The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops clash with armed Palestinians in, make 2 air strikes on Gaza City, killing at least 4 Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding at least 5. The IDF also conducts land-leveling operations inside the Gaza border e. of Gaza City. Egyptian border police find, demolish 2 smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus (also raiding an Islamic charity, confiscating computers and files), nr. Jenin; fires percussion grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets at 2 groups of stone-throwing Palestinians in Hebron, injuring 4; 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 3). Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai nr. Hebron attack and vandalize a nearby Palestinian home; the IDF intervenes to halt the attack. Palestinians stone a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Ramallah, injuring 2 settlers. (NYT 10/27; OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/1)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car carrying Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Gaza City, missing the target, damaging a house and lightly injuring 1 bystander. Egyptian border police demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. A Palestinian is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF 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 several) and a similar protest at alWalaja (causing no reported injuries). Palestinian gunmen fire on a Jewish settler’s vehicle nr. Karnei Shomron settlement nr. Qalqilya, injuring 2 settlers. Having sealed the West Bank border for Rosh Hashanah (see 9/12), the IDF allows only Palestinian men over age 60 to enter Jerusalem fr. the West Bank to attend prayers marking the 1st Friday of Ramadan. (OCHA 9/19; PCHR 9/20)

Israelis in Sederot close schools, demand government action after Palestinians fire 3 more rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Egyptian border police demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF raids, searches several Hamas-run charities in Nablus, confiscating documents, computers and sealing the offices; patrols in, fires on residential areas of ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya (also firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 2 children, ages 13 and 14), Sa‘ir nr. Hebron (seriously wounding 1 Palestinian); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya nr. Jenin and Tulkarm r.c., and nr. Hebron. The Israeli High Court rules that the separation wall around Bil‘in, site of weekly nonviolent protests, must be moved westward to prevent the de facto annexation of more han half of the village’s agricultural land, rejecting the government’s claim that a wide buffer zone was needed to protect nearby Mod’in Ilit settlement and determining that the original route took into consideration plans to expand the settlement “as much as possible”; the decision gives the government a “reasonable period of time” to take down and move portions of the wall, which is expected to return 250 acres of land to Bil‘in residents. In Gaza City, the previously unheard-of Security Members Martyrs Brigade took responsibility for detonating a bomb under the car of a prominent Hamas mbr. in Gaza City, causing no injuries; the group is thought to be made up of Fatah security officers still in Gaza who have been underground since Hamas took over in mid6/07. Suspected Fatah mbrs. also fire on an ESF patrol, causing no injuries. In Rafah, ESF officers fire on Fatah mbrs. writing proFatah graffiti, wounding 3. (BBC 9/4; IFM, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 9/5; PCHR, WT 9/6)

For the 10th day, the IDF makes at least 7 air strikes on Hamas and ESF targets across Gaza (Gaza City, Jabaliya, Rafah, Shati‘), leaving 5 ESF mbrs. dead and at least 4 ESF mbrs. and 23 bystanders injured. The IDF also fires on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence e. of Gaza City, wounding 1; fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore. Hamas fires 12 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly wounding 1 Israeli. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit and in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas nr. Jenin; raids an elementary school nr. Hebron while classes are in session, searching for stone-throwing youths. In East Jerusalem, 2 Israeli Arab gunmen fire on an Israeli border police patrol in East Jerusalem, wounding 2 border police officers, 2 Israeli private security guards; both Israeli Arabs, 1 Palestinian bystander are killed by return fire; the AMB takes responsibility for the attack. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. Hamas’s Shabanah dies of injuries sustained when the IDF attempted to assassinate him on 5/17. (NYT, WP, WT 5/27; NYT 5/28; OCHA 5/30; PCHR 5/31)

The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the coast of Rafah, damaging 2 boats but causing no injuries. Egyptian border police demolish 2 smugglers’ tunnels on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols Sa‘ir nr. Nablus, firing on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront the troops, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., Tulkarm town and r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Eli temporarily occupy a Palestinian house under construction nearby, leave voluntarily. (NYT, WP, WT 4/16; OCHA 4/18; PCHR 4/19)