The Palestine Chronology

Today, Great March of Return demonstrations see tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza gathering along the border fence to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, to protest the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem today, and to call for the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes. IDF troops violently disperse demonstrations near Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza City, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Jabaliya refugee camp; 58 Palestinians are killed, including 3 who allegedly attempted to plant an explosive along the border near Rafah, and more than 1,300 are injured. After unidentified assailants open fire on IDF patrols along the border near Jabaliya refugee camp, the IAF conducts air strikes on Hamas posts near Jabaliya refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Gaza City, causing moderate damage. The killings today bring the death toll related to the Great March of Return to 102. Elsewhere in the oPt, thousands of Palestinians gather across the West Bank and Jerusalem to protest the official opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem today. They also release 70 black balloons in Ramallah, marking the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. IDF troops violently disperse the protests at Qalandia checkpoint, Bethlehem, and Hebron; at least 2 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, IDF troops arrest 19 Palestinians during latenight raids in and around Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron; and patrol near Jenin and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya and the Old City. (AJ, EI, HA, JP, MEE, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 5/14; PCHR 5/17)

Hours after Israeli troops open fire on peaceful Palestinian protesters along the border fence in Gaza, senior U.S. and Israeli officials gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. In a recorded video, U.S. president Trump celebrates the opening and says the U.S. “remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement” between Israel and the Palestinians. Outside the ceremony, Israeli police violently disperse approximately 200 protesters, including Joint List MKs Ahmad Tibi, Dov Khenin, Jamal Zahalka, Yousef Jabareen, and Masud Ganaim; 12 Palestinians are arrested. (AJ, BBC, JP, MEE, NYT, TOI 5/14; EI 5/15)

In the evening, the Palestinian leadership convenes in Ramallah to discuss the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and the violence in Gaza. PA president Abbas calls the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem a “settlement outpost” and reiterates that he has no plans to engage in any U.S.-mediated peace talks “in any way, shape, or form.” The assembled officials decide to file a war crimes complaint against Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague over settlement construction in the West Bank. According to PLO secretary-general Erakat, they also agree to a number of other unspecified responses. (TOI 5/14; AP, YA 5/15)

The South African government recalls its ambassador to Israel and Turkey recalls its ambassadors from Israel and the U.S. in protest of the killings in Gaza today. “The victims were taking part in peaceful protests against the provocative inauguration of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem,” a South African statement reads. Meanwhile, the U.S. blocks the UNSC from adopting a Kuwait-backed statement condemning the deadly violence in Gaza and calling for an “independent and transparent investigation” into Israel’s actions. (ANA, TOI, WAFA 5/14; HA, TOI 5/15)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing in both directions for the 3d consecutive day. (AHR 5/14; OCHA 5/24)

In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 1 Palestinian is injured. They conduct further patrols nr. Hebron and Ramallah; and arrest 9 Palestinians during late-night raids nr. Hebron, Ramallah, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Palestinian schools go on strike to protest the closure of al-Nukhba School on 2/23 and the Jerusalem Municipality’s 12/2016 decision to align its vacation calendar with the Israeli school calendar. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home under construction in Issawiyya as well as 2 rooms in a Palestinian home in Silwan; arrest 7 Palestinians during raids in Hizma and Issawiyya; and shut down a dept. of the Arab Studies Society in Bayt Hanina because of alleged affiliation with the PA (it will be reopened on 3/16). Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In West Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinians protesting Israeli demolitions of Palestinian property outside the finance ministry’s headquarters; there are no serious injuries. In s. Israel, the Israel Land Authority (ILA) demolishes crops in a Bedouin-owned field nr. Beersheba. (HA, MNA, PLONAD, TOI, WAFA 3/14; PCHR 3/16; MNA 3/17)

The Israeli Knesset approves amendments to the Basic Law barring politicians from running for office if they are known to “support terrorism,” if they do not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, or if they incite racism or support armed resistance against Israel. In response, Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi says “there is a tendency in recent Knessets in which MKs from the right wing compete with themselves over which bill they can present to exclude authentic representatives of the Arab population.” (KNE, WAFA 3/15)

PA pres. Abbas meets with U.S. special representative for international negotiations Greenblatt in Ramallah. Abbas tells him that “under [U.S.] pres. Trump’s leadership a historic peace deal is possible,” according to a U.S. statement. Meanwhile, Israeli PM Netanyahu comments on his 3/13 meeting with Greenblatt, saying that “we’re in a process, but it’s a process of mutual dialogue, authentic and honest in the positive sense.” The process is “not yet visible to the media,” he adds. (MNA, NYT, HA, TOI 3/14)

Israeli soldiers shoot and kill a Palestinian at the Qalandia checkpoint n. of Jerusalem after he allegedly stabs an Israeli border guard, causing moderate injuries. The IDF then violently disperses around 200 Palestinians gathering to throw stones in protest of the killing. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday demonstrations against Israel’s occupation, settlements, and separation wall in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih), Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, and along Gaza’s border nr. al-Bureij r.c. and Shuja‘iya; at least 6 Palestinians are injured and 2 are arrested. They also patrol during the day nr. Qalqilya, Salfit, and Hebron. (HA, MNA, TOI, YA 9/30; MNA 10/1; PCHR 10/6)

PA pres. Abbas attends the funeral of former Israeli pres. Peres and shakes hands with Israeli PM Netanyahu. Responding to criticism from Hamas and many other Palestinians, a senior Hamas official says that Abbas’s attendance disproves Israeli claims of Palestinian dedication to violence and that it sent a “strong message of Palestinian peace” to the world. MK and Joint List chair Ayman Odeh refuses to attend, along with the rest of the Joint List, citing Peres’s treatment of the Palestinians. The Joint List and PA reportedly agree to refrain from publicly criticizing one another over their different views on this matter. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, YA 9/30; HA 10/1)

Stabbing and alleged stabbing attacks continue in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers shoot and kill a Palestinian in c. Hebron after he allegedly attempts to stab a soldier. Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian in a supermarket in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc nr. Bethlehem after he stabs and moderately injures an Israeli settler; open fire on 3 Palestinians after they allegedly evade detention while on their way to work in Israel, injuring 1 and detaining 2. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 10/28; PCHR 10/29; PCHR 11/5)

As the Israeli crackdown continues across the oPt, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian protesters in c. Hebron, Aida r.c. and 1 village nr. Bethlehem, and along Gaza’s border nr. al-Bureij r.c., injuring 3 Palestinians (2 seriously). Late at night, the IDF conducts raids and house searches in the Tubas, Hebron, Ramallah, and Jenin areas, arresting 14 Palestinians and issuing arrest summons to 4. In East Jerusalem, MK Basel Ghattas (Joint List) tours Haram al-Sharif, defying Israeli PM Netanyahu’s order for all MKs to avoid the sanctuary (1st reported on 10/8). Israeli forces raid a hospital in al-Tur for the 2d day in a row; arrest 26 Palestinians on raids and patrols in Silwan, al-Tur, and Issawiyya. Late at night, Israeli forces raid the home of the Palestinian who was killed on 10/8 after allegedly stabbing an Israeli soldier, and they take measurements and photographs in preparation for a possible punitive demolition. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/28; PCHR 10/29; PCHR 11/5)

In Gaza, Sarayat al-Shaykh Umar Hadid fighters fire a long-range rocket into Israel, announcing on Twitter that the rocket attack was retaliation for the IDF’s killing of a Palestinian on 9/22 in Hebron. The rocket is intercepted nr. Ashdod by an Iron Dome missile defense battery. IAF jets launch retaliatory air strikes on 4 Hamas military sites in Gaza City and n. Gaza, causing damage. Meanwhile, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion e. of Khan Yunis to level land. (HA, MNA, WAFA, YA 9/29; PCHR 10/1)

Tensions and violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank continue to escalate. Israeli forces close Hebron’s al-Ibrahimi Mosque to Muslim worshippers and continue to enforce the restrictions on Palestinian access at Haram al-Sharif that were announced on 9/27, additionally closing all but 3 entrances to the sanctuary. Meanwhile, around 140 right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif. In confrontations outside the sanctuary, Israeli MK Jamal Zahalka (Joint List) verbally confronts several Israeli police officers (the incident is caught on tape and dispersed on social media), and the Israeli police arrest 3 Palestinian women. Elsewhere, Israeli forces arrest 10 Palestinians on raids in al-Tur, Issawiyya, and al-Thawri. An Israeli settler assaults a Palestinian in the Old City, causing minor injuries. Palestinians throw stones at a taxi in al-Tur, injuring 1 international tourist and sparking minor clashes with Israeli police. Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinian women after they assault an Israeli family in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City. Palestinians throughout the West Bank conduct solidarity actions, halting most commercial and civil activity in Nablus and Jenin and protesting in Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Tulkarm. Israeli forces violently disperse the protesters, injuring 1 foreign tourist and 18 Palestinians, including 3 with live ammunition. In Hebron, Palestinians throw rocks at international tourists, injuring 1 Japanese woman. Israeli forces conduct house searches and raids nr. Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, arresting 6 Palestinians; patrol nr. Qalqilya. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 9/29; HA, JP, TOI, YA 9/30; PCHR 10/1)

In response to a petition filed by the Israeli nongovernmental organization Yesh Din, the Israeli govt. informs the High Court of Justice of its intention to authorize settlement outposts in the Shilo region nr. Ramallah, including Adi Ad and 3 other major outposts. Yesh Din’s petition called for the demolition of Adi Ad on the grounds that it was constructed without building permits on privately owned Palestinian land. (HA, TOI 9/30)

Off the coast of Gaza nr. Dayr al-Balah, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian woman attempting to cross into Israel with a rifle nr. Qalqilya. IDF troops patrol in a village nr. Hebron, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 2 of the Palestinians are arrested. The IDF conducts late-night house searches and raids in Hebron, 1 village and al-Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, and 1 village each nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, Jenin, and Nablus, arresting 7 Palestinians and confiscating property; patrols during the day in 2 more villages nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raid the Jabal Mukabir homes belonging to the family mbrs. of the 2 Palestinian men who attacked a West Jerusalem synagogue on 11/18/2014. They take pictures and make notes of the contents of the homes (they will seal 1 home with cement on 7/1). (JP, MNA 6/28; PCHR 7/2)

Chair of the consultative comm. for reforming the consensus govt., al-Ahmad, canceled his 6/29 trip to Gaza reportedly due to Hamas’s negative response. (MNA 6/28; JP 6/29)

Israeli MK Ghattas (Joint List) sends a statement to PM Netanyahu and DM Ya’alon calling for them to keep Israeli forces away from the Freedom Flotilla III. As the flotilla makes its way from Greece to Gaza, Netanyahu’s office releases a letter in which he told the activists, “Perhaps you meant to set sail for a place not far from here—Syria. There the Asad regime is slaughtering its own people every day with the support of the murderous regime in Iran.” (JP, MNA, YA 6/28; MEMO 6/29)

Israel’s FM dir.-gen. Dore Gold meets with Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss ways to relaunch peace negotiations with the Palestinians. It is the 1st visit to Cairo of a high-ranking Israeli official since 2011. (JP, YA 6/28)

Sarayat al-Shaykh Umar Hadid fires a rocket from Gaza into s. Israel nr. Ashqelon, causing no damage. The IAF responds by firing at the rocket’s launch site nr. Bayt Hanun in n. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Earlier, IDF troops on the border e. of Khan Yunis open fire on agricultural lands nr. the border fence, causing no serious damage. Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for passage in both directions, and the entry of construction materials (they will keep it open through 6/25). In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol in 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinian youths in Bayt Hanina after assaulting several. (AFP, MNA, WAFA 6/23; HA, MNA, YA 6/24; PCHR 6/25)

Despite the 6/16 announcement of its dissolution within 24 hours, the PA consensus govt. will continue working while the PLO Exec. Comm. consults with the PLO factions about the structure of a new govt. (the Exec. Comm. will form a new comm. to conduct a week of consultations on 6/27). (HA, JP, MNA 6/23)

Israel’s Knesset House Comm. votes, 10–2, to strip MK Ghattas (Joint List) of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution in response to his 6/21 announcement of participation in the Freedom Flotilla III. The comm.’s decision is transferred to the Ethics Comm. for approval, and Joint List MKs vow to appeal the decision to the High Court of Justice. Israel’s High Court of Justice orders the state to demolish 2 residential buildings under construction in the Beit El settlement in the West Bank by 7/30. The court also orders the demolition of 17 residences in the Derech Ha’avot settlement outpost. (JP, TOI 6/23; JP 6/24)

Iran’s parliament passes the bill amended on 6/21 that would establish criteria for any final agreement made in the negotiations with the P5+1 and increase oversight of the implementation of such an agreement. Of the 244 lawmakers present, 214 support the bill. (AFP, TOI 6/23; AP, FNA 6/24)

In Gaza, an UNRWA official confirms that the agency has shut down its last shelter for Palestinians displaced during OPE. The shelter will return to use as a school. UNRWA gives the 30 families who were forced to leave the shelter between $800 and $1,000 for temporary housing. In the West Bank, IDF troops patrol in 3 villages nr. Hebron and 1 each nr. Tulkarm and Jenin. (AFP, MNA 6/18; PCHR 6/25)

PLO chief negotiator Erakat publishes a 56-page report on Palestinian-Israeli relations, titled Determining Palestinian-Israeli Relations: Changing, Not Merely Improving, the Situation, calling for a complete review of the current status. Among the report’s conclusions, Erakat recommends that the PLO consider retracting recognition of Israel until Israel recognizes the State of Palestine. (JP, MNA 6/18)

Israel’s Joint List calls for the dismissal of Israel’s police chief Yohanan Danino and for select right-wing organizations to be designated terrorist groups in response to the arson attack on a Christian church late at night on 6/17. (HA 6/19)

In the Gaza Strip, an IQB fighter is killed nr. Rafah by gunfire; no further information is released. Off the coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing damage. Later, 2 explosions damage several buildings in Gaza City nr. UNRWA headquarters. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts nighttime house searches and raids in 1 village each nr. Hebron and Bethlehem, arresting 2 Palestinians and issuing summons to 3; patrols in ‘Aqabat Jabir r.c. nr. Jericho. Meanwhile, the PASF conducts raids and house searches in Hebron, arresting 12 Palestinians. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 4/18; JP, TOI, WAFA, YA 4/19; PCHR 4/23)

Hamas’s parliamentary bloc Change and Reform passes the National Solidarity Tax Law, imposing a new tax on “non-basic” goods being imported into Gaza. Meats, fruits, vegetables, and clothing would all be subject to as much as a 10% tax, but medicine and flour will be exempt. The revenues collected under the new tax policy would be used to pay the salaries of the Hamas-run govt.’s civil servants. (TOI 4/21)

PA Pres. Abbas meets with Joint List head Odeh and other reps of the Israeli non-Zionist bloc. Abbas passed along an invitation to the next meeting of the Arab League in Doha, Qatar. (TOI, WAFA 4/18)

In the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinian students gather in Gaza City to protest the killing of 3 U.S. Muslims in North Carolina on 2/11. In the West Bank, Palestinian and international activists rebuild the “Gate of Jerusalem” tent camp in Abu Dis after the IDF demolished and evacuated it for the 5th time on 2/10. Another group of Palestinian activists tears down an iron gate at the entrance of a village nr. Bethlehem that was installed by the IDF in 2001. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Nur Shams r.c.; patrols nr. Qalqilya and Hebron. IDF troops disperse Palestinian activists holding a sit-in protest at a checkpoint nr. Ramallah, detaining dozens. Israeli forces level land outside a village nr. Qalqilya, clearing the area for settlement expansion. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces conduct vehicle searches in Silwan, sparking clashes with youth in the area; 3 Palestinians are assaulted and arrested. (MNA, WAFA 2/12; PCHR 2/19)

After a meeting between PA PM Hamdallah and Nablus gov. Akram al-Rajub about the recent PA security crackdown in Balata r.c., 7 wanted Palestinians from the camp turn themselves in to PA custody. (MNA 2/12)

Israel’s CEC votes 27–6 to disqualify MK Zoabi (Balad) from the upcoming election on 3/17, responding to a petition alleging that Zoabi supports armed conflict against Israel. The petition was delivered to the CEC by the Yisrael Beytenu party on 1/29 with the support of the Likud, Shas, and Jewish Home parties. Prior to the vote, the joint list led by MKs Herzog (Labor) and Livni (Hatnua) ultimately decides to support the petition. (HA, JP, TOI 2/12; AFP 2/13)