The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to wounds sustained from Israeli forces in Nur Shams refugee camp on 10/19/2023. An Israeli settler shoots and kill a Palestinian man after he shoots and kills 2 Israeli settlers at a gas station near the Eli settlement. Israeli settlers also throw stones at Palestinians at the Za’atra checkpoint, injuring a man. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers ram a Palestinian man in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, causing minor injuries. Israeli settlers also raid Arab al-Milehat, throwing stones at homes. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers disassemble and steal 2 agricultural structures in Kisan. Israeli forces shoot and kill 2 Palestinians and injure another while they are picking gundelia flowers near Bayt Awa. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a Palestinian child during a raid in Beit Furik. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian man during a raid in Jalazone refugee camp. Israeli forces also shoot and injure a Palestinian man in Jenin. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolish a home and 2 agricultural structures during a raid in Ein ad-Duyuk al-Tahta. Israeli forces also arrest 20 Palestinians during raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, and Bethlehem. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Khan Yunis, Jabalia refugee camp, and Beit Hanun, killing at least 81 people. Israeli forces also open fire at an aid convoy where thousands of Palestinians are seeking to gather aid. Eyewitnesses report that Israel used live ammunition, tank shells, and drone-fired missiles to attack the crowd, at least 112 people are killed and 760 are injured. Israeli tanks also run over the bodies of the dead and injured. The attack is dubbed the Flour Massacre. 4 children die of starvation at the Kamal Adwan Hospital. Israeli settlers storm the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing, attempting to create a settlement in Gaza. In Lebanon, Hezbollah fires 2 rockets at Goren. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack a missile launch site and shoot down a drone. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, HA, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/29; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 3/1)

More than 30,147 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,230 children and 8,860 women, and around 71,217 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 409 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 103 children. More than 4,606 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 240 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,431 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. The Red Crescent says its medical clinic in Jabalia is receiving 100-150 cases of patients with Hepatitis A daily. (AJ, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA 2/29)

22-year-old Palestinian prisoner Assef al-Rifai dies in an Israeli prison, becoming the 11^th Palestinian to die in Israeli prison since 10/7. Al-Rifai, who had been imprisoned since 2022, suffered from cancer. (WAFA 2/29)

In response to the Flour Massacre (see above), Israel’s military first says Palestinians were killed in a stampede trying to get aid, blaming the aid truck drivers, then later said that Israeli soldiers had opened fire due to fear of the crowds but that most of the Palestinians had been killed in a human stampede and by the aid trucks. In its defense, Israel releases edited drone footage which appears to show hundreds of Palestinians taking cover from Israeli bullets. The PA calls the incident an “ugly massacre” and Hamas calls the attack an “unprecedented war crime.” UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres labels the incident appalling and calls for an independent investigation. EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell calls it “totally unacceptable,” Colombia denounces Israel’s genocide, suspending weapons purchases from Israel. French president Emmanuel Macron expresses “[d]eep indignation at the images coming from Gaza where civilians have been targeted by Israeli soldiers. I express my strongest condemnation of these shootings and call for truth, justice, and respect for international law.” Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Portugal, Italy, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, China, Canada, Yemen, Australia, and other countries express shock and contempt for the Israeli actions. The U.S. blocks an Algerian statement at the UN Security Council that assigns blame to Israel for the incident, saying it needs to be “thoroughly investigated.” The Israeli newspaper Haaretz for the first time calls on Israel to end its war, citing the incident. (AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 2/29; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/1) 

Representatives from Hamas, Fatah, and many other Palestinian parties meet in Moscow for reconciliation talks and about forming a technocratic consensus government that will lead the PA. Palestinian National Initiative secretary-general Mustafa Barghouti says, “I have never seen the atmosphere so close to unity as it is today.” Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov tells the Palestinian representatives at the meeting that if they can announce a unity position on the basis of the PLO those who use the lack of Palestine unity to prevent “the settlement in the Middle East, will lose their winning cards.” Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh meets with Chinese ambassador to Qatar Zhou Jian, discussing “ways to stop the war” in Gaza. President Mahmoud Abbas meets with UN senior coordinator for humanitarian aid and reconstruction in Gaza Sigrid Kaag and USAID administrator Samantha Power in Ramallah. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/29; AJ 3/1)

The Israeli Civil Administration declares 2,640 dunams (652 acres) of land in Abu Dis and al-Eizariya Israeli state land. 120 Palestinian families live on the land. The area declared state land connects the Ma’ale Adumim settlement and the Keidar settlement. (AJ, REU, WAFA 2/29; HA 3/1)

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store says the PA has received $114 million from Israel as part of the tax revenue payments and that more money will be dispersed in “the coming days.” (REU 2/29)

UNRWA says it has not received $89 million from the European Commission that was due on 2/29. 17 rights and aid organizations, including Save the Children and Oxfam, call on the EU to disperse the funds. The UN says Israel has not provided evidence about its claims against 12 UNRWA staffers for the independent investigation by the UN. Germany says it will increase aid to Gaza by $21.6 million and that its military will start taking part in aid airdrops if enough aid cannot be dispersed by land. (AP, AP, REU 2/29)

Israel claims it has killed more than 13,000 militants in Gaza since its ground invasion. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls Hamas’s demands for a ceasefire “delusional,” saying he will not accept them and that he rejects international calls for a ceasefire. The Israeli negotiators who had been in Qatar this week return to Israel. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich calls for a “massive” settlement expansion in response to the killing of 2 Israeli settlers near the Eli settlement. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir says aid to Gaza must stop as it endangers Israeli soldiers, citing the Flour Massacre where no Israeli soldiers were injured while more than a 100 Palestinians were killed. The Israeli government says it is still reviewing whether it will severely limit the number of Muslim worshippers it will allow to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan. (AJ, REU 2/29; AJ 3/1)

U.S. president Joe Biden walks back his comment that a ceasefire will happen by 3/4 but says that he is still hopeful. Biden also issues a statement calling on Republicans to pass a bill providing aid to Israel to “help ensure Israel can defend itself against Hamas and other threats.” Biden speaks with Qatar emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, discussing the need for aid and a ceasefire in Gaza. Secretary of State Blinken speaks with Qatari prime minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, discussing the same issues. White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton says the U.S. is deeply concerned that it has not received an Israeli plan for how it will provide security for Palestinians in Rafah if the Israeli military invades the city. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) calls on Israel to end its military operations in Gaza, citing the Flour Massacre. (AJ, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU 2/29; AJ, HA 3/1)

UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk condemns Israel’s war on Gaza, calling it “carnage” at the UN Human Rights Council and says that war crimes have been committed by both Israel and Hamas, calling for accountability for the perpetrators. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 2/29)

New Zealand says it will impose travel bans on “a number” of violent Israeli settlers. New Zealand also designates the entirety of Hamas as a “terrorist group.” (AJ, HA, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/29)

British politician George Galloway of the Workers Party of Britain wins a seat in the UK parliament in the by-election in Rochdale, telling Labour Party leader “Kier Starmer, this is for Gaza.” The Labour Party held the seat in Rochdale until last month when MP Tony Lloyd died. (NYT, NYT 2/29; AJ, AJ, HA 3/1)

Haaretz reports that AIPAC has spent $4.5 million in attack ads against Dave Min in the Democratic primary for a congressional seat in California. (HA 2/29)

The heads of 36 international news outlets sign a letter in support of journalists in Gaza, calling for their protection. (AJ, AP 2/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers used pepper spray on a Palestinian family at a checkpoint near Burqa, injuring 3, including 1 infant; the infant was rushed to a hospital. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian minor at a checkpoint near Ras Kaskar. Israeli forces also demolished 3 agricultural structures in Kafr ad-Dik, 2 residential structures near Jericho, and delivered demolition notices for 3 residential structures in al-Juwaya in the Masafer Yatta area. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ni‘lin, Kafr Ni‘ma, Karbatha al-Misbah, Birzeit, Harmala, Tuqu‘, Hebron, Balata refugee camp, Jenin, and Rumana. In East Jerusalem, 2 Israelis were detained at the Haram al-Sharif compound after engaging in Jewish prayers. (TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/23; HA, WAFA, WAFA 5/24; PCHR 5/26; UNOCHA 6/4)

2 Palestinians said that they were tortured for a month by the Shin Bet before confessing to throwing stones at Israeli forces, leading to 8-month sentences. The alleged torture included stress positions, solitary confinement, sleep and food deprivation, and denial of bathroom access. (HA 5/23; HA 5/24)

Haaretz reported that an Israeli probe into the death of a Palestinian man who was attacked by Israeli police in April at the Haram al-Sharif compound but died on 5/14 stated that the man had not been hit by an Israeli baton round; instead, the 21-year-old man had a heart attack that led to head trauma. (HA, TOI 5/23)

The PA foreign ministry said it had submitted a file to the ICC prosecutor documenting Israeli violations of international law, including the killing of Palestinian American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The general secretary of the Palestinian National Initiative Mustafa Barghouti also called out the international community’s double standard in sending 42 ICC investigations to Ukraine to document violations of international law there while not starting an investigation into violations by Israel in Palestine. (AJ, MEE, WAFA 5/23)

Axios reported that the U.S. Biden administration is leading negotiations between Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt over Tiran and Sanafir Island in the Red Sea, which have been subject to dispute between Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Axios said that the negotiations are part of the U.S. and Israeli efforts to normalize ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan said later, on 5/24, that Saudi normalization with Israel is dependent on an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Haaretz later reported that Saudi Arabia directly approached Israel in 2017 about the status of the 2 islands because a transfer of the 2 required Israeli approval due to the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement of 1979. (AX 5/23; MEE, MEMO, TOI 5/24; HA, MEMO 5/25; INT 5/27; HA, HA, HA 5/29; MEE, REU 5/30)

Israel Hayom reported that Israel and Morocco had signed 13 memorandums of understanding on issues pertaining to technology, agriculture, and climate at a conference in Casablanca dubbed Connect to Innovate. (ALM 5/26)

Dozens of Muslim worshippers gather in the streets outside Haram al-Sharif for predawn prayers and to protest the new Israeli security measures at the sanctuary. They refuse to pass through the new metal detectors installed on 7/16, honoring the Islamic Waqf’s 7/16 call for a boycott. Later, Israeli forces violently disperse Muslims gathering outside the sanctuary for evening prayers, lightly injuring at least 15, including Palestinian National Initiative chair Mustafa Barghouti. Elsewhere in East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home in al-Za’ayem. They also conduct a raid in Silwan, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 1 Palestinian is injured. Late at night, Israeli forces raid al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Society Hospital, attempting to arrest the Palestinian injured in Silwan earlier in the day. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 4 Palestinians and issue 3 arrest summons during late-night raids nr. Tubas, Hebron, Nablus, and Salfit; and patrol nr. Hebron during the day. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 7/17; MNA, WAFA, YA 7/18; PCHR 7/20)

The Israeli authorities seize 70 dunams (approx. 17 acres) of Palestinian land nr. Bethlehem for “military purposes,” according to a local anti-settlement activist. (WAFA 7/17; MNA 7/18)

Israel’s Knesset passes the 1st reading of a bill that would add the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which oversees efforts to counter the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, on the list of bodies exempt from Israel’s Freedom of Information Law that permits citizens to obtain information from the govt. Should the bill pass, the ministry’s ability to keep its anti-BDS activities and methods secret from the public would be ensured. (KNE, MNA 7/18; MDW 7/19)

The Israeli crackdown on the oPt amid the ongoing wave of violence continues. IDF troops clash with stone-throwing Palestinians outside a settlement nr. Ramallah and along Gaza’s border e. of Khan Yunis, injuring 4. Meanwhile, the IDF patrols in 1 village each nr. Jerusalem and Jenin, sparking clashes with stone-throwers (2 Palestinians are injured with live ammunition); conducts raids around Jenin and patrols across the West Bank. Masked assailants assault Palestinian Legislative Council mbr. Mustafa Barghouti in Ramallah, shouting “let the intifada protect you” and causing minor injuries before fleeing the area. The PA then launches an investigation into the attack. Israeli settlers continue assaults on Palestinians and their property, damaging a Palestinian greenhouse nr. Jenin; setting fire to a car in East Jerusalem and leaving price-tag graffiti nr. the scene. A Palestinian family demolishes its own home in Bayt Hanina, responding to the Israeli police’s 4/2015 order giving them until today to destroy the building or accept a fine of NIS 60,000 (around $15,430). Israeli forces arrest 8 Palestinians on raids in the Old City, al-Tur, al-Suwana, Silwan, Shu‘fat, and Issawiyya. In Israel, an Israeli rabbi succumbs to injuries sustained on 11/18/2014 when 2 Palestinians attacked a synagogue in West Jerusalem, bringing the number of Israelis killed in the attack to 6. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA 10/24; HA, JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 10/25; PCHR 10/29)

After meeting with PA pres. Abbas and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Amman, U.S. secy. of state Kerry announces that they and Israeli PM Netanyahu have reached a series of understandings, including an Israeli-Jordanian agreement to install cameras at Haram al-Sharif to broadcast live 24 hours a day. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, TOI, YA 10/24; HA, JP 10/25)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops e. of Jabaliya open fire on a group of Palestinian youth nr. the border fence, injuring 1. Off the s. coast, Egyptian naval forces open fire on a Palestinian fishing boat, injuring 1 fisherman and arresting the other. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements, and occupation in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Nabi Salih, and Ni‘lin), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum), injuring 4 Palestinians with rubber-coated metal bullets and gas canisters in Bil‘in. Israeli soldiers also violently disperse protests outside Ofer detention center and Silwad nr. Ramallah, injuring 4 Palestinians, as well as in Susiya village nr. Hebron, where they assault Mustafa Barghouti, secy.-gen. of the Palestinian National Initiative. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Ni‘lin; patrols nr. Hebron, Ramallah, Tulkarm, Jenin, and Jericho. An Israeli settler attempts to hit a Palestinian child with his car nr. Tulkarm. Separately, unknown assailants throw stones at Israeli settlers’ cars nr. the Ofra settlement, lightly injuring 2 women. In East Jerusalem, IDF troops clash with Palestinians in Wadi al-Juz, al-Tur, al-‘Izzariya, and Abu Tor, firing tear gas and stun grenades and detaining 5 Palestinian youths. The Israeli police arrest 3 Palestinian women as they exit Haram al-Sharif and ban 4 others from entering the area for 3 days, following their release from detention late on 1/22. (MNA, TOI 1/23; MNA, WAFA 1/24; PCHR 1/29)

Israel’s Channel 2 television station reports that Israel and Hamas are conducting indirect negotiations through Egyptian mediators on issues pertaining to easing the blockade of the Gaza Strip, including the possible opening of the Rafah crossing to construction materials and other staple items. (JP 2/15)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village each nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning, and in 3 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 village each nr. Jericho and Tulkarm at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Bethlehem and Qalqilya at night. Hundreds of Palestinians protest outside Ofer prison nr. Ramallah in solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike. PC mbr. Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian MK Ahmad Tibi, and Islamic Movement in Israel leader Shaykh Raed Salah attend Friday prayers outside the jail. (MNA 2/15; PCHR 2/21)

Israeli media reports that Jordan is in secret talks with officials from Israel’s Tamar natural gas field about exporting Israeli gas to power a potash plant on the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea. (HA 2/15)

Bulgaria expels 3 Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. on a publicized visit to the country, stating that they represent ‘‘a serious threat to national security.’’ This is unrelated to the recent claims (2/5) by the Bulgarian government regarding alleged Hizballah involvement in the 7/2012 Burgas bombing. (AP 2/15)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 5 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, IDF warplanes carry out 2 air strikes on a Hamas training base in Gaza City, damaging several surrounding homes and injuring 10 Palestinians (including 2 children); and 3 air strikes on an Islamic Jihad training camp nr. Nussayrat r.c., causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF stages synchronized late-night raids on the homes of 3 Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. (Ibrahim Dahbour, Khalid Abu Hassan, Khalid Yahya) and the Reform and Change party headquarters in Jenin, confiscating computers, documents, cell phones, and videotapes but making no arrests; separately, the IDF makes a late-night raid on the Jenin home of former Palestinian prisoner Hanaa Shalibi, who was released in the recent prisoner swap that freed IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit, rearresting him; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; bars Palestinian access to 300 d. of agricultural land adjacent to Shilo settlement nr. Ramallah and bulldozes more than 280 olive and fig trees. Palestinians organized by Birzeit students stage a 3d nonviolent march to Ofer prison (see 2/11/12, 2/13/12) to show solidarity with hunger-striking Islamic Jihad prisoner Khader Adnan; the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades to disperse them, lightly injuring 2 Palestinians (including PC mbr. Mustafa Barghouti). (IDFS, JP, PCHR 2/16; MNA 2/18)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists (including Palestinian Authority [PA] PM Salam Fayyad, PA communications advisor Sabri Saydam, Fatah Central Comm. mbr. Nabil Shaath, PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Taysir Khalid, Palestinian National Initiative party head Mustafa Barghouti, and the mayor of Geneva), some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in a nonviolent march to the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian and international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in protests against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades at Palestinians staging a nonviolent march to land located between Dayr Nizam and al-Nabi Salih recently confiscated for the expansion of Halamish settlement (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts late-night patrols in Rumana village w. of Jenin. Hamas accuses Fatah of links to the 1/20/10 assassination of Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades founder Mahmud al-Mabhuh, saying that 2 Palestinian suspects in custody in Dubai in connection with the assassination, Anwar Shhaybar and Ahmad Hassanayn, were former Fatah security officers and current employees of a senior Fatah official. Fatah denies the accusation. (NYT 2/20; PCHR 2/24; OCHA 2/25)

As the campaign period for the 1/25 Palestinian elections opens, Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Independent Palestine candidate Mustafa Barghouthi as he campaigns, releases him after 4 hrs.; detain 7 Fatah candidates campaigning in the city; disperse a Third Way rally led by Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Hanan Ashrawi (Jerusalem); in 2 separate incidents, bars Central Election Commission (CEC) staff mbrs. fr. crossing a Tulkarm checkpoint to attend an election-related mtg. in nearby Dayr al-Ghusun and the Jordan Valley; blocks the transportation of election campaigning material fr. the West Bank to Gaza; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. Meanwhile, the IDF opens the new Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border; fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Mustafa Muhammad during an arrest raid nr. Hebron; raids a Palestinian school in Anata n. of Jerusalem, firing rubber bullets, injuring 1 teacher, 1 student and then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jalazun r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya; dismantles 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Bat Ayin, Efrat, Pdu’el. In response to the 1/2 assassination, Islamic Jihad fires at least 12 rockets at the Negev, the ARB fires a rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire on 8 roads leading to the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no injuries. The AMB, ARB claim joint responsibility for detonating an explosive device nr. an IDF bulldozer operating on Jenin r.c., seriously injuring 1 IDF soldier. PA police arrest Gaza AMB leader Ala’ al-Hams for plotting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino break into, rob, vandalize several Palestinian shops in Hebron. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ 1/3; IMEMC, PMC, WP, WT, YA 1/4; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA 1/6; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)

The IDF continues operations in Khan Yunis, reinforcing troops, killing 5 Palestinians (3 resistance mbrs.; 2 civilians, including 1 mentally handicapped man), wounding 13, begins bulldozing Palestinian homes. The IDF also fatally shoots a Palestinian teenager hanging campaign posters for Mustafa Barghouthi in Tal al-Sultan r.c. nr. Rafah; fatally shoots a Palestinian teenager hunting birds nr. the Rafah-Egypt border; imposes 1-day curfews on, conducts arrest raids and house searches in Dayr Ghassana, Qarawat Bani Zayd, and Kafr ‘Ayn (all nr. Ramallah); conducts arrest raids, demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Omar, Hebron; fires on residential areas of Rafah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police raid Abbas’s campaign headquarters, photographing the offices, employees; tear down campaign posters hung around town by various candidates. (VOI, VOP 12/30 in WNC 1/1; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/31; PM 1/1; PR 1/5; PCHR 1/6)

The IDF fires shells at a group of Palestinians that enters a closed military zone nr. the Gaza-Egypt border, killing 4 Palestinians, arresting 2 (1 of whom later dies in an Israeli hospital); demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem; bulldozes several bedouin tents and shacks in Bir Nabala northwest of Jerusalem for construction of the separation wall; raids a PA Health Min. clinic in Bethlehem; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Rima, Burkin nr. Jenin, Qarawat Bani Zayd. The IDF detains and beats PA presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi and his bodyguards at a checkpoint into Jenin, preventing him fr. campaigning in the city; the IDF disputes the account, says Barghouthi refused to show ID, was never hit, was finally allowed to pass when he showed ID. Palestinians fire an antitank rocket into Gaza’s Nisanit settlement, causing no damage or injuries. (AP, PM 12/8; VOI, VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; PCHR, WP 12/9; JAZ, VOI, VOP, YA 12/9 in WNC 12/11; NYT 12/10; NYT 12/11; WP 12/12; PR 12/15)

Abbas, Qurai‘ meet with Lebanese pres. Emile Lahoud, PM Omar Karami, parliamentary speaker Nabih Birri in Beirut, marking the 1st visit by the Palestinian leadership to Lebanon since Arafat withdrew to Tunis in 1982. Abbas, Qurai‘ visit Shatila r.c., Sidon, and Rashidiyya r.c. (a Fatah stronghold) where they are greeted by 1,000s of refugees, pledge to uphold the right of return. They do not visit nearby ‘Ayn al-Hilwa r.c. (AFP, WT 12/8; VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; AP 12/9; al-Quds, VOP 12/9 in WNC 12/11; NYT 12/13; Daily Star, alNahar, al-Safir 12/13 in WNC 12/16; PR 12/15)

The IDF holds PA presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi at gunpoint at a Hebron checkpoint, denies him passage to a campaign stop in nearby Tal al-Armida village; imposes a daylong curfew on al-Khadir; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring a 5-yr.-old Palestinian boy on the roof of his home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Sahur, Hebron and neighboring Bayt Kahil and Ithna, al-Khadir, Nablus, Taqu‘a nr. Bethlehem. (PM 12/8; PCHR 12/9)

In Damascus, Abbas, PA PM Ahmad Qurai‘ hold reconciliation talks with Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad, agree to resume high-level contacts, suspended by Syria in 1993 over the signing of the Oslo Accord. Abbas, Qurai‘ also hold talks with Hamas leader Khalid Mishal and the leadership of Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command to press them to support or take part in Palestinian presidential election, to keep a lid on violence in the run-up to elections in order to bolster national unity. (WT 12/6; MM 12/7; VOP, XIN 12/7 in WNC 12/9; MM, PR 12/8; VOP 12/9 in WNC 12/11; MM 12/10; WT 12/12)

Acceding to U.S. requests, the IDF agrees to ease blockades on some villages in the West Bank, Gaza. By the end of the day, however, Peres, the PA complain that all closures are still in place. Israeli authorities arrest Palestinian human rights advocate Mustafa Barghouti twice, beat him once after he holds a briefing in East Jerusalem for EU diplomats on the effects of Israeli closures on Palestinian health conditions. The IDF also places a curfew on, conducts arrest raids in Abu Dis, detaining 6 Palestinians. (AFP, HA, LAW, PCHR, REU 1/2; AN, HA, NYT 1/3; AFP 1/3 in WNC 1/4; MEI 1/11)

In Tel Aviv, PA, Israeli teams discuss safe-passage routes. (VOP 6/11, QY 6/12 in FBIS 6/12)

Likud's Roni Milo, Arafat adviser Husseini hold get acquainted mtg. in Tel Aviv. (ITV, VOP 6/11, QY 6/12 in FBIS 6/12; MM 6/12; QY 6/12, HA 6/13 in FBIS 6/13; MM 6/13)

In Ankara, Israel's Pres. Weizman meets with Turkey's Pres. Demirel. (MM 6/12) (see 6/4)

In a private mtg., PM-elect Netanyahu promises Qatzrin Local Council head Sami Bar-Lev that some 14,000 housing units will be built in Qatzrin settlement during his current term. (IDF Radio 6/13 in FBIS 6/13)

Fatah Central Comm. forms a 12-mbr. "emergency council" to revitalize the movement's activities in the West Bank, Gaza. In addition to Arafat, the council comprises: Tayyib `Abd al-Rahim, Uthman Abu Gharbiyya, Salwa Abu Khadra, Zakhariyya al-Agha, Hakam Bal'awi, Mustafa Barghouti, Rawhi Fattuh, Sakhr Habash, Faisal Husseini, Salah al-Qudwa, Abbas Zaki. (VOP 6/11 in FBIS 6/11)

PA police claim to have found drugs in the search of Sarraj's office 6/10. Sarraj's lawyers say drugs were planted. (NYT 6/11; WT 6/12; MEI 6/21)

In response to the 6/10 Hizballah attack, PM-elect Netanyahu reinforces troops in s. Lebanon, says that once he forms his government he will act against Hizballah. His chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Amnon Shahak, says IDF would not hesitate to strike at Hizballah targets in s. Lebanon villages even if it meant civilians would be hurt. Strong tone of statements worries Arab leaders. (RL 6/11 in FBIS 6/12; CSM, NYT, WT 6/12)