The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots the bodyguard for PA chief negotiator Ahmad Qurai‘ during an arrest raid on his Ramallah home, claiming he supplied weapons to Palestinian factions; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (lightly injuring 2). Armed Palestinians ambush, fatally shoot 2 offduty IDF soldiers (settlers fr. Kiryat Arba) hiking nr. Hebron; the soldiers manage to fire back, killing 1 Palestinian gunman, wounding 1; 2 others are believed to have escaped; responsibility is claimed jointly by the AMB and Islamic Jihad, and separately by Islamic Jihad and Hamas; the PA immediately denounces the attack. Jewish settlers fr. Gush Etzion nr. Bethlehem, angry over the attack, stone Palestinian vehicles driving nr. the settlement, damaging a taxi. In Gaza City, Hamas-affiliated security forces raid the Fatah-affiliated al-Azhar University, arresting 40 Fatah mbrs., confiscating 100s of banners they are preparing for rallies to mark Fatah’s 43d anniversary; prevent a smaller Fatah anniversary rally fr. being held in Nussayrat r.c. Hamas-affiliated police raid an area of Bayt Hanun to arrest a wanted Fatah mbr.; fire in the air to disperse angry residents who confront them with stones; no injuries are reported. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on a Hamas-affiliated internal security detention center in Gaza City, wounding 2 internal security officers. Some 1,000 Hamas supporters hold a rally in al-Bureij r.c. to honor Islamic Jihad’s Abu Hassanian, assassinated on 12/27. (NYT, WP, WT 12/29; WP 12/30; NYT 1/1; OCHA 1/2; PCHR 1/3)

A Hamas mbr. dies nr. the Gaza border n. of Bayt Hanun when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem; shoots, wounds a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the separation wall s. of Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 4) and Ma‘sara (injuring 2). Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian homes, cars in Burkin nr. Salfit; the IDF disperses them. In Gaza City, the Hamas-affiliated security forces detain without charge Omar al-Ghul, a senior associate of PA PM Salam Fayyad, prominent journalist, and frequent critic of Hamas; Abbas denounces the “kidnapping.” Also in Gaza City, 3 Fatah supporters are killed, 35 are wounded by an explosion during a funeral for an AMB mbr. killed in an IDF air strike on 12/13; police say a Fatah mbr. accidentally discharged a hand grenade; Abbas accuses Hamas of causing the explosion, calling it an “assault against all our people.” In Khan Yunis, Fatah mbrs. stone a Hamas vehicle promoting a 20th anniversary rally in Gaza City, sparking a fight, gunfire by the police that leaves 17 injured. (NYT, WP, WT 12/15; OCHA 12/19; PCHR 12/27)

The West Bank and Gaza remain effectively severed from each other following Hamas’s takeover of Gaza in 6/07, with Hamas controlling Gaza and Fatah the West Bank (see Quarterly Update in JPS 145). Tight Israeli restrictions on Gaza’s borders dating from 8/07 remain in place, including reduced fuel imports, a near-total ban on exports, and limited imports of basic goods. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) roadblocks in the West Bank divide the territory into 3 cantons, and Palestinian access to the Jordan Valley is limited. In Gaza, 30,000 Palestinians attend a Hamas-organized rally in Gaza City to protest ongoing Israeli archaeological excavations nr. al-Aqsa Mosque. Some 1,500 Palestinians attend a similar Hamas rally in al-Maghazi refugee camp (r.c.), also denouncing the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Annapolis peace summit, tentatively set for 11/26–27. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, and in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus, Salfit; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in nr. Ramallah (injuring 5). Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus set fire to 50 nearby Palestinian olive trees. Hamas releases almost all of the approximately 450 Fatah mbrs. detained during demonstrations in Gaza City on 11/12. (NYT 11/16; OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car in Rafah carrying Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigade leader ‘Awad ‘Abd al-Fattah alQiq, missing the car, hitting a store, wounding 3 bystanders in an apparent assassination attempt. Armed Palestinians fire 5 mortars, machine guns at an IDF undercover unit attempting to infiltrate the Gaza border e. of al-Maghazi r.c., forcing the unit to retreat into Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. (where armed Palestinians detonate an explosive device nr. an IDF jeep, wounding a soldier), Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 3. In Jabaliya r.c., 7,000 Islamic Jihad supporters hold a peaceful rally to mark Jerusalem Day. In Dayr al-Balah, 300 PRC supporters hold a peaceful rally to mark the 2d anniversary of the IDF assassination of PRC leader Jamal Abu Samhadana. Suspected Fatah mbrs. detonate a bomb outside the home of a local Hamas leader in Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. In Gaza City, unidentified assailants detonate an explosive device outside the home of a local AMB leader, causing damage but no injuries. An unidentified Palestinian throws a bomb at the house of a Hamas activist in Abasan, causing no serious damage or injuries; flees to a nearby IDF border post, where he surrenders to the IDF. (OCHA 10/10; PCHR 10/11)

Late in the evening, the IDF sends undercover units dressed in ESF uniforms into Rafah to kidnap and take to Israel Hamas military cmdr. Mihawish al-Nu‘aymat (also reported as Mohawah al-Qadi), who reportedly has information on captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya and nr. Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 1. A 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy is injured by IDF UXO nr. Nablus. Across Gaza, Fatah supporters for a 3d week hold Friday prayers outside in protest against Hamas; the ESF clashes with demonstrators in al-Bureij r.c., Gaza City, Jabaliya r.c., Khan Yunis, and Rafah, using batons and percussion grenades, leaving a total of 51 Palestinians injured, 20 Fatah mbrs. arrested, 3 journalists temporarily detained; reports differ as to whether the ESF tried to break up peaceful prayer services or only intervened afterward, when Fatah supporters began chanting anti-Hamas slogans and throwing stones at ESF officers. (NYT 9/8; OCHA 9/12; PCHR 9/13)

The IDF admitsthat 3 Palestinian children killed in an 8/29 strike on Bayt Hanun were playing tag, not retrieving a rocket launcher. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths outside al-Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, wounding a 7-yr.-old boy; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 8 (similar demonstrations are held without incident in al-Walaja and Um Salamuna nr. Bethlehem). Jewish settlers fr. Givat Havat and Kiryat Arba in Hebron beat a Palestinian farmer working his land btwn. the 2 settlements. The IDF bars Jewish settlers fr. reaching the evacuated Homesh settlement site; settlers set fire to 2 IDF vehicles in protest. The PA closes 103 charitable associations in the West Bank (80% affiliated with Hamas) for being “improperly registered”. Responding to a call by Fatah to boycott Friday prayers in mosques and begin weekly prayer protests against Hamas’s “persecution” of Fatah mbrs. in Gaza, some 5,000 Fatah supporters hold prayers in a Gaza City park, then stage a march and rally denouncing Hamas, attacking Hamas-controlled buildings with stones, pipe bombs. Some 7,000 Fatah supporters hold a similar demonstration in Rafah, attacking the home of a prominent Hamas mbr. The ESF violently disperses both protests, firing into the air, beating demonstrators, and tossing percussion grenades, arresting scores, injuring 10–20 (including 2 journalists), wounding an Egyptian on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border. Fatah mbrs. stone an ESF patrol in al-Bureij r.c., causing no injuries. (NYT, WP 9/1; OCHA 9/5; PCHR 9/6; Conflicts Forum 10/8)

In Gaza, the IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Palestinians on the border nr. Jabaliya; sends troops into al-Shuka nr. Rafah to bulldoze 6 d. of agricultural land nr. the Gaza airport; bulldozes Palestinian land along the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Sa‘ida nr. Tulkarm to raid 2 Palestinian homes, mortally shooting Islamic Jihad cmdr. Tariq Milhem in an exchange of fire, allowing him to bleed to death over 2 hrs., also fatally shooting his 11-yr.-old brother, wounding 2 other family mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, wounding 1 Palestinian woman; conducts house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 2. Jewish settlers fire on a Palestinian wedding party nr. Nablus, wounding 2 Palestinians. Jewish settlers in Hebron assault an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy riding his bike, breaking his arm. Meanwhile, 500 Fatah mbrs. hold an unauthorized protest against the Hamas-led government outside the main security headquarters in Gaza City, throwing stones at ESF officers guarding the building, who fire into the air and beat back the demonstrators, injuring 15. Separately in Gaza City, ESF officers raid a wedding to halt celebratory gunfire, scuffling with guests, beating and injuring 1 Palestinian. (WT 8/25; OCHA 8/29; PCHR 8/30)

Under a temporary cease-fire brokered by the Palestinian Clerics Association btwn. the Lebanese army and Fatah alIslam (FI) militants who have been fighting in and around the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Barid nr. Tripoli since 5/07, army soldiers escort the remaining families of FI mbrs. (22 women, 41 children) out of the r.c. in anticipation of a final assault. The army estimates that 70 FI mbrs. are left in the camp and are refusing to surrender. (NYT, WT 8/25)

In Gaza, the IDF fires on Palestinian teenagers who stray nr. the border fence nr. the Qarni industrial zone, wounding 1; exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen across the Gaza border e. of Gaza City, causing no injuries; withdraws troops fr. the Rafah airport in the evening (see 8/9). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 8) and Um Salamuna (injuring 4). In Jerusalem’s Old City, an Israeli Palestinian fr. the Galilee grabs a gun from an Israeli security officer, shoots and wounds him before being shot dead by another guard; 9 bystanders are wounded. In Bayt Hanun, the ESF arrests at least 15 Fatah mbrs. for firing guns at a wedding; Fatah says there was no gunfire, that the ESF targeted revelers singing pro-Fatah songs; when some 150 women and children rally outside the local ESF offices to protest the arrests, ESF officers fire in the air to disperse the crowd, causing no injuries. In Gaza City, some 20,000 Hamas supporters march fr. local mosques to the PC headquarters to protest recent PA attacks on Hamas activists in the West Bank. In Halhul nr. Hebron, suspected Hamas mbrs. retaliating for the NSF’s arrest of 10 Hamas mbrs. earlier in the day, shoot and wound Halhul police chief Driss Jabari. (NYT, WP, WT 8/11; NYT 8/12; OCHA 8/15; PCHR 8/16)

In Gaza, the IDF bulldozes Palestinian land 300 m. inside Gaza n. of Jabaliya r.c., occupying the area. In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian nr. Hebron who allegedly attempted to infiltrate an IDF post; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, in Jenin town and r.c. (firing on residential areas, wounding a Palestinian woman inside her home), Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists attending the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 2 internationals. Jewish settlers fr. Rachelim settlement nr. Nablus uproot and cart away 300 Palestinian olive trees fr. nearby Qaryut (the IDF secures the return of 140 trees). Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus cut down 20 Palestinian olive, almond trees in nearby Burkin village. Jewish settlers fr. Tekoa nr. Bethlehem set fire to 300 d. of nearby Palestinian agricultural land, including 400 olive trees. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai in Hebron burn 50 nearby Palestinian olive and almond trees. Suspected Hamas mbrs. toss a homemade bomb at the Fatah offices in Qalqilya, causing damage but no injuries. (WP 6/23; OCHA 6/27; PCHR 6/28)

Firmly in control of Gaza, Hamas declares amnesty for Fatah leaders, except National Security Advisor (NSA) Dahlan, with the aim of quelling violence, releasing several of the 10 senior Fatah political security officials captured earlier in the day; orders all mbrs. of the PA security forces in Gaza to continue to report for duty to provide law and order, albeit under Hamas cmdrs. Hamas also calls for the immediate release of kidnapped BBC correspondent Johnston. With fighting suspended, Palestinian crowds loot abandoned Fatah buildings, targeting in particular Dahlan’s home and Abbas’s presidential compound; Hamas mbrs. surround and prevent looting at Abbas’s Gaza residence. Some violence persists, with a Fatah mbr. thrown to his death from a high building by the family of a man he killed earlier; a Fatah security official commits suicide after learning that he was on a Hamas wanted list. Meanwhile, Egypt reinforces its forces on the border with Gaza with riot police, APCs, and water cannons, fearing that Palestinians will attempt to flee Gaza for Egypt en masse at the first opportunity. Israel temporarily opens the Erez crossing to allow Fatah officials to escape Gaza for Ramallah. In the West Bank, Abbas names Finance M Salam al-Fayyad as his new PM, charging him with forming a government; issues a presidential decree suspending articles of the Basic Law (the interim Palestinian constitution) requiring the new government to receive a vote of confidence from the PC (currently controlled by the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform party). Fatah-Hamas tensions remain high in the West Bank, where heavily armed Fatah mbrs. patrol in Ramallah in a show of force; Fatah mbrs. ransack Change and Reform offices, Hamas-run charity organizations in several cities; kidnap at least 9 Hamas mbrs. AMB mbrs. fatally shoot a Hamas mbr. in Nablus. Inside Israel, the Israel Prisons Service separates Fatah, Hamas detainees to prevent rioting. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches, patrols in villages around Jenin, firing on residential areas, causing no injuries. In Gaza, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dayr al-Balah; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists attending weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 2. (AP, HA, WP, QA 6/15; NYT, WP, WT 6/16; Interfax 6/16 in WNC 6/17; PCHR 6/21; NYT 7/9)

Overnight, Hamas mbrs. kidnap, shoot, wound, release a PA presidential guard mbr. in Gaza City. An appeal made by Haniyeh at Friday prayers in Gaza for Hamas and Fatah mbrs. to observe his and Abbas’s calls to halt their infighting is ignored as Fatah, Hamas mbrs. exchange fire nr. Gaza City, with Hamas mbrs. attacking a house where Fatah gunmen are suspected of hiding. Meanwhile, the IDF makes a major raid on Shuka in s. Gaza, searching, occupying homes as observation posts, ordering all males ages 16–45 to surrender for ID checks, detaining 53 (who are transported to Kerem Shalom crossing for interrogation). IDF troops on the n. Gaza border trade tank fire for RPG fire fr. Palestinian gunmen, causing no injuries; fire on a group of Palestinian teenagers hunting birds southeast of Bayt Hanun, wounding and detaining 1. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on a group of Palestinians hunting birds nr. Hebron, killing 1 Palestinian, seriously wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Balata r.c., Nablus, Tulkarm; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists attending the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 6; fires rubbercoated steel bullets at Palestinians holding a similar nonviolent protest against the separation wall in Um Salamuna nr. Bethlehem, injuring 2. Jewish settlers vandalize a Palestinian cemetery nr. Salfit. (NYT 6/9; OCHA 6/13; PCHR 6/14)

Abbas convenes a special PC session to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1967 war and Israeli occupation, warning Palestinians that internal fighting undermines their national aspirations. While Israel does not officially mark the day, some 300 Israeli peace activists in Hebron protest the occupation, exchanging words with 30 Jewish settlers holding a counterdemonstration. In Gaza, the IDF bulldozes Palestinian land nr. al-Maghazi to improve lines of sight. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Rafah, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya (firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at schoolchildren, prompting stone throwing; more IDF gunfire that leaves 8 Palestinians, including 6 children, wounded). In Gaza, Hamas, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire nr. Qarni crossing, leaving several wounded. Unidentified gunmen raid the Gaza City offices of the Palmedia press agency, stealing a computer, TV editing equipment; no group claims responsibility. (OCHA 6/6; NYT, WP, WT 6/6; PCHR 6/7)

IDF troops in the n. Gaza buffer zone fatally shoot 2 Palestinian boys (ages 12, 13), wound a 3d (age 16) who stray nr. their position. The IDF also makes an air strike on Khan Yunis, assassinating Islamic Jihad mbr. Fadi Abu Mustafa; sends troops into Gaza e. of al-Maghazi to conduct arrest raids and house searches, detaining 2 NSF mbrs. Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawwar r.c. nr. Hebron, Nablus (firing on residential areas and blowing up cement blocks in the Old City, injuring 1 Palestinian, damaging 86 homes, 69 stores, 1 factory, 1 mosque, 1 church, electricity and water installations; the municipality estimates $75,000 in property damage); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists conducting their weekly nonviolent protest against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 4; beats and forcibly disperses 10s of Palestinians and several international peace activists who stage a nonviolent protest in Bani Na‘im nr. Hebron against the IDF’s declaration of a closed military zone on 1,500 d. of Palestinian land adjacent to Bnei Hefer settlement. In Khan Yunis, Hamas mbrs. fire an RPG at a Fatah training base, causing no injuries. In Ramallah, unidentified gunmen fire on a PA police station, causing no injuries. The Army of Islam releases an undated video tape of BBC reporter Alan Johnston, kidnapped on 3/12, showing him in good condition. (NYT, WP, WT 6/2; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/6; PCHR 6/7)

A day after the Lebanese government voted to give the military carte blanche to take action against FI, the Lebanese army tightens its cordon on Nahr al-Barid r.c., directs heavy artillery barrages on FI sniper posts and 3 positions on the outskirts of the camp, seizing them, and moves into the camp for the 1st time, taking control of limited areas inside the camp. The clashes leave at least 3 Lebanese soldiers, 2 FI mbrs., 14 others inside the r.c. (FI or civilians) dead and 60 civilians, 18 soldiers wounded. At least 8,000 civilians are still inside the camp. (DS, NYT, WP, WT 6/2)

In Gaza, the IDF assassinates IQB mbrs. Ra’ed Habib and Munir al-Jamal in an air strike on their car in Gaza City, wounding 6 bystanders; makes 5 other air strikes on Hamas and ESF targets in Bayt Lahiya, Dayr al-Balah, and Gaza City, wounding 10 bystanders, destroying 2 alleged weapons factories, damaging several homes. In retaliation, Hamas fires 17 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, injuring 2 Israelis in Sederot. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza City coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Kafr Dan nr. Jenin, wounding 3 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and neighboring Balata r.c.; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists holding a weekly nonviolent protest against the separation wall in Bil‘in nr. Ramallah, injuring 2. Jewish settlers scuffle with Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists demonstrating against the wall in Bani Na‘im nr. Hebron; the IDF intervenes, detaining 5 activists. Meanwhile, Fatah-Hamas fighting in Gaza continues, leaving 4 Palestinians dead and more than a dozen wounded. Incidents include Abbas’s presidential guard firing RPGs and mortars at the predominantly Hamas Islamic University in Gaza City. A 7-yr.-old Palestinian boy dies of injuries received in the 5/17 Fatah attack on a funeral in Rafah. (AP, WP 5/18; NYT, WP, WT 5/19; PCHR 5/21; OCHA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza e. of al-Maghazi r.c. to level land along the border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Til; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinians, Israeli and international peace activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 3 and arresting 10. Palestinians also take part in weekly nonviolent protest against the separation wall in Wadi Nis nr. Um Salamuna. Jewish settlers fr. Susia attack Palestinian farmers and a shepherd working in their fields nearby; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Fatah-affiliated PA security forces deploying in central Gaza on orders (5/10) from Abbas clash with local Hamas mbrs. in Gaza City and Jabaliya r.c. in the heaviest FatahHamas fighting in 2 mos., wounding at least 10 Palestinians; Hamas mbrs. also seize several PA police cars, equipment; ESF mbrs. do not engage in the fighting. (IMEMC, MM 5/11; NYT 5/12; OCHA 5/16; PCHR 5/17)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on, wound a Palestinian farmer who strays nr. the border fence e. of Jabaliya. In Khan Yunis, a 6-yr.-old Palestinian is killed, 2 children (ages 2 and 5) are injured when they accidentally trigger an explosive device in their home. In the West Bank, the IDF raids an internet caf´e in Orayf nr. Nablus, detaining, beating, releasing 2 14-yr.-old Palestinians they accuse of throwing stones; sends undercover units into Ramallah to raid a caf´e, arrest a wanted Palestinian (a bodyguard for Fatah PC mbr. Jamal al-Tirawi); patrols Tubas; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; fires on stone-throwing youths nr. Jenin, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians holding nonviolent protests against the separation wall at 2 points along the wall outside Qalqilya, injuring several. A 15-yr.- old Palestinian injured by IDF fire at the Qalandia checkpoint on 3/28 dies. (OCHA 4/4; PCHR 4/5)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy who apparently strays nr. the border fence nr. Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes w. of Bethlehem nr. Kefar Etzion settlement; patrols Burkin southwest of Nablus (setting up a checkpoint, checking Palestinian IDs), Tulkarm; fires tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians as well as Israeli and international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, beats others, injuring 8; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians at the Qalandia checkpoint protesting Israeli excavations at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 1. Jewish settlers fr. Negohot settlement nr. Hebron stalk, beat, seriously injure an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In Bayt Lahiya, 3 Palestinians are injured in a family feud with factional overtones. In Gaza City, Hamas mbrs. fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. (OCHA 3/28; PCHR 3/29)

IDF troops at the Sufa crossing fire across the border into Gaza for no apparent reason. Palestinians fire an antitank missile at an IDF observation post nr. the Gaza border fence n. of Bayt Hanun, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF patrols, raids stores in Ithna nr. Hebron, firing tear gas and percussion grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront the troops, then raids and searches an elementary school, detaining children, beating several; sends undercover units into Jenin to ambush and arrest a carload of 3 Palestinians; imposes a curfew on Hawara s. of Nablus; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., and in Hebron, Nablus. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen kidnap BBC correspondent Alan Johnston. Around 1,000 newly graduated Fatah security mbrs. demonstrate in Rafah demanding immediate positions in the PA security forces. ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. In Gaza, some 500 family mbrs. of Palestinians held by Israel hold a rally calling for more PA and international action to secure a prisoner release. (WP 3/12; OCHA 3/14; PCHR 3/15)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to port. IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence e. of al-Qarara and shell open areas nr. Shuka, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols Far‘un nr. Tulkarm, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, causing no injuries; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; raids the offices of Afaq TV in Nablus, reportedly using Palestinians as human shields; issues military orders confiscating 17 d. in Qalqilya and neighboring Azun for “military purposes.” In Jerusalem, a Palestinian taxi driver fr. al-Tur in East Jerusalem dies in Israeli police custody after being stopped at a checkpoint, being arrested and having his taxi confiscated for driving a Palestinian woman from Jordan who did not have the proper visas, being severely beaten by police; news of the death sparks demonstrations in al-Tur, where Israeli police fire tear gas, percussion grenades at protesters, causing no injuries. PA Education Min. Nasir Sha‘ir rescinds the ministry’s 3/5 ban on a book of Palestinian folklore after a massive public outcry, including a demonstration today in Ramallah, stating that the ban was illegal and imposed without his approval; some 1,500 copies of the book, Speak Bird, Speak Again, have been destroyed since the ban was ordered on 3/5. In Gaza, mbrs. of the Popular Resistance Comms. (PRCs) stage a peaceful sit-in in front of the Egyptian legation to protest restrictions on Gazans traveling to Egypt. Some 300 newly trained Fatah security members demonstrate outside the central Gaza governorate offices demanding positions in the PA security forces. In the West Bank, ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Nablus (no injuries) and Tubas (2 wounded). Fatah-affiliated PA security force mbrs. demanding payment of back salaries fire on the PA security headquarters in Jenin, force employees to leave the building, declare it closed. Elsewhere in the West Bank, suspected Fatah gunmen fire on the car of a Change and Reform PC minister, wounding a bodyguard. (WT 3/11; OCHA 3/14; PCHR 3/15)

As the quarter opened, Israel and the Palestinians both stated they were observing a cease-fire in Gaza that went into effect on 11/26/06, though near-daily cross-border incidents occurred. Israel’s siege of Gaza, in place since Hamas took control of the Palestinian Authority (PA) on 3/28/06, remained, as did heavy restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank. Today, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops on the n. Gaza border fire on several Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding a 12-yrold boy. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Aida refugee camp (r.c.) nr. Bethlehem, Azun nr. Qalqilya, Qalandia r.c. (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 2 IDF soldiers wounded), Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in and nr. Hebron demonstrating against Israel’s new construction at the Haram alSharif/Temple Mount (see 2/6/06 in the Chronology in JPS 143); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at 10s of Palestinians, as well as Israeli and international activists, taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 8. Jewish settlers fr. Tel Rumeida in Hebron occupy a Palestinian home next to the settlement; the IDF evicts the settlers but declares the area a closed military zone, barring the Palestinian family fr. returning. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron vandalize Palestinian homes, shops; the IDF observes but does not intervene. A Fatah mbr. dies of injuries received in recent clashes in Jabaliya with members of the PA Interior Min.’s predominantly Hamas Executive Support Force (ESF). PA health sector employees in the West Bank begin an open-ended strike to protest the PA’s failure to pay their salaries. (OCHA 2/21; PCHR 2/22)