The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed Shireen Abu Akleh, a prominent Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist, while her and colleagues, wearing press uniforms, were covering a raid in Jenin refugee camp, 1 other journalist was injured (for more see below). Israeli forces subsequently raided the home of Abu Akleh in East Jerusalem, where her friends and family were gathered; the Israeli forces confiscated Palestinian flags. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian with a baton round in al-Bireh; several others were also injured with baton rounds. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 19 structures in Masafer Yatta, including 9 residential structures and delivered demolition notices for another 19 structures, including 6 homes. The demolitions followed a high court of justice ruling on 5/4, allowing Israel to displace more than 1,000 Palestinians in the area. Israeli forces also demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in al-Walaja and 1 Palestinian-owned home in al-Twana. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Nur Shams refugee camp, Beita, and Silwad. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian in the Old City, claiming that the man had charged at Israeli police; Israel did not say whether the man was armed. Israeli forces also demolished a commercial structure in Jabel Mukaber. (AA, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, GDN, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, INT, MEE, MEE, MEE, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, NYT, PCHR, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/11; +972, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA, IN, MEE, MEE, MEMO, NYT, PCHR, WAFA, WP 5/12; HA, UNOCHA 5/13; AJ 5/19; AJ, MEE 5/20; UNOCHA 6/4)

After Israeli forces killed Abu Akleh, Israel’s prime minister Naftali Bennett said it was Palestinian gunfire that killed her. Later, after B‘Tselem, among others, had proved that it could not have been the Palestinians Israel claimed had hit Abu Akleh; Israel later acknowledged that it may have been their soldiers that killed Abu Akleh with a shot to the head, as her colleagues and other eyewitnesses had said. Israel said it would investigate the incident and offered that the PA join their investigation, which the PA rejected, calling for an international investigation and referring the case to the ICC. According to the PA, Israel claimed that the PA had rejected the joint investigation before Israel had offered it as a possibility to the PA. PA civil affairs minister Hussein Sheikh said that Israel deliberately had targeted her for assassination. The Israeli diaspora minister Nachman Shai acknowledged in an interview “that Israel’s credibility is not very high in such events.” Several countries called for an investigation into Abu Akleh’s death. Israel later said that its initial investigation into the death of Abu Akleh was inconclusive. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, ALM, AX, GDN, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, INT, MEE, MEE, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/11; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, CBS, CNN, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA. HA, HA, MDW, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WP, WSJ 5/12; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, JP, LT, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO, REU, TIME, WAFA, WAFA 5/13; REU, WAFA 5/14; AP 5/16; MEE 5/19)

400 members of the Nachala settler movement gathered at a conference in the West Bank, discussing plans to erect 10 new settlement outposts on 20 July later his year. (HA 5/14)

Israel’s interior minister Ayelet Shaked signed an order to merge the unrecognized village of Dahmash with the city of Ramle, despite opposition to the merger from the village’s Palestinian residents. The residents of Dahmash had begun making their own plans for merging with Sdot Dan Regional Council because the council includes several farming communities like Dahmash, but the interior ministry advised against this due to Sdot Dan being predominantly Jewish. (HA 5/12)

United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas told reporters that his party would give the Israeli government coalition another chance after temporarily suspending its membership of the coalition last month after days of Israeli-led violence at the Haram al-Sharif compound during the month of Ramadan. (AP, AX, HA, JP 5/11; ALM 5/12; TOI 5/13)

Syria said Israel had attacked 1 target in Khader in the Quneitra province; no injuries were reported. (AJ. HA, REU 5/11)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian who was shot by Israeli forces during a protest in Burqa on 3/1 succumbed to his wounds. Israeli settlers uprooted and stole grape saplings and damaged a stone wall and barbed wire fence in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli settlers also razed a plot of land near Battir. Israeli forces violently dispersed a memorial service held for a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces on 3/1 at the Khadouri Technical University campus north of Hebron, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also confiscated 2 water pumps and electric cables in Birin. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian-owned home in Khallet al-Eideh near Hebron and assaulted 2 Palestinians resisting the demolition. Israeli forces also delivered a demolition order for a residential structure in the Abu al-Nuwwar Bedouin community east of Jerusalem. 20 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jalazun refugee camp, al-Ram, Deir Abu Mash‘al, Tuqu‘, Hebron, Yatta, al-Zawiya, Jenin, and Fahma. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian house under construction in Shu‘fat refugee camp. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Beit Lahiya; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian famers east of Beit Hanun and Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. In Israel, anti-Palestinian graffiti was sprayed on 1 Palestinian vehicle and the tires of 30 vehicles were slashed in Jaljulia. (HA, HA, MEMO, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/9; MEMO, PCHR 3/10; UNOCHA 3/11; UNOCHA 3/25)

Israel’s police commissioner Kobi Shabtai instructed the Israeli police to halt Palestinian home evictions and demolitions in East Jerusalem and the Naqab during the month of Ramadan. (HA 3/9)

The Israeli civil administration said, after having to respond to a freedom of information petition from HaMoked, that during 2021 it had banned 10,594 Palestinians from the West Bank from traveling abroad. According to a source in the civil administration, travel bans can be applied to Palestinians by Israel automatically, for example, in cases where the person is a relative of someone deemed by Israel to be involved with terrorism. (HA, MEE 3/9; MEMO 3/10)

PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh met with Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid. Civil Affairs Minister al-Sheikh said he stressed to Lapid the need for a political horizon and an end to Israeli settlement expansion. (WAFA 3/9)

The Jewish Agency said that “[i]f all goes well, we will bring tens of thousands [of Ukrainians] to Israel in the coming year,” referring to the refugee crisis in Ukraine as Russia has declared war on the country. (HA 3/9)

Israeli president Isaac Herzog met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. President Erdoğan told reporters after the meeting that he believes the 2 countries are entering an era of mutual ties. (AJ, ALM, AP, AX, HA, NYT, REU 3/9; HA, TOI 3/10)

Former U.S. vice president Mike Pence toured Hebron, including al-Ibrahimi Mosque, with Israeli settler activists MK Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel, who were both leaders of the Kach movement. Vice President Pence also received an honorary degree from the settler university in Ariel and met with former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, current prime minister Naftali Bennett, president Isaac Herzog, and foreign minister Yair Lapid. (AX 3/9; AP, HA, WAFA, WP 3/10; MEMO 3/11)

Belgium signed a cooperation agreement with the PA worth $77 million over 5 years. The funding is earmarked for education, vocational training, job creation, and climate issues in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. (WAFA 3/9; MEMO 3/10)

China donated 200,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to UNRWA to help inoculate Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. (WAFA 3/9)

Off Gaza’s coast nr. Dayr al-Balah, Israeli naval forces fire warning shots at 1 Palestinian fishing boat, then confiscate 8 nets. In the West Bank, Israeli forces destroy hundreds of trees in a nature reserve nr. Tubas; demolish the remaining grocery stands set up along bypass road Route 60 (several stands were confiscated on 6/15). IDF troops conduct 3 raids in Jenin r.c., arresting 1 Palestinian on each and destroying their property. They also conduct raids in Aida r.c. and 1 village nr. Bethlehem, and 2 villages each nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Nablus, arresting 12 Palestinians and issuing arrest summons to 3; patrol in 4 villages nr. Hebron, 2 nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Jericho. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest 5 Palestinians as they exit Haram al-Sharif, and more than 50 right-wing Jewish activists tour the sanctuary. Israeli forces conduct a late-night raid in Issawiyya, sparking clashes with stone- and firework-throwing residents; 5 Palestinians are injured. Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian on a night raid in al-‘Izzariya. In n. Israel, the IDF declares a section of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights a closed military zone to nonresidents in response to recent fighting on the Syrian side of the border. (JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 6/16; PCHR 6/18)

Hamas sources say that Israel and Hamas have been holding an indirect exchange through various Arab, Turkish, and European channels about the prospect of agreeing to a 5–10-year cease-fire, and that elements under discussion relate to easing the blockade, including the possible construction of a seaport, and the entry of materials into Gaza in exchange for quiet. (AFP, HA, MNA, TOI 6/16; MNA 6/17)

At a meeting of the Fatah Revolutionary Council in Ramallah, PA pres. Abbas says that he intends to dissolve the PA consensus govt. and form an entirely new cabinet within the next few days. Hamas official Basem Naim speculates that Abbas was caught “off guard” by today’s reports of indirect talks between Hamas and Israel, and they prompted him to make this decision. However, other reports say that conversations about dissolution have been going on for mos. (HA, MNA, NYT 6/16)

Israel’s Defense Ministry announces a series of loosened restrictions on Palestinians’ movement during Ramadan this year (the holy mo. begins the evening of 6/17). The Israeli High Court of Justice rules to seal the East Jerusalem room of the man accused of shooting right-wing Jewish activist Yehuda Glick on 10/29/2014. The State’s prosecutors argued for the court to approve the punitive demolition of the whole home, as was initially ordered in the wake of the shooting. (JP, MNA, TOI, YA 6/16; HA 6/17)

In Tehran, Iran, Turkey close 2 days of general talks on their bilateral strategic relations. (ATL 12/29 in WNC 12/30)

Israel frees 26 Palestinian prisoners to mark Ramadan. The PA says the small number of prisoners is proof that Israel is not serious about negotiations. (NYT, WP 12/30; al-Quds 12/30 in WNC 1/2; JP 1/7)

Israel approves construction of more than 50 new housing units in 2 Golan Heights settlements. Syria says it "is a step that cannot be categorized under good intentions." (WP 12/30)

The IDF demolishes a shrine at the grave of Baruch Goldstein, who murdered 29 Muslims in Hebron's al-Ibrahimi Mosque in 1994. 10s of settlers attempt to block the soldiers. (NYT, WP, WT 12/30)

Israeli police arrest an Israeli Arab as he tries to enter al-Aqsa Mosque carrying a submachine gun and bag of ammunition. (NYT 12/30; WT 12/31)