The Palestine Chronology

After the PA security forces complete their deployment in Gaza, the IDF announces that, in light of ongoing PA cooperation, it has issued orders to stop all “offensive operations” in Gaza, to scale back operations in the West Bank, and to remove an unspecified number of roadblocks in the West Bank to ease Palestinian movement, saying it will only conduct assassinations if there is immediate threat of an attack and only with the “explicit authorization” of IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon. Meanwhile, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who strays into a closed military zone nr. Kissufim crossing; fires on Palestinians conducting a nonviolent march protesting construction of the separation wall, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’, Yatta. Palestinians fire 4 mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. An 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy injured when he accidentally triggered unexploded IDF ordnance on 1/25 dies. (MM 1/28; MA, VOI, VOP 1/28 in WNC 1/29; NYT, WP 1/29; VOP 1/29 in WNC 1/30; OCHA 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

The IDF fires tank shells at 3 Palestinians firing mortars at Gaza’s Netzarim settlement in Gaza, killing them; the mortars cause no damage or injuries. The IDF also conducts arrest raids nr. Hebron, Qalqilya; demolishes a Palestinian home in Balata r.c., several structures at an UNRWA school in Dayr al-Balah. IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya’alon visits the hospitalized Israeli peace activist wounded by IDF fire on 12/26, says soldiers apparently did not know Israelis were among the demonstrators, promises a full investigation. Some 1,000 Palestinians in villages around Ramallah hold nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall. Nr. Hebron, 5 Jewish settlers severely beat a Palestinian. (NYT, PM, WP 12/29; VOI, YA 12/29 in WNC 12/31; PCHR 1/1; MM 1/5; MEI 1/9)