647 / 15472 Results
  • November 5, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Jenin in the morning and in Azun late at night. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold...

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  • October 29, 2010

    IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the former settlement sites, wounding 1. Also in Gaza, 10,000s of Palestinians turn...

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  • October 22, 2010

    Gaza municipal officials are forced to shut down 1 of 2 turbines at Gaza’s power plant; rolling blackouts spike from 4–6 hrs./day to 16 hrs./day. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez...

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  • October 15, 2010

    Israel announces plans to build 238 new settlement housing units in Pisgat Ze’ev and Ramot settlements in East Jerusalem. The PA and U.S. denounce the move as contrary to peace. Also in East...

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  • October 11, 2010

    In his first statement since the 10/8 Arab League decision, Netanyahu, at the opening of the fall session of the Knesset, publicly offers a “limited” extension of its partial settlement freeze if...

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  • October 8, 2010

    Meeting in Libya, Arab League FMs strongly endorse the 10/2 Palestinian decision to halt direct talks with Israel until Israel halts settlement construction, pledging to meet again in 1 mo. to...

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  • October 1, 2010

    Mitchell ends a 2-day shuttle mission between Netanyahu and Abbas in a failed effort to secure an understanding on settlements and the future of direct talks. He leaves to tour the Arab states to...

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  • September 24, 2010

    On the evening of the settlement freeze expiration on 9/26, Clinton meets with Abbas in Washington to brief him for the first time on the Israeli-U.S. negotiations over a U.S. incentives package (...

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  • September 17, 2010

    Mitchell goes to Beirut to brief Lebanese officials on the Israeli-Palestinian talks, informing them that the U.S. will push for a comprehensive Israeli-Arab peace that would include Lebanon and...

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  • September 10, 2010

    Overnight, the IDF carries out 7 air strikes on Gaza (3 on Rafah tunnels and 4 on Hamas targets: 2 in Gaza City, 1 each on Bayt Hanun and Dayr al-Balah) and fires 6 tank shells across the border...

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  • September 3, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF occupies 2 Palestinian homes nr. a settler-only bypass road in Hebron as observation posts; conducts evening and late-night patrols in villages nr. Nablus, Qalqilya,...

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  • August 27, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in Azun nr. Qalqilya and Taybeh nr. Ramallah without incident. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations...

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  • August 13, 2010

    Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘...

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  • August 6, 2010

    Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr...

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  • August 2, 2010

    The Israeli human rights group Peace Now issues an 8-mo. assessment of Israel’s temporary settlement construction freeze documenting that: (1) construction of at least 600 housing units in over 60...

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  • July 30, 2010

    IQB mbrs. fire 1 manufactured Grad rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, striking nr. Ashqelon, causing damage but no injuries, marking a serious escalation; the last time Ashqelon was hit by Palestinian...

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  • July 23, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Jayyus without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied...

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  • July 19, 2010

    Israel authorizes the transfer of NIS 100 m. ($25.8 m.) paper currency fr. Palestinian banks in the West Bank to their branches in Gaza plus the replacement of 30 m. damaged shekels; the amounts...

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  • July 16, 2010

    Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr...

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  • July 9, 2010

    Obama phones Abbas to urge him to agree to begin direct negotiations with Israel. Abbas reiterates demands for a comprehensive settlement freeze including East Jerusalem and assurances that all...

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  • July 2, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Birzeit nr. Ramallah and ‘Aqabat Jabir village and ‘Ayn alSultan r.c. nr. Jericho, searching 1 home and handing out 1 summons to report for...

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  • June 25, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in al-Bireh without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by...

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  • June 18, 2010

    IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction goods in the fmr. settlement sites nr. the border, causing no injuries. Israeli naval vessels fire...

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  • June 11, 2010

    IDF soldiers manning a temporary checkpoint in Wadi al-Juz in East Jerusalem open fire on a Palestinian car they claim refused orders to halt, killing 1 Palestinian man, wounding his 5-yr.-old son...

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  • June 4, 2010

    Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr...

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  • May 28, 2010

    Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. The IDF retaliates with 5 air strikes on the Dahaniyya airport site (hitting...

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  • May 21, 2010

    IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fatally shoot 2 armed Palestinian teenagers who infiltrate the border fence nr. Abasan; the IDF claims they are mbrs. of Hamas’s armed-wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam...

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  • May 14, 2010

    IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Jabaliya fatally shoot an unarmed 76-yr.- old Palestinian man fr. Bayt Lahiya as he deliberately walks toward the border fence; family mbrs. cannot explain his...

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  • May 11, 2010

    Egyptian naval forces fire on a Palestinian fishing boat fr. Gaza that strays nr. Egyptian territorial waters, killing 1 Palestinian fisherman, wounding 3. The UN reports that 1 Palestinian has...

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  • May 7, 2010

    In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists taking part in a nonviolent march to Karme Tzur settlement to protest...

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In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Jenin in the morning and in Azun late at night. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 1 Israeli activist and 1 Palestinian photographer are slightly injured. (OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the former settlement sites, wounding 1. Also in Gaza, 10,000s of Palestinians turn out for a rally commemorating Islamic Jihad’s 23d anniversary. Addressing the crowd by telephone from Damascus, the movement’s head, Abdallah Shallah, denounces the PA for having resumed direct talks with Israel, calls any formal agreement with Israel “forbidden religiously and politically,” and says the duty of all Palestinians should be to “eliminate” Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in and around Tulkarm twice during the day, making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 7 Palestinians are moderately injured. Jewish settlers from Shvut Rachel settlement nr. Ramallah, who have leveled 280 d. of adjacent Palestinian agricultural land since 10/24, place 9 new mobile homes on the cleared plot, effectively expanding the settlement. (NYT 10/30; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

Gaza municipal officials are forced to shut down 1 of 2 turbines at Gaza’s power plant; rolling blackouts spike from 4–6 hrs./day to 16 hrs./day. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the demolished industrial zone, wounding 1. In the West Bank, Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Ma‘sara nr. Bethlehem, and Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters and occupy 1 Palestinian home in Nabi Salih as an observation post; 10s of demonstrators suffer tear gas inhalation, 2 Palestinians and 3 international activists are arrested (the internationals are quickly released), and a Palestinian home in Nabi Salih is set on fire by a tear gas canister. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim settlement nr. Qalqilya vandalize nearby Palestinian homes and a cemetery, spraying graffitti on buildings threatening Palestinians to leave the area or face attack and on gravestones saying: “Here lies the Palestinian state.” (PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

Israel announces plans to build 238 new settlement housing units in Pisgat Ze’ev and Ramot settlements in East Jerusalem. The PA and U.S. denounce the move as contrary to peace. Also in East Jerusalem, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and water with a colored dye at Palestinians holding a sit-in in the al-Bustan area of Silwan after Friday prayers to protest Israel’s plans (announced in 3/2010) to demolish homes and businesses in the area to create the City of David, an archeological park to accommodate settlers; local Jewish settlers join in, stoning Palestinians and vandalizing Palestinian homes; 15 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts synchronized daytime patrols in 2 villages and 1 open area nr. Jenin, making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 2 Israeli and 3 Palestinian activists are arrested (the Israelis are quickly released). Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus fire on and chase off Palestinian farmers harvesting olives nr. the settlement, causing no reported injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Zohar settlement e. of Qalqilya set fire to Palestinian olive groves and prevent Palestinian fire engines fr. reaching the area, allowing 100 d. to burn. (NYT, WP 10/16; PCHR 10/21; OCHA 10/22)

In his first statement since the 10/8 Arab League decision, Netanyahu, at the opening of the fall session of the Knesset, publicly offers a “limited” extension of its partial settlement freeze if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Abbas rejects this as a key concession that Israel seeks as a basis to reject Palestinian refugees’ right of return to their homes in Israel, noting that the PLO formally recognized the State of Israel in an exchange of letters before signing the 1993 Oslo Accord. The State Dept. suggests that Abbas make a counter offer to keep the process going. (AFP, NYT, WP 10/11; AFP, HA 10/12)

Meanwhile, Israel’s ministerial comm. on legislation sends a bill to the Knesset for a second reading that would require a national referendum before any territory could be ceded in a peace agreement. (JTA, NYT 10/11)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units make an incursion into Silwan in East Jerusalem, arresting 4 Palestinian boys (ages 12–13), firing rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, seriously wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy; all 4 boys arrested are released on 10/12. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. An Israeli military court sentences Abdullah Abu Rahma, head of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the West Bank village of Bil‘in who organizes the weekly demonstrations against the separation wall, to 1 year in jail (including time served) and a $1,250 fine; Abu Rahma was arrested in 12/09 and convicted in 8/2010 of incitement and participating in illegal demonstrations. PA PM Salam Fayyad holds a groundbreaking ceremony to inaugurate a new agroindustrial park in the Jordan Valley, which is expected to create 10,000 new Palestinian jobs. (JTA 10/12; Israel National News, WT 10/13; PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15; Irish Times 10/21; UNSCO 10/22)

Meeting in Libya, Arab League FMs strongly endorse the 10/2 Palestinian decision to halt direct talks with Israel until Israel halts settlement construction, pledging to meet again in 1 mo. to discuss alternatives and decide on next steps; a meeting is set for 11/9. (REU 10/8; MNA, NYT, UNSCO, WP 10/9; al-Ahram Weekly 10/8–14)

Overnight, in the West Bank, the IDF raids a Palestinian residential building in Hebron, killing 2 IQB mbrs. in an exchange of fire (with the IDF firing machine guns, medium-caliber bullets, and grenades) and then bulldozing the structure, also destroying an adjacent store, heavily damaging 4 houses and another store nearby, and arresting 12 Palestinians. The IQB mbrs. allegedly were behind the 8/31 shooting of 4 Jewish settlers nr. Hebron; Palestinians do not consider their deaths willful killings or assassinations. The IDF also patrols in 3 villages n. of Tulkarm late at night, making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and a 13-yr.-old Palestinian is moderately wounded. In East Jerusalem, a Jewish settler deliberately attempts to run down a group of Palestinian stonethrowing children with his car in Silwan, injuring 2 (both age 10). Also in East Jerusalem, 2 settlement guards posted outside a Palestinian house previously seized by settlers beat a local Palestinian working on his home nearby; the IDF observes but does not intervene until the Palestinian begins to fight back, at which point they arrest him and order him to stay away from his home for 1 wk. (WP 10/9; PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15)

Mitchell ends a 2-day shuttle mission between Netanyahu and Abbas in a failed effort to secure an understanding on settlements and the future of direct talks. He leaves to tour the Arab states to urge them to endorse a continuation of direct talks at the upcoming Arab League session, now set for 10/8. (NYT, WP 10/2; AP 10/3)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the evacuated settlement sites nr. Bayt Hanun and briefly make an incursion into the area, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and a 13-yr.-old Palestinian is lightly injured. (PCHR 10/7; OCHA 10/8)

On the evening of the settlement freeze expiration on 9/26, Clinton meets with Abbas in Washington to brief him for the first time on the Israeli-U.S. negotiations over a U.S. incentives package (see 9/20) and urges him not to walk away from direct talks immediately if Netanyahu allows the freeze to expire before a deal can be reached. (NYT 9/26) (see Quarterly Update for details) Clashes in and around Issawiyya between Israeli security forces and stonethrowing Palestinian youths continue for a 3d day. Off Gaza’s n. coast, Israeli naval vessels fire on a Palestinian fishing boat, killing 1 Palestinian fisherman. Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. n. Gaza toward Israel but it lands inside the Strip, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in ‘Anin village nr. Jenin in the afternoon without incident. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 4 Palestinians are moderately injured (including 1 hit in the leg by live ammunition). (YA 9/21; JP 9/24; WP 9/25; PCHR 9/30; OCHA 10/1)

Mitchell goes to Beirut to brief Lebanese officials on the Israeli-Palestinian talks, informing them that the U.S. will push for a comprehensive Israeli-Arab peace that would include Lebanon and Syria. (Asia Times 9/16)

Israel seals the West Bank through 9/18 for the Yom Kippur holiday. Overnight in the West Bank, an IDF special forces unit raids the home of local IQB cmdr. Iyad Abu Shilbaya in Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, fatally shooting him at close range in his bedroom, in what Hamas and the PA both call an assassination. The IDF says it received intelligence that Abu Shilbaya might be armed and fired on him “when they felt their lives were threatened.” Hamas vows revenge against Israel and the PA, accusing the PASF of collusion, noting that they arrested Abu Shilbaya just days before. Simultaneously with the assassination, the IDF conducts arrest sweeps in Nur Shams, detaining 11 suspected Hamas mbrs. During the day, Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 1 Palestinian is moderately injured. (WP 9/18, 9/22; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Overnight, the IDF carries out 7 air strikes on Gaza (3 on Rafah tunnels and 4 on Hamas targets: 2 in Gaza City, 1 each on Bayt Hanun and Dayr al-Balah) and fires 6 tank shells across the border at Bayt Hanun in retaliation for recent Palestinian rocket and mortar fire, injuring 2 Hamas mbrs. In response, unidentified Palestinians fire another Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in villages nr. Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm, checking Palestinian IDs but making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation, 1 Palestinian is moderately injured. (JP, YA 9/10; AFP 9/12; PCHR 9/16; OCHA 9/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF occupies 2 Palestinian homes nr. a settler-only bypass road in Hebron as observation posts; conducts evening and late-night patrols in villages nr. Nablus, Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/ Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 1 Palestinian and 9 internationals are arrested. Jewish settlers gather at the evacuated Homesh settlement site nr. Nablus, stone passing Palestinian vehicles. (PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in Azun nr. Qalqilya and Taybeh nr. Ramallah without incident. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Ma‘sara, and Dayr Nizam/Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation, 6 Palestinians (including 1 journalist) and 1 American activist are injured, and 4 Palestinian paramedics and 2 Israeli activists are arrested (all are released the same day). Senior Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) officials take part in the Bil‘in demonstration to commemorate the 9th anniversary of the assassination of PFLP Secy. Gen. Abu Ali Mustafa. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa settlement nr. Hebron stone and beat Palestinian shepherds grazing flocks nr. the settlement. (PCHR 9/2; OCHA 9/3)

Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih, al-Walaja, and outside Beit Romano settlement in Hebron. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 1 Palestinian and 1 Israeli, and arresting 2 Palestinians, 4 Israelis, and 1 international activist (all released later in the day). Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize 3 Palestinian homes in Hebron. (PCHR 8/19; OCHA 8/20)

Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/alNabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 2 Palestinians, and arresting 1 Israeli activist. Some 20 Jewish settlers fr. Harsina nr. Hebron attack 3 Palestinian vehicles parked nearby with rocks and iron bars, heavily damaging them; the IDF intervenes when Palestinians emerge fr. their homes to challenge the settlers, beating the Palestinians back into their houses, arresting 2 and moderately injuring 1. (PCHR 8/12; OCHA 8/13)

The Israeli human rights group Peace Now issues an 8-mo. assessment of Israel’s temporary settlement construction freeze documenting that: (1) construction of at least 600 housing units in over 60 different settlements has begun during the freeze, with at least 492 of those units being constructed in direct violation of the freeze; (2) some 2,000 housing units started before the freeze was implemented on 11/26/09 are currently under construction; and (3) new construction starts during the freeze constitute approximately half of the normal settlement construction pace. (Peace Now press release 8/2)

Unidentified assailants fire 5–7 modified Grad-type rockets apparently fr. the Egyptian desert toward the Aqaba-Elat resort; 1 rocket lands harmlessly nr. the entrance to the Israeli resort town, 2 land inside Jordan (1 harmlessly, the other striking a taxi outside the InterContinental hotel in Aqaba, killing 1 Jordanian and wounding 3), 2 land in the Red Sea. Israel believes the rockets were all intended to strike Elat and calls Hamas “responsible” for the rocket fire; Hamas denies involvement. (JP 8/2; YT 8/3; WT 8/4; KUNA 8/5; HA 8/6; JPI, OCHA 8/13)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authority approves construction of 40 settlement housing units in Pisgat Ze’ev settlement in East Jerusalem. In the West Bank, the IDF dismantles and confiscates a Palestinian irrigation network nr. Hebron; patrols in 2 villages nr. Salfit at midday, making no arrests; arrests 3 Palestinian children (ages 13–14) nr. the separation wall nr. Bil‘in; sends undercover units in Jafna village nr. Ramallah late in the evening, raiding 2 Internet cafes and arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Qalqilya. In Gaza, unidentified Palestinians apparently mishandle explosives in a home in Dayr al-Balah, triggering an explosion that injures 58 Palestinians (including 13 children, 9 women) and damages several surrounding homes. (AP 8/3; PCHR 8/5)

IQB mbrs. fire 1 manufactured Grad rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, striking nr. Ashqelon, causing damage but no injuries, marking a serious escalation; the last time Ashqelon was hit by Palestinian rocket fire was in 2/09. Several hrs. later, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF carries out 3 air strikes targeting a training camp for the Hamas-affiliated police in Gaza City (wounding 5 policemen and 16 bystanders, damaging 30 surrounding buildings) and smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border (causing no reported injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Liqya village nr. Ramallah at midday without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in (a 45- mbr. Spanish delegation and a 30-mbr. German delegation take part), Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation and arresting 1 Palestinian and 1 international activist. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha nr. Nablus set fire to 100 olive trees and large tracks of agricultural land; IDF soldiers initially fire tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian civil defense workers who attempt to put out the fire, but finally let the firefighters pass more than half an hour later, after the PA liaison dept. intervenes. (HA, JP, YA 7/30; HA, NYT, WP 7/31; IFM, MEZ 8/1; PCHR 8/5; OCHA 8/13)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Jayyus without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and e. of Hebron. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation and arresting 6 Palestinians (including 2 journalists for foreign news agencies), 1 Israeli, and fmr. vice pres. of the EU Parliament Luisa Morgantini (she is quickly released). (PCHR 7/29; OCHA 7/30)

Israel authorizes the transfer of NIS 100 m. ($25.8 m.) paper currency fr. Palestinian banks in the West Bank to their branches in Gaza plus the replacement of 30 m. damaged shekels; the amounts are 42% of what the Palestinian Monetary Authority requested to alleviate the liquidity crisis in Gaza. The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza nr. the fmr. Jewish settlement sites to level land and clear lines of sight, firing on the surrounding area but causing no reported injuries; makes a 2d brief incursion into s. Gaza e. of al-Shuka village to level land 400 m fr. the border to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 60 tents and huts in Farasiyya nr. Tubas used by itinerant farmers; bulldozes an irrigation network and pool along a settler bypass road nr. Hebron; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm, making no arrests. (OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 5 Palestinians (including 2 children ages 12 and 14), and arresting 1 international activist. (OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

Obama phones Abbas to urge him to agree to begin direct negotiations with Israel. Abbas reiterates demands for a comprehensive settlement freeze including East Jerusalem and assurances that all final status issues will be discussed. (White House press release 7/9; WJW 7/15)

In Gaza, unidentified assailants break into the Palestinian Liaison Office on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing, stealing copies of medical referral documents and communications equipment used to coordinate transit through the crossing with the Israeli Liaison Office on the Israeli side. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized evening patrols in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm, making no arrests; patrols in a 4th village nr. Tulkarm late at night, making no arrests. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 2 Palestinians, and arresting 1 Palestinian, 1 Israeli, 1 international activist. (PCHR 7/15; OCHA 7/16)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Birzeit nr. Ramallah and ‘Aqabat Jabir village and ‘Ayn alSultan r.c. nr. Jericho, searching 1 home and handing out 1 summons to report for questioning. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih, al-Ma‘sara, Wadi Rahal s. of Bethlehem. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation and 3 Palestinians injured, arresting 2 international activists (released hrs. later after questioning). (PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in al-Bireh without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring at least 2 Palestinians. (PCHR 7/1; OCHA 7/2)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction goods in the fmr. settlement sites nr. the border, causing no injuries. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, 3 Palestinians injured, 6 Palestinians (including 1 journalist) and 3 Israelis under arrest (all are released by 6/20). A Jewish settler driving nr. Hebron stops his car and beats a Palestinian teenager unconscious with an iron bar, leaving him on the side of the road, where he is found and transported to a hospital by a passing Palestinian. (PCHR 6/24; OCHA 6/25)

IDF soldiers manning a temporary checkpoint in Wadi al-Juz in East Jerusalem open fire on a Palestinian car they claim refused orders to halt, killing 1 Palestinian man, wounding his 5-yr.-old son, and severely beating a Palestinian who runs to the scene to provide medical aid. Palestinian witnesses claim the driver turned down a side street before the checkpoint to avoid a scene at the checkpoint, where Palestinian children were throwing stones at the troops; troops then chased the car, ordered it to stop, and willfully shot the driver when he halted and stepped out of the car, wounding him with 3 bullets before shooting him twice more at pointblank range, wounding the child in the initial volley. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih, and al-Ma‘sara. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation and detaining 3 Palestinian cameramen for foreign news agencies, 1 international activist, and 2 Palestinians (including a main organizer of the al-Ma‘sara protest, who is formally arrested after the others are released). (PCHR 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih, as well as in Nuba village nr. Ramallah. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring at least 3 Palestinian protesters and 3 Palestinian and 1 Norwegian journalist, arresting 3 demonstrators (including at least 1 American). (PCHR 6/10; OCHA 6/11)

Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. The IDF retaliates with 5 air strikes on the Dahaniyya airport site (hitting previously destroyed buildings, causing no injuries) and on a suspected weapons factory in the al-Zaytun neighborhood of Gaza City (destroying it but causing no injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF partly opens Route 443 between Jerusalem and Ramallah to Palestinian traffic for the 1st time in 8 yrs., but Palestinians will still have to go through several checkpoints and will not be allowed to take the road all the way into Ramallah (see Quarterly Update in JPS 155 for background). Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring at least 2 Palestinians, and arresting 4 Israelis. Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized outpost of Beit Yonatan nr. Silwan retaliating for the 5/25 Jerusalem District Court decision harass a group of Palestinian women, sparking a stone throwing clash between the settlers and local Palestinians; the IDF intervenes, firing tear gas and beating back the Palestinians, including a pregnant Palestinian woman who miscarries as a result. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron nr. Qalqilya stone Palestinian vehicles on the Qalqilya–Nablus road, breaking the windows of 1 car, injuring 4 Palestinians. (YA 5/28; NYT, WP 5/29; JP 5/30; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fatally shoot 2 armed Palestinian teenagers who infiltrate the border fence nr. Abasan; the IDF claims they are mbrs. of Hamas’s armed-wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB). The IDF sends troops 800 m into Abasan to raze a Palestinian house under construction, a poultry farm, and 2 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of agricultural land planted with olive and palm trees to clear lines of site. Later, IDF troops and armed Palestinians exchange fire across the Gaza border, leaving 1 IDF soldier wounded. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin nr. Ramallah, Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih in the north central West Bank, and Bayt Jala and al-Ma‘sara nr. Bethlehem. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 5 Palestinians, and arresting 11 Israelis and internationals (including an Israeli journalist). (NYT 5/22; OCHA, PCHR 5/27)

In Jerusalem, Israeli police inform 4 PC mbrs. fr. the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform party—Khalid Abu ‘Arafa, Muhammad Abu Tir, Ahmad Atwan, and Muhammad Totah (all arrested in 6/06 as part of Israel’s round-up of Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. and recently released after completing their sentences)— that Israel’s High Court has upheld a 9/09 ruling revoking their permanent Jerusalem residency status because their participation in 1/06 Palestinian elections constituted disloyalty to the state, warning that they will be deported to Gaza if they do not leave Jerusalem voluntarily (Abu Tir by 6/19, the others by 7/3). (NYT 5/22; PCHR 5/27; PCHR 6/7)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Jabaliya fatally shoot an unarmed 76-yr.- old Palestinian man fr. Bayt Lahiya as he deliberately walks toward the border fence; family mbrs. cannot explain his actions but say he did not have mental problems. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 1 Palestinian journalist is arrested); fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at Palestinian, international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in weekly protests against the wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation). (WP 5/15; OCHA, PCHR 5/20)

Egyptian naval forces fire on a Palestinian fishing boat fr. Gaza that strays nr. Egyptian territorial waters, killing 1 Palestinian fisherman, wounding 3. The UN reports that 1 Palestinian has been killed in a tunnel collapse on the Rafah border since 5/4. Israel’s Peace Now reports that construction has begun of 14 new Jewish homes in Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem. The PA informs the U.S., calling the construction a violation of Israel’s pledges at the start of proximity talks. Israel says the homes are being built privately and the government has no authority to stop it. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Umar village in the afternoon, firing live ammunition at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1; makes a late-night raid on a Palestinian home in Bil‘in, summoning 1 resident for interrogation; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit, arresting 11 Palestinian teenagers. Israel’s Jerusalem municipality orders Palestinian business owners to evacuate a 3 d. plot of land nr. the U.S. consulate, saying it is state-owned land; the order is not immediately enforced. (OCHA, PCHR, WJW 5/13)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists taking part in a nonviolent march to Karme Tzur settlement to protest Israeli settlement activity in Hebron; troops chase protesters into Bayt Umar village, firing at least 4 tear gas canisters into a Palestinian home, where a 7-mo.-old Palestinian girl is overcome by the fumes and later dies at a hospital. The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 3 Palestinians, 2 Israelis, and 1 American are detained) and against settlement expansion in Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 2 Palestinians, including a 12-yr.- old boy, are detained); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinian, international activists taking part in weekly protests against the wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts late-night patrols in Fasayil village n. of Jericho, making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim throw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling the Nablus–Qalqilya road, causing no injuries. (OCHA, PCHR 5/13)