The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, the IDF fatally shoots the bodyguard for PA chief negotiator Ahmad Qurai‘ during an arrest raid on his Ramallah home, claiming he supplied weapons to Palestinian factions; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (lightly injuring 2). Armed Palestinians ambush, fatally shoot 2 offduty IDF soldiers (settlers fr. Kiryat Arba) hiking nr. Hebron; the soldiers manage to fire back, killing 1 Palestinian gunman, wounding 1; 2 others are believed to have escaped; responsibility is claimed jointly by the AMB and Islamic Jihad, and separately by Islamic Jihad and Hamas; the PA immediately denounces the attack. Jewish settlers fr. Gush Etzion nr. Bethlehem, angry over the attack, stone Palestinian vehicles driving nr. the settlement, damaging a taxi. In Gaza City, Hamas-affiliated security forces raid the Fatah-affiliated al-Azhar University, arresting 40 Fatah mbrs., confiscating 100s of banners they are preparing for rallies to mark Fatah’s 43d anniversary; prevent a smaller Fatah anniversary rally fr. being held in Nussayrat r.c. Hamas-affiliated police raid an area of Bayt Hanun to arrest a wanted Fatah mbr.; fire in the air to disperse angry residents who confront them with stones; no injuries are reported. Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on a Hamas-affiliated internal security detention center in Gaza City, wounding 2 internal security officers. Some 1,000 Hamas supporters hold a rally in al-Bureij r.c. to honor Islamic Jihad’s Abu Hassanian, assassinated on 12/27. (NYT, WP, WT 12/29; WP 12/30; NYT 1/1; OCHA 1/2; PCHR 1/3)