The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion e. of Jabaliya to level land. IDF troops stationed nr. Rafah arrest 3 Palestinians attempting to cross the border into Israel. Off the coast nr. Bayt Lahiya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage or injuries. A small armed group, with self-proclaimed affiliations to ISIS, posts a statement online threatening to “act” against Hamas if certain prisoners are not freed within 72 hours. Hours later, a bomb explodes on the perimeter of Hamas’s security headquarters in Gaza City. The group does not take credit for the bombing, but Hamas police proceed to arrest dozens of the group’s mbrs. and destroy a makeshift mosque-headquarters in Dayr al-Balah. In the West Bank, Israeli forces set up 12 mobile homes early in the morning on 650 dunams of previously leveled land outside a Palestinian village nr. Bethlehem. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts drills in the n. Jordan Valley, causing fire damage on large tracts of agricultural land; patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah, 1 each nr. Nablus, Qalqilya, and Jericho. Israeli forces also conduct house searches and late-night raids in and around Nablus, Jenin, and 1 village nr. Ramallah, arresting 18 Palestinians and confiscating some of their property. A Palestinian throws a Molotov cocktail at a bus of Israeli settlers nr. Nablus, then the IDF imposes a curfew on a nearby village. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security guards shoot and injure a Palestinian man at a Light Rail station nr. the French Hill settlement, after reportedly mistaking his belt buckle for a knife. (AFP, HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 5/4; AP, MNA 5/5; JP 5/7)

Israel’s High Court of Justice approves COGAT’s request to demolish a number of tents and homes in a Palestinian village nr. Hebron. Approximately 450 Palestinians will be displaced. (MNA 5/4; JP 5/5)

Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman resigns as FM and says his Yisrael Beytenu party will not be joining the ruling coalition of PM Netanyahu’s next govt. He says that he chose “principles and not portfolios,” and that “what’s being built is not a national camp, but a govt. that smacks of opportunism.” Netanyahu’s deadline for forming a coalition is 5/6. (HA, JP, YA 5/4)

Mortar rounds fired from inside Syria hit a UN Disengagement Observer Force base in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, injuring 2 international peacekeepers. The IDF says that the fire was not deliberately aimed across the Israeli border. (AFP, REU, TOI 5/4)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 3 villages nr. Hebron, Tulkarm, and 1 nearby village, Nablus, Tubas, and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; patrols in Jenin and 1 nearby village, and 1 village each in Bethlehem and Hebron. Jewish settlers attack Palestinian-owned vehicles nr. Nablus, causing damage but no injuries. Settlers also set fire to olive trees nr. Hawara village. (MNA 6/26; PCHR 6/27)

The Israeli army reopens Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings into the Gaza Strip, closed on 6/23 as a punitive measure following rocket fire. (AFP 6/26)

The Jerusalem municipality approves construction permits for 69 new homes in East Jerusalem settlement Har Homa, a day before U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry is due to arrive for talks in Israel and the West Bank. (AFP, JP 6/26)

UNESCO’s World Heritage Cmte. in Phnom Penh passes a Jordanian-sponsored resolution in an 8–3–10 vote condemning Israeli actions in Jerusalem, such as developments of the Western Wall and Temple Mount site, and resolving to maintain the places of the Old City and Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem on its World Heritage Sites in Danger list. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs criticizes the resolution, saying it is a “dark day for UNESCO.” (ToI 6/26)

Austria completes the withdrawal of its UNDOF peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, with the remaining 70 departing via Israel. (HA 6/26)

Unidentified gunmen kidnap 2 Egyptian police officers in the s. Sinai, reportedly in revenge for an earlier assault on a Bedouin man by a police officer during a dispute at a petrol station. (Ahram 6/26)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages nr. Bethlehem, 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, and 1 village nr. Hebron at night; patrols Qalqilya and in 1 village each nr. Salfit, Jenin, and Hebron at night. (PCHR 6/20)

Israel’s Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett says that the idea of a Palestinian state is “dead” and urges Israel to annex Area C of the West Bank as soon as possible. In response, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat says that the international community needs to recognize that Israel has declared the end of the two-state solution. However, separately, Israel’s Housing Minister Uri Ariel says that the govt. has frozen nearly all housing starts in settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, to boost efforts to restart talks. (AFP, JP, REU, YA 6/17)

Reports in Fiji’s media suggest that the Pacific island will replace some of the UNDOF peacekeepers withdrawn by Austria (following previous withdrawals by Croatia and Japan), sending 170 troops by the end of 6/2013. (JP 6/17)

Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni meets with U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry in Rome, following a meeting last week in Washington that discussed the possibility of reviving Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. U.S. Pres. Barack Obama speaks with PM Benjamin Netanyahu by phone to discuss the peace process. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities approve construction of 296 new settlement housing units in Beit El settlement nr. Ramallah. (JP 5/8; JP, MNA 5/9)

In Jerusalem, Jewish settlers accompanied by Israeli security forces enter the al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the second consecutive day, preventing Muslim worshippers from freely accessing the site. Meanwhile, Israeli police detain Jerusalem Mufti Mohammed Hussein for a few hours over his role in clashes the previous day.

In the West Bank, IDF forces demolish 3 Palestinian homes in al-Auja village nr. Jericho. IDF undercover units conduct a raid nr. Jenin, arresting PA Preventive Security officer Mohammed Ahmed Zakarna, who received an amnesty a few years ago for his participation in the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. The IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Hebron in the morning, and in 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night. IDF troops conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 1 village nr. Hebron in the afternoon, and in 1 village nr. Hebron, 1 village nr. Jenin and in Tulkarm at night. IDF forces make 2 brief incursions into Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border nr. Jabaliya and Bayt Hanun. (AFP, MNA 5/8; PCHR 5/9)

Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem publishes a report that says Israel killed 87 Palestinian civilians in Operation Pillar of Defense in 11/2012, 80% of whom died in the second half of the operation. (JP 5/9)

Egyptian theologian and prominent Islamist cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi enters the Gaza Strip on a high-profile official visit to the Hamas government, welcomed and hosted by PM Ismail Haniyeh (AFP 5/8)

Jordan’s parliament votes in favor of petitioning the government to expel Israeli amb. Daniel Nevo and recalling Jordan’s amb. to Israel to protest recent unrest involving Jewish settlers entering the al-Aqsa Mosque compound (see 5/7) Ultimately, Jordan’s Interior Min. Hussein al-Majali only summons Nevo to convey an official protest. (AFP 5/8)

Professor Stephen Hawking of Cambridge University pulls out of a conference in Israel in 6/2013 hosted by Pres. Shimon Peres, citing the Palestinian boycott call. Israeli FM spokesman Yigal Palmor says that ‘‘never has a scientist of this stature boycotted Israel.’’ (NYT 5/8)

The UN relocates peacekeepers from an observation post in the al-Jamla area of the Golan Heights cease-fire zone, following the most recent abduction of Filipino troops on 5/7. (AFP 5/8)

In Cairo, Israeli cabinet secy. Dani Nave, PA Local Government M Erakat discuss ways of resuming talks, make no headway. Israel refused to convene the talks until the PA denied reports by a Palestinian official, Israeli television that Israel had agreed to temporarily halt settlement construction in the West Bank, Gaza, and at Har Homa. After mtg., Arafat flies to Amman to discuss new initiatives with King Hussein. Follow-up mtg. is scheduled for 6/12 (WT 6/8; JTV 6/8 in WNC 6/10; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/9; JTV 6/9 in WNC 6/11; MM 6/10; MEI, PR 6/13; JP 6/21)

Low-level Jordanian ministerial delegation concludes 4-day visit to Washington for talks on the PA-Israeli talks. The delegation, headed by Dep. PM for Development Affairs Jawad al-Anani, met with National Security Adviser Samuel Berger, Secy. of State Albright, U.S. special envoy Ross. (JTV 6/8 in WNC 6/10)

UN Fifth Comm., which handles UN General Assembly (UNGA) budget matters, votes (58-2, with 52 abstentions) that Israel should reimburse the UN for $1.7 m. for expenses associated with the 1996 attack on its peacekeeping base in Qana, s. Lebanon (see 4/18/96). The U.S., Israel vote against. (WT 6/9; al-Riyad [Riyadh] 6/9 in WNC 6/18; al-Nahar 6/10, RL 6/11 in WNC 6/12; RL 6/11, VOL 6/12 in WNC 6/13; MEI 6/13)

Arafat appoints a team of officials, headed by his secy. Tayyib `Abd al-Rahim, to investigate the 5/24 GCO corruption report. (MEI 6/13)

In Baghdad, a Syrian Chamber of Commerce delegation signs $20 m. worth of commercial contracts with Iraq--the 1st since Syria, Iraq broke off relations in 1980s. A Lebanese business delegation is also in Baghdad to discuss holding an industrial exhibition there in 9/97. (MM 6/9; VOL 6/10 in WNC 6/11) (see 6/2)

King Hussein swears in fmr. information M, Marwan Mu`asher, as Jordanian amb. to the U.S. (JT 6/8 in WNC 6/10)

Survivors of the 1967 Israeli attack on the U.S.S. Liberty hold a memorial service at Arlington Cemetery. Liberty skipper Capt. William McGonagle calls on Israel, the U.S. to release details of the assault, which killed 34, wounded 171 Americans; says he believes the attack was a result of "gross incompetence and aggravated dereliction of duty on the part of many officers and men of . . . Israel." (WT 6/9)

ILMG blames Israel/SLA for the death of 1 Lebanese civilian, wounding of 2 others 6/4; blames unnamed Lebanese rebels for death of SLA mbr the same day; warns all parties to adhere to the 4/96 understanding. (Radio Free Lebanon 6/9 in WNC 6/13; al-Safir 6/10 in WNC 6/12)