The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians gathering at Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the killing of a resident of the camp; at least 10 Palestinians are injured (1 critically). The IDF also conducts late-night raids nr. Nablus, Hebron, and Jenin, arresting 5 Palestinians, demolishing a door and threatening demolitions; and patrols nr. Hebron and Qalqilya. Meanwhile, a Palestinian armed with a knife allegedly assaults an Israeli border police officer outside a settlement nr. Jerusalem, causing minor injuries. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmland nr. Gaza City, causing no damage. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest a Palestinian nr. the Old City who was allegedly planning a stabbing attack. Israeli forces arrest 6 Palestinians during late-night raids in Silwan and Abu Dis; and impose a temporary closure on Bayt Surik village n. of the city, sparking minor clashes with stonethrowing residents; 2 Palestinians are injured. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/15; PCHR 10/20)

The IDF imposes a general closure over the West Bank and Gaza, barring all passage through border crossings, except humanitarian cases, for the Jewish Sukkot holiday. The closure is set to extend through 10/17. (MNA, TOI 10/15)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for passage in both directions for the 1st of 2 planned days. (JP, MNA 10/15)

Israeli PM Netanyahu accuses B’Tselem and Americans for Peace Now of joining the “chorus of slander” against Israel because they participated in the UNSC meeting on Israeli settlements on 10/14. Netanyahu also says he is working to deny B’Tselem its right to a national service volunteer. The group only is allotted 1 such volunteer, and the post is currently unfilled. (HA 10/16)

Israeli soldiers shoot and kill a Palestinian at the Qalandia checkpoint n. of Jerusalem after he allegedly stabs an Israeli border guard, causing moderate injuries. The IDF then violently disperses around 200 Palestinians gathering to throw stones in protest of the killing. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday demonstrations against Israel’s occupation, settlements, and separation wall in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih), Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, and along Gaza’s border nr. al-Bureij r.c. and Shuja‘iya; at least 6 Palestinians are injured and 2 are arrested. They also patrol during the day nr. Qalqilya, Salfit, and Hebron. (HA, MNA, TOI, YA 9/30; MNA 10/1; PCHR 10/6)

PA pres. Abbas attends the funeral of former Israeli pres. Peres and shakes hands with Israeli PM Netanyahu. Responding to criticism from Hamas and many other Palestinians, a senior Hamas official says that Abbas’s attendance disproves Israeli claims of Palestinian dedication to violence and that it sent a “strong message of Palestinian peace” to the world. MK and Joint List chair Ayman Odeh refuses to attend, along with the rest of the Joint List, citing Peres’s treatment of the Palestinians. The Joint List and PA reportedly agree to refrain from publicly criticizing one another over their different views on this matter. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, YA 9/30; HA 10/1)

After a significant lull in major violence, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian at the Ras Biddu checkpoint n. of Jerusalem after she allegedly attempts to stab an Israeli border guard. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli authorities return the bodies of 3 Palestinians killed in confrontations with Israeli forces on 3/8/2016, 10/12/2015, and 10/13/2015. Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians on a raid in Silwan, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths (1 Palestinian is injured). They also demolish an Islamic structure in al-Masara. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids in Aida r.c. nr. Bethlehem and Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, arresting 7 Palestinians; and patrol nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, and Tulkarm. Israeli forces issue a stop-work order to a Palestinian construction site in the n. Jordan Valley. Israeli settlers steal wooden furniture from Palestinian homes in Hebron. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Gaza City, causing no damage. (JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 5/23; EI, MNA 5/24)

Israeli PM Netanyahu meets with French PM Manuel Valls in Jerusalem and calls on the French to scrap plans for an international peace conference in Paris on 6/3, and organize instead a meeting between Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) pres. Mahmoud Abbas. Valls says he will discuss the proposal with the French pres. (HA, JP, YA 5/23; YA 5/24)

For a 2d day in a row, the IDF maintains its “general closure” of the West Bank and Gaza surrounding Israel’s Independence Day. Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for passage in both directions for the 2d of 2 planned days. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmers working nr. Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishermen working nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli border police arrest 6 Palestinian youths throwing stones and setting fires nr. the separation wall outside Jerusalem. IDF troops patrol in 2 villages nr. Hebron and 1 nr. Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police disperse right-wing Jewish activists marching toward Haram al-Sharif in commemoration of Israeli Independence Day; 5 activists are arrested. They also arrest 10 rightwing Jewish activists after they assault Palestinians nr. Haram al-Sharif; there are no serious injuries. In Israel, thousands of PCI march through Rahat in the Negev calling for Palestinian refugees to be afforded their right of return. (HA, MNA, OCHA, TOI 5/12; PCHR 5/19)

Late at night in East Jerusalem, Israeli forces return the body of a Palestinian killed in a confrontation with Israeli border police in 11/2015. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 4 Palestinians during late-night raids in Jabal Mukabir, Qalandia r.c., and Issawiyya; and assault and arrest a Palestinian in the Old City. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces open fire on Palestinian farmers working nr. Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces raze 50 dunams (around 12.3 acres) of Palestinian land nr. Qalqilya, uprooting 50 olive trees; and issue a stopwork order to a water pipeline under construction in the Jordan Valley. IDF troops conduct late-night house searches and raids nr. Ramallah, Hebron, Bethlehem, and Nablus, arresting 10 Palestinians and confiscating some property; patrol nr. Hebron, Ramallah, Salfit, and Tulkarm. (MNA, WAFA 5/8; MNA 5/9; PCHR 5/12)

In the 1st such attack in 2 weeks, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian woman and her young brother at the Qalandia checkpoint nr. Ramallah after they allegedly attempt to stab Israeli border police. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids and house searches nr. Ramallah, arresting 4 Palestinians and issuing an arrest summons to 1, and patrol nr. Hebron. Israeli police remove 5 right-wing Jewish activists from Haram al-Sharif when they attempt to pray and sing at the sanctuary, increasing Passoverrelated tensions. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. al-Bureij r.c. Off the coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, destroying 1 and causing no injuries. (EI, HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 4/27; PCHR 4/28, 5/5)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian in c. Hebron after she allegedly stabs and lightly injures an Israeli soldier, and a Palestinian bystander is reportedly stabbed and injured when he tries to intervene. After an autopsy, a Palestinian forensic physician says that, though the Palestinian woman was shot 3 times, she could have survived if the IDF had not left her bleeding on the ground. A Palestinian driver rams an Israeli border police jeep, injuring 4 Israeli soldiers and causing minor damage. The IDF troops then open fire on the Palestinian vehicle, injuring 2 passengers. The IDF maintains its closure of Nahalin village for a 5th day. IDF troops conduct house searches and raids in Dahaysha r.c. and 2 villages nr. Bethlehem, and 1 village nr. Jenin, arresting 6 Palestinians; patrol in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 1 nr. Tulkarm. In Gaza, the Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing in both directions for the 1st of 2 planned days. (HA, MNA, TOI, YA 2/13; MNA 2/14; OCHA, PCHR 2/18)