The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 2 Palestinians and wounded 6 others during a raid in Kafr Dan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian using live ammunition during a raid in Nabi Salih. Israeli forces also raided the Palestine Technical University in Tulkarm, injuring 1 Palestinian with live ammunition and 1 with a baton round to his face. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians during a raid in Budrus, injuring 1 with live ammunition and arresting 7. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Abwein, injuring 1 minor with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Bireh, injuring 1 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians during a funeral procession in Beita, causing 35 injuries from tear gas. Meanwhile, Israeli forces blocked the entrances to al-Arroub refugee camp. Israeli forces also delivered notices that it will seize 264.4 dunams (65 acres) of land in Humsa al-Tahta and Furush Bayt Dajan for military purposes. 33 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Nur Shams refugee camp, Kafr Dan, al-Yamun, Tell, Balata, al-Bireh, al-Khader, Beit Umar, Halhul, al-Arroub refugee camp, and Hebron. Palestinians in the Ramallah and Bethlehem districts held a general strike in protest against the killing of several Palestinians by Israeli forces in the past 24 hours. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in the Old City and al-Tur. (ABC, AJ, AP, HA, MEE, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/14; WAFA, WAFA 4/15; PCHR 4/21; UNOCHA 4/23)

The Israeli military announced a curfew for Palestinians in the West Bank between 4 P.M. on 4/15 and 4/17 for the Jewish holiday of Passover. Crossings between Gaza and Israel will close during this period. Israel also announced that the restrictions on Jenin will end with the curfew on 4/17. The wide-ranging punitive restrictions in Jenin were instituted on 4/9. (HA 4/14; HA 4/15)

Haaretz reported that the Israel education ministry is requiring outside administrators of educational programs declare that their presentations do not portray the Israel Independence Day as the Nakba or challenge the notion of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. According to the Haaretz reporting, Adalah filed a challenge to the requirement in an Israeli court on 4/13. (HA 4/14)

Israel said it had successfully tested a laser-based missile defense system. The “Light Shield” is intended to be fully operational years from now, but will be placed near Gaza by the end of 2022 for further testing. (AP, HA 4/14; ALM 4/15)

In Syria, Israeli forces conducted air strikes on several targets near Damascus, causing damage. (AJ, AP, HA 4/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians in Ma’in, causing light injuries. Israeli settlers also set fire to a Palestinian-owned vehicle in Rujeib. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling between Jenin and Nablus. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians in Burin, demolished parts of a house, and set fields on fire. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian child during a late-night raid in Tubas and injured 1 other by running him over. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in al-Fawar refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian at a checkpoint near Huwwara, claiming he had tried to attack 2 Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 2, including 1 with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Yatta, injuring 1 with live ammunition and 2 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Umar, injuring 1 minor with live ammunition and 3 others with rubber-coated bullets. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting in Bethlehem, Harmala, al-Khadir, and Dayr Sharif, resulting in tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 3 using rubber-coated bullets. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Tulkarm, injuring 3 with live ammunition. 40 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, al-Fawar refugee camp, Nablus, Tulkarm, Tubas, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, 2 Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian with a sharp tool, slicing her face as she was leaving the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Tur, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet; others suffered tear-gas related injuries and 2 were arrested. 6 other Palestinians were arrested during house raids in the Old City, Jabal Mukabir, Silwan, and Shu‘fat. In Gaza, 34 Palestinians were killed, including 6 children, and dozens injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 30 to 64, including 16 children. The casualties included: 4 in a drone strike on a car east of Bayt Lahiya; 8, including 3 children, in 3 air strikes on apartment buildings in Gaza City; 1 child in an air strike on a butcher in Gaza City; 6 in a drone strike on a car in Gaza city, including 3 inside the car and 3 passersby; 1, and 1 wounded, in another air strike on a vehicle in Gaza City; 1 in an air strike in Khan Yunis; 1 in an air strike on agricultural lands near Khuza‘a; 4, and 2 injured, in a drone strike on Nuseirat refugee camp; 2, and 1 child injured, in an air strike on a liquefied petroleum gas distribution vehicle in Khan Yunis; 2, and 3 wounded, including 1 child, in an air strike on a house in Khan Yunis; 2, and 2 wounded, all children, after a helicopter fired missiles at a gas station in al-Fukhari; and the body of 1 Palestinian was found in rubble near Bayt Hanun, it was assessed that he was killed in an air strike on 5/10; the body of 1 Palestinian was found near a mosque in Rafah, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights said it was unclear if he had been killed by debris from an intercepted rocket or in an Israeli air strike. Hamas reported that the interior ministry and the passport office along with other government buildings had been hit by Israeli air strikes. Israeli air strikes also demolished 2 high-rise buildings, the 10-story al-Jawhara building, and the 14-story al-Shorouq building, which housed news outlets and other offices, and the headquarters of the interior ministry and UNRWA schools. In Israel, 1 Israeli soldier was killed and 2 injured from an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza and 1 child succumbed to injuries sustained in Sderot, raising the Israeli death toll to 7. Dozens of rockets were also fired at Israel from Gaza, most of them intercepted. A mob of Jewish-Israelis pulled 1 Palestinian-Israeli out of his car and beat him while tv cameras were rolling in Bat Yam; the man was said to be in serious condition. A mob of Jewish-Israelis also raided a number of Palestinian-owned businesses in Tel Aviv, causing severe damage. 1 Jewish-Israeli man was attacked by 5 Palestinian-Israelis in ‘Akka; he was said to be in serious condition. Jewish-Israelis also attacked a tent set up to mourn the death of 1 Palestinian-Israeli who was shot by a Jewish-Israeli on 5/10 in Lydda, throwing stones at the mourners. Elsewhere in Lydda, 1 Jewish-Israeli was shot and injured and 2 more were injured in stabbings, 21 Palestinian-Israelis were injured, including 1 by gunshot. Israeli police announced a nighttime curfew in Lydda from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. 1 Palestinian-Israeli man was injured when rammed by a car­ and beaten near Or Akiva. 1 Palestinian-Israeli was lightly injured by a mob of Jewish-Israelis while driving in Tiberias. 1 Jewish-Israeli was injured in a stabbing incident in Tamra. A mob of Jewish-Israelis also attacked 1 Palestinian-Israeli in Haifa. (AJ, NYT 5/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AP, BBC, CNN, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, PCHR, REU, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/12; AP, CNN, HA, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA 5/13; PCHR 5/14; TOI 5/16; HA 5/18; WAFA 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; HA, NYT 5/26; HA 5/27)

1 Palestinian prisoner suspended a 56-day-long hunger strike as Israel promised not to renew his administrative detention after 7/17. (WAFA 5/12)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas discussed the current situation with EU high representative Josep Borrell, King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Iraqi president Barham Salih. A White House statement also said that U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke with President Abbas and they discussed “the violence in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza, and the Secretary expressed his condolences for the lives lost as a result. The Secretary condemned the rocket attacks and emphasized the need to de-escalate tensions and bring the current violence to an end.” (HA, WAFA 5/12)

At a security cabinet meeting, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other ministers decided not to accept a potential ceasefire and continue its attack on Gaza for the time being. (HA 5/13)

Israeli president Reuven Rivlin condemned what he called a “pogrom” by “an Arab mob” on 5/11, despite the majority of the violence in Israel being perpetrated against Palestinian-Israelis. (HA 5/12)

Turkey said that its president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russia’s president Vladimir Putin had discussed the situation in Jerusalem and Gaza, and that Turkey had called for international action against Israel. (AJ, AP, REU 5/12)

U.S. president Joe Biden said, during a press conference, that he believes that “Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying in your territory,” and that his “hope is that we’ll see this coming to conclusions sooner than later.” President Biden also spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, where he gave his “unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, while protecting civilians,” according to the readout. The Biden administration also dispatched deputy assistant secretary of state for Israel and Palestine Hady Amr to Israel for talks with Palestinian and Israeli officials. The White House said that senior officials have had more than 25 calls with officials from Israel, the PA, Qatar, Tunisia, Jordan, and Egypt about the situation. (HA 5/12; NYT 5/13)

25 house democrats signed a letter circulated by Marie Newman (D-IL) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) urging secretary of state Antony Blinken to condemn the planned evictions of Palestinian families from Shaykh Jarrah. (HA 5/13)

ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that she was following the situation in Gaza and Jerusalem with concern. (MEE, REU, WAFA 5/12)

The UN security council held a 2d meeting in 3 days to discuss the escalation of the conflict between Palestine and Israel. (TOI 5/12)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 8 structures in a bedouin village north of Ramallah and delivered demolition notices for 2 houses near Bethlehem. 11 Palestinians were arrested in and around Tulkarm, Jenin, Bethlehem, and Ramallah; during the raid in Tulkarm, 2 Palestinians were shot by Israeli forces using rubber-coated bullets; during the raid near Jenin, 1 Palestinian was shot by live ammunition. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian-owned home was demolished in Silwan and 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Sur Bahir to avoid exorbitant Israeli demolition fees. 4 Palestinians were arrested. In Gaza, Hamas authorities initiated a 48-hour curfew after 4 members of the same family tested positive for the COVID-19 virus on 8/24; these were the 1st people to test positive in Gaza outside of designated quarantine facilities. Israeli forces attacked buildings east of Rafah, causing damage; incendiary balloons were sent toward Israel, causing fires. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/25; PCHR 8/27)

Both PA president Mahmoud Abbas and PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met separately with the British foreign secretary Dominic Raab in Ramallah. President Abbas told Secretary Raab peace cannot be achieved by bypassing the Palestinians through normalization of relations with other Arab countries. (WAFA, WAFA 8/25)

Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz and the defense minister of the UAE Mohammed al-Bawardi spoke during a phone call where the 2 discussed shared security interests. (HA, REU 8/25)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo spoke to the Republican National Convention from Jerusalem while on an official trip to the Middle East. Secretary Pompeo’s performance at the Republican National Convention was a violation of the Hatch Act and a congressional investigation was initiated shortly after his speech was broadcasted. In his speech, Pompeo touted U.S. president Donald Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, saying “this very city of God, Jerusalem, the rightful capital of the Jewish homeland.” Secretary Pompeo also met with the prime minister of Sudan Abdalla Hamdok to discuss normalizing ties between Sudan and Israel, among other issues. A Sudanese spokesperson said that the transitional government was not mandated to normalize ties with Israel. (AJ, HA, HA, HA, HA 8/25; HA 8/27)

The Democratic candidate for vice president Kamala Harris said in a call with Jewish supporters that a Biden administration will not condition U.S. military aid to Israel. (HA 8/26)

The director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, Matthias Schmale, called on Israel to start allowing fuel into Gaza as Gaza’s only power plant had remained closed for 1 week due to lack of fuel as Israel blocked the entrance of fuel to Gaza. (WAFA 8/25)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided a Palestinian-owned house in Kaubar and took measures to punitively demolish it; 2 of the house’s occupants are detained by Israel. Israeli forces also arrested 11 Palestinians, including 4 during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Jenin, and Ramallah; 1 on a street near Nablus; and 7 during daytime raids in and around Ramallah, Nablus, ‘Ayn al-Hilwa, and Hebron. During a daytime raid in Nablus, Israeli forces confiscated a tractor, and separately during a different raid in Nablus, Israeli forces seized carpentry equipment. 1 Palestinian was shot by Israeli forces after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing by the Gush Etzion junction. Israeli forces also seized and impounded a PA health ministry vehicle providing medical services to 1,500 Palestinians in rural areas south of Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas and arrested 3 Palestinians at Bab al-Rahma in the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/2; WAFA 1/3; HA 1/7; PCHR 1/9)

9 Palestinians from Issawiyya in East Jerusalem were placed under nighttime curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. 6 of the men were told that they were facing a nighttime curfew on 12/29, but the curfew did not take effect until 1/2. The Israeli military cited a 1945 Mandate-era regulation to justify placing the 9 under nighttime curfew. (HA 1/2)

The U.S. assassinated Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and commander of the IRGC’s special forces Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and the deputy chairman of the Iraqi government-sanctioned militia Popular Mobilisation Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, along with several other Iranian and Iraqi officials at Baghdad International airport. The assassinations were carried out by an American MQ-9 drone that fired missiles at the officials’ convoy as it was leaving the airport. The Pentagon released a statement saying that the strike was directed on behest of U.S. president Donald Trump and was aimed at “deterring future Iranian attack plans.” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Iran would have 3 days of mourning followed by a retaliation. The speaker of the Iraqi parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi condemned the assassination, calling it “a flagrant breach of sovereignty and violation of international agreements.” (DOD, NYT, REU 1/2; AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, HA, WP 1/3; HA 1/4)

After 2 weeks of increasing tension and clashes in East Jerusalem over access at Haram al-Sharif, Israeli authorities ban male and female volunteer guards— murabitun and murabitat—from the sanctuary on the grounds that they disturb and intimidate Jewish visitors. Around 50 Palestinian women gather outside Haram al-Sharif in the morning to protest the Israeli restrictions on their access. Late at night, suspected right-wing Jewish activists spray racist graffiti on walls in the Old City and Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians on raids in al-Tur and Jabal Mukabir. In the West Bank, unknown assailants shoot and lightly injure an Israeli settler driving nr. Nablus. Later, Israeli settlers set fire to dozens of olive trees outside a nearby Palestinian village and Israeli forces block the entrances to the village and order a curfew. Separately, Israeli forces raze agricultural land and seize an irrigation network nr. Hebron. IDF troops conduct late-night house searches and raids nr. Jericho, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Bethlehem, arresting 4 Palestinians; patrol in al-‘Arub r.c and nr. Hebron. The Israeli authorities reopen a road nr. Ramallah that has been closed for 15 years (it was initially reported reopened on 5/25, but Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories [COGAT] delayed the opening to perform unspecified maintenance). Off Gaza’s coast nr. Rafah, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. Later, Israeli forces e. of Khan Yunis arrest 2 Palestinians attempting to cross into Israel. (HA, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA 9/9; PCHR, WAFA 9/10; PCHR 9/17; OCHA 9/18)

PNC pres. Zanoun announces that the PNC convention scheduled for 9/14–15 has been postponed in response to various Palestinian political groups’ requests for a delay and calls for a boycott. He says that a comm. comprising himself, the PLO Exec. Comm., and the heads of the various factions will meet to prepare to convene the PNC within 3 mos. (JP, MNA, WAFA 9/9)

UNRWA commissioner-gen. Pierre Krähenbühl reaches an agreement with the UNRWA employees union in Gaza to end the recent protests over reductions in agency services. The union went on strike for a week on 8/24, then agreed to return to work on 8/31 in exchange for a tentative agreement to limit class sizes. (MNA 9/9)

In Gaza, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion nr. Rafah to level land. Off the coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing damage to 2 boats. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uproot 65 olive trees outside Turmus ‘Ayya village nr. Ramallah; perform religious rites at a site nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with local Palestinians; enter Isaac’s Hall in al-Ibrahimi Mosque in c. Hebron. After suspected Palestinian assailants set fire to an Israeli settler’s trailer nr. Nablus, the IDF imposes a curfew on a nearby Palestinian village and conducts raids and house searches in the area, sparking light clashes with residents. The IDF also conducts house searches in and around Hebron and Tulkarm, arresting 4 Palestinians; patrols in 2 villages each nr. Qalqilya and Jenin. IDF troops set up roadblocks and raid a school in a village nr. Jenin, sparking clashes with residents. Israeli forces destroy 300 olive trees and demolish 600 m of walls nr. Nablus; confiscate 2 water tanks nr. Tubas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces conduct raids in Anabta village and in al-Tur, assaulting 1 Palestinian and arresting 2; arrest 4 Palestinian women at an entrance to Haram al-Sharif. In s. Israel, Israeli forces demolish several Palestinian bedouins’ homes in 3 villages in the Negev, and they surround a home in a 4th village, preparing to demolish it. (AFP, MNA, WAFA 3/19; AFP, MNA 3/20; PCHR 3/26)

In an interview with NBC, Israeli PM Netanyahu rolls back his 3/16 assertion that he will block the creation of a Palestinian state if chosen for a 3d consecutive term as PM. Later, U.S. Pres. Obama calls Netanyahu to officially congratulate him for his 3/17 victory, but also to discuss his controversial comments. Obama reportedly says that the U.S. will be reassessing its positions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in light of the PM’s new position. (AFP, HA, JP, NBC, REU, TOI 3/19; AFP, TOI, YA 3/20)

On the 4th day of bilateral negotiations between the U.S. and Iran in Lausanne, Switzerland, the Wall Street Journal reports that the P5+1 is refusing to compromise on its demand for staggered sanctions relief. (AP, JP, WSJ 3/19; AFP 3/20)

In the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Comm., chair Corker (R-TN) and ranking mbr. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) agree to delay a comm. vote on the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 until after the P5+1 and Iran’s deadline for reaching a political accord at the end of 3/2015. They schedule a vote for 4/14

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas security forces arrest 5 Palestinians on charges relating to the 10/31 rocket fire. Also responding to the incident, Israel closes the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrests in 1 village each nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Ramallah; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 village each nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, and Tulkarm. Palestinians throw a Molotov cocktail at an Israeli settler bus outside Hawara village nr. Nablus, and in response the IDF imposes an overnight curfew on the village. Israeli soldiers shoot and injure 19 Palestinians during a protest at Qalandia checkpoint, 2 with live ammunition and 17 with rubber-coated metal bullets. (HA, MNA 11/2; PCHR 11/6)

Jordan’s King Abdullah says that his country will confront Israel’s “unilateral policies” and work to protect “Muslim and Christian holy sites,” in response to the 10/30 closing of Haram al-Sharif and the escalating tensions in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Dep. Secy.-Gen. of the Arab League Ben Hilli says that Israel has reached a “red line” with regard to “violations”in Jerusalem. Netanyahu, meanwhile, says that “Islamic extremist elements” are trying “to stir up unrest” and that Israel will maintain the status quo at Haram al-Sharif. (AFP, HA, JP 11/2)

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat and PA intelligence chief Majid Faraj deliver the long-anticipated letter fr. Pres. Abbas to Israeli PM Netanyahu and his chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho at a meeting in Jerusalem. Netanyahu pledges to respond in writing within 2 wks. While the letter is not released publicly, a draft version was leaked to the press by a Palestinian source on 4/15, with the disclaimer that that the text might change before it was given to Netanyahu. Of note: PA PM Fayyad had planned to deliver the letter, but pulled out at the last minute. While there is no official comment as to why, various Palestinian sources say (WP 4/18) that Fayyad either (1) disagreed with the content of the letter or (2) thought it would be inappropriate for him to hold a high-level meeting with Netanyahu on the same day as an annual rally in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Fayyad had opposed early drafts that threatened to dissolve the PA if there was no significant progress toward peace. The 4/15 draft includes an implied threat, stating: “The PA is no longer as was agreed and this situation cannot continue.” (Times of Israel 4/15; NYT, WP 4/18)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire into Gaza for unknown reasons, wounding a Palestinian man in Khuza’ village, 2,000 m. from the border (well outside the 300-m. no-go zone). In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a late-night curfew on Kafr Haris village nr. Salfit and escorts at least 3,000 Jewish settlers into the village to perform religious services at a local holy site; the group stays for 6 hrs., attacking and beating Palestinians who venture onto the street; the IDF arrests 1 Palestinian. The IDF conducts latenight patrols in Tulkarm, firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them and searching 1 home. Across the West Bank, Palestinians demonstrate in solidarity with the 4,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails to mark Prisoners Day. IDF troops fire live ammunition, rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at 1 group demonstrating outside Ofer prison nr. Ramallah, wounding 2. About 1,200 Palestinian prisoners declare a hunger strike to protest their conditions and detentions without trial. (According to B’Tselem, there are currently about 320 administrative detainees, down from about 800 in 2007.) About 10 Palestinians have already gone on hunger strike, including 2 who have been granted early release (including Khader Adnan, who is freed today and Hana Shalabi, freed on 4/1) and 2 (Islamic Jihad mbrs. Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh) who have now been hospitalized after refusing food for more than 40 days. (NYT, WT 4/18; PCHR 4/19; OCHA 4/20; WP 4/24; JPI 4/27)

Palestinians in Gaza fire an antitank missile at an IDF patrol inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. During the day, Palestinians also fire 10 mortars toward Israel in 2 barrages, causing no damage or injuries; some of the mortars land inside Gaza. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized morning patrols in Tulkarm and several nearby villages; patrols in alBireh and neighboring al-Am‘ari r.c., and in 3 villages nr. Jericho 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, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 4 Palestinians, including 2 children. A Jewish settler deliberately attempts to run down a Palestinian nr. the Hawara checkpoint nr. Nablus, moderately injuring him; the IDF does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Taffuh settlement attempt to seize a plot of nearby Palestinian agricultural land but are sent away by the IDF. Jewish settlers close Jit intersection nr. Qalqilya with burning tires, blocking the main Qalqilya-Nablus road. In separate incidents, Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim and Karnei Shomron settlements stone Palestinian vehicles nr. Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Palestinians clash with Israeli border police in Silwan, leaving at least 1 Israeli officer injured. (IsRN, JP 3/18; WP 3/19; PCHR 3/24; OCHA 4/1)

After 2 days of clashes with protesters, arrest raids targeting opposition figures, and imposition of a nighttime curfew in Manama, Bahrain’s troops demolish the giant pearl monument in Pearl Square in a symbolic crushing of antigovernment protesters. No further demonstrations are reported this quarter. By 3/20 observers describe daily life returning to normal (schools and stores reopen, traffic moving) but note “a sense of political paralysis.” Saudi, UAE, and Kuwaiti forces remain in the country through the end of the quarter. (WP 3/19; NYT 3/21)

In Syria, govt. forces violently disperse protests (ranging in size fr. the 100s to the 1,000s) held after Friday prayers in Baniyas, Dara‘a, Damascus, and Homs, fatally shooting 6 protesters and wounding 10s. Though protests are small, the govt. response is harsh and tensions are high. (NYT, WP 3/19)

In Yemen, govt. troops and supporters open fire for more than 20 minutes on protesters demonstrating after Friday prayers in Sana’a, leaving at least 47 dead and 100s injured but failing to disperse the crowd. Afterward, the govt. declares a state of emergency, allowing authorities to curtail civil rights and monitor communications. Over the next 5 days, Yemen’s ambassador to the UN, several other ambassadors, the country’s most influential military commander Maj. Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar (a relative and very close ally of Pres. Saleh), and 4 other generals resigned in protest, and Saleh’s own tribe and another key tribal leader called on him to step down. Saleh also fires his cabinet in an apparent attempt to preempt a mass resignation to protest recent deadly clashes. Popular protests also continued. (NYT, WP 3/19; NYT, WP 3/20–21; NYT, WP, WT 3/22–23; NYT, WP 3/24)

The Palestinian and Israeli media report rumors fr. anonymous Awarta residents that a Thai worker for the settler family murdered in Itamar on 3/11 had complained that the family owed him NIS 10,000 in wages and had threatened to kill the family; some sources (e.g., MNA 3/14) say the IDF rounded up all foreign workers in the settlement for questioning immediately after discovering the murders. Israeli authorities do not comment. Meanwhile, after Netanyahu criticizes the PA’s “weak” denunciation of the attack, Abbas makes another statement calling the killing “inhuman and immoral” and “a despicable act.” The IDF imposes a curfew on Awarta and orders all men age 15–40 to turn themselves in for questioning; of 300 who surrender, 32 are arrested. Jewish settlers mass at the entrance to Nabi Salih village and throw stones at Palestinian cars; the IDF observes but does not intervene. The IDF also conducts synchronized morning patrols in 5 villages n. and e. of Jenin; conducts evening and late-night patrols Jalazun r.c. and 2 villages nr. Ramallah, in al-Bireh, and 1 village nr. Tulkarm; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in another village nr. Ramallah. A day ahead of national unity demonstrations called for online, at least 3,000 young Palestinians rally in Gaza City calling for an end to divisions between Hamas and Fatah. (AFP, JP, MNA 3/14; NYT, WP 3/15; PCHR 3/17; OCHA 3/18)

After secretly securing approval of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on 3/13, Saudi Arabia and the UAE send some 2,000 troops, supported by a medical contingent fr. Kuwait, into Bahrain to shore up the govt. there. Saudi Arabia sought to intervene, fearing that Shi‘i protests in Bahrain could encourage Saudi Arabia’s own Shi‘i population in the oil-rich Eastern Province to rebel. The move marks the 1st time that the GCC council has mobilized a military force in response to domestic unrest and only the 2d time that it has mobilized a joint force (the 1st time was in defense of Kuwait when Iraq invaded in the 1990s). (AP, REU 3/14; NYT, WP, WT 3/15)

Paraguay recognizes Palestine as independent state on the 1967 borders. (JP 2/5)

In Gaza, 1,000s of Hamas supporters protest against the PA in light of the Palestine Papers revelations about negotiation concessions, particularly on the right of return. In the West Bank, around 2,000 Palestinians in Hebron and smaller groups in other cities attend Fatah-organized rallies in support of Abbas and against al-Jazeera. Also in the West Bank, a group of 100 armed Jewish settlers hiking nr. Khirbat Safa nr. Hebron is confronted by stone-throwing Palestinian youths, prompting 1 Jewish settler to open fire, killing 1 Palestinian teenager and wounding a 2d, marking the 2d such shooting in 2 days. Jewish settlers fr. Yonatan outpost in the East Jerusalem environs attack nearby Palestinian houses; accompanying IDF soldiers fire tear gas and stun grenades to keep Palestinians at a distance, sparking a fire that lightly damages 1 home. Meanwhile in the West Bank, the IDF patrols in villages nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm; enters Jayyus village nr. Qalqilya, searching 1 home but making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some areas) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 2 Palestinians. PA General Intelligence units detain leading Hizb al-Tahrir mbr. Mus‘ab Abu Arqub after Friday prayers in Dura nr. Hebron. (WP 1/29, MNA 1/30; PCHR 2/3; OCHA 2/4)

Across Egypt, 100,000s of protesters heed the call to observe a “Friday of rage” in Egypt, launching massive demonstrations after midday prayers. Protesters burn the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) headquarters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Police stations and NDP offices are torched in several of Cairo’s middleclass neighborhoods and poorer quarters, as well as in Alexandria, Suez, Port Said, Damietta, Damanhour, and other areas of Upper Egypt and Sinai; prisoners in several jails are freed. With regular police already largely having withdrawn fr. the street, not wanting to confront protesters, Mubarak sends out security and plain-clothes police who violently clash with demonstrators and target journalists, killing as many as 300 and injuring as many as 2,000. Protesters in Cairo and Alexandria overwhelm the security police by dusk, forcing Mubarak to withdraw them to regroup and send the army and tanks into the cities to impose a curfew; but when protesters ignore the curfew, the army does not act. Later, Mubarak appears on state TV and, in effort to appease critics and quell protests, pledges to speed up his program of political and economic reforms, announcing that he has dissolved his cabinet, appointed a new PM to form a new government, and named military intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman as his 1st ever VP, but protesters vow to remain in the streets until he steps down. The U.S. issues its first warnings that it will review its $1.56 b. in annual aid to Egypt depending on how events unfold in the coming days, pressing its contacts within the Egyptian army to avoid violence. Abbas, however, phones Mubarak to assure him of the PA’s support for Egypt’s security and stability. (IHS Global Insight, Middle East Research and Information Project, NYT, WP 1/29; MNA 1/30)

In Jordan, where criticism of the king is banned, 1,000s of demonstrators inspired by events in Egypt and Tunisia turn out after Friday prayers in Amman and cities across the kingdom to demand the resignation of PM Samir al-Rifa‘i and his cabinet, dissolution of the parliament, and a new round of free and fair elections. (The last parliamentary elections held in 11/2010 were widely criticized as fraudulent.) (NYT 1/29; NYT, WP 1/30; WP 2/1; NYT 2/2)

In the West Bank, a Jewish settler opens fire on a group of Palestinian youths who throw stones at him as he passes nr. Iraq Burin village nr. Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian teenager. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus set fire to a Palestinian car and vandalize a Palestinian home in the nearby village of ‘Ayn Abous. The IDF prevents Palestinian farmers guarded by solidarity activists (including PA officials and a rep. of the U.S. consulate) fr. reaching their agricultural land nr. Bet Ayn and Karme Tzur settlements nr. Hebron; patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin, and 1 nr. Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem Jewish settlers harass Palestinians in Silwan. In Gaza, 2 Palestinian brothers tending sheep nr. Shuka village accidentally trigger IDF UXO, killing 1 Palestinian boy and 2 sheep. (OCHA, WP 1/28; PCHR 2/3; OCHA 2/4)

More than 10,000 Yemenis rally in Sana’a and 1,000s in other cities around the nation, taking inspiration from antigovernment protests in Tunisia and Egypt. The government deploys riot police, but little violence is reported. Government spokesmen state that the regime “strongly respects the democratic right for a peaceful assembly.” Unlike Tunisia and Egypt, where demonstrations were spontaneous and broad based, those in Yemen seem to be made up mostly of students organized by opposition parties. While all protesters highlight poverty, corruption, and lack of jobs among their grievances, they seem divided on other key goals, with some prioritizing secession for the south and others calling on Pres. Saleh to resign after being in power for more than 30 yrs. (NYT, WP, WT 1/28)

In Tunisia, after a spike in violence in the week following Ben Ali’s departure on 1/14 (mostly involving desperate Ben Ali loyalists making a final attempt to reassert control) and days of low-level demonstrations (1,000 or fewer protesters) denouncing the high number of Ben Ali loyalists in the new interim government, demonstrations taper off. By this date, the interim government has reduced the curfew and released at least 1,800 political prisoners, with more to be freed soon. Today, a reshuffled interim government with the “clear mission” of guiding “a transition to democracy” is announced and begins work to redraft the constitution and prepare for elections in 6 mos. While most mbrs. of Ben Ali’s old cabinet have now stepped down, Ghannouchi retains his post as interim PM but vows he will not run in elections. (NYT 1/27, 1/28; NYT 2/14; see also NYT, WP, WT 1/17; NYT, WP, WT 1/18; NYT 1/19; WP 1/20; WT 1/21; WP 1/26)

After receiving a warning fr. Egypt that Israel is serious about preventing further rocket and mortar fire fr. Gaza, Hamas authorities hold a 2d mtg. (see 1/11) with smaller factions to urge them to adhere to a cease-fire, then deploys IQB mbrs. along the border and at makeshift checkpoints on roads leading toward the border to deter groups fr. firing into Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF steps up patrols dramatically, operating in 8 villages nr. Qalqilya, 3 nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Tulkarm between late morning and late afternoon, arresting 1 stone-throwing teenager nr. Tulkarm and summoning several residents of Bayt Qad nr. Qalqilya for questioning; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. a settlement outpost nr. Nablus attack a Palestinian farmer working his field nearby; when nearby villagers come to the farmers aid, IDF troops intervene, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at the Palestinians, seriously injuring 2 and moderately injuring 1. (NYT, WP 1/14; PCHR 1/20; OCHA 1/21)

In Tunisia, opposition forces call for massive antigovernment demonstrations after Friday prayers on 1/14 to demand Pres. Ben Ali’s immediate resignation. In the days since 12/29/2010, protests have increasingly come to reflect deep-seated frustration with overall government corruption and lack of political freedom, rather than just economic angst. The major riots that first roiled the countryside have become increasingly violent and spread nationwide, reaching the capital on 1/12 and the key resort city of Hammamet (where Ben Ali and his extended family have residences) on 1/13, leaving at least 30 dead. In effort to quell protests, Ben Ali has simultaneously moved to appease and clamp down on critics, pledging to investigate government corruption and recent “excesses” by the security forces and firing his interior minister (directly responsible for orchestrating the crackdown on demonstrators), but also deploying army units and riot police around Tunis and imposing a nighttime curfew, blaming “foreign terrorists and Islamic radicals capitalizing on the frustrations of the unemployed.” Rumors suggest that close relatives of Ben Ali, including billionaire businessman Muhammad Sakher El Materi (his son-in-law and heir apparent), have already fled the country. Today, Ben Ali gives a hastily prepared television address. Appearing unsettled, he orders security forces to hold their fire and release jailed protesters, agrees to make other minor reforms, and pledges to give up the presidency when he turns 75 (in 2014) in keeping with the constitution, but rejects demands to step down immediately and end his 23-yr. authoritarian rule. In a threatening move, however, he withdraws the army fr. Tunis, replacing them with special police and other security forces more loyal to his ruling party. Credible rumors say the shift has come about because Tunisia’s army chief Gen. Rachid Ammar has refused Ben-Ali’s orders to shoot demonstrators. By this date, small protests inspired by Tunisian demonstrators have been held in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, and Morocco denouncing unemployment and corruption among the ruling elites, but are not perceived as destabilizing. (NYT, WP 1/13; NYT 1/14, 1/17, 2/24; see also WP 1/10, NYT 1/12)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sets up a temporary checkpoint inside Tulkarm, stopping Palestinians to check their IDs, withdrawing without incident; makes a daytime raid on a carpentry shop nr. Salfit, arresting 1 Palestinian; enters Madama village nr. Nablus in the evening, imposing a curfew, ordering shops to close, searching several homes, but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron, escorted by IDF troops, level Palestinian agricultural land (grape vines, almond trees); 70 d. have been leveled in the past 3 wks. (PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

On the eve of ceremonies reopening direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama holds separate meetings with Abbas, Netanyahu, Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak, and Jordan’s King Abdullah. In the evening, Obama hosts the leaders for a working dinner at the White House. (WP 9/1; NYT 9/2)

In the West Bank, the IDF continues to impose a curfew on Palestinian areas nr. the site of the 8/31 attack nr. Hebron and carries out house-to-house searches for the Hamas mbrs. involved, rounding up scores of Palestinians with suspected ties to the organization. In the evening, IQB gunmen shoot at another Jewish settler vehicle nr. Ramallah, in area C, wounding 2 settlers (1 seriously). The IDF also conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers retaliating for the 8/31 Hamas attack stake out a 15-d. plot of Palestinian land (exact location not reported) for a new settlement outpost but leave the area by nightfall, stone Palestinian vehicles on the Nablus–Qalqilya road, and vandalize a Palestinian home and set fire to adjacent grass land in Hebron. Meanwhile, in Gaza, IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the demolished Erez industrial zone, causing no injuries. The IDF also makes an incursion into the s. Gaza border areas e. of al-Shuka, accompanied by drones and helicopters, but withdraws 6 hrs. later without incident. (NYT, PCHR 9/2; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF continues to impose a curfew on Khirbat Safa and search for the Bet Ayn attacker; patrols in Tulkarm during the day, randomly checking Palestinian IDs, arresting 1 teenager. Jewish settlers escorted by Israeli police seize a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem’s alSa’diya quarter, evict the Palestinian family who has lived there for more than 20 yrs., and arrest the father, claiming the house belongs to a Jewish organization; the family files a claim with the Israeli High Court, which rules that settlers may occupy the home until the petition is heard. (OCHA 4/8; CHR 4/9)

Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Hamas denounces the fire, saying it comes at the wrong time as truce talks in Cairo are ongoing. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore. Late in the evening, the IDF makes 2 air strikes on Yibna r.c. nr. the Rafah border, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in Tulkarm; opens fire on 2 Palestinian teenagers throwing stones at Jewish settler vehicles nr. Ramallah, wounding 1, arresting the other; maintains the curfew on, continues occupying and searching homes in Bayt Umar (see 3/10) until withdrawing in the afternoon, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in villages around Jenin, in and around Ramallah, and in Bethlehem. (PCHR 3/12; WT 3/13; OCHA 3/17, 3/18; PCHR 3/19)

Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, both of which land nr. Ashqelon, causing damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an afternoon incursion into Jayyus village nr. Qalqilya, imposing a curfew and arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers uproot 130 trees fr. Palestinian land nr. Qalqilya. (WT 3/1; OCHA 3/3, 3/4; PCHR 3/5)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a Hamas-affiliated police station in Khan Yunis, which has been bombed repeatedly, causing no reported injuries. Israel allows 94 truckloads of humanitarian aid and commercial goods into Gaza, as well a limited amount of fuel for Gaza’s power plant. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Jayyus in the afternoon, imposes a curfew; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah, and nr. Jenin, Salfit, Tulkarm. Palestinians in Yassuf village nr. Salfit report that over the past several days, Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops have bulldozed at least 250 d. of village land and replanted 200 d. with their own crops. (PCHR 2/12, 2/19)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinian farmers, preventing them fr. reaching their fields nr. the border fence but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Ni‘lin villagers defy an IDF curfew to stage peaceful protest marches against the IDF blockade imposed on 7/5; the IDF fires tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets at the protesters, lightly injuring around 50. The IDF also bulldozes newly paved roads in Ni‘lin while the curfew is in place, damaging part of the municipal sewage system; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Qalqilya, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Asfar settlement nr. Bethlehem beat 2 Palestinian shepherds grazing their flocks nearby. In Hebron, local Jewish settlers harass a French diplomatic delegation touring the city with Palestinian guides, arguing that settlers should lead the tour because the delegation was on “Israeli land.” A carload of Jewish settlers fires on a Palestinian taxi nr. Jenin, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian. (WT 7/7; OCHA 7/9; PCHR 7/10)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF blockades, imposes a round-theclock curfew on Ni‘lin nr. Ramallah in what the army calls an “open-ended effort to curb protests” against the separation wall (see 5/27); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in Jenin town and r.c. and Qabatya. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack, beat 4 Palestinian farmers; the IDF halts the attack only after international peace activists arrive. Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized outpost of Asael nr. Hebron burn 15 d. of Palestinian crop land and kidnap, severely beat a Palestinian, tying him to a telephone pole inside the outpost; the IDF bars an ambulance fr. reaching him for over 2 hrs. In Nussayrat r.c., rival wings of Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigade exchange fire, causing no injuries; Hamas-affiliated police bring the situation under control, arresting several Islamic Jihad mbrs. In Rafah, 2 unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a fmr. PA police officer. A Palestinian teenager injured by IDF UXO nr. Shuka on 7/2 dies. (WP 7/6; OCHA 7/9; PCHR 7/10; Nation 7/19)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on the Gaza City home of AMB cmdr. Muhammad Hijazi in what may be a failed assassination attempt, missing the building and hitting a neighboring home, injuring a Palestinian woman; bulldozes land along the border fence e. of Dayr al-Balah, Jabaliya r.c. Also in Jabaliya r.c., 2 Hamas mbrs. are seriously injured, 1 Palestinian teenager is killed when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a curfew on, patrols in Hawara nr. Nablus, withdrawing in the evening but not lifting the curfew. During the curfew, local Jewish settlers enter the village and vandalize Palestinian homes. The IDF also raids, searches the Hebron home of PC mbr. Nayif al-Rajub (among those Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. detained by Israel as well as the religious affairs minister in Haniyeh’s original cabinet); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., and in Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad nr. Qalqilya stone Palestinian cars driving past the settlement, causing damage to several but no injuries. (OCHA 3/16; PCHR 4/17)

In Gaza, the IDF bulldozes 24 d. of olive groves and a small Gaza police outpost nr. al-Maghazi r.c. Egyptian border police discover, demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Anata nr. Jerusalem; occupies a Palestinian home nr. Jenin as a military outpost; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in al-Bireh (raiding and searching the municipal building, rounding up 2 municipal employees fr. their homes and bringing them to the offices to log onto password-protected computers), Ramallah (raiding the chamber of commerce offices), Jericho. The Israeli Housing Min. presents Olmert with a proposal for construction of 1,900 new Jewish settler housing units across the West Bank in 2008: 682 units in Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem, 510 units in Givat Ze’ev n. of Jerusalem, 302 units in Ma’ale Adumim e. of Jerusalem, 160 units in Binyamin settlement n. of Jerusalem, 158 units in Efrat nr. Bethlehem, and 48 units each in Ariel nr. Salfit and Kiryat Arba in Hebron. Palestinians throw stones at Jewish settler vehicles nr. Nablus; the settlers respond by shooting, killing 3 Palestinian sheep nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya stone Palestinian vehicles driving nearby, causing no reported injuries. PA security forces impose a night curfew on Kafr Thuluth nr. Qalqilya to prevent clashes btwn. feuding families (the curfew is still in place as of 4/8). (PCHR 4/3; OCHA, PCHR 4/9)

Responding to Israel’s 2/7 electricity cuts, Palestinians fire 21 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing slight damage but no injuries. The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza e. of al-Qarara to level land along the border. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Azun nr. Qalqilya, imposing a curfew, firing on residential areas, conducting arrest raids and house searches (troops are still in the village and the curfew in place at the end of the day); patrols in Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; 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 1). (NYT, WP 2/9; OCHA 2/13; PCHR 2/14)

For the 1st time since 6/07, Abbas meets with 4 West Bank Hamas officials in an effort to encourage them to split fr. their Gaza counterparts. In Nablus, the PA deploys a new 308-mbr. policing unit trained by Western advisers at a multimillion dollar training facility in Jericho; they will form part of a new National Security Force unit set up to “operate in coordination with Israeli forces to fight crime and terrorism” as part of Abbas’s new security effort “to restore law and order” in the West Bank, in keeping with road map requirements; the unit will patrol during the day only, while the IDF will continue night operations. In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on an ESF post nr. Rafah, killing 1 ESF officer, wounding 3. Nr. Bayt Hanun, 2 Palestinians are injured when a mortar they are preparing misfires. A Palestinian is injured when a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF lifts the round-the-clock curfew on ‘Azun imposed on 10/31; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm town, r.c. and nr. Qalqilya; 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 1 demonstrator, 1 journalist). Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba and Harsina in Hebron attack, vandalize nearby Palestinian homes, also beating 1 Palestinian. (NYT, WT 11/3; NYT 11/6; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8; NYT 11/14)

The IDF sends troops into Wadi al-Silqa in central Gaza, raiding and searching homes, occupying several as observation posts, imposing a curfew, firing on anyone on the streets (wounding 2 unarmed Palestinians), bulldozing a greenhouse and 1 d. of land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya, Tulkarm. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah mbrs. detonate a bomb under an ESF vehicle outside an ESF post, causing no injuries. (OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/1)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car nr. Jabaliya r.c. carrying Islamic Jihad mbrs. who had fired rockets toward Israel (causing no damage), missing the vehicle and causing no damage; within the hr., the IDF makes a 2d air strike on a car in the same area, killing 1 Palestinian with no known resistance connections. Citing 9 killings in 2 days, Hamas’s Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades declares an end to its observance of the 11/26/06 cease-fire, though PM Haniyeh says that the PA still has every intention of making it work. During the day, Palestinians fire 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Ramallah, killing a 15-yr.-old Palestinian boy; evicts some 80 Palestinians fr. Hadidiyya in the n. Jordan Valley (the Israeli High Court ruled on 1/3 that they posed a security threat to Jewish settlers in nearby Ro’i settlement; see Quarterly Update in JPS 143); confiscates 169 d. of Palestinian land nr. Tulkarm for construction of the separation wall; imposes a curfew on Hawara nr. Nablus; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c., Nablus. A Palestinian gunmanfires on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Hizma checkpoint into Jerusalem, injuring a settler and a Palestinian bystander. In Jabaliya r.c., PRC mbrs. abduct 5 Palestinians, including 2 ESF mbrs., exchanging fire with the ESF that leaves 1 of the abductees dead and sparks local demonstrations. In Gaza City, armed mbrs. of a local clan attack an ESF base, injuring 1 ESF mbr., kidnapping another (who is released later in the day after the PA intervenes). In Khan Yunis, a PA security officer is carjacked, wounded by unidentified assailants. (WP 4/23; BBC, MM, WT 4/24; OCHA 4/25; PCHR 4/26)

IDF troops at the Sufa crossing fire across the border into Gaza for no apparent reason. Palestinians fire an antitank missile at an IDF observation post nr. the Gaza border fence n. of Bayt Hanun, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF patrols, raids stores in Ithna nr. Hebron, firing tear gas and percussion grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront the troops, then raids and searches an elementary school, detaining children, beating several; sends undercover units into Jenin to ambush and arrest a carload of 3 Palestinians; imposes a curfew on Hawara s. of Nablus; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm town and r.c., and in Hebron, Nablus. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen kidnap BBC correspondent Alan Johnston. Around 1,000 newly graduated Fatah security mbrs. demonstrate in Rafah demanding immediate positions in the PA security forces. ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. In Gaza, some 500 family mbrs. of Palestinians held by Israel hold a rally calling for more PA and international action to secure a prisoner release. (WP 3/12; OCHA 3/14; PCHR 3/15)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jenin to ambush, assassinate 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. (West Bank military cmdr. Ashraf Saadi, senior Saraya al-Quds mbr. Mahmud Abu Naa’sa, lower ranking mbr. Ala’ Baryaki). The IDF also sends troops back into Nablus, reviving Operation Hot Winter, reimposing a curfew, reoccupying TV and radio stations, announcing the names of 7 wanted Palestinians being sought; 1 IDF soldier is wounded by a bomb; the IDF reportedly uses an 11-yr.- old Palestinian girl and a 15-yr.-old Palestinian boy as human shields when searching Palestinian homes. The IDF demolishes 2 apartment buildings under construction in al-Tur nr. Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm r.c., nr. Jenin and Salfit; uproots some 500 Palestinian olive, almond trees nr. Bethlehem for construction of the separation wall, replanting some nearby. In response to the Jenin assassinations, Islamic Jihad fires 5 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Separately, Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel, but both fall inside Gaza nr. Bayt Hanun. Jewish settlers nr. Shema nr. Hebron stone a 70-yr.-old Palestinian farmer grazing his flock nr. the settlement. In Gaza, Fatah mbrs. manning a flying checkpoint nr. Shati’ r.c. bar an ESF vehicle from passing, sparking an exchange of fire that leaves 1 Fatah mbr. wounded. In Gaza City, a bomb explodes outside the offices of the Fatah-affiliated al-Fursan al-Arab Association, causing no injuries; no group takes responsibility. (HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/1; OCHA 3/7; PCHR 3/8; WT 3/10)

The IDF continues operations in Nablus, clashing with Palestinian gunmen, leaving 1 unarmed Palestinian dead, 8 wounded. During operations, a curfew remains in place, with the IDF bulldozing and damaging several Palestinian homes and shops to widen access to the Old City for IDF vehicles, raiding and searching homes, rounding up 10s of Palestinians for interrogation, continuing to occupy Palestinian TV and radio stations, broadcasting the names of 7 wanted mbrs. of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) for whom they are searching, reportedly uncovering another 2 bombmaking labs. The IDF also demolishes 6 Palestinian homes nr. Tulkarm, 3 bedouin shacks nr. Azariyya; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Israeli authorities report that 2 Palestinian teenagers have been arrested and have confessed to the stabbing death of a settler on 2/25. A Palestinian wounded in the family feud in Khan Yunis on 2/25 dies. (NYT, WP 2/27; OCHA 2/28; PCHR 3/1)