The Palestine Chronology

The IDF fires on stone-throwing youths in Bayt Hanun (killing an 18-yr.-old Palestinian), Rafah (killing a 2d Palestinian, wounding a woman in her home), Ramallah; rockets 2 metal foundries (allegedly Hamas weapons factories) in Gaza City, wounding 6 Palestinians, cutting electricity to parts of the city; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Nablus; fires on residential areas of Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. In Jerusalem, Israeli police fatally shoot a Palestinian who attempts to flee on foot after allegedly trying to run down an officer with his van. (VOI, VOP 7/4, VOI 7/5 in WNC 7/9; NYT, WP, XIN 7/5; PR 7/7; PCHR 7/8)

Prominent Jewish residents of Ashkelon ask Mayor Roni Mahatzri to ban Israeli Arabs, bedouin fr. staying overnight in the city, attending the city’s entertainment venues, complaining that “bedouin and Israeli Arabs from the north of the country employed in the city’s construction sites hang out with local [Jewish] girls” in the evenings. (HA 7/4; PR 7/7)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah. Palestinians throughout the territories, Israeli Arabs inside Israel hold demonstrations to mark the 28th anniversary of Land Day, when Israeli forces confiscated 5,500 acres of land fr. Arab villages in the Galilee for the construction of Jewish enclaves, sparking clashes in which 9 Israeli Arabs were killed, 96 were injured, 300 were arrested; IDF troops clash with demonstrators in Beitunia. Palestinians fire an antitank rocket at IDF forces outside Gaza’s Neve Dekalim settlement, causing no damage or injuries. A group of 81 prominent Palestinians (mostly veteran leftists, some Fatah mbrs.) issue a call for nonviolent protest similar to that made on 3/25, but also warning that Palestinian violence will not cease until Israel halts its attacks on, oppression of the Palestinians. (AFP, MM, XIN 3/30; PR, WT 3/31; YA 3/31 in WNC 4/2; PCHR 4/1; MEI 4/2)

Despite Israel’s pledge (1/29) not to seal the occupied territories in the wake of the Jerusalem bombing, Israeli-Arabs seeking to enter Gaza with pre-arranged permits to celebrate Id al-Adha with relatives report that the IDF is blocking all entry to the Strip. The IDF assassinates senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Yasir Abu Aysh, firing missiles at his family’s home in Rafah, also killing Islamic Jihad mbr. Hussein Abu Aysh (Yasir’s brother), AMB Rafah leader Majdi Khatib, Hamas mbr. Baha’ Judah, wounding 3; Yasir Abu Aysh, who reportedly has been in hiding since he lost both legs and an arm in a mysterious explosion in 2002, had come out of seclusion to visit his family for Id al-Adha. The IDF also raids ‘Aida r.c. in search of Bethlehem Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades head Muhammad Abu Odeh, who fires on IDF soldiers, wounding 4, before being shot dead; the IDF then blows up his familyhome. In Ramallah, 2–3 armed AMB mbrs. reportedly storm the offices of al-Dar newspaper and al-Quds TV, destroying equipment, computers, archives. (HA, NYT, WP, WT 2/3; JP 2/8 in WNC 2/10; Independent 2/9; PCHR 2/12)

Sharon says that he has given orders to plan for the “relocation” of 17 of 20 Jewish settlements in Gaza and 3 Jewish settlements in the West Bank over the next 2 yrs., with “the assumption that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza.” (BBC, HA, MM 2/2; AP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/3; VOP 2/3 in WNC 2/5; NYT 2/4; WJW 2/5; JT, al-Ra’i 2/8 in WNC 2/10; AYM 2/8 in WNC 2/19; PR 2/11; CSM 2/12; JPI 2/13; AYM 2/17 in WNC 2/20; MEI 2/20) (see 11/23)

The IDF completely demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, bulldozes 9 dunams of land outside Rafah, along the settler bypass road linking Gush Katif and Morag settlements; completely demolishes 6 Palestinian homes in Rafah (seriously damaging 2 others), 1 in Khan Yunis; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus. (PM 1/16; VOP 1/61 in WNC 1/21; LAW, PCHR 1/22)

In Haifa, an Israeli Arab finds a bomb placed nr. his car, disarms it. This is the 5th such incident in Haifa in 30 mos.; earlier explosions left 2 Israeli Arabs injured. The Israeli government issues an order banning the press fr. discussing a letter sent to the Israeli daily Ma’ariv, claiming responsibility for some of the incidents. MK Issam Makhoul alleges that a Jewish extremist group wrote the letter. (HA 1/27)