The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli authorities announced that it would seize 193 dunams (47.7 acres) of Palestinian-owned land near Dayr Dibwan for settlement expansion. 17 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Hebron, Tulkarm, Rujeib, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Rummana, Sawahara al-Sharqiyya, Aida refugee camp, Nablus, and Qusra. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinian was arrested during late-night raids in Issawiyya. (WAFA, WAFA 2/25; PCHR 3/4)

Israel imposed a general closure for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, closing all checkpoints for the Jewish Purim holiday. The closure was scheduled to be in effect from midnight on 2/25 to the night of 2/28. (HA 2/25)

The board of the Jewish National Fund voted to allocate $11.6 million to purchase land in the West Bank. (HA 2/25)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bahrain’s prime minister Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa spoke on the phone about the U.S. plan to reengage diplomatically with Iran about its nuclear program. (AP, HA 2/25)

Israel said that an Israeli-owned ship was attacked by 1 or 2 missiles in the Gulf of Oman. Other reports said that the damage done to the ship was caused by a blast, to which the cause had not been determined. Israeli defense officials claimed that the missiles were fired by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. No injuries were reported, and the ship was able to continue to the UAE to repair the damage. Iran denied attacking the ship. (AJ, AP, HA, REU 2/26; REU 2/27; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU 2/28; AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU 3/1)

Haaretz reported that 2 U.S. senators, Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) were circulating a letter to U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken calling on him to take a more forceful stance on the ICC’s investigation of Israel and Hamas, in order to shield Israel. The pro-Israel group J Street said it was circulating their own letter, calling Cardin and Portman’s letter an “unnecessary act of political posturing,” saying the U.S. state department already rejected the ICC’s decision. J Street also criticized the Cardin and Portman letter for using “distributed territories” instead of “occupied territories” to describe the West Bank. (HA 2/25)

The U.S. attacked what the Pentagon said were Iranian-backed militia groups in eastern Syria, killing 17 people. The Pentagon said the strikes were in retaliation for 1 missile fired at a U.S. facility in Irbil, Iraq, which killed 1 U.S. national and injured 6 others on 2/15. (REU 2/25; AP, BBC, CNN, HA, REU 2/26)

Japan donated $39.7 million to UNRWA, $30.2 million for UNRWA core programming, and $9.5 million for expanding school services in Gaza. (WAFA 2/25)

An Israeli drone bombs a group of Palestinians near Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza, killing 2 and causing moderate damage. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine later claims the 2 men were members of its armed wing. Also along Gaza’s border fence, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land near Jabaliya refugee camp In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 21 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, and Tubas; and patrol near Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Hebron. Israeli forces also demolish a small agricultural structure near Hebron. (MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 7/29; PCHR 8/2)

Reuters reports that Saudi king Salman bin Abdulaziz recently informed U.S. officials that he won’t be able to support the Trump administration’s long-awaited peace plan unless it provides for a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. Jordanian and Egyptian officials have also reportedly encouraged the U.S. team to only circulate a finished plan that is fair to both sides. (HA, TOI, YA 7/29)

Israeli naval forces confront the first ship of a planned flotilla sailing toward Gaza in a symbolic effort to break the Israeli blockade. They commandeer the ship, escort it to the port at Ashdod, and detain all 22 activists on board. Some activists are reportedly assaulted during the confrontation. The IDF will report that they used “reasonable force.” (DPA, HA, MEE, MNA, WAFA, YA 7/29; MNA 7/31)

The Israeli authorities release 17-year-old Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi from prison, marking the end of her eight-month sentence for kicking, slapping, and otherwise resisting an Israeli soldier during a raid in her hometown Nabi Salih. She was arrested on 12/19/17. (BBC, MNA, WAFA 7/29)