The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of Palestinians approaching the border fence, causing 3 to suffer from tear gas inhalation. Separately, IDF troops stationed e. of Rafah open fire on agricultural lands nr. the border fence, causing damage. In 2 incidents off the coast nr. Jabaliya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at demonstrations to commemorate Land Day, upcoming on 3/30, and protest Israel’s occupation in 6 areas nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih, Silwad, outside Ofer Prison, and Jalazun r.c.), and Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya; 10 Palestinians are moderately injured. The Israeli soldiers also cut off a main waterline into Kafr Qaddum, denying the village water for several hours. IDF troops also violently disperse Palestinian and international activists gathering in Abu Dis at the site of the “Gate of Jerusalem” protest tent camp. The IDF conducts house searches and raids in and around Hebron, arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts patrols in 2 villages nr. Hebron and 1 each nr. Jenin and Jericho. (MNA 3/27; PCHR 4/2)

The Israeli PM’s office announces that it is unfreezing tax revenue transfers to the PA that it has held as a punitive response to the Palestinian accession to the ICC since 1/2015. A statement announcing the move says that the total will be reduced by an undisclosed amount to pay portions of the PA’s debts to Israeli utility providers, such as the IEC. The PA FM criticizes the announced deductions, saying in a statement that they are “an unjustified and illegal procedure that could cause complications.” (AP, HA, JP, NYT, TOI 3/27; AFP, WAFA 3/28; JP 3/29)

French FM Fabius announces that, now that the 3/17 Israeli election has passed, he plans to explore the prospect of introducing another United Nations Security Council (UNSC) res. laying out parameters for a new round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Meanwhile, an EU spokesperson announces that Hamas will remain a designated terrorist organization pending a decision on an appeal of the General Court’s 12/17/2014 removal of Hamas from the list. Similarly, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which the U.S. claims funneled money to Hamas, has been removed from the list since it was last published in 7/2014. (AFP, AP, HA, REU, TOI 3/27; AFP 3/28)

The PA unity govt. delegation led by PM Hamdallah meets with Fatah and Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip, concluding its 3-day trip. (MNA 3/26) The Egyptian attorney, Samir Sabri, who filed the original motion to designate Hamas a terrorist organization in Egypt withdraws his case, saying he hopes to remove “obstacles which Egypt’s political leadership might face in serving its role in the Palestinian reconciliation.” The Court of Urgent Matters, which designated Hamas a terrorist organization 2/28, is expected to reconsider its initial ruling, though it was only in part based on Sabri’s motion. (AHR, MNA 3/27)

The 28th regular session of the UNHRC concludes today after a mo. of meetings, with the council having agreed on 3 res. on the Palestinians. They reaffirm the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, confirm Palestinian rights to sovereignty over their natural resources, and condemn ongoing settlement growth in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (TOI 3/27; MNA 3/28)

PA Pres. Abbas arrives in Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt, to participate in an Arab League summit on 3/28 and 3/29. Ahead of the summit, the Arab League agrees to send a delegation to Washington to lobby the U.S. Congress and promote the Arab Peace Initiative. (WAFA 2/25; MNA 3/27; HA 3/28)

In Gaza, Israeli troops arrest a Palestinian at the Erez border crossing. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians gather in Gaza City and Khan Yunis to protest the Egyptian court’s 2/28 designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization. In the West Bank, IDF troops clash with stone-throwing residents in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem during a raid; 2 Palestinians are injured with live ammunition and 2 are arrested. The IDF conducts a house search nr. Ramallah, arresting 1 Palestinian; patrols in 2 villages and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, and 2 villages nr. Ramallah, as well as ‘Ayn al-Sultan r.c. and Fasayil r.c. nr. Jericho. Israeli troops detain 2 Palestinian shepherds and 2 international activists nr. Hebron. The IDF conducts a large-scale drill nr. Hebron, mobilizing around 13,000 reserves to prepare for a possible eruption of unrest in the West Bank. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities order a Palestinian family to evacuate their home in Shaykh Jarrah, pursuant to legal proceedings that began in 2011. Israeli forces conduct house searches and raids nr. the Old City, arresting 1 Palestinian. (MNA, WAFA, YA 3/1; AFP, MNA, WAFA 3/2; PCHR 3/5)

Similar to his 2/27 call, U.S. Secy. of State Kerry phones PA Pres. Abbas and asks him to refrain from taking “harsh” decisions ahead of the Israeli elections on 3/17. (JP, TOI 3/1; MNA 3/7)

A delegation representing Islamic Jihad arrives in Cairo for negotiations with Egyptian officials on the Rafah border crossing. They will negotiate until 3/7. Meanwhile, Hamas officials lobby Saudi leadership to apply pressure on the Egyptian govt. to reverse the 2/28 designation of the group as a terrorist organization. (HA 3/4)

The annual American Israel Public Affairs Comm. (AIPAC) conference begins today, with a record-breaking 16,000 in attendance. The organization’s lobbyists will be on Capitol Hill on 3/3 to lobby for the passage of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act and the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act. (HA, TOI 3/1, 3/2)

In the West Bank, IDF troops open fire with live ammunition on a group of young Palestinians throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli settlers’ cars nr. Nablus, killing 1 and lightly injuring another. Later, Israeli settlers gather between Nablus and Ramallah to throw rocks at Palestinians’ cars. Also, IDF troops deploy heavily in the area, arresting 1 Palestinian at a mobile checkpoint and a relative of the deceased Palestinian on a raid in Burin village. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and nr. Salfit; patrols nr. Ramallah, Jericho, Qalqilya, and Jenin. Israeli settlers cut down a number of olive and almond trees outside Yatta nr. Hebron. PA security forces conduct house searches and raids in Nablus and nearby Balata r.c. In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops e. of Khan Yunis open fire on agricultural land nr. the border fence, causing damage. Off the coast nr. Bayt Lahiya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest 1 Palestinian youth for allegedly shooting fireworks at them while they patrol in al-Tur and, later, 2 other Palestinians on arrest raids in the neighborhood. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/31; PCHR 2/5)

A Hamas delegation meets with senior Hizballah officials in Beirut to discuss the recent tension on the Lebanon-Israel border and possible avenues for cooperation. (JP 2/1)

Egypt’s Court of Urgent Matters designates Hamas’s armed wing, Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, as a terrorist organization. The court’s ruling cites the armed wing’s role in the 10/24 attack on Egyptian security forces in Sinai that was claimed by the group now known as the Sinai Province of the Islamic State. (AHR, MEE, REU, TOI 1/31)