The Palestine Chronology

Israeli naval vessels fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the n. Gaza shore, moderately wounding 1 Palestinian. Late in the evening, IDF troops on the c. Gaza border direct heavy fire on open areas e. of al-Bureij r.c., killing a Palestinian guard manning the al-Bureij sewage facility. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin late in the evening; conducts late-night patrols in and around Tulkarm. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni’lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; in Kafr Qaddum, 1 Palestinian is injured by a tear gas canister and another is arrested. In Silwan, East Jerusalem, the IDF arrests 2 Palestinian teenagers for arguing with a group of Jewish settlers who took over a Palestinian swimming hole. (PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Overnight, Palestinians fire 11 rockets (including 1 manufactured Grad) fr. Gaza into Israel, retaliating for the 12/8 assassination, causing no damage or injuries. In the morning, Israel carries out more air strikes on 2 alleged Hamas training sites in Gaza City, killing a Palestinian bystander and his 12-yr.-old son and damaging a home, injuring 11 civilians (including 3 children, 2 women); Israel says it regrets the civilian casualties but blames Hamas for operating in densely populated areas. In retaliation, Palestinians fire another 6 rockets (including 1 Grad) fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night the IDF makes an air strike on a Hamas training camp in Rafah, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm (firing tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinian youths, causing no serious injuries) and 1 village nr. Salfit in the afternoon; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Salfit; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni’lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian and lightly injuring 4 others in Nabi Salih. The incident, in which a man throwing a stone at an armored personnel carrier is hit in the head with a tear gas canister at close range, is caught on camera. (JP 12/9; JP, NYT 12/10; IDFS, WP 12/11; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16)

Unidentified assailants detonate a roadside bomb nr. a UNIFIL patrol nr. Tyre in s. Lebanon, wounding 5 French UNIFIL soldiers in the 3d such attack in 2011. No group claims responsibility. (NYT 12/10; WP 12/12)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians hunting birds nr. the no-go zone, forcing them to leave the area. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages nr. Ramallah during the day; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin; demonstrations in Bil’in also call for national reconciliation. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 3 Palestinians and 1 Israeli in Bil’in are hit and moderately injured by tear gas canisters; 2 Palestinian journalists (for Associated Press and Palestine TV) and 3 international activists are arrested in Nabi Salih. (PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

Speaking at the Brookings Institute’s Saban Center in Washington, U.S. Defense Secy. Leon Panetta states that the “firm principles” on which U.S. Middle East policy is based are: (1) the U.S.’s “unshakable” commitment to Israel, (2) maintenance of regional stability, and (3) preventing Iran fr. obtaining nuclear weapons (by military means if necessary). However, he also says Israel bears significant blame for a peace process that “has been effectively put on hold” and must do more to revive peace talks and improve relations with Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey. (NYT, WP 12/3)

The IDF conducts synchronized morning patrols in 2 villages n. of Tulkarm; conducts evening patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Salfit. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin, also calling for national reconciliation, Palestinians rights, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 2 Palestinians in Nabi Salih are moderately injured, 1 hit in the head by a rubber-coated steel bullet and 1 hit in the foot by a tear gas canister. (PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

In Gaza, a Palestinian is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning and late-night patrols in Jericho; conducts daytime patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jenin, Salfit, and Tulkarm. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations in Bil’in, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin nr. Ramallah and in Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya. While intended mainly to protests Israel’s separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion, protesters also chant slogans calling for national reconciliation, Palestinians rights, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 3 Palestinians (including a journalists) in Nabi Salih. (PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

The IDF patrols in Tulkarm and 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning; conducts 2 sets of synchronized late-night patrols in Tulkarm and 4 villages to the north, and in 6 villages west of Jenin; conducts other latenight patrols in Qalqilya. The weekly demonstrations by Palestinians and international activists in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and al-Nabi Salih support the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, call for national reconciliation, and oppose Israeli occupation and land seizures. Palestinians and international activists in Kafr Qaddum denounce Israeli land seizures. In all 4 cases, IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 2 Palestinians in al-Nabi Salih; 1 Palestinian in al-Nabi Salih is arrested. (PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

In a rare interview with Israeli TV, Abbas states, “It was our mistake. . . . It was an Arab mistake as a whole” to reject the 1947 UN partition plan to divide historic Palestine into a Jewish and a Palestinian state. (NYT 10/29)

The IDF conducts daytime patrols in Tulkarm and 1 nearby village, Dura nr. Hebron (firing percussion grenades and unleashing attack dogs to chase off stone-throwing youths; 1 dog attacks a man outside his home, moderately injuring him), 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 nr. Ramallah; conducts late-night patrols in Beitunia nr. Ramallah. The weekly demonstrations by Palestinians and international activists in Bil‘in for a 4th week express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, calling for the release of Fatah’s Barghouti and the PFLP’s Sa‘adat. In al-Nabi Salih and Ni‘lin, Palestinians and international activists rally in support of the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN. Demonstrations by Palestinians in Kafr Qaddum protest Israeli land seizures. In all 4 cases, IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 1 Palestinian in Bil‘in. (PCHR 11/3; OCHA 11/4)

The IDF carries out an air strike on a suspected Palestinian rocketlaunching team nr. the n. Gaza border; no rocket fire or injuries are reported. The IDF conducts synchronized afternoon patrols in 3 villages n. of Jenin, evening patrols in 1 village nr Qalqilya, and late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin and 2 nr. Salfit. For a 2d week, the weekly nonviolent demonstrations held by Palestinian and international activists in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Kafr Qaddum, and al-Nabi Salih focus on supporting the UN statehood bid. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, moderately injuring 1 Palestinian. Jewish settlers fr. Anatot settlement nr. East Jerusalem attack and beat a group of activists that come to visit the protest tent of a Palestinian family whose land was confiscated to expand the settlement, seriously injuring 3 people; Israeli border police observe but do not intervene. (IDFS 10/1; PCHR 10/6; OCHA 10/7)

Cross-border exchanges in Gaza continue overnight and throughout the day. The PRCs, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB), and a small Salafist group (the Abdullah Azzam Brigades) fire around 17 rockets (including at least 4 Grads) and at least 2 mortars into Israel, seriously injuring 2 Israelis and damaging a religious seminary and a synagogue. The IDF carries out at least 25 air strikes (warplanes and drones) and 5 artillery strikes, killing at least another 7 Palestinians (5 militants and 2 bystanders, including 1 child) and wounding at least 40; the attacks include the targeted assassination of Islamic Jihad’s senior military cmdr. Mu’ataz Quraiqe‘ in Gaza City, also killing his brother and 2-yr.-old son. (The other 4 militants killed, including senior PRC cmdr. Samed Abed, apparently were targeted after firing rockets.) Other targets include smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, the main waste treatment facility in Nussayrat refugee camp (r.c.) in central Gaza, and numerous Hamas facilities and suspected weapons storage facilities across the Strip. With air strikes continuing into the evening, Hamas’s military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), declares that it no longer considers itself bound by a unilateral cease-fire that had been in place since the end of Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 1/2009. Israeli officials discuss the possibility of launching an all-out offensive on Gaza. A Hamas mbr. injured in an 8/15/11 Israeli air strike on Gaza dies. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 1 each nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, and Ramallah. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni‘lin, and al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 1 Palestinian. (JP, MNA, YA 8/19; NYT, WP 8/20; IMEU, JAZ 8/21; PCHR 8/25; OCHA 8/26; NYT 8/27)

In Cairo, 100s of Egyptians angry over Israel’s killing of 3 soldiers in the Sinai on 8/18 gather outside the Israeli emb., demanding Israel’s amb. be expelled. Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF; the interim military leadership) summons the Israeli amb. to demand an apology and call for an investigation into the killings. The Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate for pres., Abdel Moneim Abou el-Fatouh, calls the incident an Israeli act of war, saying the SCAF should abrogate the 1979 peace treaty. (NYT, WP 8/20)

The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning. A Palestinian shepherd is injured in the n. Jordan Valley when he accidentally triggers unexploded IDF ordnance. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, al-Ma‘sara, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 3 Palestinian children (ages 9, 10, and 11) in al-Ma‘sara and accidentally starting a fire that burns 58 olive trees in Kafr Qaddum; 3 internationals are arrested. (PCHR 8/18; OCHA 8/19)

Israel announces restrictions on Palestinian access to East Jerusalem for Friday prayers during Ramadan, permitting access only to women over age 35 and men ages 45–50. Israel also deploys 2,000 security forces in the city to enhance security during Friday prayers. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Jenin. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, causing no injuries; 3 internationals are arrested. (MNA 8/5; PCHR 8/11; OCHA 8/12)

The IDF enters Jericho in the morning to photograph several PA security sites; escorts some 100 Jewish settlers into Bayt Umar to hold religious services; patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning and in Jenin and 2 villages nr. Qalqilya at night. The IDF also seals Nabi Salih to prevent residents from holding their weekly demonstration against the separation wall, beating and arresting a Palestinian journalist, but succeeds only in delaying the demonstration. Ultimately, Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 3 Palestinians; 3 internationals are arrested. (PCHR 8/4; OCHA 8/5)

The IDF patrols in al-Bireh, 4 villages nr. Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Jericho; enters Ras al-Amud neighborhood in East Jerusalem in the evening, detaining 1 Palestinian teenager for questioning, but releasing him an hr. later; conducts late-night house searches in Kafr Qaddum, summoning 2 Palestinians for questioning. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bayt Umar, Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 2 Palestinians; 8 Palestinians are arrested. Jewish settlers fr. Esh Kodesh settlement outpost nr. Nablus beat a 15-yr.-old Palestinian shepherd and kill 1 sheep. (PCHR 7/28; OCHA 7/29)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF makes an air strike e. of Gaza City, wounding an Islamic Jihad mbr. preparing to fire a rocket into Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-Bireh and 3 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah during the day and in 1 village nr. Ramallah late in the evening; conducts late-night raids into 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, summoning 5 Palestinians for questioning. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in (for the 1st time since protests there were suspended on 6/24), Kafr Qaddum, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 1 Palestinian; 2 Israeli activists and 1 Palestinian are arrested. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to nearby Palestinian olive groves, damaging 3,000 trees. In East Jerusalem, up to 4,500 left-wing Israeli activists and Palestinians march in a show of support for Palestinian statehood organized by the group Shaykh Jarrah Solidarity; an estimated 80% of participants are Israeli Jews and the rest mostly Palestinians fr. Shaykh Jarrah. (JP 7/15; WP 7/16; PCHR 7/20; OCHA 7/22)

Despite a Greek ban on vessels heading to Gaza to discourage the Freedom Flotilla II, the U.S. activists’ boat The Audacity of Hope attempts to leave port but is detained by the Greek coast guard. In the West Bank, the IDF bars Palestinian farmers fr. working a 60-d. plot of agricultural land nr. Susia settlement; patrols in 4 villages nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, and Ramallah during the day. A Palestinian who was shot by the IDF when he apparently failed to heed orders to stop at a checkpoint nr. Hebron on 1/20/11 dies of his injuries in Israel’s Hadasah Hospital. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 2 Palestinians and accidentally starting a fire that burns 200 beehives and 150 olive trees nr. Kafr Qaddum. (NYT, WP 7/2; WP, WT 7/4; PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/8)