The Palestine Chronology

The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian, wounds a 2d inside Gaza, alleging they were planting a roadside bomb nr. the Qarni crossing; fatally shoots a Palestinian in ‘Issawiyya who allegedly attempts to run down a solider with his car. Late in the evening, the IDF launches arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; fires on residential areas of Jenin r.c. Israeli border police arrest 76 Palestinians, 3 Jordanians in a crackdown on illegal workers entering Jerusalem. Jewish settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles outside Qalqilya. (IMEMC 11/9; IMEMC, PCHR 11/10; PCHR 11/17)

The IDF officially “suspends” Operation First Rain, which began on 9/24, to “see if the Palestinian Authority is willing and capable of taking advantage of the new situation.” PA security forces clash with Hamas mbrs. in Gaza City, with violence spreading to Shati‘ r.c., leaving 1 PA police officer, 2 Palestinian bystanders dead, at least 50 Palestinians wounded over several hrs. in the first intra-Palestinian fighting in Gaza since the Israeli withdrawal, sparked when PA security forces allegedly tried to arrest Muhammad Rantisi, Hamas activist and son of assassinated Hamas leader ‘Abd al- ‘Aziz Rantisi; during the clashes Hamas mbrs. fire RPGs at 2 PA police stations, PA police run out of ammunition. Separately, shots are fired at the Gaza City home of Hamas political leader Mahmud Zahhar, causing damage but no injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF launches arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in and around Bethlehem, Hebron. Israeli border police report that over the previous 2 days they have arrested 1,200 Palestinians in Jerusalem for failing to have travel or work permits. (AFP, IMEMC, YA 10/2; REU, UPI, WP, WT 10/3; HA, REU, WT, XIN 10/4; PCHR 10/6; DS 10/8; MEI 10/12)

The Israeli FMin. adopts a new “national image management” strategy to improve Israel’s image abroad, “rebranding” it as “cool,” “hip,” “relevant and modern,” by downplaying religion and “avoiding any discussion of the conflict with the Palestinians.” (Forward 10/14)

The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement inside Gaza, declares the n. West Bank a closed military zone in preparation for disengagement; begins going door to door in the Gaza settlements, asking residents to leave within 48 hrs. In Aley Sinai, 56 of 59 families who had agreed to leave rescind their decision, vowing to resist evacuation until the Israeli government finds permanent living solutions for the community as a whole; the government had promised them space together in an Ashkelon hotel, but only today learned that not enough space was available. During the day, some 1,000 right-wing settlers in various locations in s. Gaza simultaneously begin marching toward Gush Katif to block troops, but are prevented fr. reaching the settlement bloc by IDF troops and border police. Other settler youths slash the tires of several army jeeps, spray liquid soap on windshields to limit visibility, spread nails on roads to delay convoys of movers. Jewish settlers fr. Neve Dekalim vandalize, attempt to set fire to several Palestinian homes in al-Mawasi. In Gan Or, local settlers who want the IDF’s help to evacuate scuffle with settler youths blocking soldiers fr. entering the settlement. In the West Bank, the last residents of Ganim (est. 1983, pop. 172) and Qadim (est. 1983, pop. 169) evacuate voluntarily by evening, while settlers in the other 2 West Bank settlement slated for removal, the hard-line enclaves of Homesh (est. 1980, pop. 228) and Sanur (est. 1982, pop. 105), refuse to accept their notices. The major Palestinian factions, including Hamas, agree to oversee jointly how the PA uses land evacuated by settlers and the IDF; the PA expects 5% of the land to revert to individual Palestinian owners, with the rest being state land that will fall under PA jurisdiction. In a signal to reassure Palestinians about how it will handle land use, the PA security forces demolish a house, cabana, pool built illegally on Gaza public land by 2 senior PA security officials; when a neighbor of one of the officials tells journalists that the demolitions were good because his neighbors “were criminals . . . a gang,” several PA security officers beat him, threaten to shoot him, before he retreats into his house. (BBC, HA, NYT 8/15; HA, NYT, WP, WT 8/16; PR 8/17; PCHR 8/18)

Meanwhile, the IDF continues arrest raids, house searches in villages around Tulkarm; launches arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Birzeit, alMawasi; searches homes in Kafr Qadim; occupies 5 Palestinian houses (2 nr. Gaza’s Dugit settlement, 1 in Mughraqa, 1 nr. Tulkarm, 1 in Wadi al-Silqa) as observation posts; fires on residential areas of Rafah. Jewish settlers vandalize Palestinian homes in Hebron. The ICRC resumes field activities in Gaza, which were suspended on 8/7 after shots were fired at its Khan Yunis offices. (IMEMC 8/15; NYT 8/16)

The IDF bulldozes 5 Palestinian homes in Yatta nr. Hebron; fires on a Palestinian car nr. Bayt Furik checkpoint nr. Nablus, hitting the driver 7 times, wounding him; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya; conducts patrols in Jinata nr. Bethlehem. Israeli border police raid a Central Elections Commission (CEC) registration center in Nabi Samuel outside Jerusalem, check IDs of the staff; raid another center in Harmala nr. Bethlehem, holding staff for 3 hrs. In Bayt Lahiya, 2 Palestinian boys are injured when they accidentally trigger a roadside bomb; 2 Palestinian boys are injured in a similar incident nr. the Rafah border fence. (IMEMC 5/23; OCHA 5/25; PCHR 5/26)

An Israeli border policeman fires on a group of Palestinians attempting to circumvent a checkpoint btwn. Jerusalem and Bethlehem, seriously injuring 1. The IDF fires on a group of Palestinian children returning home fr. school who apparently stray too close to a separation wall construction site, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Saida, Nur al-Shams r.c. (targeting Islamic Jihad mbrs.), Tulkarm r.c.; bulldozes 22 d. of land in Surif nr. Hebron for construction of the separation wall. Palestinians fire a rocket toward Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. Unidentified Palestinian gunmen fire on an IDF patrol searching for stolen cars in al-Amari r.c. nr. Ramallah, wounding 2 soldiers seriously, 2 lightly; the IDF seals al-Amari, conducts house searches. A PA court sentences 5 Palestinians to jail terms of 3–5 yrs. for collaborating with Israel. (HA, VOP 3/20; VOI 3/21; OCHA 3/23; PCHR 3/24)