The Palestine Chronology

Around 60 right-wing Jewish activists visit Joseph’s Tomb outside Nablus overnight, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians. IDF troops disperse the clashes, arresting some of the Jewish activists. There are no serious injuries. Because this was an unauthorized trip, the activists did not have an IDF escort. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in 1 village nr. Hebron and in Aida r.c. nr. Bethlehem, arresting 3 Palestinians; and patrol nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya, and Hebron. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers assault and moderately injure a Palestinian nr. the Old City. (JP, MNA, 8/23; PCHR 8/25)

In Nablus, PASF troops arrest and beat to death Ahmad Izzat Halawa, 50, a Fatah military leader allegedly involved in the killing of 2 PASF troops on 8/18, sparking clashes; 1 Palestinian is lightly injured. Palestinians in Nablus begin a general strike to protest the killing. PASF troops also conduct an atypical raid in Area C of the West Bank searching for suspects connected to the 8/18 killings, and arrest many Palestinians in Anata village. (JP, MNA 8/23; EI, MNA 8/24)

Two days after Egyptian pres. al-Sisi said that Russian pres. Putin would be willing to host Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with Putin by telephone to discuss the idea, as well as other regional issues. No further details about their conversation are reported. (HA 8/23; TOI 8/23)

Palestinian fighters in Gaza launch a rocket into Israel, which lands in Sderot, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF then launches dozens of air strikes on “key Hamas strategic assets,” according to IDF sources on 8/23. The IDF also targets Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and other factions’ sites in and around Bayt Hanun, injuring at least 7 Palestinians (3 of whom are Hamas mbrs.). Also, an Israeli tank fires 6 shells at a Gazan water storage facility along the border nearby, causing damage. Initial reports say that the PFLP’s armed wing is responsible for the rocket launch; later, a Salafi group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claims responsibility. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries; 2 fishermen are arrested. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids and house searches in and around Hebron, as well as in Bethlehem and nr. Salfit, arresting 8 Palestinians; and patrol nr. Nablus, Salfit, Ramallah, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces issue arrest summons for 6 Palestinians during raids in Jabal Mukabir. (AP, HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 8/21; HA 8/22; TOI 8/24; PCHR 8/25)

An Israeli delegation meets with their Egyptian diplomatic counterparts in Cairo to discuss Pres. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s efforts to revive the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. After the meetings, al-Sisi says he recently spoke with Russian pres. Vladimir Putin about hosting a round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in Moscow, and indicated that Putin would be willing to do so. (TOI 8/21; JP, TOI 8/22)

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)