The Palestine Chronology

Thousands of Palestinians gather at protests across the oPt for a 4th Friday in a row against U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Israeli forces violently disperse them in and around Hebron, al-Bireh, Bethlehem, Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya, ‘Izzariya (East Jerusalem), 2 areas near Nablus (Beita and Huwwara checkpoint), and in various locations along Gaza’s border. At least 57 Palestinians are injured (5 seriously), and at least 8 are arrested. Meanwhile, IDF troops patrol near Hebron, Qalqilya, and Salfit. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village of al-Araqib for the 123d time since 2010. (HA, TOI, WAFA 12/29; PCHR 1/4)

Unidentified parties fire 3 rockets from Gaza toward Israel. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts 2; the 3d hits a building, causing light damage and no injuries. Israeli forces conduct strikes on 2 sites in northern Gaza, causing some damage. Israel’s DM Lieberman says that Iran supplied the projectiles fired at Israel today. (HA, TOI, WAFA 12/29; MNA 12/30; HA 1/3)

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman says that the Trump administration is “disappointed with some of the rhetoric” coming from the Palestinians in response to U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He calls it “ugly, needlessly provocative, and anti-Semitic.” (JP, TOI 12/29)

A Palestinian child succumbs to injuries sustained on 8/8/2014 during Israel’s summer 2014 assault on Gaza. Four members of the boy’s family were killed that day when an Israeli air strike targeted his family home. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians march through Gaza City in protest of U.S. pres. Trump’s reported decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. IDF troops violently disperse dozens of Palestinians protesting along the border near Khan Yunis (there are no serious injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF temporarily closes the entrance to nearby Ya‘bad village after reports of shots fired at an Israeli settler bus near Jenin. IDF troops clash with stonethrowing Palestinians in al-‘Arub refugee camp near Hebron; there are no serious injuries. They also arrest 27 Palestinians during late-night raids near Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem; and patrol near Hebron and Bethlehem. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village al-Araqib for the 122d time since 2010. (MNA, WAFA 12/6; PCHR 12/7; PCHR 12/14)

In a speech broadcast from the White House, U.S. pres. Trump announces that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and that his administration will begin the process of moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. “I have judged this to be in the best interest in the pursuit of peace between Israel and the Palestinians,” he says. PA pres. Abbas says that the U.S. can no longer serve as mediator between the Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli PM Netanyahu welcomes the announcement, celebrating the “historic day.” (AP, BBC, EI, HA, MNA, YA 12/6; HA, WAFA 12/7)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces punitively seal shut the Yatta home of a Palestinian imprisoned on charges related to a 6/2016 attack on Israelis in Tel Aviv. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home in Ni‘lin overnight. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid near Bethlehem and patrol near Hebron and Nablus. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village of al-Araqib for the 121st time since 2010. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 11/16; PCHR 11/23)

The IDF orders approximately 300 Palestinian Bedouins to evacuate their homes near the Ma’ale Adumim settlement ahead of the planned demolition of their village, Jabal al-Baba. Similar orders have been issued for a Bedouin village in the northern Jordan Valley and other villages near Jerusalem, but none has been enforced yet. (HA, MNA, WAFA 11/17; TOI 11/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces erect an iron gate at the entrance to a Palestinian cemetery near Bethlehem. IDF troops arrest 6 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Jenin, Nablus, and Tulkarm, and patrol in and around Hebron and Nablus. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian farmers harvesting olives outside Dayr Nizam village near Ramallah. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmland near Bayt Hanun, causing no damage or injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village al-Araqib for the 120th time since 2010. (MNA, WAFA 10/25; PCHR 10/26; PCHR 11/2)

The Jerusalem Municipality and Jerusalem District Council issue building permits for 176 new housing units in Nof Zion, an Israeli settlement inside Jabal Mukabir. If this construction goes forward, Nof Zion would be the largest Israeli settlement inside a Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem. (HA, TOI 10/25)

During a meeting with settler leaders, Israeli PM Netanyahu promises to invest NIS 800 million (approximately $230 million) in roads and other infrastructure development in the West Bank, starting in 2018. The settler leaders’ reaction is mixed. While some welcome the pledge, others are dubious, including Samaria Regional Council chair Yossi Dagan, who says, “We are fed up with promises and spin.” (TOI, YA 10/25; HA 10/26)

In Texas, U.S. VP Mike Pence announces that he will visit Israel and the oPt soon in an effort to promote Pres. Trump’s peace initiative. (HA, YA 10/26)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers harvesting olives near Nablus, causing no serious injuries. IDF troops arrest 1 Palestinian student after questioning a group in Zayta village near Tulkarm and another during a late-night raid near Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Silwan. Along Gaza’s border, unidentified parties open fire on an IDF patrol, causing no injuries or damage. In the Negev, Israeli police arrest a West Bank Palestinian in Rahat on suspicions that he was planning an attack on Israeli civilians. (HA, TOI, WAFA 10/11; EI, PCHR 10/12; PCHR 10/19)

In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 1 Palestinian and confiscate NIS 13,500 (approximately $3,800) in cash and jewelry during late-night raids near Hebron, and patrol near Jenin, Tulkarm, and Hebron. They also return to Bayt Surik to threaten the punitive demolition of the home of the alleged perpetrator of the deadly attack in Har Hadar on 9/26. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 4 Palestinians during raids in Hizma, Silwan, and the Old City. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish the Palestinian Bedouin village al-Araqib for the 119th time since 2010. (MNA, PNN, WAFA 10/3; PCHR 10/5)

For the first time since 2014, the PA cabinet convenes in Gaza. At the outset, PM Hamdallah says that the government is set to take full responsibility of the administration of Gaza “in full cooperation and partnership with all the Palestinian factions and forces,” including Hamas. (AFP, HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/3; AFP 10/4)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish the 2d floor of a Palestinian residential building in al-Za’ayem village near Jerusalem. IDF troops arrest 8 Palestinians, issue 1 arrest summons, and confiscate 1 car during latenight raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus, and patrol near Hebron and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Sur al-Bahir. On 3 separate occasions, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp off Gaza’s coast. They arrest 2 fishermen and confiscate 1 boat. (MNA, WAFA 9/18; PCHR 9/21)

PA pres. Abbas tells Hamas leader Haniyeh by phone that he is “satisfied with the atmosphere” created by Hamas’s 9/17 pledge to dissolve its administrative committee in Gaza. He also promises to follow up when he returns from his trip to the UNGA in New York this week. (TOI, WAFA 9/18)

On the sidelines of the UNGA in New York, U.S. pres. Trump meets with Israeli PM Netanyahu to discuss the 7/14/2015 Iran nuclear deal and the Palestinian-Israel peace process. In a joint press conference, Trump says he still believes there is a “good chance” Palestinian-Israeli peace will happen. Netanyahu, for his part, focuses his remarks on Iran. After the meeting, the White House releases a statement saying that Trump and Netanyahu discussed their “continuing efforts to achieve an enduring Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, the optimism in the region about peace, and expanding economic opportunities to improve conditions for peace.” (HA, NYT, TOI 9/18; HA, TOI 9/19)

Also in New York, Netanyahu publicly meets with Egyptian pres. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for the first time. They discuss ways to resume Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, according to the Egyptian embassy in Washington. (HA 9/18; HA, YA 9/19)

The U.S. military opens its first base on Israeli soil in the Negev. The base will house dozens of U.S. soldiers, who will operate a large ballistic missile radar system. (HA, YA 9/18)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces confiscate a number of mobile homes that were to serve as classrooms in Jubbet al-Dhib, a Palestinian Bedouin village near Jerusalem. Sources in the village say they have to delay the start of the school year from 8/23 to 8/27 as a result. IDF troops patrol near Qalqilya and Hebron during the day. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a makeshift home in Silwan, having demolished it on 8/15. (The Palestinian owner rebuilt it.) They also prevent the delivery of Palestinian textbooks to schools at Haram al-Sharif, assault a number of Palestinians, and arrest 6 Palestinians during raids in Silwan. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya for the 3d and 4th time in 24 hours, causing no damage or injuries. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish a home in the Palestinian Bedouin village Wadi al-Na‘am near Beersheba. (MNA, WAFA 8/22; HA 8/23; PCHR 8/24)

Two U.S. sources say that the Trump administration has decided to withhold approximately $290 million in aid to Egypt because of the government’s failure to make adequate progress on democratic reforms ($95.7 million will be cut entirely and $195 million will be delayed). (REU, TOI, YA 8/22; CNN 8/23)

Israeli forces carry out the punitive demolition of the Dayr Abu Mash‘al home of 1 of the Palestinians killed during the 6/16 deadly attack in Jerusalem. The demolition sparks clashes in the village; there are no serious injuries. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops assault a Palestinian youth during a raid in Ramallah, arrest 2 Palestinians during raids in Tubas and Bethlehem, and patrol near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian in Shu‘fat refugee camp, allegedly for carrying a knife. They also arrest 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Silwan. Along Gaza’s southern border, 2 Islamist fighters emerge from a smuggling tunnel leading from Egypt into southern Gaza, and 1 detonates a bomb belt when Hamas security forces confront them, killing himself and 1 of the Hamas fighters and injuring 5 others. In the Negev, Israeli forces demolish 3 homes in the Palestinian Bedouin villages of Umm Qabu, al-Atrash, and al-Sayyid. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 8/17; PCHR 8/24)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for a 4th and final day in a row, allowing Muslim worshippers to pass through on their pilgrimage to Mecca. (MNA 8/17; OCHA 9/14)

Sinai Province of the Islamic State (SPIS) fighters launch rockets into Israel from n. Sinai late at night. Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense batteries intercept 3 of them; others land in open areas nr. Eilat. No Israelis are injured. SPIS last launched rockets into Israel in 7/2015 (see JPS 45 [1]). Later, 2 Palestinians are killed and at least 5 are injured in an air strike targeting the smuggling tunnel they are working in nr. Rafah. The IDF denies carrying out the strike. Palestinian eyewitnesses say they saw an Israeli aircraft launch it, and Palestinian security sources say it was a retaliation for the rocket barrage. (HA, JP 2/8; HA, MNA, WAFA 2/9)

An Israeli settler driver rams an elderly Palestinian nr. Bethlehem, causing fatal injuries. The Palestinian dies later in the day. Israeli settlers raze a swath of Palestinianowned land nr. Nablus overnight. Meanwhile, IDF troops arrest 5 Palestinians during raids nr. Hebron and Ramallah, and patrol nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a 2d Palestinian building in Bayt Hanina in as many days. They also assault and arrest 4 Palestinian youths in Silwan. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. the Erez border crossing. IDF troops also open fire on Palestinian agricultural lands nr. Rafah and Bayt Hanun, causing no serious damage or injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Jabaliya r.c., causing no damage or injuries. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish the bedouin village of al-‘Araqib in the Negev for the 109th time since 2010. (MNA, WAFA 2/8; PCHR 2/9; PCHR 2/16)

In Washington, PA intelligence chief Majid Faraj leads a Palestinian delegation in their first face-to-face talks with Trump admin. officials. According to a Palestinian source, they discuss diplomatic issues, particularly Trump’s pledge to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. (AP 2/9; HA, TOI 2/10)

IDF troops shoot and kill a Palestinian youth and injure 4 others during clashes sparked by an IDF arrest raid in Jenin r.c. Elsewhere in the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers detain 2 Palestinian youths at gunpoint outside a settlement nr. Qalqilya. They accuse the youths of planning a stabbing attack. IDF troops arrest a Palestinian nr. Ramallah when he is found with a knife. They arrest 7 more Palestinians during late-night raids nr. Ramallah, Tubas, Hebron, and Jenin, and patrol nr. Ramallah and Hebron during the day. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinians during raids in the Old City. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinians approaching the border fence nr. Rafah, causing no injuries. Then they arrest the 2 men. An unknown explosive detonates in Nuseirat r.c., injuring 2 Palestinians. In Israel, Israeli forces conduct raids in Umm al-Hiran in the Negev and prepare to demolish the 2 mobile homes donated to the community on 1/28. (JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 1/29; HA, MNA 1/30; PCHR 2/2)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for the 2d day in a row. (MNA 1/29; MNA 1/30)

Israeli PM Netanyahu says that the so-called regulations bill, which would retroactively authorize illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank and which he previously opposed, will be returning to the Knesset on 1/30 for a vote. The bill needs to pass 2 more readings before it becomes law. (MNA, TOI, YA 1/29)

Ten days after Israeli forces demolished 8 homes and 7 agricultural buildings in the bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev, a Palestinian lawyers’ group and an organization of neighboring villages donate 2 mobile homes to the community today (a 3d mobile home, donated by the residents of the city of Jaffa, is expected to arrive on 1/29). In the West Bank, IDF troops weld shut the entrance to a metalwork shop in Hebron and demolish the contents of a printing house in Ramallah. They also arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid nr. Ramallah; and patrol during the day nr. Hebron and Salfit. (MNA 1/28; PCHR 2/2)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing in both directions for humanitarian cases. (MNA, WAFA 1/28)

Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. Khan Yunis. IDF troops open fire on Palestinian agricultural lands nr. Jabaliya r.c., causing no damage. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Khan Yunis, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to a Palestinian road and a number of buildings under construction in the n. Jordan Valley. They also demolish a poultry farm in Barta‘a village nr. Jenin. After reports of stone throwing in the Salfit area, the IDF closes down the entrances to Marda village. IDF troops patrol nr. Hebron and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces cut down tens of olive trees in Sheikh Jarrah to clear space for a road that will connect Israeli settlements in the area. A Palestinian family demolishes its construction materials shop and a number of other structures in Jabal Mukabir to avoid paying Israeli demolition fees. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish the bedouin village of al-‘Araqib in the Negev for the 108th time since 2010. (MNA, WAFA 1/12; PCHR 1/19)