The Palestine Chronology

The IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of Khan Yunis; makes another incursion further north, leveling land and destroying water tanks in the al-Shuja‘iyya neighborhood of Gaza City to improve lines of sight, sparking a clash with armed Palestinians, leaving 1 of the Palestinians wounded. (PCHR 9/10)

In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 4 irrigation networks and crops nr. Hebron, beating Palestinian farmers who attempt to block them; conducts late-night raids, house searches nr. Nablus and in Tulkarm, arresting 3 Palestinians. A Palestinian child accidentally triggers IDF unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Ni‘lin and is treated for burns. (PCHR 9/10; OCHA 9/11)

In Gaza, Israeli naval vessels confiscate a Palestinian fishing boat off the Rafah coast, temporarily detaining 2 Palestinian fishermen (releasing them on 8/18). (OCHA 8/19; PCHR 8/20)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night raids, house searches nr. Salfit and Jenin, in and around Hebron, and in Ramallah, arresting 13 Palestinians (including 3 teenagers); raids the Tulkarm home of a Palestinian woman recently released fr. Israeli jail, confiscating a mobile phone and photos. (PCHR 8/20)

At least 30 Jewish settlers attack mbrs. of the Hanun and al-Ghawi families, who were evicted fr. their homes in the Shaykh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on 8/2 (see Quarterly Update in JPS 153), injuring 2 Palestinian girls and 1 international activist; Israeli security forces intervene, arresting several Palestinians and settlers, releasing all of them within a day. In Jerusalem’s Old City, Israeli police change the lock on the al-Nazir Gate of the al-Aqsa Mosque, normally controlled by Waqf authorities. The police later claim to have replaced the locks by mistake, and Waqf officials restore the original lock. In a training exercise lasting 1 hr., Israeli security forces practice scaling the fences surrounding the al-Aqsa Mosque using ladders. (OCHR 8/19; PCHR 8/20)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, making only 1 arrest. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Hadasah in Hebron, wielding sticks and sharp tools, severely beat a Palestinian man who passes by the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino settlement in Hebron destroy water tanks on the roof of a Palestinian home. (OCHA, PCHR 8/6)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas, skunk at stone-throwing Palestinians protesting the separation wall in Bil‘in; fires stun grenades at Palestinian and international activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in al-Ma‘sara, severely beating 3 international activists and a Palestinian journalist covering the event; conducts synchronized late-night house searches in and n. of Tulkarm, making no arrests; stages other late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, Salfit. Jewish settlers set up tents on a plot of Palestinian land in Kafr Qaddum village nr. Qalqilya establishing a new unauthorized outpost; settlers tried to occupy the site previously, but the Palestinian owner, who recently died, had won a court ruling evicting them. Jewish settlers fr. Harsina and Kiryat Arba settlements occupy a plot of Palestinian land nr. Hebron, erect a tent, and plant trees in an effort to establish a new unauthorized outpost. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron bulldoze large tracks of Palestinian agricultural land and uproot trees nearby to expand the settlement. (OCHA, PCHR 8/6)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into Gaza e. of Gaza City to level land nr. the border fence. The UN reports that 9 Palestinians were killed and 16 injured in tunnel collapses in the previous wk. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers evicted fr. Inbalim on 7/27 set up 3 new mobile homes in Givat Egoz outpost nr. Talmon settlement, also nr. Ramallah. An Israeli court reverses its 7/27 temporary injunction on construction at the Farhan-Hijazi properties in Shaykh Jarrah, ruling that Jewish settlers may keep building and living on the site until the next court session to discuss the case on 9/23/09. Meanwhile, Israeli police raid 2 other Palestinian homes in Shaykh Jarrah (the Ghawi and Hanun properties) where ownership is contested by Jewish groups, ordering residents to vacate the homes by 8/10/09 or face expulsion; settlers attempt to occupy the Hanun home but are fended off by the family; both families immediately file an appeal to the Israeli High Court. Timed with Mitchell’s visit (see 7/26), Jewish settlers, as a protest message to Obama, set up 11 new unauthorized settlement outposts, symbolizing the 11 settlements established by Zionists in the Negev in 1946 in defiance of British prohibition. The settlers hold a press conference inaugurating the new outposts in Neria settlement, established in 1991 to protest a visit by Secy. of State James Baker who was then pressuring Israel to halt settlement construction. (NYT 7/29; OCHA, PCHR 7/30; OCHA 8/18)

U.S. NSA Jones and his chief Middle East adviser Dennis Ross begin a 3-day trip to Israel, with talks focused on Iran. (WP 7/27; NYT 7/29)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. and in Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub r.c. and nr. Hebron. Hamas police besiege a building in Khan Yunis, seeking 4 SCG mbrs. (see 6/8); the wanted men surrender without incident 4 hrs. later, after the intervention of local clerics. (Associated Press 7/22; PCHR 7/23; OCHA, PCHR 7/30)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Tulkarm. The IDF also demolishes several structures in 3 small unauthorized settlement outposts. In response, more than 30 Jewish settlers, some on horseback, rampage through Palestinian areas nr. Nablus, setting fire to fields and olive groves, stoning Palestinian cars, injuring 2 Palestinians. Jewish settlers also respond to the IDF demolitions by stoning Palestinian vehicles traveling the Bethlehem–Hebron road; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (WT 7/21; OCHA, PCHR 7/23)

The IDF sends troops back into n. Gaza to level more land along the border fence nr. Bayt Hanun (see 7/14). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 19 Bedouin tents and animal pens along the Ramallah–Jericho road belonging to 7 Bedouin families, displacing 50 Palestinians, including 32 children; conducts late-night house searches in Bethlehem (including the home of Abbas adviser Brig. Kifah Barakat, stating that he had “overstepped red lines” in Jerusalem, not further explained), Jenin town and r.c., and Tulkarm r.c., making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. and Nablus, nr. Hebron and Jenin. Israel grants Israeli Palestinians permission to travel to Nablus by car for the mo.- long Nablus shopping festival (ends 8/16); they have previously been allowed to enter Nablus on foot only, leaving their cars at IDF checkpoints at the entrance to the city. (PCHR 7/16; OCHA, PCHR 7/23)

Israel says it has taken significant steps to improve West Bank movement and access, including reducing manned IDF checkpoints and improving wait times at checkpoints, especially around Nablus, also noting that Israeli tour buses are now routinely bringing Israeli Palestinians to Nablus to shop. Palestinians and the UN confirm that restrictions on movement have been eased considerably in Jericho, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Ramallah; but the UN notes that there are still 68 manned and 545 unmanned barriers to Palestinian travel across the West Bank. Today, in the West Bank, the IDF conducts separate synchronized late-night house searches in villages s. and e. of Tulkarm and w. of Jenin, making no arrests; carries out late-night arrest raids in Balata r.c. and nr. Hebron, Salfit, Tulkarm. (WT 7/8; OCHA, PCHR 7/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF forces a Palestinian family to demolish an addition to their home in Bayt Hanina on the outskirts of Jerusalem, threatening them with a $4,500 fine if the IDF were forced to carry out the order; conducts separate synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in villages nr. Jenin and Tulkarm; conducts similar late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in, nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers accompanied by IDF troops level 5 d. of Palestinian agricultural land s. of Hebron, install 3 mobile homes and an electricity generator to expand the unauthorized settlement outpost of Avigal. (OCHA, PCHR 7/9)

In London, Mitchell, Barak meet briefly to exchange details on a possible settlement freeze, steps toward Arab normalization, and Palestinian efforts to improve security. (NYT, WP 7/7; WT 7/8; WJW 7/9; see also NYT 7/4)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm r.c. and nr. Jenin. Israeli police raid the offices of a Palestinian folklore troupe in East Jerusalem, giving them an order banning upcoming performances scheduled to celebrate the Arab League’s declaration of Jerusalem as the Arab cultural capital of 2009 (see Quarterly Update in JPS 152), saying the show constitutes illegal Palestinian political activity in the city. (OCHA, PCHR 7/9)

Israel’s Land Registration Office in Ma’ale Adumim settlement recently placed 12 notices in al-Quds newspaper announcing the registration of a total of 138,500 d. (2% of West Bank land) nr. the Dead Sea as “state land,” ordering Palestinians to place ownership claims within 45 days or consider the land forfeited. In the West Bank, 50 Jewish settlers fr. a settlement nr. Tulkarm seize a plot of Palestinian land nr. Kafr Labad, erect a tent to establish a new outpost, drive off Palestinian farmers who own the land. For a 2d day, no Israeli-Palestinian violence is reported. (HA, OCHA, PCHR 7/2; OCHA Humanitarian Monitor 7/09)

Israel releases elected Hamas-affiliated speaker of the Palestinian parliament ‘Aziz Dwayk, jailed nearly 3 yrs. before as part of an IDF arrest sweep targeting Hamas leaders in the wake of IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit’s capture; some 40 other Hamas legislators remain in custody. The release raises speculation that a Hamas-Israeli prisoner exchange deal to free Shalit is imminent. A wk. after making public comments about Arabs that were denounced as racist, Israeli internal security M Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Yisrael Beitainu) makes a highly controversial 90-min. visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, including entering the mosque, to “review police deployments” at the site. He says his visit was coordinated with Muslim authorities, which they deny. A similar visit to the compound by Ariel Sharon in 2000 sparked the al-Aqsa intifada. In the West Bank, the IDF levels 500 d. of Palestinian land in Issawiyya on the outskirts of Jerusalem to “preserve the natural beauty of the city [i.e., Jerusalem]”; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Avnei Hefetz settlement nr. Tulkarm erect a tent in nearby Kafr Labad village, previously bulldozed by the IDF, with the aim of expanding the settlement. (NYT, WP, WT 6/24; OCHA, PCHR 6/25)

In the West Bank, the IDF forces 2 Palestinian families to demolish additions to their East Jerusalem homes, threatening them with a heavy fine if the IDF were to implement the demolition order; conducts synchronized late-night house searches in 3 villages s. and w. of Jenin (different locations than on 6/17), making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm. (OCHA, PCHR 6/25)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in Silat al-Harithiyya nr. Jenin, erecting a checkpoint and checking IDs and car registrations. The UN reports that the IDF has removed the physical infrastructure of an IDF checkpoint at the entrance to Jericho; soldiers remain posted at the site but have not been stopping Palestinian vehicles; the IDF has also opened 3 checkpoints nr. Jenin, Jericho, and Nablus (Tayasir, Ma’ale Ephraim, and Hamra, respectively) around the clock. Jewish settlers fr. Eli settlement nr. Nablus set fire to nearby Palestinian crop land; the IDF observes but refuses to stop the settlers or call firefighters. A Hamas mbr. dies in PA custody in Hebron, and Hamas accuses the PASF of torturing him; the 34-yr.-old man was arrested on charges of money laundering, illegal gun possession, and conspiracy to target PASF forces. (JTA, REU 6/15; OCHA, PCHR, WJW 6/18)

Israeli naval vessels halt a Palestinian fishing boat off the Gaza coast w. of Shati’ r.c., arresting 6 fishermen. In the West Bank, the IDF fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, and tear gas at Palestinians taking part in a weekly nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin, killing 1 Palestinian with live ammunition, wounding 7 Palestinians (4 by live ammunition, 2 by tear gas canisters, 1 by rubber-coated steel bullets); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians taking part in protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in, injuring 3; conducts late-night house searches in Tulkarm and Nur Shams r.c., making no arrests. In Qalqilya, the PASF restricts access to the funerals of 2 Hamas mbrs. killed on 6/4 to prevent them fr. being celebrated as martyrs, but puts up PA-sponsored posters around town commemorating the PASF officers killed in the 5/31 and 6/4 clashes. A Palestinian boy dies of injuries sustained in a 1/6/09 IDF attack on Jabaliya r.c., during OCL. (Jerusalem Report, NYT 6/6; OCHA, PCHR 6/11)

Israeli warplanes drop boxes of leaflets across Gaza announcing that the IDF is expanding its self-declared “buffer zone” fr. 150 to 300 meters along most of the Gaza border, making more agricultural land inaccessible; 1 box hits a house, injuring a child. In the West Bank, the IDF shoots, seriously wounds an unarmed Palestinian teenager who strays nr. Shavei Shomron settlement nr. Nablus; patrols in Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 3; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Elkana settlement nr. Salfit vandalize a Palestinian home and intimidate the residents. (OCHA, PCHR 5/28; OCHA 6/1)

IDF troops on the central Gaza border e. of Gaza Valley village fire incendiary shells at agricultural areas nr. the border, burning 200 d. of crop land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c. and Tulkarm town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jenin. (OCHA 5/6; PCHR 5/7)

In the West Bank, the IDF halts PA construction of a staging area outside Bethlehem where Pope Benedict XVI will be received when he visits the city on his upcoming tour (5/8–15), arguing that the plot falls in area C and therefore construction requires coordination with Israeli authorities. The IDF also beats several Palestinians holding a nonviolent protest against construction of a new settler-only bypass road nr. Carmiel settlement s. of Hebron (see 4/9), which is expected to displace 13 Palestinian families; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm. Around 20 Jewish settlers fr. Kefar Etzion nr. Bethlehem chase off a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the settlement. Nr. Qalqilya, Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops prevent Palestinian farmers in Jit village fr. farming their land, vandalize 5 homes in the village. (OCHA, PCHR 4/29)

The IDF makes a late-night incursion into n. Gaza to level land along the n. border fence nr. Bayt Hanun. In the West Bank, the IDF raids and demolishes a bedouin encampment in al-Fahm southeast of Nablus, demolishing 8 homes and livestock pens, confiscating the contents and displacing 50 Palestinians; demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem, displacing a mother, father, and 5 children; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. In keeping with separation wall construction work begun on 4/19, the IDF declares 4,000 d. of Palestinian land s. of Hebron (belonging to the villages of ‘Arab al-Ramadin, Dura, and Dahariyya) a closed military zone. (PCHR 4/23; OCHA, PCHR 4/29)

In the West Bank, the IDF evacuates a Palestinian home nr. Tulkarm occupied on 4/11; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Khirbat Safa and nr. Hebron, Ramallah. (OCHA 4/15; PCHR 4/16; WJW 4/30)

In Gaza, 5 Palestinians are treated for breathing trouble after working in a tunnel on the Rafah border nr. Brazil r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF raids, searches, and occupies a Palestinian home nr. Tulkarm as an observation post; troops are still in the home at the end of the day. (OCHA 4/15; PCHR 4/16)

The IDF imposes a general closure on the West Bank through 4/18 for the Passover holiday, barring all West Bank Palestinian access to East Jerusalem and Israel. Israeli police fatally shoot East Jerusalem Palestinian Iyad Awaysat when he allegedly attempts to run over 3 officers guarding workers partially demolishing the East Jerusalem home of a Palestinian who killed 3 Israelis with a bulldozer in West Jerusalem in 7/08; the shooting (protested by Palestinian witnesses who say Awaysat was only speeding) and demolition spark stone-throwing by some 50 Palestinians against Israeli border police who fire tear gas to disperse them, causing no serious injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., al-Fara‘a r.c., and Nablus for a 2d night, as well as nr. Tulkarm. (NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 4/8; PCHR, WJW 4/9)

Israeli naval vessels fire on and chase 30 Palestinian fishing boats (69 fishermen) off the n. Gaza coast to force them back to shore, seizing 3 boats, demanding that the 8 crew mbrs. of 1 boat strip naked and jump into the water, then detaining them and taking them to the Ashdod port. In the West Bank, the IDF lifts the closure on Khirbat Safa imposed on 4/2 and withdraws fr. the area, but reenters the vicinity later in the day after Jewish settlers fr. Bet Ayn fire toward the village, causing no injuries; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths nr. Jericho, wounding 1; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Balata r.c., al-Fara‘a r.c., Nablus, Tulkarm, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah. Israeli security forces demolish a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. (OCHA 4/8; PCHR 4/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF continues to impose a curfew on Khirbat Safa and search for the Bet Ayn attacker; patrols in Tulkarm during the day, randomly checking Palestinian IDs, arresting 1 teenager. Jewish settlers escorted by Israeli police seize a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem’s alSa’diya quarter, evict the Palestinian family who has lived there for more than 20 yrs., and arrest the father, claiming the house belongs to a Jewish organization; the family files a claim with the Israeli High Court, which rules that settlers may occupy the home until the petition is heard. (OCHA 4/8; CHR 4/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Azariyya and Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. Palestinians report that in the previous wk., the IDF continued bulldozing land to expand a settler-only bypass road to Carmiel (see 3/15). (PCHR 4/2; OCHA 4/8; PCHR 4/9)

Israeli naval vessels intercept a Palestinian fishing boat off the Rafah coast, arresting 4 Palestinians (including 2 teenagers). Late at night, the IDF enters Abasan in s. Gaza, arresting 1 Palestinian man. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a rare daytime incursion into Araba village nr. Jenin, searching several homes but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., in ‘Askar r.c. and Balata r.c., and nr. Hebron and Salfit. Palestinian sources report that in the previous wk., the IDF has leveled large tracts of land s. of Qalqilya (including uprooting 400 olive trees) in preparation for separation wall construction. The IDF informs residents of the Palestinian village of Azun Atma, nr. the separation wall s. of Qalqilya, that they must obtain special permits fr. the Civil Admin. to be able to travel in the area; informs residents of 4 villages s. of Tulkarm that as of 4/1, the IDF will close the sole gate in the separation wall that gives them access to village farmlands located between the wall and the Green Line. (PCHR 3/26; OCHA 3/31, 4/1; PCHR 4/2)

Israeli naval vessels shell an open area southwest of Khan Yunis, causing no damage or injuries. Later in the day, Israeli naval vessels open fire on a Palestinian fishing boat 2 naut. mi. off the Gaza coast, seriously injuring a Palestinian teenager. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm in the morning, withdrawing without incident; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in villages around Jenin, making no raids or arrests; conducts synchronized latenight house searches in villages nr. Hebron and Tulkarm, arresting only 1 Palestinian in Hebron; also conducts late-night house searches in Bethlehem. (OCHA 3/24, 3/25; PCHR 3/26)

Unidentified assailants detonate a roadside bomb outside Mieh Mieh r.c. in s. Lebanon as a convoy carrying senior Fatah official Kamal Madhat leaves the camp, killing Madhat, 2 other Fatah mbrs., and his driver and injuring 3 bodyguards. No group claims responsibility. (NYT, WP 3/24; WT 3/25)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., and in villages around Tulkarm; no arrests are reported. (OCHA 3/24, 3/25; PCHR 3/26)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Qabatya village nr. Jenin at midday in a car with Palestinian license plates to raid a cafe and arrest a wanted ´ Palestinian; demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in Azariyya nr. Jerusalem, in the E1 area marked for expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement, displacing 42 Palestinians. Late in the evening, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night incursions into Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, and Zatara village nr. Bethlehem to raid and search the homes of 8 senior figures affiliated with Hamas (fmr. PA Dep. PM and Education M Nasser al-Din al-Sha‘ir in Nablus; Reform and Change Palestinian Council legislators Nizar ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Ramadan and ‘Assam Nu‘man Salhab in Hebron; Ayman Husayn Darghma in Ramallah; Khalid Tafish Thwayb in Zatara; Reform and Change office director for Ramallah and al-Bireh Mazin al-Rimawi in Ramallah; senior Hamas leader Adnan Ahed Asfur and al-Najah University prof. Issam Rashid al-Ashqar in Nablus), arresting them for their “ongoing efforts to restore the administrative branch of the Hamas terror organization in the [West Bank].” The moves come as an Israeli Justice Min. comm. debates limiting the privileges (e.g., visitation, phone calls, study groups) of Hamas prisoners in Israel. Some 40 Hamas-affiliated legislators have been arrested since Shalit’s capture in 6/06, most of whom remain in detention. Hamas views the moves as Israel’s attempts to pressure it to make concessions in the ongoing Cairo prisoner exchange talks. The IDF conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Tulkarm. Mbrs. of Kiryat Arba settlement’s private security service detain a Canadian journalist and a fieldworker for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem as they pass nr. the settlement, holding them until the IDF arrives to question them; they are released 4 hrs. later. (OCHA 3/18; PCHR 3/19; NYT, WP, WT 3/20; OCHA 3/24, 3/25; PCHR 3/26; JPI 4/3)