beat 3 Palestinians (ages 10, 40, 55); the IDF intervenes, arrests 1 Palestinian. The bedouin residents of the unrecognized village of al-Nasara in the Negev report that over the past 3 wks., Israel has issued eviction orders to around 250 residents, declaring plans to build an IDF installation on the site of the village. (NYT 3/31; OCHA 4/4; PCHR 4/5)

The IDF continues operations in Nablus, clashing with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 1 unarmed Palestinian dead, 8 wounded. During operations, a curfew remains in place, with the IDF bulldozing and damaging several Palestinian homes and shops to widen access to the Old City for IDF vehicles, raiding and searching homes, rounding up 10s of Palestinians for interrogation, continuing to occupy Palestinian TV and radio stations, broadcasting the names of 7 wanted mbrs. of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) for whom they are searching, reportedly uncovering another 2 bombmaking labs. The IDF also demolishes 6 Palestinian homes nr. Tulkarm, 3 bedouin shacks nr. Azariyya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Israeli authorities report that 2 Palestinian teenagers have been arrested and have confessed to the stabbing death of a settler on 2/25. A Palestinian wounded in the family feud in Khan Yunis on 2/25 dies. (NYT, WP 2/27; OCHA 2/28; PCHR 3/1)

In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 7 bedouin homes (displacing 75 bedouin), 5 other structures in Hathalin nr. Alasfir settlement southeast of Hebron; fires on 10s of Palestinians nr. Nablus demonstrating against Israel’s construction at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’, Nablus, Qabatya; patrols, fires on shops in Kafr Dik nr. Salfit, also firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, causing only light injuries. Also in Hebron, 20 Jewish settlers occupy a vacant Palestinian building, but are evacuated by the IDF after sundown. (AP 2/14; PCHR 2/15; OCHA 2/21; PCHR 2/22)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian farmer who strays nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya. AMB mbrs. fire an RPG at an IDF observation post on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF directs heavy machine gun fire in return, killing 1 AMB mbr. The Israeli navy fires on the Gaza beach nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 11 bedouin homes nr. 3 Jewish settlements southwest of Jenin; bulldozes 38 d. of Palestinian olive, almond trees nr. Nablus; raids the offices of the al-Ihsan Charitable Society in Hebron, confiscating files, computer discs; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, Tulkarm r.c. The PA fires 470 mbrs of the security forces (at least 150 fr. the Presidential Guard; the remainder fr. Force 17, Military Intelligence, the PSF) for “mutinous behavior”. Today, 10s of fired security officers stage a sit-in outside the PC offices in Gaza to demand that the PA rescind their dismissals. (Jerusalem Post 2/13; OCHA 2/14; PCHR 2/15; OCHA 2/21)

Israel closes all Gaza crossing into Israel, reimposing the full seal on the territories (set on 3/11) for parliamentary elections; sends troops into al-Fawwar r.c. to conduct arrest raids and house searches, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 6; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas. Israeli security contractors guarding the separation wall nr. Jerusalem shoot, wound a Palestinian who strays too close to the wall. Islamic Jihad fires a Grad missile (an Eastern European rocket with a range greater than a Qassam but less than a Katyusha) fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon, which lands unexploded causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians, vandalize property in Hebron. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack Palestinian children on their way to school by a Palestinian road that passes near a settleronly bypass road. Inside Israel, 2 bedouin are killed in the Negev when they accidentally detonate an unexploded Palestinian rocket. (IMEMC, YA 3/28; VOP 3/28 in WNC 3/29; HA, MM, NYT, OCHA 3/29; PCHR 3/30; MM 4/7, 4/13, 4/21)

Israel holds parliamentary elections, with voter turnout at a relatively low 63%. The Kadima party, founded by Ariel Sharon and led by Ehud Olmert, wins 29 of the 120 Knesset seats (less than expected) compared to Labor with 19 seats, Likud (the biggest loser compared with its 38 seats last election) with 12, Shas with 12, Yisrael Beiteinu with 11, National Union–National Religious Party with 9, Pensioners’ Party with 7, United Torah Judaism with 6, Meretz with 5, and 3 Arab parties with a total of 10. (MM 3/28; HA, JP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/29; NYT, WT 3/30; WP 3/31; XIN, YA 4/3)

The PC approves (71–36, with 2 abstentions) the Hamas-led cabinet. (NYT 3/29; XIN 3/28 in WNC 3/29)

Announcing the start of a “sustained” campaign against Islamic Jihad, the IDF imposes 24-hr. curfews on Tulkarm town and r.c., al-Til, and Nur al-Shams r.c.; reinvades Tulkarm (turned over to PA security control on 3/22) and al-Til in its largest military operation since Israeli and the Palestinians agreed to an unofficial cease-fire on 2/8, fatally shooting a PA policeman, leaving a 2d PA policeman clinically dead, arresting at least 6 Palestinians with Islamic Jihad ties; 2 IDF soldiers are injured. Israel says it was forced to act in Tulkarm because the PA had not reined in militants there, citing the bombing as proof; the PA says the assault on Tulkarm is unjustified, since the 7/12 bomber came fr. al-Til, 5 mi. away, under Israeli military control. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Nablus, fatally shoots Islamic Jihad cmdr. Muhammad al-Assi when he attempts to elude arrest; detains an Islamic Jihad mbr., a British woman with him. The IDF also demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem; razes 4 bedouin tents, 6 animal pens outside Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba stone a Palestinian vehicle driving the Palestinian section of Hebron, injuring the driver. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar vandalize a Palestinian home, burn a Palestinian car nr. Nablus. In Bureij r.c., the PA security forces secure the release of 2 international aid workers (1 British, 1 Australian) kidnapped by a Palestinian family that hoped to use them as bargaining chips to secure the release of relatives jailed by the PA. An Israeli dies of injuries received in the 7/12 bombing. (AFP, IMEMC, JTA, NYT, PR, XIN 7/13; VOP 7/13 in WNC 7/13; VOI, VOP 7/13 in WNC 7/14; NYT, PCHR, PRCS, WP, WT 7/14; VOI 7/14 in WNC 7/15; JAZ 7/17; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)