The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian and injured 4 others during a raid in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, including at least 2 who were fleeing the Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians with baton rounds and 10 with tear gas during a raid in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided Deir Abu Mash‘al and al-Walaja, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also issued demolition notices for 2 residential structures, brick walls, a roof, and a bathroom in Khirbet Humsa and 1 agricultural structure in ‘Ain as-Sakout, and seized a bulldozer near Qalqilya. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Surif, Ya’bad, Kafr Qoud, Nablus, and Tammun. In East Jerusalem, 4 Israeli settlers were injured in a car ramming and 1 Palestinian man was shot and killed by an Israeli settler after he allegedly hit the 4 with his car. Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli police assaulted worshippers at the Haram al-Sharif compound’s Bab al-Rahma prayer area and cut electricity to building. 2 Palestinians were arrested in Sur Baher. (AJ, AN, AP, BBC, HA, HA, IN, MEE, QDS, QDS, QDS, QDS, QDS, QDS, REU, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/24; HA, WAFA 4/25; PCHR 4/27; UNOCHA 5/5)

The PA Foreign Ministry condemned the 3-day long Israeli blockades of Jericho and the Nablus area coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr celebrations. (WAFA, WAFA 4/24)

In Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Israeli forces fired more than 20 artillery shells near Hader in Quneitra, allegedly targeting Iranian supported militants. (AA, ALM, HA 4/24)

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said that Israel Aerospace Industries had sold 2 satellites to Azerbaijan coinciding with his recent trip to Baku. (ALM 4/24)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near ‘Usarin, injuring 1 infant and damaging several cars. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 4 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian with a baton round during a raid in ‘Usarin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seized 1 tractor in Shaab al-Butum in the Masafer Yatta area. 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Dura. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. In Israel, 1 Palestinian citizen of Israel was shot and killed after he allegedly rammed his car into 3 Israeli police officers in Kafr Qasim, injuring all 3. (AJ, AP, HA, MEE, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/23; TOI 12/25; PCHR 12/29; UNOCHA 1/16)

Israel handed over the body of 1 Palestinian woman killed by Israeli forces on 4/10 to her family. (WAFA 12/23)

Israel’s Channel 12 News reported that Norway’s sovereign wealth fund was reviewing its investments in Israel to ensure that it does not finance business that operate in Israeli settlements. (HA, MEE, WAFA 12/23; ALM 1/3)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles in Hebron, causing damage. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man after he allegedly rammed his car into an Israeli soldier at the Beit Sira checkpoint, injuring the soldier. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian man driving near Kharas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 2 Palestinian homes in Jalbun and 2 Palestinian homes in al-Walaja. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ramallah, Aida refugee camp, Kafl Haris, Beita, Nablus, Nur Shams, ‘Azzun, and Aqabat Jaber refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were arrested in Isawiya. In the Naqab, Israeli police shot and injured 1 Palestinian minor who was a bystander to a car chase in Ar‘arat an-Naqab. (AJ, HA, HA, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/2; PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 11/3; MDW 11/4; UNOCHA 11/13)

In the final communique from the 1st Arab Summit in 3 years, Arab state leaders pledged their continued to support for Palestine, said Jerusalem must be protected, condemned Israeli use of violence against Palestinians, and urged Israel to lift the blockade of Gaza. The 31st Arab Summit, held in Algeria, was the 1st since the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and Sudan normalized relations with Israel. At the summit PA president Mahmoud Abbas asked the participating countries to form 2 ministerial committees to support Palestine in international diplomacy. (AJ, HA, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/2; MEMO, MEMO 11/3)

A spokesperson for the newly appointed UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said that his government does not intend to move the British embassy to Israel to Jerusalem, walking back statements made by Prime Minister Sunak’s predecessor Liz Truss who resigned last month. Truss, who like Sunak had been appointed by the Conservative Party, had told Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid that her government would review moving the British embassy to Israel to Jerusalem last month. Truss served as prime minister for 45 days before resigning due to dissatisfaction with her policies and popularity among Conservative Party members. (MEE, WAFA 11/2; AJ, GDN, HA, JP, MEMO, REU, TOI 11/3; NA 11/4)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 1 electrical panel in Asira. 1 Israeli settler rammed his car into a Palestinian-owned flock of sheep in the northern Jordan Valley, killing 4 of the sheep and injuring several others; according to the Palestinian owner of the sheep, he was forced to pay for the repairs to the settler’s car by Israeli forces. Israeli forces seized 1 Palestinian-owned tractor in Birin and demolished 2 agricultural barracks in Fasayil. 19 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Hizma, Bayt Kahil, Hebron, Jenin, and Abu Dis. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers set fire to the Romanian Church Monastery in the Old City, causing damage. Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in Issawiyya and 1 Palestinian family demolished their own house in Silwan to avoid exorbitant Israeli demolition fees. 1 Palestinian minor was arrested in Issawiyya. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/1; PCHR 3/4)

Israel sentenced the Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar to 2 years in prison for holding a position in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Israel considers a terror organization. Jarrar will serve 7 months of the sentence, as she has been held in administrative detention since October 2019. Jarrar has served several years in Israeli prison for her membership to the PFLP. (ADM, HA, WAFA 3/1; AP 3/2)

Several Palestinian NGOs called on the PA to investigate rumors that some PA officials have been getting COVID-19 vaccines ahead of their turn in the formal vaccination scheme. There were also rumors about a black market for COVID-19 vaccines smuggled from Israel and available for purchase in the West Bank. (HA 3/3)

The Israeli government approved a plan to combat gun violence in Palestinian towns in Israel, allocating $45.5 million to 5 police stations and a special police unit to combat crime in the Palestinian community. Palestinian-Israeli members of Knesset criticized the plan for deferring the larger portion of it to after the Israeli elections and said that the government approvals were “crumbs” of the Israeli police budget. (HA 3/2)

Prime minister elect of Kosovo Albin Kurti said he might change the location of Kosovo’s future embassy to Israel from Jerusalem to another city after meeting with the Turkish ambassador in Pristina. Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned Kosovo about the repercussions of opening an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. (AP 3/1; HA 3/2)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces gave evacuation notices for land seizure to several Palestinians in Bittir near Bethlehem and Halhul and Bayt Umar near Hebron. Israeli forces also gave notice to Palestinians in 7 villages in the Nablus area that 406 dunams (100 acres) will be seized by Israel for a settler-only road and 384 dunams (94 acres) for a military road in the northern Jordan Valley. In Hebron, several Palestinian students, a teacher, and a janitor suffered from tear gas inhalation when Israeli forces fired tear gas into the school yard. The teacher and janitor were taken to a hospital for treatment. Israeli forces also halted construction of a road west of Yatta near Hebron. South of Bethlehem, a Palestinian was hospitalized after an Israeli settler rammed his car. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were injured and 3 arrested by Israeli police after a confrontation with Israeli settlers. Israeli settlers also sealed the door to the Shaykh Makki Mosque in the Old City for a 3d time (2 previous sealings happened in March). An Israeli court released 5 Palestinians who had been detained since March but banned them from returning to their homes in Silwan for 30 days. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces fired at Palestinian fishermen 3 nautical miles offshore from al-Sudaniyya. Israeli forces also razed farmland and fired at Palestinians near Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/8)

After the postponement of the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike reported on 4/7, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails started an open-ended hunger strike to protest their treatment by the Israelis. (HA, WAFA 4/8)

A French employee at the French consulate in Jerusalem was sentenced to 7 years in prison by an Israeli court for smuggling arms from Gaza to the West Bank. He confessed to having smuggled 30 guns, receiving $7,200 for his services. (HA 4/8; MEMO 4/9)

Russian president Vladimir Putin said weeks after U.S. president Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights that the U.S. change of policy is “a violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.” (MNA 4/9)

In response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comment on 4/6 that he would extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank, the Arab League’s assistant secretary-general Saeed Abu Ali said that such actions would lead to “dangerous repercussions” and called for an “immediate official investigation” by the International Criminal Court of “the ongoing settlement crimes in the Palestinian territories.” (MEMO 4/9)

In a White House statement, President Trump announced that the U.S had decided to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. Prime Minister Netanyahu later tweeted on his Hebrew language account, “Thank you for the answer to another important request that serves the interests of our country and the region,” implying that the terror designation was made upon request by Netanyahu. On Netanyahu’s English language Twitter account, the word “request” was omitted. (NPR 4/8; HILL 4/9; HA 4/10)

Along Gaza’s border fence, Palestinians fly a number of incendiary kites and balloons into southern Israel, sparking 15 separate fires that cause moderate damage. The IAF retaliates with a drone strike near Rafah, causing damage. Separately, IDF troops violently disperse hundreds of Palestinians gathering along the border fence near Gaza City to continue the Great March of Return; 2 Palestinians are injured. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces carry out the punitive demolition of the Jenin-area apartment of a Palestinian accused of carrying out a deadly car ramming attack on IDF troops on 3/16. The demolition sparks clashes between the IDF and stone-throwing residents of the area; 7 Palestinians are injured. IDF troops arrest 5 Palestinians during raids in Bayt Fajjar near Bethlehem, sparking clashes with stone-throwing residents (5 Palestinians are injured). They also patrol near Hebron and Tulkarm. Israeli settlers throw stones at a Palestinian woman at the entrance to Burqa village near Ramallah, causing minor injuries. In East Jerusalem, right-wing Jewish activists verbally assault Muslim worshippers at Haram al-Sharif, sparking a minor confrontation involving the Islamic Waqf and Israeli police; there are no injuries. (HA, MNA, WAFA, YA 6/21; PCHR 6/28)

In response to the rocket attacks on 6/20, Israel’s Public Security Minister Erdan says there is a “good chance” that Israel will launch an “operation” in Gaza to “create durable deterrence.” (HA, TOI 6/21)

U.S. president Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Kushner and Special Representative Greenblatt arrive in Egypt for meetings with Egyptian officials, including Egyptian president al-Sisi, on their Palestinian-Israeli peace initiative and humanitarian efforts in Gaza. They later visit Doha for similar talks with Qatari officials. (AP, JP, TOI, YA 6/21)

Israeli forces impose an overnight curfew and punitively demolish 2 homes and seal a 3d in Dayr Abu Mash‘al nr. Ramallah. (The homes belong to the families of the Palestinians allegedly responsible for the deadly 6/16 attack in East Jerusalem.) Clashes break out despite the curfew; 3 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, Israeli forces also carry out the punitive demolition of a home in Silwad nr. Ramallah, which belongs to the family of the man allegedly responsible for the car ramming attack nr. Ramallah on 4/6. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops interrogate several PA employees during a raid on a govt. office in Hebron. Another IDF raid in Bayt Rima nr. Ramallah sparks clashes with Palestinian youths; 5 Palestinians are injured. IDF troops also patrol nr. Hebron and Qalqilya during the day. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest 5 Palestinians in al-‘Izzariya allegedly on their way to carry out an attack on Israelis; and arrest 3 more Palestinians during late-night raids in Shu‘fat r.c. and Qatanna. Undercover Israeli police assault and arrest a number of Palestinian youths in Bayt Hanina. (HA, MNA, TOI 8/10; MNA 8/11; PCHR 8/17)