The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, PA officials said that 144 settler attacks were recorded in the Nablus area overnight, including damage to some 120 vehicles and 22 shops. Israeli settlers set a Palestinian-owned vehicle on fire and wrote racist graffiti on nearby walls in Jalud. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Rawabi and Yasuf. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set fire to a house and a vehicle and threw stones and sprayed racist graffiti at other houses in Turmus ‘Ayya. Israeli settlers also assaulted 1 Palestinian near Shaab al-Batum in the Masafer Yatta area. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers vandalized some 200 olive trees in Majdal Bani Fadil and Aqraba and vandalized crops and an agricultural structure in Ein al-Beida. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Nabi Salih, injuring 2, including 1 minor, with baton rounds. Israeli forces also seized artifacts from an archeological site in Sabastia. Elsewhere, Israeli forces issued demolition notices for 4 homes in Yatta. Separately, Israeli forces began a siege of Jericho after an unidentified assailant opened fire at a restaurant at a nearby settlement; no injuries were reported. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces sealed the family homes of 2 Palestinians killed during attacks on Israelis on 1/27 and 1/28. The homes in al-Tur and Silwan were sealed in preparation for punitive demolition. Israeli forces also demolished a house in Jabel Mukaber, displacing 2 families. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Jabel Mukaber, injuring 1 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. 7 Palestinians were arrested during raids. (AJ, AP, GDN, HA, HA, JP, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/29; F24, HA, HA, TOI, WAFA 1/30; MEE 2/1; HA, HRW, PCHR, WAFA 2/2; UNOCHA 2/3; HA 2/5)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with CIA director William Burns in Ramallah. Director Burns arrived in Israel earlier in the week and have held meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials. (WAFA 1/29)

In Iran, Israel attacked a weapons manufacturing site in Isfahan with suicide drones, causing damage and wounding 1. The Iranian defense department said 2 of the 3 drones had been shot down before reaching the facility. (AJ, AN, HA, MEE, MEE, NYT, REU 1/29; BBC 1/30; AJ, AP, HA 2/2; AP, HA 2/3)

In Syria, Israel conducted airstrikes attacking a convoy of trucks after it entered eastern Syria from Iraq, killing 10 people. (HA 1/29; HA, MEE 1/30)

Israel recorded 35 cases of “nationalist crimes” targeting Palestinians since Friday evening on 1/27. No arrests had been made. (HA, TOI 1/30)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir released a video showing the family of the accused assailant from the 1/27 shooting removing their belongings from their home before their house was sealed. Israeli police criticized the release of the video saying National Security Minister Ben-Gvir wanted to humiliate the family. (HA 1/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers toured the al-Burj archeological site south of Hebron. Israeli forces sealed off parts of Sabastiyya to Palestinians. 3 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Dayr Jarir and Jalazun. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian working for the Islamic Waqf was arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions and leveled land east of Dayr al-Balah. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/31; PCHR 4/1)

Palestinian political leader and Israeli prisoner Marwan Barghouti submitted an independent list of candidates, named “Freedom,” for the Palestinian parliamentary elections, with Nasser al-Kidwa 1st on the list and Marwan Barghouti’s wife, Fadwa Barghouti, 2d. (NYT 3/31; AP, HA 4/1)

During a meeting in Ramallah, PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh called on EU diplomats to pressure Israel to allow East Jerusalemites to partake in the upcoming elections. (WAFA 3/31)

Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported that in early March, the head of Shin Bet Nadav Argaman held a meeting with PA president Mahmoud Abbas, PA intelligence service head Majed Faraj, and PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh. In the meeting, Argaman is reported to have told President Abbas to cancel the Palestinian elections because Hamas was running, which Abbas refused to do. Argaman is also reported to have threatened to withhold all the PA tax revenue if the PA did not stop cooperating with the ICC investigation into war crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories. (HA 3/31; TOI 4/1)

After releasing its annual report on human rights abuses with language of the Israeli occupation removed from the title of the section on the West Bank and Gaza, the U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price said that the U.S. does consider the West Bank to be occupied by Israel. Spokesperson Price deflected a question on whether the Biden administration considers the Israeli settlements illegal under international law. (I24, JP, TOI, WAFA 4/1)

The EU signed an agreement with the PA worth $26.8 million to promote agriculture. (WAFA 3/31)