The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 2 Israeli settlers were escorted out of central Ramallah by Palestinian security forces after Palestinians attacked their car and subsequently set it on fire. Israeli officials claimed the 2 had entered central Ramallah by mistake, while others reported that the 2 were playing loud religious music to try to provoke a reaction from Ramallah residents. The 2 settlers were unharmed. Israeli forces demolished 2 agricultural structures in Nahalin. Israeli forces also raided the home of 1 Palestinian journalist coving the displacement of Palestinians in al-Twana in the Masafer Yatta area, seizing his cameras. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seized 6 tractors, 5 cars, 4 water tanks, and 3 trucks in Khirbet ar-Ras al-Ahmar. 4 Palestinians were arrested during house raids in Yatta, Idhna, Rafat, and Beit Sira. In East Jerusalem, around 150 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 2 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Isawiya and Silwan. (AP, HA, MEMO, MEMO, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/1; MEMO, PCHR, WAFA 12/2)

1 Israeli settler was sentenced to 20 months in prison for throwing stun grenades at Palestinian homes in Sarta in January, injuring 1. The settler was part of a group of several settlers who also threw rocks and vandalized 4 homes and 2 cars. (HA 12/1; MEMO 12/2)

The company Meta Inc., formerly known as Facebook, said it had removed 150 accounts, 79 pages, and 13 groups from Facebook and Instagram that it says are linked to Hamas. (HA 12/2)

At the UNGA, 3 resolutions pertaining to Palestine and Israel passed. 1 resolution condemning Israel’s annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights passed 94-8-69. 1 resolution calling for intensified efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict with a 2-state solution passed 148-9-14. The countries that vote against were Australia, Canada, Hungary, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and the U.S. A final resolution calling for preserving the Status Quo at the Holy sites in Jerusalem, usually passing with a higher margin, passed 129-11-31. Several countries, including the UK, explained their opposition to the resolution, saying that it usually refers to the Haram al-Sharif compound by also including the Jewish terminology the “Temple Mount.” The UK clarified that its vote does not signify a policy change, only an objection to the change in language. (UKGOV, UN 12/1; TOI, WAFA 12/2)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 7 with rubber-coated bullets and 30 with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 30 with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Ras al-Joura and al-Khader, causing tear-gas related injuries. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Husan, Bani Na‘im, Hebron, Tulkarm, Ramallah, and ‘Askar refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler attacked 1 Palestinian activist in Sheikh Jarrah during a protest against evictions in neighborhood. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the demolitions at al-Yusufiya Muslim cemetery, injuring 3 with sound bombs and arresting 7; Israel said that Palestinian stone throwers had damaged 1 police vehicle. 5 others were arrested in Shu‘fat, the Old City, and al-Tur. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza; no injuries were reported. In Israel, Palestinians protested in Umm al-Fahm for the Israeli police’s inaction against gun violence in Palestinian towns and cities. (MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 10/29; AJ, WAFA 10/31; PCHR 11/4)

Israeli forces closed down al-Ibrahimi Mosque for Palestinian worshippers between 3 p.m. on 10/29 and 10 p.m. on 10/30, only allowing Jewish worshippers. (WAFA 10/30)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas dispatched the head of the Detainees Affairs Commission Qadri Abu Bakr on a 2-week tour to meet with leaders in Egypt, Belgium, and France in order to gather international support for the Palestinian prisoners hunger striking against their administrative detention. 1 of the prisoners has been on hunger strike for 107 days, another for 101 days, and 3 others for more than 65 days. (WAFA 10/30)

Israel’s president Isaac Herzog apologized, in a speech, on behalf of Israel for the massacre of Palestinians in Kafr Qasim on 10/29/1956. (HA, MEMO 10/29)

Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan tore the UN human rights council yearly report to pieces at the UN general assembly podium. The report condemned Israel’s attacks on Gaza on May, dubbed Operation Guardian of the Wall by Israel. (HA, MEMO 10/30)

ABC News reported that Facebook employees expressed concern over the restrictions on the Palestinian activist Muhammed El Kurd’s Instagram account during Israel’s May assault on Gaza. The document was leaked to ABC News by a congressional staffer after the testimony by Frances Haugen, a Facebook whistleblower. The Facebook employees did not understand why El Kurd’s Instagram story was being limited by Facebook. (ABC, MEE 10/29; WAFA 10/31)

The Texas-based company A&R Engineering and Testing Inc., along with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, filed a lawsuit against the city of Houston and the Attorney General of Texas, saying that the state’s anti-boycott of Israel laws are unconstitutional, citing the 1st and 14th amendments. The lawsuit was filed after the engineering company on 10/13 was told to sign a pledge that the company is not engaging in a boycott of Israel; the company has been providing services for the city of Houston for 17 years. (WAFA 11/5)

In the West Bank, some 20 Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in Dahariya, bruising 1 Palestinian who was taken to a hospital for treatment. Israeli settlers also uprooted dozens of olive trees in Taybeh. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting an Israeli raid in Biddu, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians during a protest in Beita, injuring 2 with rubber-coated bullets and 34 with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets. 3 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during late-night raids in Qabatiya and Bayt Jala, and 1 was arrested at a checkpoint north of Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, 5 Palestinians were arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound, including 4 minors. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8; PCHR 10/14)

The Israeli Jerusalem district court overturned a ruling by the Jerusalem magistrate’s court from 10/6, which had ruled to allow Jewish worshippers to pray in silence at the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli public security minister Omer Bar-Lev supported the district court’s decision, saying that a change to the status quo could ignite a new wave of confrontations. (HA 10/7; AJ, HA 10/8; MEMO 10/9)

In Syria, 2 people were killed and 6 injured in air strikes at the T-4 military base near Homs. Several media outlets reported that Israel had conducted the strikes. (AP, HA 10/8)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for an independent investigation into Facebook’s censorship of Palestinians and their supporters on its platforms, including Instagram. HRW said that Facebook’s acknowledgement of the censorship was insufficient, and that Facebook needs to be more transparent about its decisions to censor people and groups on its platforms. (HRW, WAFA 10/8)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in al-Shuyukh; the man had been released after serving a 16-year sentence on 8/11. 10 others were arrested during late-night raids in and around Umm al-Rihan, Tubas, Beita, ‘Askar refugee camp, Bethlehem, and Fawwar. In East Jerusalem, 5 Palestinian families demolished the building they lived in in Bayt Hanina. (MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/12; PCHR 8/19)

The PA called on the U.S. to intervene over Israeli plans to expand Israeli settlements with more than 2,000 housing units in the West Bank. The PA said the new construction contradicts U.S. president Joe Biden’s stance against settlement construction. (HA 8/12)

The PA said it had received 150,000 doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. The health ministry further stated that it had received 1 million doses from Pfizer so far this year and that another 3 million would be delivered by the end of 2021. The PA also said it had sent 100,000 vaccine doses to Gaza, including 50,000 Pfizer and 50,000 of the Russian Sputnik vaccines. (AA, WAFA 8/12)

The Israeli high court of justice overturned former education minister Yoav Gallant’s decision to withhold the Israel Prize in mathematics and computer science from Oded Goldreich. Gallant had decided to withhold the prize given to Goldreich over claims that Goldreich is supporting a boycott of Israeli institutions in Israeli settlements. (HA 8/12)

Sudan said it would hand over its former president Omar al-Bashir to the ICC but did not provide a timeframe for doing so. Al-Bashir is wanted by the ICC for charges of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. (AJ 8/12)

AIPAC launched an ad campaign on Facebook implying that U.S. house representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) stands with terrorists against the U.S. and Israel. The ad drew criticism from several pro-Israel organizations and Jewish Americans including J Street and Ilhan Omar’s staff, which claimed AIPAC ads were Islamophobic and putting Omar’s life at risk. Among other AIPAC targets in its ad campaign were Palestinian American Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Cori Bush (D-MO). (AJ, HA 8/12)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set fire to more than 100 hay bales south of Hebron. Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian using live ammunition during a raid in Ya‘bad; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces demolished 1 residential tent and 2 agricultural tents, and seized solar panels in al-Samou. Israeli forces also razed a tract of land near Khirbet Umm al-Khawas in the Masafer Yatta area for settlement expansion. 21 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Ramallah, Tulkarm, Jenin, Tubas, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Hebron, and Qatanna. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a house raid in Silwan. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/1; WAFA 6/2; PCHR 6/3)

The Israeli Jerusalem affairs ministry told a Jerusalem court that it had frozen plans by settler organization Ateret Cohanim to open a Yemeni Jewish heritage center in Silwan as part of its plans to Judaize East Jerusalem. (HA 6/2)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas extended the COVID-19-related state of emergency by 30 days. (WAFA 6/1)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with Omani officials in Muscat and the Kuwaiti prime minister Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah in Kuwait. (WAFA, WAFA 6/1)

The PA summoned representatives from Austria, the Czech Republic, the UK, and Bulgaria to express dissatisfaction with the countries’ votes in favor of protecting Israel from investigations at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 5/27. (WAFA 6/1)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, during the ceremony for Mossad’s new chief David Barneam that if he had to choose between “[f]riction with the United States and eliminating the Iranian threat—eliminating the existential threat wins.” (AP, HA 6/1)

Israel summoned the ambassador of Argentina to Israel because of the country’s vote at the UNHRC on 5/27 to investigate potential Israeli war crimes. In the past couple of days, Israel has also summoned the ambassadors of Mexico and the Philippines over their votes at the UNHRC. (JP 6/1)

During a trip to Israel, senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Fox News that Israel is planning to ask the U.S. for $1 billion in military aid to “replenish the Iron Dome batteries” after the 11 days of escalation of violence last month, which Israel dubbed “Operation Guardian of the Walls.” (HA, HILL, REU 6/1; AJ 6/2)

17 Democratic U.S. senators led by Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) signed a letter to secretary of state Antony Blinken urging him to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel is conditioning the allowance of much of the humanitarian aid into Gaza on a number of demands to Hamas, including releasing 2 Israeli citizens and the bodies of 2 soldiers. The senators also called on Secretary Blinken to see that aid to Palestinians be raised to the same amount as before former president Donald Trump slashed it. (AX 6/1; HA 6/2)

According to the Financial Times, almost 200 Facebook employees have asked the company to set up a task force to investigate claims that the company suppresses pro-Palestinian voices on its social media platforms. (AJ 6/2; WAFA 6/4)

EU representative to Palestine Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff said, during a press conference held in front of the ruins of the al-Jala high-rise in Gaza City, that reconstruction of Gaza required Israel lifting its blockade of the area. (WAFA 6/1)