The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian man hit 1 Israeli soldier with his car in a crash near the Halamish settlement near Deir Nidham. Israeli forces arrested the Palestinian man who also sustained injuries; it was unclear if he hit the soldier on purpose. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Sabastia and closed a road between Jenin and Nablus. Israeli settlers with military escort also closed an entry to al-Lubban al-Sharqiya. Israeli forces shot and injured 5 Palestinian protesters with rubber-coated bullets at a checkpoint near Birzeit University; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also uprooted 40 dunams (9.9 acres) of land planted with olive and almond saplings, demolished agricultural structures in Battir, and demolished 1 residential tent in Bayt Jala, displacing 6. 9 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Beit Sahour, Dheisheh refugee camp, Tulkarm, Bir al-Basha, Jaba‘, and Kobar. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a raid in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers east of Dayr al-Balah; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also opened fire and fired tear gas at Palestinian farmers northeast of Beit Hanun, causing tear-gas related injuries. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza City, damaging 1 boat; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions and leveled land east of al-Shuka. In the Naqab desert, Israeli police violently dispersed Palestinians protesting a forestation program designed to displace Palestinian Bedouins from their land near Sawa; 16 were arrested and 2 Israeli police officers were reportedly injured. There were also reports that stone-throwers had attacked 1 bus, that large stones had been placed on railway tracks, forcing a train to stop, and that 1 Israeli journalist was assaulted and his car set on fire. (HA, HA, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/11; AJ, PCHR 1/13)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Sharm al-Shaykh. President Abbas was in Egypt to participate in the World Youth Forum. (MEMO, WAFA 1/11; MEMO 1/12)

Israeli authorities charged 1 Israeli police officer with assaulting 1 Palestinian woman by ripping off her hijab, pulling her hair, and hitting her in East Jerusalem. (HA 1/11)

The Israeli supreme court ruled that the Israeli interior ministry cannot continue to deny Palestinians married to Israeli citizens residency rights, using a temporary ban that expired in July 2021. Interior minister Ayelet Shaked has instructed her ministry to hold up Palestinian applications for family unifications. (HA, WAFA 1/11)

Late at night, Israeli forces carry out the punitive demolition of the Kobar home of the Palestinian who killed 3 settlers at the nearby Halamish settlement on 7/21. The demolition sparks clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians in the area; 12 Palestinians are injured. Separately, IDF troops arrest 5 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during raids nr. Hebron, Ramallah, and Bethlehem; and patrol nr. Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a 2-story building in Issawiyya, a makeshift home in Silwan, a car wash in Bayt Hanina, and a commercial structure in Jabal Mukabir. They also arrest 5 Palestinians during raids in al-Tur and Abu Dis. In Israel, the police arrest Shaykh Raed Salah, the head of the Islamic Movement’s outlawed Northern Branch, on charges related to incitement. (MNA, WAFA, YA 8/15; HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for a 2d day in a row, allowing only Gazans embarking on the pilgrimage to Mecca to pass. (TOI, WAFA 8/15; OCHA 8/17)

Late at night, Israeli settlers enter Kobar, the Ramallah-area hometown of the Palestinian who stabbed 4 Israeli settlers at the Halamish settlement on 7/21. When Palestinians throw stones at the group, IDF troops escort the settlers out of the village and violently disperse the Palestinians, injuring 1. IDF troops also arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Qalqilya, and patrol nr. Hebron and Nablus during the day. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Qalandia r.c., sparking clashes with residents; 1 Palestinian is injured. They arrest 5 more Palestinians during raids in Silwan and the Old City. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. Khan Yunis. In Israel, Israeli police clash with Palestinians in Jaffa protesting the police killing of a Palestinian in the area on 7/29; 2 protesters are arrested. (MNA 8/3; MNA, TOI, YA 8/4; PCHR 8/10)

In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian youth after he allegedly attempts to cross into Israel nr. Qalqilya. Israeli forces shut down the main entrance to Kobar, the Ramallah-area hometown of the Palestinian who stabbed 4 Israeli settlers at the Halamish settlement on 7/21. They also raid several homes in the village; arrest 4 Palestinians during late-night raids nr. Jenin and Bethlehem, and patrol nr. Salfit and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, approximately 140 Jewish settlers tour Haram al-Sharif in the morning. Israeli forces arrest 29 Palestinians in late-night raids in the Old City, Wadi al-Juz, Qalandia r.c., Issawiyya, and Silwan. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MNA, WAFA 7/30; MNA, TOI, WAFA 7/31; PCHR 8/3)

Tensions remain high in East Jerusalem after the widespread and deadly clashes on 7/21; 1 Palestinian is killed and 14 are injured in clashes in al-‘Izzariya, Wadi al-Juz, Issawiyya and al-Tur. Clashes also break out outside Haram al-Sharif throughout the day, but there are no serious injuries. Meanwhile, Palestinians across the city largely observe a commercial strike to commemorate the 3 Palestinians killed on 7/21. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 16 Palestinians during raids in Silwan, al-Tur, and the Old City. In the West Bank, a Palestinian youth is killed when he accidentally triggers a piece of unexploded Israeli ordnance nr. Tubas. IDF troops conduct raids in Kobar, the Ramallaharea village of the Palestinian who allegedly stabbed 4 Israeli settlers at the Halamish settlement on 7/21, threatening punitive demolition of his home and sparking minor clashes (there are no serious injuries). Hundreds of settlers from Halamish set up a new outpost nr. their settlement to protest the 7/21 attack. Settlers protest and throw stones at Palestinian vehicles across the West Bank in response to the attack, damaging several cars and causing no serious injuries. Meanwhile, IDF troops arrest 25 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Jenin, Salfit, Tubas, Qalqilya, and Nablus; and patrol throughout the day nr. Hebron. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. al-Bureij r.c. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 7/22; MNA 7/23; PCHR 7/27)

COGAT Mordechai says that Israel is “willing to examine alternatives to the metal detectors” installed at Haram al-Sharif “as long as the solution of alternative[s] ensures the prevention of the next attack.” (YA 7/22)

Sweden, France, and Egypt call for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to hold an emergency meeting to address the escalating tensions at Haram al-Sharif. UN diplomats say they will discuss the situation on 7/24. The Middle East Quartet releases a statement of concern about the “escalating tensions and violent clashes.” (WAFA 7/22; TOI 7/23)

Tensions stemming from new Israeli security measures at Haram al-Sharif boil over, with mass protests and clashes erupting across the oPt throughout the day; 3 Palestinians are killed (all in East Jerusalem), 235 are injured, and 27 are arrested (at least 2 Israelis are injured as well). The Islamic Waqf calls on all imams in Jerusalem to conduct their sermons outside Haram al-Sharif, and thousands of Muslim worshippers gather at the sanctuary. The Israeli police deploy heavily across Jerusalem and bar Palestinian men under the age of 50 from the Old City. In the evening, they cut off electricity to a large swathe of East Jerusalem and close the sanctuary to all visitors (it will remain closed through 7/23). (EI, MNA, NYT, WAFA 7/21; HA, MNA 7/22; WAFA 7/23; HA 7/24; PCHR 7/27)

In light of the crisis at Haram al-Sharif, PA pres. Abbas suspends all PA contacts with Israel, including security coordination. He also calls on Hamas to dismantle its new administrative comm. in Gaza and to turn the collective Palestinian struggle toward Israel. Abbas also phones senior U.S. advisor Kushner urging the U.S. to intercede and push Israel to remove the new security measures at the sanctuary. (MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 7/21; HA 7/22)

In the evening, a Palestinian enters the Halamish settlement nr. Bethlehem and stabs 4 Israeli settlers, killing 3 and seriously injuring the 4th. An off-duty IDF soldier hears the attack, then shoots and moderately injures the Palestinian assailant. Hours before the attack, the alleged assailant had posted to Facebook, “I’m going to die for al-Aqsa.” Late at night, the IDF raids the alleged attacker’s hometown, Kobar nr. Ramallah, detaining and interrogating his family and imposing a lockdown on the village. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 3 Palestinians during raids in Jenin and nr. Bethlehem, and patrol in and around Hebron. (EI, MNA 7/21; HA 7/22; PCHR 7/27)