The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 4 Palestinian-owned vehicles in Hebron. Israeli settlers also assaulted Palestinians harvesting olives near Hebron, causing injuries. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bethlehem, injuring 1 minor with shrapnel from live ammunition and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Bireh, injuring 1 minor with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces assaulted 1 Palestinian man after forcing him out of his car in Hebron. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 3 Palestinians and 1 international activist with a baton round and others with tear gas. Meanwhile, Israeli forces confiscated 2 tractors and 1 car in Hamsa in the Jordan Valley. 2 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jenin refugee camp and Tayasir. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/11; PCHR 11/17; UNOCHA 11/25)

The UN special political and decolonization committee approved draft resolution A/C.4/77/L.12/REV.1 requesting the International Court of Justice give its opinion on the legal status of the Israeli occupation of Palestine since 1967. The resolution will go to the UNGA for a vote. The draft resolution passed 98-17 with 52 countries abstaining. Notably, Ukraine voted for the draft resolution and the UK abstained. The U.S., Israel, Australia, Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Italy were among the countries to vote against. According to Israel’s ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, Israel lobbied “dozens of countries that we have persuaded not to support” the draft resolution. Israeli president Isaac Herzog also called PA president Mahmoud Abbas in an effort to pressure Abbas into retracting the proposal. (HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/11; HA, HA, MEE, MEMO 11/12; HA, HA, HA, WAFA 11/13; HA, HA, REU 11/15; HA 11/16)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort toured Sabastia, closing parts of the town off to Palestinians. Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with live ammunition during a raid in Jenin. Israeli forces also demolished 2 agricultural structures in Duma and confiscated a tractor in al-‘Awja. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Abu Dis, Aida refugee camp, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Deir Istiya, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers marched near the Damascus Gate plaza, chanting anti-Palestinian slogans, and attacked a grocery store. Israeli forces demolished 1 commercial structure in Isawiya. Israeli forces also violently dispersed activists in Sheikh Jarrah, assaulting some before closing off the neighborhood. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/17; MEMO 2/18; PCHR 2/24; UNOCHA 2/28)

The Shin Bet sent messages to Palestinians from Umm al-Fahm warning them not to travel to Sheikh Jarrah on 2/18 for a solidarity gathering in the neighborhood. (MEE 2/18)

In Israel, Israel said it had shot down a drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israel. (AP, HA 2/17)

In Syria, Israeli forces launched surface-to-surface missiles from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights at Syria south of Damascus, causing damage. (AJ, AP, HA, JP, TOI 2/17)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in Ramallah. (TOI, WAFA 2/17; HA 2/22)

İbrahim Kalın, senior advisor to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Turkish deputy foreign minister Sedat Önal met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Israel, ahead of a planned meeting between President Herzog and President Erdoğan in Turkey, which is said to be scheduled for 9 March. (HA 2/17)

In a letter to the UN commission of inquiry into alleged war crimes committed by Israel during the May 2021 attack on Gaza, Israel’s foreign ministry said it would not cooperate with the commission and accused its 3 members of holding anti-Israel positions. (AP, AX, HA, JP, MEE, TOI 2/17)

Australian home affairs minister Karen Andrews said she is working to place Hamas in its entirety on the Australian list of terrorist organizations. (AJ, AP, HA, JP, MEE, REU 2/17)

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination set up an ad hoc conciliation commission to investigate the State of Palestine’s accusation against Israeli racial discrimination against Palestinians. (MDW 2/10; UN 2/17; WAFA 2/18)