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  • July 30, 2021

    In the West Bank, Israeli settlers cut down 6 electric poles supplying electricity to a Palestinian home at the outskirts of Burin. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in...

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  • July 19, 2021

    In the West Bank, Israeli settlers planted trees near al-Farisya and ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order to 1 Palestinian for his agricultural fields and seized 1 bulldozer...

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  • January 27, 2021

    In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Kafr Malik, leading to clashes with Palestinians; 1 Palestinian was shot by a rubber-coated bullet, others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli...

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  • November 19, 2020

    In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Silat al-Dahir, vandalizing Palestinian-owned houses and vehicles. Israeli settlers also razed Palestinian-owned land and planted their own crops in ‘Urif...

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  • October 21, 2020

    In the West Bank, Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders for 1 house in Taqqua. Israeli forces also demolished 1 house in al-Khadir and seized construction material. Elsewhere, Israeli forces...

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  • June 11, 2020

    In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian man in Burqa, causing fractures and bruises. An Israeli settler also set a car on fire and wrote racist graffiti in Zeita, south of Nablus...

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  • June 14, 2019

    In the West Bank, Israeli forces injured 4 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets during the weekly anti-settlement protests in Kafr Qaddum. In Gaza, 92 Palestinians were injured by Israeli...

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  • May 17, 2019

    In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to dozens of dunams of farmland south of Nablus and threw stones at Palestinian-owned houses. Israeli settlers and Israeli forces had initially accused...

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  • February 10, 2019

    Dozens of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border near Jabaliya refugee camp to continue the Great March of Return and to launch fireworks at IDF troops on the other side of the border fence,...

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In the West Bank, Israeli settlers cut down 6 electric poles supplying electricity to a Palestinian home at the outskirts of Burin. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 2 with live ammunition and 35 others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 10 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 4 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Khader, Bayt Jala, and Dura. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces dispersed Palestinians protesting against Israeli threats to evict Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, confiscating several Palestinian flags. 4 Palestinian children were arrested in Wadi Hilweh. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/30; MEMO 7/31; PCHR 8/5)

Israel said it would expand the Gaza fishing zone from 6 to 12 nautical miles at its largest point from 8/2. (MEMO 7/30)

The U.S. state department said it had approved the sale of 18 CH-53K helicopters to Israel, including engines, navigation systems, weaponry, support equipment, spare parts, and technical support. The package is worth $3.4 billion. (HA 7/30)

The Biden administration appointed Deborah Lipstadt as the special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. Lipstadt needs Senate confirmation before assuming her new position. Lipstadt has used her platform to conflate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism, including by smearing BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti as an anti-Semite. (HA 7/30; AA 8/10)

Mercy-USA for Aid and Development donated food supplies for 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza via the UNRWA. (WAFA 7/30)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers planted trees near al-Farisya and ‘Ain al-Hilweh. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order to 1 Palestinian for his agricultural fields and seized 1 bulldozer. 9 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Beit Fajjar, al-Bireh, Dura, Bayt Liqya, Bayt Rima, and Jaba‘. In East Jerusalem, around 100 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound for the 2d day in a row. 2 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Isawiya and Shu‘fat. (WAFA, WAFA 7/19; PCHR 7/29)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz spoke on the phone. According to Gantz’s office, the 2 discussed trust-building steps between Israel and the PA and Gantz gave Abbas best wishes on the occasion of Eid al-Adha. Their conversation was the 1st between Abbas and an Israeli minister since 2017, when Abbas spoke to then prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog also called President Abbas to wish him a happy Eid al-Adha. (JP, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA 7/19; ALM 7/22)

In Syria, Israeli forces conducted air strikes in as-Safira, south of Aleppo, killing 5 people. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA 7/20)

A freedom of information request revealed that the director general of the Israeli interior ministry lives in a house in the illegal settlement outpost Keida, which has had a demolition order against it since 2008. The interior ministry said in a statement that its minister Ayelet Shaked “is pleased that the director-general of her ministry lives in Keida.” (HA 7/20)

King Abdullah II of Jordan met with U.S. president Joe Biden in the White House. King Abdullah II was the 1st Middle Eastern leader to visit President Biden in Washington, as the U.S.-Jordanian relationship was tarnished during the Donald Trump administration due to the 1-sided peace proposal made by the administration. A read-out of the meeting said that the 2 discussed the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Jordan’s relationship to Israel. (AJ, HA, JP, JP, MEE, NBC, NYT, REU, TOI, TOI 7/19; MEMO, WAFA 7/20)

The ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s issued a statement declaring it will end sales of its ice cream in Israeli settlements, saying that selling its ice cream in the occupied Palestinian territory “is inconsistent with our values.” Ben & Jerry’s also announced it would not renew its licensing agreement with manufacturers of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in Israel but that the ice cream will still be available in Israel. Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett said that Ben & Jerry’s had decided to brand itself as an “antisemitic ice cream.” Foreign minister Yair Lapid, who weeks ago said his government would not call all criticism of Israel anti-Semitic, said the company was surrendering to BDS and anti-Semitism and that he would ask 35 U.S. states with anti-BDS laws to enforce them against the U.S. company. On 7/20, Prime Minister Bennett called the CEO of Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, to criticize the decision and Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan urged states with anti-BDS laws to take legal action against Ben & Jerry’s. The Israeli president Isaac Herzog likened the Ben & Jerry’s decision to terrorism. Ben & Jerry’s is known to engage publicly on progressive issues. Both founders of the company are Jewish-Americans. (AJ, ALM, AX, BenJerry, FOX, GDN, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, NBC, REU, TOI, TOI, TOI, TOI, Twitter 7/19; AJ, AP, BBC, CNN, HA, HA, JP, JP, JP, MEE, MEE, REU, TOI, WAFA 7/20; HA, MEMO 7/21; AJ, AP, MEMO 7/22; GDN 7/23; HA 7/26; AX 7/27)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided Kafr Malik, leading to clashes with Palestinians; 1 Palestinian was shot by a rubber-coated bullet, others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also razed hundreds of olive trees near Tubas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 1 residential structure and 1 agricultural structure in Sawahara al-Sharqiyya, seized 2 agricultural structures in Khan al-Ahmar, and demolished 1 mosque in a Bedouin community near Yatta. Palestinians protested the PA presidential decrees published on 1/11, which critics say serve to bolster the PA presidency at the expense of the judicial branch of government; the protests were held in front of the court complex in Ramallah. 18 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Jenin, Qabatiya, Madama, Sabastiyya, Hizma, Hebron, and Birzeit. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/27; HA, PCHR 1/28)

The PA announced it had decided to close the Allenby border crossing with Jordan to prevent the spread of new COVID-19 virus variants. The closure is in effect until 2/3. (WAFA 1/28)

After Israel refused to allow restoration work on the Dome of the Rock and other holy places in the Haram al-Sharif compound, Jordan’s foreign minister Ayman Safadi said Israel had agreed to retract its objections and allow the restoration work. (WAFA 1/27; WAFA 1/28)

Member of the Palestinian-Israeli Balad party Mtanes Shehadeh said after a meeting among members of the Arab Joint List that the list will likely be dissolved before the next election due to “fundamental political differences.” 1 of the reasons the Arab Joint List is having irreconcilable differences is that Mansour Abbas, the leader of the United Arab List, is seeking closer ties with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Another reason is the United Arab List’s more conservative values compared to the 3 other parties. Parties running for the Israeli elections have until 2/4 to submit their composition of candidates. (HA 1/25; HA, TOI 1/27)

Large protests broke out in Tripoli in Lebanon, leading to confrontations between police and protesters. 1 protester was reported dead and 226 people injured, including 26 police officers. The protesters started taking to the street on 1/25, demonstrating against the COVID-19-related lockdown measures and deteriorating living conditions. (AP 1/27; AP 1/28)

The new U.S. administration said it would freeze the sale of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE and munitions to Saudi Arabia to review the transactions. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken said the practice of new administrations reviewing pending sales of weaponry is not uncommon. The sale of the F-35 fighter jets to the UAE was part of the Israel-U.S.-UAE normalization deal announced in August 2020. Secretary Blinken also spoke with the Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi over the phone to discuss, among other issues, expanding the Trump administration’s normalization efforts. (AJ, AX, HA, HA, TOI 1/27)

At her confirmation hearing, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. president Joe Biden’s nominee for UN ambassador, said that she finds the BDS movement “unacceptable” and that it is on “the verge of antisemitism.” Thomas-Greenfield also said she was looking forward to combatting “anti-Israel bias” at the UN and hoped to see more countries join normalization deals with Israel and the U.S. (HA, MEE, TOI 1/27)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided Silat al-Dahir, vandalizing Palestinian-owned houses and vehicles. Israeli settlers also razed Palestinian-owned land and planted their own crops in ‘Urif. Israeli forces delivered 1 demolition order for 1 agricultural shed in al-Walaja and 1 commercial barrack in Qalqilya, and delivered 1 stop-work order for 1 house under construction in Bayt Awa. Israeli forces also clashed with Palestinians in Bayt Umar, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 3 Palestinians were arrested, including 1 during a late-night raid in Yatta and 2 at checkpoints near Nablus and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested during raids in the Old City and Bayt Hanina. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/19; PCHR 11/26)

PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh said, after a meeting with Israeli officials, that Israel has agreed to pay the PA the money it owes in tax revenue, about $890 million. (NYT, WAFA 11/19; HA 11/20)

The U.S. state department issued new guidelines of how to refer to products produced in Gaza and the West Bank as secretary of state Mike Pompeo was visiting Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Under the new guidelines, products imported to the U.S. from Area C of the West Bank would have to be labeled “Made in Israel.” Products can no longer be labeled “Made in West Bank/Gaza,” so products made in Gaza should be labeled “product of Gaza” and products made in Area A and B of the West Bank should be labeled “product of West Bank.” In a statement by Secretary Pompeo, he said that the U.S. is adhering to a “reality-based” approach, which would indicate that the new guidelines are a way for the U.S. administration to recognize Israel’s annexation of Area C. The statement also stipulated that “Gaza and the West Bank are politically and administratively separate and should be treated accordingly.” Secretary Pompeo also made another policy announcement during a press conference with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At the press conference, Pompeo announced that the State Department regards the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as anti-Semitic and that the U.S. would start identifying organizations that support BDS to penalize them. The BDS movement released a statement reiterating that it rejects “all forms of racism, including anti-Jewish racism” and said it would resist “these McCarthyite attempts to intimidate and bully Palestinian, Israeli and international human rights defenders into accepting Israeli apartheid and settler-colonialism as fate.” The American Civil Liberties Union responded to Pompeo’s announcement that “[c]riticism of Israel, or any government, is fully protected by the First Amendment. Threatening to block government funds to groups that criticize Israel is blatantly unconstitutional.” Secretary Pompeo also visited the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and was the 1st secretary of state to do so. Pompeo’s visit to Israeli settlements in the West Bank was also a 1st for a U.S. secretary of state. Pompeo also tweeted, “Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism” (AJ, AJ, Amnesty, AX, BBC, BBC, DT, DW, HA, IN, IN, MDN, MEE, NYT, REU, REU, SKY, TOI, TOI, Twitter, Twitter, Twitter, U.S. State Department, WAFA, WAFA, WP 11/19; AJ, BBC, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WP 11/20)

The EU told Serbia and Kosovo that if the countries still desire to become member states of the EU, they will have to follow EU policy, including not moving their Israeli embassies to Jerusalem as this would undermine EU policy and international law. A statement released conveying the message referenced the White House meetings held on 9/5-9/7 in which U.S. president Donald Trump announced the embassy moves. (EU Commission 11/19)

At the UN general assembly, 163 countries voted for a resolution recognizing “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.” 5 countries—Israel, the U.S., Micronesia, Nauru, and the Marshall Islands—voted against. (HA 11/20)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces delivered stop-work orders for 1 house in Taqqua. Israeli forces also demolished 1 house in al-Khadir and seized construction material. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively sealed off the room of an alleged attacker in his family house. 10 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Qalandia refugee camp, Bethlehem, Hebron, Kafr Qaddum, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Issawiyya. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at agricultural lands east of Khuza‘a and east of al-Qarara; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/21; PCHR 10/22)

The Israeli public radio channel Kan reported that an Israeli delegation was in Sudan to talk about a normalization deal between the 2 countries. (REU 10/21; AJ 10/22)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo said, when asked if he had any comment about the Palestinian prisoner on administrative detention who has been hunger striking for 87 days, that he would not comment on 1 particular case, and that “Israel has the right to defend itself.” (IMEU – Twitter 10/21)

According to reporting by Politico, the Trump administration is mulling over declaring human rights organizations and other NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Oxfam anti-Semitic. According to the reporting, Secretary of State Pompeo is seeking to get through the declaration to gain favor among evangelical voters for a future run for president. The reporting cites allegations of support for the BDS movement as the justification for labeling the organizations anti-Semitic. (MRJ, POL 10/21; GDN, HA, JTA, TOI 10/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian man in Burqa, causing fractures and bruises. An Israeli settler also set a car on fire and wrote racist graffiti in Zeita, south of Nablus. Israeli forces destroyed a 200-meter-long water pipe near Bardala and took measurements for a punitive demolition of the home belonging to the family of an alleged attacker in Ya‘bad. 11 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, and ‘Azun. In East Jerusalem, 6 Palestinians were arrested in Issawiyya. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/11; WAFA 6/12; PCHR 6/18)

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Israel is planning a census of Palestinians living in Area C, which would be the 1st since 1967. (HA 6/11)

In Lebanon, protesters rallied against the Lebanese government after the local currency lost 60 percent of its value in recent weeks. (REU 6/12; AJ, AJ 6/13)

U.S. president Donald Trump announced sanctions on the ICC and ICC personnel in retaliation to investigations into potential U.S. war crimes committed in Afghanistan. While Israel was not mentioned in Trump’s executive order, the country was mentioned in the accompanying press release: “the International Criminal Court has taken no action to reform itself and continues to pursue politically motivated investigations against us and our allies, including Israel.” (HA 6/11; WAFA 6/12)

More than 50 members of the U.S. congress called, in a letter, on U.S. ambassador David Friedman to condemn violence committed by Israeli settlers in the same manner he condemns violence committed by Palestinians. The letter noted the rise in cases of violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in recent months. (HA 6/11; WAFA 6/12)

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the French courts had violated freedom of expression when 12 people from the BDS movement were convicted of inciting racism and anti-Semitism for distributing leaflets calling for boycotts of Israeli goods. France was ordered to pay each of the 12 campaigners $31,150. (Amnesty, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/11)

The World Bank approved a $10 million grant to help operate and maintain a wastewater plant in Gaza. (WAFA 6/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces injured 4 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets during the weekly anti-settlement protests in Kafr Qaddum. In Gaza, 92 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces during the Great March of Return protests, including 4 paramedics. Israeli forces reported that 7 fires had been ignited in Israel by incendiary balloons. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 6/14; MDW 6/15)

U.S. special representative for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt tweeted that he met with Israeli minister of strategic affairs Gilad Erdan to discuss the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which he called anti-Semitic. It was revealed on 6/12 that Gilad Erdan had been cooperating with Mossad to combat the BDS movement. (Twitter 6/14; EI 6/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to dozens of dunams of farmland south of Nablus and threw stones at Palestinian-owned houses. Israeli settlers and Israeli forces had initially accused Palestinians of starting the fire; however, a video showed that it was the Israeli settlers that ignited the farmland. The video also showed 4 Israeli soldiers watching as the settlers attacked without intervening. 4 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces using rubber-coated bullets at the weekly anti-settlement demonstrations in Kafr Qaddum. Other protesters in Kafr Qaddum and in Ni‘lin suffered from tear gas inhalation. In East Jerusalem, thousands of Palestinians worshipped at the Haram al-Sharif compound for the 2d Friday of Ramadan. Males between 13 and 40 from the West Bank were banned from entering East Jerusalem by the Israeli authorities. A 63-year-old Palestinian man died of a stroke at an Israeli checkpoint on his way for the Friday prayer at Haram al-Sharif. His stroke was assessed to be caused by overcrowding at the checkpoint. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/17; HA 5/20; HA 5/26)

Syrian state news reported that the Syrian military had intercepted a number of Israeli missiles fired toward Damascus from the Golan Heights. (HA 5/17)

The German parliament passed a motion condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as anti-Semitic and called for the German government to cut funding to projects supporting boycotts of Israel. Both Israeli lawmakers and academics called on German politicians not to support the motion prior to the vote. (HA 5/16; HA 5/17)

Dozens of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border near Jabaliya refugee camp to continue the Great March of Return and to launch fireworks at IDF troops on the other side of the border fence, causing no damage or injuries. Amid the demonstrations, unidentified Palestinians attempt to fire a mortar into southern Israel. It lands short of the border fence, causing no damage or injuries. Also along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian shepherds working near Gaza City, causing no damage or injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces arrest a Palestinian attempting to swim from Gaza to Israel. They also open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers break into a Palestinian high school in Urif village near Nablus, sparking minor clashes; several Palestinian minors are lightly injured. Separately, settlers smash the windshields of a number of Palestinian vehicles in Huwwara village near Nablus; assault a Palestinian journalist and a Palestinian activist in central Hebron (no serious injuries are reported). IDF troops arrest 17 Palestinians during late-night raids near Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Ramallah; and patrol near Tulkarm and Hebron. (HA, MNA, TOI, TOI, WAFA, YA 2/10; JP, MNA, MNA 2/11; PCHR 2/14)

PA minister for civilian affairs Hussein al-Sheikh says that the Trump administration has asked U.S. and international banks to stop working with the PA in an effort to pressure the Palestinian leadership into accepting their long-awaited Palestinian-Israeli peace plan. “Major international financial institutions and parties have begun to accede to an American request to impose a tight financial siege on the [PA],” he says. “The sanctions began with preventing the transfer of an Iraqi grant worth $10 million, which was handed over to the Arab League recently. The League has not been able to transfer it because all banks have refused to accept it for transfer to the [PA’s] finance ministry or the national fund.” (AFP, TOI 2/11)

Haaretz reports that Israeli government officials have informed the Jerusalem District Court of their intention to invoke a legal justification approved by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in 12/2018 to retroactively authorize several settlement housing units build on Palestinian land near the Ariel settlement. Mandelblit’s justification allowed for such retroactive authorizations if the initial allocation of Palestinian land was done in “good faith.” (HA 2/10)

U.S. representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN), one of the first members of the U.S. Congress to openly support the BDS movement, sends a tweet in response to a story about Israeli influence in U.S. politics: “It’s all about the Benjamins baby.” Her tweet draws criticism and allegations of anti-Semitism from many Democrats and Republicans. (NYT, WP 2/11)