The Palestine Chronology

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dayr Ghusun nr. Tulkarm, Dura (also firing on residential areas, wounding 5); conducts patrols in Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim poison a Palestinian well nr. Qalqilya, killing a horse. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai chase Palestinians, vandalize homes, destroy water lines in Hebron, damaging 5 houses. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba severely beat a 7-yr.-old Palestinian boy playing nr. the settlement; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Islamic Jihad kidnaps 3 alleged collaborators in Saida nr. Tulkarm; claims to execute 1. (IMEMC 5/8; VOP 5/8 in WNC 5/9; PR 5/11; PCHR 5/12)

The IDF fires on residential areas of alFawwar r.c. (injuring 7 Palestinians), temporarily occupies at least 1 home; sends patrols into Tamun nr. Jenin; issues plans for a new settler bypass road south of Qalqilya. Palestinians fire a mortar at Gush Katif, causing light damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha throw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving nearby, damaging 7; IDF troops intervene, clash with the settlers, who beat up the senior IDF field cmdr.; 8 settlers ultimately are arrested. Jewish settlers fr. Einav also throw stones at Palestinian cars, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa uproot 10 Palestinian olive trees nr. the settlement. (HA, IMEMC, XIN 4/30; PCHR 5/5)

IDF troops fire on, kill a Palestinian taxi driver who hits an IDF soldier at a checkpoint nr. Hebron; the soldier is also killed, but the IDF says he may have died fr. IDF gunfire, not from being struck by the car; also says it is unclear whether the Palestinian deliberately tried to run down the soldier. The IDF declares closed military zones around Nablus to protect a group of Jewish settlers visiting Joseph’s Tomb, arrests 2 Palestinians found in the closed areas; raids Hebron University, detains and interrogates students and staff, searching for wanted Palestinians but apparently not arresting anyone; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahariyya, Qalqilya; sends troops into Bayt Iba nr. Nablus to remove all campaign advertising for the 5/5 municipal elections; orders an Agence France-Presse photographer to stop filming nr. Shu‘fat checkpoint outside Jerusalem, beats and detains him for several hours. (IMEMC, PRCS 4/25; BBC, HA, NYT 4/26; NYT, OCHA, PR 4/27; PCHR 4/28)

DF soldiers shoot, wound a Palestinian who argues with them at a checkpoint outside Nablus; sends troops into Kafr Qadim nr. Qalqilya to search shops, vehicles. (OCHA 4/20; PCHR 4/21)

The IDF fatally shoots 3 14-yr.-old Palestinians playing soccer nr. the Philadelphi Route in Rafah, alleging that the youths strayed into a closed military zone, were acting suspiciously, and may have been involved in arms smuggling. Hamas, the PRCs retaliate by firing 25 mortars at nearby Jewish settlements, causing no damage or injuries; Hamas, Islamic Jihad say the mortar fire is a 1-time response, not a declaration to the end of the truce; the PA sends a “strongly worded” letter of protest to Israel saying it views the IDF strike with the “utmost gravity”; the UNRWA also protests. The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; searches a kindergarten in Hebron, holding 80 children in 1 room for more than 90 minutes; raids, searches an Internet caf´e in Qalqilya, interrogates clients, arrests 1; conducts arrest raids and house searches, fires on residential areas of Silwad nr. Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Ithna nr. Hebron, Kafr Ni’ma nr. Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai vandalize 4 Palestinian houses in Hebron, severely beat 2 Palestinian teenagers. A group of female Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba break the windows of a Palestinian house in Hebron. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 1/9. (IMEMC 4/9; VOI 4/9, 4/10 in WNC 4/10; NYT, WP, WT 4/10; MM, PRCS 4/11; XIN 4/12; OCHA, PR 4/13; PCHR 4/14; MM 4/18; PR 4/20)

The U.S. group Yedidim, an alliance of 1,000s of Baptist churches and Jewish synagogues across the U.S., says it is preparing a series of protests in Gaza before and during Sharon’s Crawford visit to protest and block disengagement plans, stating “we are working right now to send thousands of people, thousands of Zionist Christians. We will go over there and stand in the Gaza Strip with our friends and see what they will do about evicting Americans.” Some 5,000 Christian Zionist plan to protest at Crawford on 4/11. (WT 4/9)

The IDF demolishes 6 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina, East Jerusalem; severely beats a Palestinian shepherd herding his flock nr. the separation wall outside Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun, Husan, Marda nr. Nablus, Nabi Elias nr. Qalqilya, al-Ras (drawing maps of several homes), al-Til; patrols inside Tubas. Israel posts an Israeli border police company nr. Yitzhar settlement to prevent settler violence against Palestinians. A Jewish settler fr. Kiryat Arba shoots, wounds a Palestinian farmer working his field nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by the IDF, begin leveling Palestinian land for construction of a bypass road. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim bar 10s of Palestinian farmers fr. neighboring Kafr Qadim fr. reaching their agricultural land. (YA 4/4; OCHA 4/6; PCHR 4/7)

The IDF imposes a curfew on Allar nr. Tulkarm, raids and occupies a girls school and 4 Palestinian homes as observation sites, detains 10s of Palestinians for interrogation; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, Dahariyya nr. Hebron; closes checkpoints into East Jerusalem before Friday prayers, fires tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse Palestinians waiting to cross; beats a Palestinian farmer tilling his land nr. the separation wall in Dayr al-‘Asal nr. Hebron; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at a nonviolent Palestinian demonstration against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in, seriously injuring a Palestinian, lightly injuring a foreign journalist with the Associated Press. Some 40 Jewish rabbinical students club, stone 8 Palestinian laborers working legally at Nachliel settlement, seriously injuring at least 5; Israeli police intervene but the settlers escape; police sources say the 8 Palestinians were “almost lynched.” Jewish settlers fr. Brakha settlement nr. Nablus ambush, beat, seriously injure a Palestinian truck driver passing the settlement. 10s of Jewish settlers fr. Halamish settlement occupy a plot of nearby Palestinian land housing the water spigots controlling the water supply to the settlement and nearby Palestinian villages. PA security officers seal a smugglers’ tunnel in Rafah; some Palestinians confront the officers with stones, causing no injuries; 1 Palestinian is arrested. (HA, MM 3/18; VOP 3/19; AYM 3/20; OCHA 3/23; PCHR 3/24)

Ma’ariv 3/18 reports that that the financial officer of the Greek Orthodox Church, Nikolaos Papadimas, who has power of attorney for Greek Orthodox Patriarch Irineos, recently signed a secret deal, without Irineos’s permission, to sell the church’s Omar Bin Khattab Square property in the Old City of Jerusalem to Jewish investors fr. abroad and then fled the country with his family, depositing $1.5 m. in a Tel Aviv bank account. The square is a valuable commercial area inside the Jaffa Gate, where 3 prominent Palestinian hotels and a number of shops are located. Irineos denies that he gave permission for the sale, meaning that, by church bylaws, the sale is void. (JAZ, MA, al-Quds, VOP 3/19 in WNC 3/28; HA, VOP 3/23; AP 3/24; NYT 3/25; PR 3/30; al-Quds, VOP 4/3 in WNC 4/4; NYT 4/4; Independent 5/10; HA 5/15; PR 5/18)

“In the framework of easing restrictions” on Palestinians, Israel rescinds expulsion orders against 4 Palestinians sent to Gaza several yrs. ago, allowing them to return to their homes in the West Bank. The IDF shoots, wounds a Palestinian who allegedly “rioted” at a roadblock nr. Qalqilya; raids Budrus nr. Ramallah, fires on stone-throwing youths, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Mughayyir nr. Ramallah, Tayasir nr. Jenin, Tulkarm; places cement blocks across the Bir Nabala–al-Ram road (a major commercial thoroughfare) and on the Dahiyat al-Barid–Qalandia road n. of Jerusalem. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim bar 10s of Palestinian farmers fr. accessing their lands in nearby Kafr Qadim. (VOI, VOP 3/15; JP, OCHA 3/16; PCHR 3/17; IMEMC 3/25)

The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in n. Jerusalem to make way for the separation wall; fires on Palestinians who halt their car and emerge to survey their agricultural land nr. Tulkarm (lightly injuring 1), takes them to the hospital only after 3 hrs. of questioning; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays nr. the separation wall nr. Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hazma nr. Jerusalem, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids Hebron, al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis, Salim nr. Nablus, Sawahara nr. Jerusalem. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF patrol on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. For a 2d day, Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on shoot at, attack Palestinian shepherds grazing their animals nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Almatan nr. Qalqilya uproot 10s of olive trees, bulldoze Palestinian agricultural land in neighboring Kafr Thuluth. A Jewish settler injures an 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl in a hit-and-run in Hebron. A Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. (IMEMC 3/14; OCHA 3/16; PCHR 3/17)

The IDF seals Saida and Allar nr. Tulkarm, imposes a curfew, fires on residential areas, conducts arrest raids and house searches; later conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, Baqa‘ al-Sharqiyya (targeting Islamic Jihad mbrs.), Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, al-Nazla and al-Til nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, severely beating 2 Palestinian children ages 10 and 13. In Gaza, 2,500 unemployed Palestinians storm the PC building, throwing stones at police, breaking windows, demanding that the PA provide jobs and welfare services for the unemployed and poverty stricken. (VOP 3/12; NYT, WP 3/13; OCHA 3/16; PCHR 3/17; PR 3/30)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Simba nr. Hebron; arrests 6 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Jenin in connection with the 2/25 Tel Aviv bombing; raids, ransacks the home of a PA police officer in Qalqilya, arrests him and 3 other Palestinians without explanation. Separately, Shin Bet announces it has captured a PA policeman wanted in connection with the lynching of 2 IDF reservists in Ramallah in 10/00. Armed Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya bar Palestinian farmers fr. working their fields near the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai in Hebron attack Palestinian property in Tal Rumayda, causing damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba threaten Palestinians in Wadi al-Nasara neighborhood, block Palestinians from moving on the road that leads to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs. (VOI 3/8; VOP 3/8 in WNC 3/9; HA 3/9; PCHR 3/10; OCHA 3/16; PCHR 3/17)

Syria begins redeploying its troops in Lebanon to the Biqa‘ Valley in preparation for the withdrawal of all 14,000 soldiers and 1,000 intelligence officers. The move comes under international pressure on Syria to comply with UN Res. 1559 in the wake of the 2/14 assassination of fmr. Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri. (JAZ, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/8; AFP, DUS, JAZ, MENA 3/8, JAZ 3/9 in WNC 3/9; MM 3/9; JAZ, MM 3/10; MEI 3/18, 4/1)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya. The IDF also imposes a curfew on, conducts searches in the villages of ‘Azmut, Dayr al-Hatab, Salim nr. Nablus. Palestinian gunmen fire on an Israeli security vehicle patrolling the perimeter of Menorah settlement nr. Modi’in, wounding 2 settler security guards. An Israeli wounded in the 2/25 Tel Aviv bombing dies of her injuries. Several armed Palestinians break into a Jenin prison, free a relative jailed for robbery. (HA, VOI 2/28; OCHA 3/2; PCHR 3/3)

The IDF fires on a group of Palestinians who attempt to sneak into Israel nr. Gaza’s Sufa crossing to find work, killing 1 Palestinian, detaining 2; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus. A Jewish settler seriously injures a 12-yr.-old Palestinian, a 13-yr.-old Palestinian in a hit-and-run nr. Qalqilya; an Israeli ambulance refuses to evacuate the children to an Israeli hospital, taking them to Nablus instead. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron seize 25 d. of neighboring Palestinian land to expand their settlement. Some 20 Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba seize 15 dunams (d.; 4 dunams = 1 acre) of Palestinian land to build a settler-only road linking the settlement to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, scuffle with Palestinian residents, injuring 3. A Palestinian bystander dies of injuries received during the IDF’s 1/26 assassination of a Hamas mbr. in Qalqilya. (VOP 2/25; PCHR 3/3)

After the Palestinian Council (PC) gives its approval (54–12, with 4 abstentions, 14 not attending), PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas swears in PM Ahmad Qurai‘’s new cabinet. Abbas says that the cabinet’s first main goals will be providing security, reform, holding legislative elections. (AFP, AP, JAZ, MM, PSCT, REU, VOI, VOP 2/24; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/25; HA, HJ, VOP 2/28; PR 3/2; MEI 3/4)

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. Palestinians fire 2 mortars at Morag settlement in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. A Jewish settler driving in the n. Jordan Valley hits, seriously injures an 8-yr.-old Palestinian. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack, beat several international peace activists escorting Palestinian farmers, shepherds to their land nearby. (NYT, PCHR, WT 2/17; VOI 2/17 in WNC 2/18; PCHR 2/24)

The IDF beats, fatally shoots a 16-yr.- old Palestinian allegedly wielding a knife in Hebron (Palestinian witnesses deny he was armed); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya, and in Dura, Nablus, Yatta; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina; orders 3 Palestinian families to leave their Yatta homes and property or be expelled; begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in Hazma, Anata villages northeast of Jerusalem. A Jewish settler fr. Keddumim verbally abuses, attempts to attack several Palestinians waiting to be allowed to cross an IDF gate into nearby Kafr Qadim; Palestinians fend him off, the IDF does not intervene. Unidentified gunmen fire on the Gaza City home of Fatah Revolutionary Council mbr. Sakhr Bseiso, causing damage but no injuries; Bseiso is head of the Fatah comm. charged with investigating corruption. (WP 2/15; NYT, OCHA, PR 2/16; PCHR, PM 2/17)

Fmr. Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri is assassinated in a major car bombing in Beirut; 7 bodyguards, 6 passers-by are also killed, more than 100 are wounded (3 of whom later die). A previously unknown group called Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria claims responsibility. (BBC, al-Hayat, JAZ, MM 2/14; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/15; Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, al-Quds, VOI, XIN 2/15, JAZ, QA 2/16, AFP, Le Monde 2/17 in WNC 2/18; MEI 2/18)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 unarmed Palestinians apparently attempting to sneak into Israel nr. Bayt Hanun to find work; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; fires tear gas at Palestinians conducting a peaceful protest against the separation wall nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’ale Gilboa in the n. Jordan Valley fence off 400 d. of Palestinian land n. of Bardala village e. of Jenin, begin grazing cows. A Jewish settler seriously injures a Palestinian in a hit-and-run incident nr. Qalqilya. (IMEMC 2/6; PCHR 2/10)

The IDF shells residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, killing a 3-yr.-old Palestinian girl outside her home; assassinates Hamas mbr. Mahir Abu Sunayna, firing on his car as he drives in Qalqilya, wounding and arresting 2 AMB mbrs. riding with him, wounding a 15-yr.-old bystander; fires on residential areas of Rafah. Nr. Khan Yunis; 100 Jewish settlers protesting the deployment of PA security forces clash with PA officers, IDF soldiers, and Israeli police; slash PA and IDF jeep tires; 5 settlers are arrested. Palestinians fire 2 mortars at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. (JAZ 1/26; PCHR, WP, WT 1/27; OCHA, PR 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

Sharon adviser Dov Weisglass, PA Negotiation Affairs M Saeb Erakat,Abbas security adviser Muhammad Dahlan hold the 1st high-level public political talks since Israel suspended contacts on 1/13 to begin planning for an Abbas-Sharon mtg. (BBC 1/26; HA, NYT, WP, WT, XIN 1/27; NYT 1/29; al-Ra’i, VOP 1/30 in WNC 1/31; PR 2/2)

The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian near the separation wall in Qalqilya; clashes with Palestinians in Salim nr. Nablus, leaving 1 Palestinian wounded; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, Saida. A Jewish settler fr. Hebron seriously injures a 4-yr.- old Palestinian in a hit-and-run. (VOI 1/23 in WNC 1/24; OCHA 1/26; PCHR 1/27)

The AMB, DFLP, PFLP say they are ready to halt violence if the IDF halts military operations; Israel says it is considering the idea, with Sharon advisers Zalman Shoval and Maj. Gen. Giora Eiland saying “if there will be quiet on the Palestinian side, then there will be quiet on our side.” (VOI, VOP 1/22, VOP 1/23 in WNC 1/24; NYT, WP 1/23; MM 1/24)

Late this evening, in response to assassinations in recent days, the AMB, Hamas, the PRCs stage a joint attack on the Qarni crossing, killing 4 Israeli civilian workers at the crossing and 2 Israeli Palestinian truck drivers waiting to cross, wounding 10 people (4 of them Israelis, others not identified)—in the attack, 3 armed men, 1 fr. each group, detonate a truck bomb on the Palestinian side of the crossing, blowing open a gate to the Israeli side, then open fire with automatic weapons and toss grenades, while other mbrs. at a distance reportedly fire mortars and automatic weapons at the crossing; the 3 Palestinians initiating the attack are shot dead by the IDF. In response, IDF helicopter gunships fire rockets at Dayr al-Balah, the suspected home of the bombers, destroying a medical center run by a charity with links to Hamas and Islamic Jihad, wounding 1 Palestinian; IDF tanks also fire on targets in s. Gaza. During the day, the IDF makes a major raid into Bureij r.c., conducts arrest raids and house searches, bulldozes 41 d. of land, fires on residential areas (killing a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy), fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops (wounding 2), sparking clashes with Palestinian militants (killing a wanted PRC mbr.). The IDF also fatally shoots a 2d Palestinian driving his pregnant neighbor to the Bayt Lahiya hospital when the car inadvertently enters an area where IDF arrest raids are under way, also injuring the woman’s husband; fires on residential areas of Tarqumiyya, Yatta; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron (arresting local Islamic Jihad leader Khalil Mahsin), Ithna, Qalqilya, Taqu‘a, Tarqumiyya, Tulkarm, Yatta; issues military orders confiscating 363 d. of agricultural land in 5 villages northwest of Jerusalem, begins bulldozing 400 d. in Ithna w. of Hebron for construction of the separation wall. Unknown gunmen fire shots at the Gaza City offices of the Islamic Salvation Party’s al-Risala newspaper; editors believe the paper was targeted for its critical reporting on the 1/9 PA elections, which stressed the PA’s decision to extend polling hours, the PA’s skewed reporting of voter turnout figures. (AFP 1/13; JAZ, JP, VOI, VOP 1/13 in WNC 1/15; BBC, HA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 1/14; MM 1/17; OCHA 1/19; PR 1/20; MEI 1/21; AYM 1/23 in WNC 1/24; PCHR 1/27; MEI 2/4)

2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. ambush a Jewish settler vehicle outside Gaza’s Morag settlement, detonate 2 bombs killing 1 Jewish settler, fire on IDF soldiers who arrive on the scene, wounding 3, before being shot dead by the IDF. The IDF fatally shoots 2 Hamas mbrs. in an exchange of fire during an arrest raid in Qarawat Bani Zayd, later demolishing the Palestinian home in which they hid; fires on residential areas of Rafah, Tarqumiyya nr. Hebron; occupies the property of a Palestinian company in Dayr al-Balah, converting the corporate campus into a military camp; conducts arrest raids in al-Mawasi in s. Gaza, Qalqilya, Tubas. (VOI, VOP 1/12 in WNC 1/14; NYT, PCHR, WP 1/13; OCHA 1/19; PR 1/20; MEI 1/21)

An Israeli court imposes light sentences on 5 Israeli Palestinian leaders of the Islamic Movement, including movement founder Shaykh Raed Salah, who were arrested on 5/13/03 and accused of funneling $10 m. to Hamas, having contacts with Iranian agents. The 5 admitted to “security offenses”; the other charges were dropped. (NYT 1/13)

The IDF sends troops into Tulkarm, confiscates several car motors fr. a local business, clashes with armed Palestinians who arrive on the scene, killing 1 Palestinian resistance mbr., wounding 1 armed Palestinian and 1 bystander; fires missiles at Gaza City, strafes the residential areas with machine gun fire; for no apparent reason fires on Palestinians waiting to cross Abu Huli and al-Mahatin checkpoints, causing no injuries; makes an incursion into Tubas nr. Jenin, fires on Palestinian youths who throw stones at troops; bulldozes Palestinian land around Gaza’s Erez crossing; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Asira and nearby Nablus, Balata r.c., Gaza City, Kafr Qadim nr. Qalqilya; bulldozes the Nabi Samuel road (the only entrance to villages located to the northwest of Jerusalem), transforms it into a car park and temporary housing for guards escorting workers constructing the separation wall in the area. The IDF bars Palestinians with Jerusalem IDs fr. crossing the Qalandia checkpoint into Ramallah without acquiring a new special permit; says they must also cross on foot, may not use vehicles. Hamas fires mortars, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) fires rockets into s. Gaza Jewish settlements, causing no damage or injuries; unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket into Israel fr. s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. 2 Palestinian gunmen fire on Israeli police officers searching for stolen cars nr. Tulkarm, wounding 1 before being shot dead. An Israeli dies of injuries received in a 1/2 Gaza mortar attack. (JTA, Reuters 1/11; NYT, WP 1/12; PCHR 1/13; PR 1/20; MEI 1/21)

The IDF fires tank shells at Palestinians harvesting strawberry fields outside Bayt Lahiya, killing 7 Palestinian children (ages 10–17) wounding at least 2 adults, 5 children; fires on Palestinians working agricultural land southeast of Gaza City, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 5; fires on residential areas of Brazil r.c., Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and in Bethlehem, al-Fawwar r.c., Silwad, ‘Anin nr. Jenin, Qalqilya, Rafah. Hamas fires 2 Qassam rockets fr. Khan Yunis at nearby settlements and fr. n. Gaza at Sederot, injuring 2 Israelis. (FT, IMEMC 1/4; VOI, VOP 1/4 in WNC 1/6; MM, NYT, PM, PR 1/5; IDF Radio, al-Quds, VOI, YA 1/5 in WNC 1/7; PCHR 1/6; MEI 1/7)

IDF operations continue in Khan Yunis, where 2 Palestinians are killed in an explosion at the home of a leading Hamas mbr.; Palestinians say IDF tanks shelled the house, whereas the IDF says the men were preparing a bomb that exploded prematurely. The IDF withdraws fr. Khan Yunis late in the day, pledging to return as necessary to halt rocket fire, calling the open-ended operation Operation Violet Iron. The IDF turns over security control of Bethlehem to the PA security forces btwn. Christmas Eve and Armenian Christmas on 1/19; says it will give IDF soldiers manning checkpoints around Bethlehem special instructions on how to handle Christian tourists. The IDF tightens Palestinian movement around Nablus; fires on residential areas of Bayt Hanun (among the injured are children ages 2, 11, 14), Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm. Palestinians fire at least 12 mortars at Jewish settlements in s. Gaza, causing minor damage but no injuries. (AFP, HA 12/23; VOI 12/23 in WNC 12/25; NYT, WP 12/24; PCHR 12/30)

Palestinian municipal elections begin, with voting in 26 West Bank municipalities. Hamas wins 27% of the seats, Fatah 59%. (PM 12/23; JAZ 12/23 in WNC 12/25; AP, NYT, WP, WT 12/24; JAZ 12/25, JAZ, VOP 12/26 in WNC 12/28; PR 12/29; MEI 1/7)

The IDF continues operations in Khan Yunis until midday, killing another 2 Palestinian resistance mbrs., wounding around 23; sends troops into Bethlehem, arrests a 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy, takes him to Gilo checkpoint at the entrance to town, where troops question him for 4 hrs. before releasing him, leaving him to walk home; tightens Palestinian movement around Nablus; fires on residential areas of Rafah, injuring a 4-yr.-old and a 16-yr.-old Palestinian inside their homes; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya. Palestinians fire 3 Qassam rockets toward Sederot, 2 land inside Israel and 1 in n. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in Jabaliya r.c. on 10/1/04. (MENA, VOP 12/18 in WNC 12/21; WP, WT 12/19; CSM, PM 12/20; PCHR 12/23)

Overnight, the IDF launches Operation Orange Iron, sending tanks, bulldozers into Khan Yunis in further response to 12/16 mortar fire, shelling and firing missiles fr. helicopters at residential areas, clashing with local Palestinians, leaving a total of 9 Palestinians dead (5 armed Palestinians, 4 civilians), at least 30 Palestinians (mostly civilians, including 1 ambulance driver trying to evacuate the wounded) and 1 IDF soldier wounded, also leveling 39 Palestinian homes allegedly used as cover for mortar fire; 100s of Palestinians flee the fighting, many taking refuge in a nearby hospital, stadium; the IDF says it will stay in Khan Yunis “indefinitely.” In response, Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets into the Negev, causing no damage or injures. A smugglers’ tunnel collapses in Rafah after days of rain, trapping and killing at least 5 Palestinians;6are rescued. The IDF also demolishes 1 Palestinian home, 15 shops in Rafah that allegedly provided cover for mortar fire; shells, destroys 2 workshops (alleged weapons factories) in Gaza City; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, in Qalqilya; issues military orders confiscating “large areas” of Palestinian land in Far‘un s. of Tulkarm and Jayyus northeast of Qalqilya, as well as 50 d. in Nuba southwest of Tulkarm for construction of the separation wall. (BBC, HA, WT 12/17; MENA, VOI, VOP 12/17 in WNC 12/21; JAZ, NYT, WT 12/18; PM 12/20; PCHR 12/23)

The IDF demolishes areas of Bilin village nr. Ramallah for construction of the separation wall, firing on 10s of residents who attempt to block the demolition, wounding 5; raids Ramallah, assassinates AMB cmdr. Kamil Ghannam; fires on “suspicious figures” near the Rafah border, killing 1 PA security officer on patrol, wounding 2; sends troops, reinforced by helicopters, into Gaza City, shelling residential areas, bulldozing 40 d. of agricultural land; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, Rafat nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Silat alHarithiyya nr. Jenin. The IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron; begins bulldozing large areas of agricultural land in Dayr Ballut southwest of Nablus for construction of the separation wall. In retaliation for house demolitions in Khan Yunis on 12/13, Palestinians fire a mortar at nearby Neve Dekalim settlement, hitting a greenhouse, killing 1 Thai worker, injuring 2 Thais. Palestinians fire 12 more mortars during the day, causing no damage or injuries. (AFP, REU, XIN 12/14; HA, IDF Radio, VOI 12/14 in WNC 12/16; HA, NYT, PR 12/15; VOI 12/15 in WNC 12/17; PCHR 12/16)

The IDF attempts to assassinate wanted Palestinian Resistance Comm. (PRC) leader Jamal Abu Samhadana, firing a missile at his car as he drives in Gaza, wounding him, 2 bodyguards, 1 bystander; fatally shoots a Palestinian who enters a closed military zone nr. the Gaza-Egypt border; fires a missile at the Bayt Lahiya home of AMB cmdr. Mahmud al-Madhun in an attempt to assassinate him; bulldozes 50 d. of land in Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Kafr Khalil nr. Qalqilya, Nablus, Tulkarm r.c.; sends troops into al-Qarara to patrol; temporarily detains PA presidential candidate Bassam Salhi at a checkpoint into Jerusalem, saying he does not have a permit to enter the city to campaign. Israeli contractors guarded by Jewish settlers fr. Tzofim nr. Qalqilya uproot 117 olive trees in nearby Jayyus for creation of a new settlement enclave to be called North Tzofim. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in a 4/21/04 IDF raid on Gaza City. (HA, JAZ 12/9; JAZ, VOP 12/9 in WNC 12/11; HA, JAZ, NYT, WP 12/10; VOP, YA 12/10 in WNC 12/14; PRCS 12/15; PCHR 12/16; MEI 12/17)

Hamas takes responsibility for planting a bomb in a chicken coop nr. Gaza’s Qarni crossing, luring an IDF bomb squad to the site, and detonating the device, killing an IDF solider and a bomb-sniffing dog, wounding 4 soldiers. The IDF retaliates with gunfire nearby, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding 10 bystanders, bulldozing 30 d. of land. The IDF raids a charitable society, orphanage, and school reportedly tied to Hamas in Bani Na‘im, confiscating files, sealing 3 offices; raids the Prisoners’ Supporters Society in Hebron, confiscating computers, files; fires on residential areas of Brazil r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Beitunia, Hebron and nearby Bayt ‘Awwa, Qalqilya and neighboring ‘Azun and Jayyus, Taqu‘a, Zabbuba nr. Jenin; begins large-scale bulldozing operations nr. Jaba‘ village northwest of Hebron for construction of the separation wall; fires rubber bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall in Budrus nr. Ramallah, also arrests 40 Israeli protesters demonstrating with them. The AMB kills a Palestinian collaborator believed to have passed information to the IDF that led to the killing of 3 AMB mbrs. on 11/21. A carload of Jewish settlers twice attempts to run down a group of Palestinian teenagers on their way to school; the settlers then emerge fr. the car, attempt to kidnap a Palestinian boy, scuffle with teenagers; the IDF intervenes, orders settlers to leave but does not arrest them. (IMEMC, MM 12/7; VOI 12/7 in WNC 12/9; NYT, WP, WT 12/8; VOI 12/8 in WNC 12/10; PCHR 12/9; MEI 12/17)

The IDF fatally shoots a mentally handicapped Palestinian outside Binyamin settlement nr. Ramallah; fires on residential areas of Rafah; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, and in Hebron, Qalqilya; raids, seals for 2-yrs. a society for the handicapped in Qalqilya, confiscating computers, files, money. (VOI, VOP 12/1 in WNC 12/3; PCHR 12/2; JP 12/2 in WNC 12/4; PCHR 12/9)

In Rafah, the IDF shells residential areas, conducts arrest raids and house searches, demolishes 8 Palestinian homes, severely damages 5 others, clashes with local militias, leaving 1 Hamas mbr. dead. The IDF also raids Hebron, demolishes a Palestinian home, fatally shoots Hamas mbrs. Murad al-Qawasmi, Omar alHaymuni, wounds a 3d in what may be an assassination; demolishes 1 Palestinian home, bulldozes 34 d. of land, shells residential areas nr. Khan Yunis; blows up 1 apartment in a 4-story Palestinian apartment building nr. Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Gaza’s Kefar Darom settlement and in Aqabat Jabir r.c., Araba nr. Jenin, Bayt Sahur, Beitunia, Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Qalqilya, Tulkarm r.c.; issues a military order, prohibiting Palestinian use of land 200–300 m on either side of the separation wall nr. Jenin. (VOI, VOP 11/25 in WNC 11/27; VOP 11/26 in WNC 11/30; FT 11/26; PCHR 12/2)

The Fatah Revolutionary Council endorses the Fatah Central Comm.’s 11/22 choice of Abbas as the party’s candidate for pres., with 100 of the council’s 129 mbrs. voting in favor. (WP 11/26)