The Palestine Chronology

The IDF eases the closures on Bethlehem and Jericho, allowing goods in and out; continues operations in Nablus; continues curfews on Hebron, Jenin, Nablus; fatally shoots a Palestinian who allegedly attempts to stab a soldier in Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah (searching Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP] offices); demolishes 1 Palestinian home nr. Jenin. Israeli police arrest 4 bedouin, 1 Palestinian laborer fr. Hebron in a village in the Negev on charges of setting up a Hamas cell. In Ramallah, 100s of Palestinians protest against PA PM Mahmud Abbas’s government. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket into the Negev, causing nodamage or injuries. Late in the evening, Palestinians fire 13 mortars, 2 anti-tank rockets at Jewish settlements, IDF posts in Gaza, causing nodamage or injuries. (HA, MM 8/27; HA, PCHR 8/28)

A Palestinian suicide bomber fr. Balata r.c. detonates a device at the Kfar Saba railway station in Israel, killing 1 Israeli security guard, injuring 13 Israelis. A statement faxed to Reuters claims the AMB carried out the act with the help of the PFLP, but AMB’s chief spokesman denies this, saying the attack was staged by Nablus breakaway faction of the AMB (see 4/10). Israel says it will not stage a massive retaliation in response. The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Qarawat Bani Zayt, killing 2 Palestinians; fires on an elementary school in Qalqilya, injuring 3 students, 1 teacher; shells residential areas of Rafah; bulldozes nearly 300 dunams of land in Bayt Hanun, 34 dunams in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem (targeting Hamas), al-Qarara, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Mitzpeh Yeriho seize a hilltop nr. Jericho as a new outpost, called Givat Haherut (Liberty Hill), to “prevent invasion” of the area by bedouin shepherds; Israeli police urge the settlers to evacuate the site but leave when they refuse. (HA, LAW, MM 4/24; AFP, ITAR-TASS 4/24 in WNC 4/25; NYT, WP, WT 4/25; al-Quds, VOI 4/25 in WNC 4/28; PR 4/30; LAW, PCHR, WJW 5/1; MEI 5/2)