The Palestine Chronology

The IDF makes an air strike targeting armed Palestinians nr. Khan Yunis, causing no reported injuries; levels land inside the Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes a Palestinian road and barn in al-Walaja nr. the separation wall outside Bethlehem; raids, searches a secondary school in Azun nr. Qalqilya when staff is present but classes are not in session; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, in Abu Dis nr. Jerusalem, and nr. Bethlehem. During the day, the new PA policing unit in Nablus, deployed by Palestinian Authority (PA) PM Mahmud Abbas on 11/2 to enhance security in keeping with the road map, makes major arrest raids into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. (WT 11/19; OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22, 11/29)

In Gaza, the IDF sends troops into Wadi al-Silqa, raiding and searching homes, detaining 50 Palestinians for questioning, demolishing 3 Palestinian homes, damaging 4 others, bulldozing 80 d. of agricultural land, before withdrawing late in the evening. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Jenin (firing on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1), in Balata r.c. (demolishing the home of a wanted Palestinian), Qalqilya. In central Gaza, unidentified gunmen ambush, attempt to kidnap the al-Maghazi r.c. municipal dir., who escapes. Also in al-Maghazi, local leaders of Fatah al-Yasir, Hamas, the PRCs hold a demonstration to protest the upcoming Annapolis peace talks. In Hebron, the PSF orders classes at the Palestine Polytechnic University suspended, surrounds the campus to prevent recent tensions btwn. the Hamas-dominated student council and a Fatah-affiliated student group fr. erupting into violence. (OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on a concrete factory nr. Jabaliya r.c., killing 3 Palestinian employees, wounding a passerby; fires surface-to-surface missiles at the same site an hr. later as onlookers gather to view the damage, killing a Palestinian child, seriously wounding a 2d bystander; fires a missile at a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. nr. the Bayt Hanun border, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr.; fires on another Islamic Jihad mbr. who approaches the border fence nr. al-Bureij r.c., wounding him; fires on Palestinian farmers working their field e. of Dayr al-Balah, wounding 1; bulldozes land inside the Gaza border n. of Bayt Lahiya; finds, demolishes 7 smuggling tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border. Palestinians fire at least 4 rockets, 4 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with air strikes and surface-to-surface missile fire on the launch sites, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm r.c., nr. Qalqilya. (IFM 11/4; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8)

With Abbas and Olmert making little headway on a joint statement for the Annapolis summit, Rice returns to the region for a 3-day visit to press the parties to begin implementing their outstanding road map obligations to build mutual confidence and momentum for the upcoming summit. The U.S. has still not issued formal invitations, and the admin. is widely expected to push the meeting off until later in 11/07. (IFM 11/4; NYT, WP 11/5; NYT 11/6)

For the 1st time since 6/07, Abbas meets with 4 West Bank Hamas officials in an effort to encourage them to split fr. their Gaza counterparts. In Nablus, the PA deploys a new 308-mbr. policing unit trained by Western advisers at a multimillion dollar training facility in Jericho; they will form part of a new National Security Force unit set up to “operate in coordination with Israeli forces to fight crime and terrorism” as part of Abbas’s new security effort “to restore law and order” in the West Bank, in keeping with road map requirements; the unit will patrol during the day only, while the IDF will continue night operations. In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on an ESF post nr. Rafah, killing 1 ESF officer, wounding 3. Nr. Bayt Hanun, 2 Palestinians are injured when a mortar they are preparing misfires. A Palestinian is injured when a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF lifts the round-the-clock curfew on ‘Azun imposed on 10/31; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm town, r.c. and nr. Qalqilya; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1 demonstrator, 1 journalist). Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba and Harsina in Hebron attack, vandalize nearby Palestinian homes, also beating 1 Palestinian. (NYT, WT 11/3; NYT 11/6; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8; NYT 11/14)

In Gaza, the IDF withdraws fr. al-Shuka, ending a 3-day arrest and bulldozing operation, having wounded 2 Palestinians, demolished 2 Palestinian homes; fires a tank shell at Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the n. Gaza border, wounding 6; makes 2 air strikes on suspected rocket-launching sites nr. Bayt Hanun, damaging an UNRWA school; sends bulldozers and tanks to uproot trees and level land to clear lines of sight nr. the Erez crossing, firing on residential areas of nearby Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries; conducts similar bulldozing operations along the border e. of Jabaliya r.c. and Rafah; demolishes 7 smuggling tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border. Palestinians fire 9 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing light damage but no injuries; the IDF responds with air strikes, heavy machine gun, tank, surface-to-surface missile fire on launch sites across Gaza, wounding 10 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF makes an overnight incursion into ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, imposing a curfew, firing on residential areas, wounding 2 Palestinian children (ages 13, 14) before withdrawing late in the morning; raids, searches, occupies 3 Palestinian homes in Hebron, citing the need to protect local settlers; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus. In Hebron, unidentified assailants set fire to a PA security forces vehicle. (NYT 11/2; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8)

The IDF occupies strategic high points inside the Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya, firing surface-to-air missiles at a group of armed Palestinians (missing them, causing no damage or injuries) and on a car carrying a local Islamic Jihad military cmdr., wounding him in an apparent assassination attempt; conducts bulldozing operations inside the Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya; continues operations in al-Shuka. Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire an RPG at an IDF patrol inside the Israeli border nr. al-Bureij r.c., missing the target and causing no injuries; the IDF responds with heavy machine gun fire, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. Egyptian border police detain 3 PRC mbrs. who entered Egypt through a tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a roundthe-clock curfew on ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya after Palestinian youths throw stones at Jewish settler vehicles, causing no injuries; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and neighboring Balata r.c., nr. Ramallah. Unidentified gunmen fire on Abbas’s residence in Ramallah, causing damage but no injuries. (PCHR 11/1; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8)

Before dawn, Hamas mbrs. fire at least 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel fr. the property of an UNRWA school in Bayt Hanun, causing no damage or injuries. Nearly 2 hrs. later, the IDF sends troops into the area in response, occupying the school and surrounding area while classes are in session, clashing with and making an air strike on Hamas mbrs., leaving 3 Hamas gunmen, 1 Palestinian civilian, 1 IDF soldier dead and 2 IDF soldiers, 2 Hamas mbrs., 7 bystanders (including 2 children) seriously wounded. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen along the Rafah coast, damaging an UNRWA building; the UNRWA condemns the incidents. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (exchanging fire with local Palestinians, leaving 1 IDF soldier wounded), in Qalqilya, and nr. Hebron, Jenin. In Hebron, unidentified gunmen fire on a PSF patrol, wounding 5 PSF officers. In Ramallah, Palestinians demonstrate for the release of Hamas mbrs. held by the PA; PA security forces disperse the protesters. (NYT, WP 10/30; OCHA 10/31; IFM, PCHR 11/1; NYT 11/2)

The IDF sends troops into Wadi al-Silqa in central Gaza, raiding and searching homes, occupying several as observation posts, imposing a curfew, firing on anyone on the streets (wounding 2 unarmed Palestinians), bulldozing a greenhouse and 1 d. of land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya, Tulkarm. In Khan Yunis, suspected Fatah mbrs. detonate a bomb under an ESF vehicle outside an ESF post, causing no injuries. (OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/1)

The IDF fires a surface-to-surface missile at central Bayt Lahiya in an attempt to assassinate 3 Hamas mbrs., missing them but injuring 3 bystanders, damaging 2 homes and a car. The Israeli navy fires on 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in a boat off the Gaza coast, killing them. The IDF also withdraws troops from a strip of land northeast of Bayt Lahiya occupied on 10/19. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah; raids and searches homes, checks IDs of residents in Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Shavei Shomron nr. Nablus, escorted by IDF troops, attack Palestinians harvesting olives nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem beat a Palestinian passing by the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron steal a harvest of olives fr. a Palestinian farmer nr. Qalqilya. In Gaza City, mbrs. of a Fatah-affiliated clan fire on a car of Hamas mbrs., sparking clashes that leave 3 Palestinians dead (1 clan member, 2 bystanders), 35 wounded. In Rafah, ESF officers attempt to confiscate a vehicle fr. armed Islamic Jihad mbrs., sparking an exchange of fire that leaves 1 Palestinian bystander dead and 16 Palestinians (including bystanders) injured. (WP, WT 10/21; OCHA 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

Overnight in Gaza, the IDF sends tanks and bulldozers supported by aircraft into Abasan, raiding and searching homes, occupying several houses as observation posts, bulldozing 23 d. of olive trees, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, clashing with local gunmen (including firing tank shells and making air strikes), leaving 1 IDF soldier, 1 Hamas mbr. dead, wounding 6 armed Palestinians and 1 bystander. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus and Tulkarm (arresting at least 1 AMB mbr. who was among the AMB mbrs. granted amnesty by Israel in 7/06; see 9/23), in Qabatya, and nr. Hebron, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron steal a harvest of olives fr. a Palestinian farmer nr. Qalqilya. In Gaza City, 4 mbrs. of a Palestinian clan are killed in clashes with ESF when the ESF attempts to arrest 1 family mbr. for firing on an ESF patrol earlier in the day; the ESF arrests 25 family mbrs. In Gaza City, 100 Palestinians demonstrate outside the UN Special Coordinator’s Office (UNSCO) against the continued closure of the Rafah border. (NYT, PCHR 10/18; OCHA 10/24; PCHR 10/25)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza Valley fire on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence, seriously wounding 1. The ESF demolishes 2 smuggling tunnels under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Qalqilya in 5 cars with Palestinian license plates in search of wanted Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Yahiya Abu Awad (who is not found), surrounding several homes, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, searching another, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, seriously wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, and nr. Hebron, Ramallah, Salfit (imposing a curfew and firing on Palestinian children returning from school, wounding 3). (OCHA 10/17; PCHR 10/18)

Overnight in Gaza, the IDF sends troops into Dayr al-Balah and al-Maghazi r.c., conducting arrest raids and house searches, bulldozing at least 55 d. of olive and citrus groves, firing on residential areas, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 3, withdrawing by evening. During the day, the IDF bulldozes 150 d. of citrus and olive groves, 2 greenhouses, 270 beehives e. of Bayt Hanun. In Bureij r.c., 2 Hamas mbrs. are injured when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Jenin in a vehicle with Palestinian license plates to ambush and assassinate AMB mbr. Muhammad Abu Sorour, also shooting, wounding, and arresting AMB mbr. Hilal al-Sa‘di, who is traveling with him; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, nr. Bethlehem and Nablus; demolishes the single shantylike structure comprising the Netzer unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Bethlehem (which has been removed by the IDF and rebuilt by settlers several times since its 1st incarnation in 2005). In ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, the IDF deliberately fires on the main electricity transformer, cutting power to the village; bulldozes 7 d. of Palestinian crops; issues military orders confiscating 390 d. of Palestinian land for construction of the separation wall. A Jewish settler fr. Kiryat Arba injures a 2-yr.-old Palestinian girl in a deliberate hit-and-run. Some 700 Fatah mbrs. in al-Maghazi r.c. hold a rally commemorating local Palestinians killed in the 6/07 clashes with Hamas. (NYT 10/12; OCHA 10/17; PCHR 10/18)

Israel confirms that it is building a 10-mi. Palestinian-only road around Ma’ale Adumim settlement, linking Jericho and Bethlehem and bypassing Jerusalem, to create “transportational contiguity” btwn. Palestinian communities that would otherwise be cut off by the separation wall; critics note that 56 acres of privately owned Palestinian land and 352 acres of “state land” have been appropriated for the construction, which will also allow for the expansion and linkage of Ma’ale Adumim, Mishor Adumim, and Kedar settlements. In Gaza, the IDF raids and searches homes in al-Shuka, occupying several houses as observation posts (troops are still in the village at the end of the day); sends troops into al-Fakhari nr. Khan Yunis, raiding several homes, leveling lands, firing on residential areas, causing no reported injuries; sends troops into Bayt Hanun, bulldozing at least 100 d. of citrus trees and fences around a college and cemetery, withdrawing in the evening. The ESF creates 2 new openings in the Rafah border fence nr. Rafah’s Bloc J and al-Barahma, but no passage through the openings is reported. Egypt allows 30 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and Palestinian civilians stranded in Egypt since Israel sealed the Gaza borders on 6/12 to return to Gaza through the Rafah crossing (see 9/30). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem (arresting a mbr. of the Bethlehem municipal council), nr. Hebron, and in al-Bireh, Ramallah, Qalqilya (occupying homes as observation posts, firing on Palestinian children as they leave school, wounding 2, ages 11 and 13). (NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 10/10; PCHR 10/11; OCHA 10/17)

The IDF makes an air strike targeting wanted Hamas mbrs. Arafat al-‘Arayir and Ziad Hillis outside a mosque in Gaza City, seriously wounding both men. An 8- yr.-old Palestinian boy is killed, his father injured when the boy accidentally triggers IDF UXO. In the West Bank, the IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians nr. Qalandia crossing, wounding 1; shoots, wounds 5 Palestinians attempting to sneak into Jerusalem to find work. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya attack, damage 2 Palestinian vehicles driving near the settlement. Jewish settlers in Hebron throw garbage, dirty water at Palestinian worshipers attempting to reach the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs to celebrate Laylat al-Qadr. (OCHA 10/10; PCHR 10/11)

In Gaza, the IDF sends bulldozers into the Qarni industrial zone to erect sand berms; Palestinians fire anti-tank missiles at the troops, who respond with heavy machine gun fire; no injuries are reported. The IDF also sends troops into al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis, where they exchange fire with local Palestinians, causing no reported injuries. The IDF, armed Palestinians trade machine gun and mortar fire across the border e. of al-Maghazi, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF ambushes, arrests 3 Palestinians driving in Birzeit nr. Ramallah (their political affiliation is not reported); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in Qalqilya, Qabatya nr. Jenin. (OCHA 10/10; PCHR 10/11)

Israelseals its borders with the occupied territories until 10/6 to mark 3 minor Jewish holidays. The IDF makes an air strike on Rafah, assassinating Hamas mbr. Muhammad Hassan, wounding a 2d Hamas mbr.; sends tanks, bulldozers in to al-Fakhari nr. Khan Yunis, leveling agricultural land, firing on residential areas, killing 1 unarmed Palestinian; sends tanks, a bulldozer into Gaza e. of Rafah to level land, clashing with local gunmen, causing no reported injuries; fires a surface-to-surface missile into Gaza at a group of armed men nr. Bayt Hanun, missing them, causing no reported damage; sends troops into s. Gaza to arrest 2 Palestinian farmers nr. al-Maghazi r.c. On the Rafah border, 2 Hamas mbrs. are killed when a smuggling tunnel collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF shoots, wounds 2 Palestinian children in Hebron with live ammunition, mistaking a toy for a gun; fires on residential areas of ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy; fires on stone-throwing youths in Bil‘in, wounding a 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy, detaining 2 teens. In Rafah, unidentified assailants detonate an explosive device outside the Rafah municipal headquarters, causing no serious damage or injuries. (NYT, PCHR 10/4; OCHA 10/10; PCHR 10/11)

As a gesture to Abbas, Israel frees 57 Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank (mostly Fatah mbrs. but also mbrs. of the DFLP, PFLP, and PA security forces) to mark Ramadan; the release of 29 prisoners fr. Gaza to “encourage the moderates” there is delayed until 10/2 after Israeli pres. Shimon Peres initially refuses to sign the releases, citing captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s continued detention in Gaza, finally signing them late in the evening. Meanwhile, the IDF on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fires at a crowd on the Palestinians side gathered to welcome home the prisoners, wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Hebron, nr. Ramallah; removes Jewish settlers fr. 2 unauthorized settlement outposts occupied on 9/30 as well as fr. 2 new sites occupied today nr. Elon Moreh settlement nr. Nablus and Keddumim settlement nr. Qalqilya. In Gaza, some 300 PFLP mbrs. stage a solidarity sit-in outside the home of a UNRWA staff mbr. who was temporarily kidnapped, beaten by unknown assailants earlier in the day. (NYT 10/2; OCHA 10/3; PCHR 10/4)

In Gaza, the IDF ends its 2-day incursion into Bayt Hanun, withdrawing troops into Israel before dawn; makes an air strike on n. Gaza later in the day, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. Palestinians fire at least 3 rockets, 5 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Alfe Menashe cut down, burn 90 Palestinian olive trees nr. Qalqilya. Unidentified gunmen fire on a PA security forces car nr. Hebron, causing no injuries. In Rafah, 2 Hamas mbrs. are injured when unknown assailants throw an explosive device at them; relatives of the wounded, most of whom are Fatah supporters, attempt to visit the men at the hospital but are blocked by ESF officers, sparking an exchange of fire that leaves 8 Palestinians wounded. (PCHR 9/27; NYT, WP 9/28; OCHA 10/3; PCHR 10/4)

Overnight, the IDF escalates operations in Gaza allegedly targeting rocket-launching sites, sending tanks, bulldozers, undercover units into areas of central Gaza, demolishing 14 Palestinian homes, leveling 90 d. of olive groves, killing 4 Palestinians (1 armed man and 2 civilians, including 1 teenager who is hit by shrapnel from a tank, then run over by an IDF bulldozer), arresting 20. The IDF continues operations in al-Shuka, arresting 20 Palestinians, partially demolishing 3 Palestinian homes, and bulldozing 11 d. of agricultural land before withdrawing in the evening. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them back to shore. In Nussayrat r.c., IDF UXO explodes, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF continues operations in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c., demolishing 2 Palestinian homes and 1 other building, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 12; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya, nr. Nablus. Meanwhile, in Gaza, Haniyeh meets again (see 9/18) with Islamic Jihad and other faction leaders to urge a halt to rocket fire on Israel; no agmt. is reached. (NYT, WP 9/21; OCHA 9/26; PCHR 9/27)

Olmert convenes his security cabinet, which declares Gaza “hostile territory” controlled by a “terrorist organization” (Hamas); imposes additional sanctions on Gaza with the stated aim of reducing Palestinian rocket fire, including cutting back fuel and electricity services to the Strip, further reducing imports to and travel from Gaza. Early in the morning, the IDF sends troops into al-Shuka to raid and search homes. The IDF also makes an air strike on a PRCtraining camp e. of Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF continues operations in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a for a 2d day, raiding and searching homes, fatally shooting a mentally handicapped Palestinian who steps onto his balcony, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 8; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in Jenin, Qalqilya, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Karmiel settlement nr. Hebron vandalize a nearby, fenced-in crop area planted by local bedouin to feed their herds.Suspected Fatah mbrs. fire on an ESF patrol nr. Shati’ r.c. in Gaza, injuring 2 ESF officers. Nr. Gaza City, the ESF intervenes to prevent a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. fr. firing rockets into Israel, sparking an exchange of gunfire that leaves no reported injuries. In Rafah, unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a Hamas mbr. (IFM 9/19; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 9/20; NYT 9/22; IFM 9/24; OCHA 9/26; PCHR 9/27)

In Beirut, unidentified assailants detonate a car bomb assassinating Christian Phalange party MP Antoine Ghanem (the 8th anti-Syrian figure killed in the past 3 yrs.), reducing the governing coalition’s parliamentary majority to 67 of 128 seats only 6 days before parliament is to convene to elect a new pres. by simple majority. Ghanem’s bodyguard and 5 bystanders are also killed; 56 are wounded (19 seriously). (REU 9/19; NYT, WP, WT 9/20; NYT, WT 9/21)

Gaza nr. the Nahal Oz crossing triggers a roadside bomb, causing damage but no injuries. Palestinians fire 2 RPGs at an IDF patrol inside Israel e. of al-Qarara; the IDF then sends undercover units, a tank into al-Qarara to search for the assailants, exchanging fire with Hamas mbrs.; no injuries are reported. IDF soldiers, Palestinian gunmen exchange fire across the border nr. the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. the Bayt Hanun area toward Israel, but both land inside Palestinian territory, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Qalqilya. A Jewish settler kills a 14-yr.- old Palestinian in a deliberate hit-and-run nr. Salfit. In Gaza, the Palestinian Union of Medical Professions ends the work slowdown started on 8/26. (OCHA 9/19; PCHR 9/20)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car carrying Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Gaza City, missing the target, damaging a house and lightly injuring 1 bystander. Egyptian border police demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. A Palestinian is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring several) and a similar protest at alWalaja (causing no reported injuries). Palestinian gunmen fire on a Jewish settler’s vehicle nr. Karnei Shomron settlement nr. Qalqilya, injuring 2 settlers. Having sealed the West Bank border for Rosh Hashanah (see 9/12), the IDF allows only Palestinian men over age 60 to enter Jerusalem fr. the West Bank to attend prayers marking the 1st Friday of Ramadan. (OCHA 9/19; PCHR 9/20)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City fatally shoot a Palestinian teenager who strays nr. the border fence while hunting birds. IDF troops exchange cross-border fire with armed Palestinians nr. Jabaliya r.c., causing no reported injuries. A Palestinian is killed when a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, in Hebron and Nablus, northwest of Jerusalem, and nr. Qalqilya. (OCHA 9/12; PCHR 9/13)

The IDF sends troops into n. Gaza, bulldozing Palestinian land and searching for rockets and rocket launchers, reportedly uncovering 4 rockets, 11 launchers; Palestinians fire 2 antitank missiles at the troops, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Nablus (where 3 IDF soldiers are wounded when an explosive device detonates nr. their patrol) and nr. Qalqilya, Tulkarm. (IFM 9/5; PCHR 9/6; OCHA 9/12; PCHR 9/13)

Israelis in Sederot close schools, demand government action after Palestinians fire 3 more rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Egyptian border police demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF raids, searches several Hamas-run charities in Nablus, confiscating documents, computers and sealing the offices; patrols in, fires on residential areas of ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya (also firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 2 children, ages 13 and 14), Sa‘ir nr. Hebron (seriously wounding 1 Palestinian); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Qabatya nr. Jenin and Tulkarm r.c., and nr. Hebron. The Israeli High Court rules that the separation wall around Bil‘in, site of weekly nonviolent protests, must be moved westward to prevent the de facto annexation of more han half of the village’s agricultural land, rejecting the government’s claim that a wide buffer zone was needed to protect nearby Mod’in Ilit settlement and determining that the original route took into consideration plans to expand the settlement “as much as possible”; the decision gives the government a “reasonable period of time” to take down and move portions of the wall, which is expected to return 250 acres of land to Bil‘in residents. In Gaza City, the previously unheard-of Security Members Martyrs Brigade took responsibility for detonating a bomb under the car of a prominent Hamas mbr. in Gaza City, causing no injuries; the group is thought to be made up of Fatah security officers still in Gaza who have been underground since Hamas took over in mid6/07. Suspected Fatah mbrs. also fire on an ESF patrol, causing no injuries. In Rafah, ESF officers fire on Fatah mbrs. writing proFatah graffiti, wounding 3. (BBC 9/4; IFM, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 9/5; PCHR, WT 9/6)

The IDF launches air strikes on 5 rocketlaunching sites in nr. Bayt Hanun, killing 3 Palestinian children (ages 8–12); Israel says it hit viable targets, claiming that Hamas was using the children to “adjust” the launchers, states its “sorrow for the cynical use the terror organizations make of the active participation of teenagers in terror attacks”; relatives of the children say they were playing in the vicinity of an Islamic Jihad launcher. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Rafah, forcing them to return to shore. Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Nr. Gaza City, a Palestinian dies when a roadside bomb he is planting explodes prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 6 Palestinian homes in Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Bethlehem. Meanwhile, AMB mbrs. in Ramallah fire on the car of a Hamas-affiliated municipal council mbr., causing damage but no injuries. A Hamas mbr. dies of injuries received in an 8/23 IDF missile attack on Gaza. (AP, IFM, YA 8/29; NYT, PCHR, WP 8/30; OCHA 9/5; PCHR 9/6; NYT 9/26)

IDF troops on the Gaza border, shoot, wound, detain, and transport to Israel a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays nr. the border barrier nr. Jabaliya. The IDF makes an incursion into Abu Safiyya nr. Bayt Hanun, searching homes, arresting 12 Palestinians. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a home, injuring 1 Israeli. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, injuring 14 (including 9 children). Meanwhile, armed clashes erupt in Khan Yunis when ESF officers attempt to arrest a wanted Fatah mbr., leaving 17 Palestinians injured. Hamas closes 4 private medical clinics in Gaza that were adhering to a Fatah work slowdown. In Nablus, suspected Fatah mbrs. kidnap, beat, release a Hamas mbr. (WT 8/29; IFM 8/29; OCHA 8/29; PCHR 8/30)

In Gaza, the IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into al-Bureij r.c. to level land, sparking an exchange of gunfire that leaves 1 Palestinian bystander wounded. Israel authorizes the Nahal Oz fuel pipeline to reopen, but the European Union (EU), which underwrites PA fuel imports, suspends payments for fuel supplies until it receives assurances that the Hamas government in Gaza will not receive tax revenues fr. the sale of electricity produced with the fuel imports. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; patrols in al-Yamun nr. Jenin. In Gaza, unidentified gunmen raid Fatah’s Dayr al-Balah offices, confiscating computers, documents. (NYT 8/19; OCHA 8/22; PCHR 8/23)

In Gaza, Palestinians begin experiencing longer blackouts resulting fr. fuel shortages since Israel closed the Nahal Oz pipeline on 8/15. Hamas volunteers undertake a clean-up campaign in Khan Yunis, where municipal sanitation workers have been on strike over salary issues. The IDF makes an air strike on an Islamic Jihad rocketlaunching site nr. Bayt Lahiya in n. Gaza, causing no injuries. A 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy is injured when a Palestinian rocket fired fr. Gaza toward Israel hits a Palestinian home nr. Bayt Hanun, nr. the n. Gaza border. In the West Bank, the IDF kills 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in an exchange of fire nr. Jenin; sends troops into Kafr Dan nr. Jenin to patrol, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy, prompting an exchange of gunfire with Palestinian resistance mbrs. that leaves 1 armed Palestinian dead, 7 Palestinians wounded; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus (firing on residential areas, wounding a Palestinian woman in her home), in Qalqilya, nr. Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 5. (BBC 8/17; NYT 8/19; OCHA 8/22; PCHR 8/23)

The IDF makes air strikes on a suspected Islamic Jihad rocket launch site nr. Rafah airport, sends in troops to occupy and search the area, causing damage but no injuries; fatally shoots an Islamic Jihad mbr. laying a roadside bomb nr. an IDF observation tower at the Nahal Oz crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Qalqilya and in Jenin town and r.c.; seals 8 Palestinian shops in the Old City of Hebron nr. Beit Romano settlement, declaring the area a closed military zone. A 15-yr.-old Palestinian is injured by IDF UXO nr. Jenin. The Hamas-led admin. in Gaza fires Exec. Dir. Hazza’ Abed, Public Relations Dir. Juma‘ al-Saqqa of Gaza City’s al-Shifa hospital, charging them with financial improprieties and corruption, and arresting Saqqa; Fatah claims that the men were removed for political reasons. In Gaza City, unidentified assailants detonate an explosive device outside the Fatal al-Yasir offices, causing damage but no injuries. (NYT 8/10; OCHA 8/15; PCHR 8/16)