The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalize a Palestinian home in Sinjil with graffiti and stones. Israeli settlers also assault Palestinian shepherds in al-Minya. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers destroy water pipes in Susiya. Israeli forces shoot and injure 4 Palestinians, uproot streets, and bomb a home in Jenin refugee camp. Israeli forces also raid Tuqu’, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raze land in Husan for the second day in a row. Israeli forces also arrest 26 Palestinians, including 2 who were released during the prisoner exchange in November 2023 and 6 children, during raids and around Abud, Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish an 8-story residential building under construction in Bayt Hanina. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Gaza City, Khan Yunis, Rafah, Nuseirat refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, Maghazi, and Dayr a-Balah, killing at least 103 people. 18 people are evacuated from the Nasser Hospital, 118 patients are still inside the hospital. An Israelis soldier is killed in combat. In Lebanon, Hezbollah launches 6 rockets at Shebaa Farms. Israeli forces attack Blida, Kafr Kila, and Ayta  ash Shab. In the Red Sea, Houthi forces launch a suicide drone at a U.S.-owned ship, causing damage. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20; AJ, HA 2/21)

More than 29,195 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 69,170 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 393 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 100 children. More than 4,522 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, 235 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,396 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. 19 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA 2/20; UNOCHA 2/21; UNOCHA 2/22)

The World Food Programme announces that it cannot deliver aid in northern Gaza due to Israeli attacks and “complete chaos and violence due to the collapse of civil order.” The Gaza Media Office calls the decision “a death sentence for three-quarters of a million people.” (AJ, AP, HA 2/20; AJ, AJ, UNOCHA 2/21)

Israel orders the evacuation of the Zeitoun and Turkmen neighborhoods of Gaza City. (NYT 2/20; AJ 2/21)

UNOCHA releases a report saying that Palestinians in the West Bank were prevented from harvesting olives in more than 96,000 dunams (23,622 acres) of land due to Israeli restrictions during the 2023 harvesting season. Palestinians suffered a loss of $10 million from not being able to harvest olives. The report also notes that there were 113 incidents of Israeli settlers attacking Palestinians harvesting olives and stealing their crops between September and November. (UNOCHA 2/20; AJ 2/21)

The Israeli Justice Ministry is investigating 3 Israeli police officers who are suspected of sexually assaulting a man they arrested at the Hizma checkpoint in late December 2023. The unnamed victim told an Israeli court that the police officers “stuck whatever they had in the car into my anus.” A sexual assault examination conducted by the Institute for Forensic Medicine found that he had been sexually assaulted. (HA 2/20)

Israeli military chief of staff Herzl Halevi calls on Israeli military officers to “distinguish between terrorist and non-terrorist, not to take anything that is not ours – a souvenir or military item – and not to film revenge videos . . . We are not on a killing spree, revenge or genocide . . . We will not make a mistake and allow it to achieve anything in the international arena.” +972 Magazine and Local Call reports that Israeli soldiers are stealing Palestinian property in Gaza with the blessing of their commanders. (+972, HA 2/20)

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh travels to Egypt for ceasefire negotiations. Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan says the U.S. veto of a ceasefire resolution at the UN Security council (see below) shows the U.S. is an accomplice to Israeli crimes. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says freeing the Israeli captives is not the most important goal for Israel. (AJ, HA, HA, HA 2/20)

UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini says Israel has not presented any evidence to back its allegation against UNRWA employees despite repeated calls for Israel to cooperate with the UN in its investigation. (AJ, HA 2/20)

At the UN Security Council, the U.S. vetoes an Algerian draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire. The UK abstains, while the 13 other members vote in favor. U.S. ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield calls the resolution “wishful and irresponsible.” The U.S. has offered its own draft resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire as soon as it is practical, but the resolution was not formally presented for a vote. PA ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour calls the U.S. veto “absolutely reckless and dangerous.” The PA Presidency condemns the veto, saying U.S. support for Israel makes it “a partner in the crime of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes.” France, Jordan, Oman, Kuwait, the OIC, and Saudi Arabia say they regret that a ceasefire resolution could not be adopted. China criticizes the U.S. for stifling “an overwhelming consensus.” (AP 2/19; AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20; AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/21)

On the second day of the ICJ hearings on the legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, South Africa says the occupation is “inherently and fundamentally illegal,” that Israeli apartheid is even more extreme than that in South Africa, and calls Israel’s occupation settler colonialism. Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, and Chile also deliver statements on the question of Israel’s occupation. Canada was scheduled to deliver remarks but decided not to. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/20; NYT 2/22)

UK crown prince William says in a statement after visiting the UK Red Cross headquarters that “[s]ometimes, it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home,” adding that “too many have been killed” in Gaza. (AJ, HA, NYT 2/20; NYT 2/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raided Duma, setting cars on fire and attacking Palestinians. Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian with live ammunition who was trying to fend off the settlers. Israeli settlers also set fire to a tent near Kisan; the Palestinian couple who owned the tent were later reported missing. Elsewhere, an Israeli settler attempted to ram Palestinians on a street in Tuqu’. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling west of Jericho, causing damage. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly attempted to ram soldiers at a checkpoint in Hebron using a tractor. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Arroub refugee camp, killing a Palestinian and injuring 1 other with live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed a funeral procession in Beit Umar, killing 1 person and injuring 5 with live ammunition and others with baton rounds and tear gas. Israeli forces also shot and injured 2 people with live ammunition and injured 12 others with tear gas in ‘Ayn Bus. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Huwwara, injuring 3 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at the Jalamah checkpoint, injuring 2 with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Bireh, injuring 1 with live ammunition and 3 with baton rounds. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at a checkpoint near Beit Furik, causing tear-gas related injuries. 40 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarm, Nablus, Salfit, Tubas, Qalqilya, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting in Isawiya, injuring 1 with live ammunition. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed nearly 200 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction. Near Gaza, Palestinian militants attacked Kibbutz Sa’ad and Kibbutz Be’eri; no injuries were reported. Hamas fired rockets at Jerusalem, hitting targets around the city and in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, saying it was retaliation for Israeli attacks on civilian targets. Near the Blue Line, mortar shells were fired from Lebanon toward Israel; no injuries were reported. Israel also said it had 3 killed gunmen entering Israel from Lebanon; Hezbollah denied having an active operation into Israel. Islamic Jihad later claimed responsibility. Israel later fired artillery shells at Marwahin and used combat helicopters to attack South Lebanon, killing 5 members of Hezbollah. 3 Israeli soldiers were killed and 5 injured by forces in Lebanon. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, AP, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/9; AP, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 10/10; HA 10/11)

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that as of 9:30 p.m. at least 687 Palestinians had been killed and 3,800 injured in Gaza, while 17 Palestinians, including 4 children, had been killed and 295 injured in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7. Israeli media reported more than 900 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 2,616 injured. Israel said it had hit 500 targets in Gaza overnight and 1,100 since 10/7. Hamas said Israeli airstrikes have killed 4 Israeli captives in Gaza. The UN reported that more than 187,518 Palestinians were displaced, including 137,427 sheltering in UNRWA facilities. 790 housing units were destroyed and 5,330 were damaged since 10/7. (AJ, ALM, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/9; ALM, AP 10/10)

The Israeli emergency rescue organization Zaka said that the bodies of 108 Israelis were found in Kibbutz Be’eri as were the bodies of Palestinian militants. Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the bodies of 70 militants were found in the town. (HA 10/10; AP 10/11)

Hamas’ Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obaida said the Qassem Brigades would not negotiate the release of captives while Gaza was being bombarded. Earlier in the day Abu Obaida said Qassam Brigades would begin executing 1 Israeli captive each time Israel bombs a civilian target. There was no indication that the threat was carried out as civilian buildings were being bombed by Israel. Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk told Al Jazeera that Hamas is open to discussing a truce and all political dialogue. Hamas leader Ali Barakeh said only half a dozen members of Hamas planned the attack on Israel on 10/7 and none of its allies were informed but Hezbollah and Iran would join the battle if “Gaza is subject to a war of annihilation.” (AJ, REU, REU, REU 10/9; AJ, AP, HA 10/10)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, and Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman about the Hamas-Israel war. In a statement, bin Salman’s office said Saudi Arabia “continues to stand with the Palestinian people in their pursuit for their legitimate rights, striving for a dignified life, realizing their hopes and aspirations, and achieving a just and lasting peace.” (AJ, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/9)

Israeli military spokesperson Hagari said Israel had regained control in all communities surrounding Gaza but that Palestinian militants still could be in the area. (HA 10/9)

Reuters reported that Qatar was mediating a prisoner exchange that will see Israeli women and children released by Hamas in exchange for the release of 36 Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons. Egyptian sources also said that Egypt was in close contact with Israel and Hamas to prevent further escalation, calling on Israel to exercise restraint and Hamas to keep the captives in good condition. (HA, REU, REU 10/9; HA, HA 10/10; HA 10/11)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant said that he had ordered that no power, water, food, or gas enters Gaza, saying “[w]e are fighting human animals and we act accordingly.” His office later said Gallant had ordered the intensity of the Gaza bombings to increase. Several Israeli politicians called for the formation of an emergency unity government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said the emergency government should “bring about the complete elimination of Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza.” Benny Gantz’s National Unity party demanded that Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir not be part of the war cabinet and that no legislation unrelated to the war would be promoted. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, WAFA 10/9; AP 10/10)

Axios reported that Israeli prime minister Netanyahu told U.S. president Joe Biden that Israel will invade Gaza. The Washington Post reported that the U.S. is preparing for a prolonged war in Gaza and is assessing Israeli diplomatic, political, and military needs. The White House briefed members of Congress that Israel will need replenishment for the Iron Dome, ammunition rounds, precision-guided missiles, and small-diameter bombs. Biden said in a briefing that 11 U.S. citizens have been killed by Hamas and that there likely are U.S. captives being held in Gaza. The U.S. also said Iran was complicit in the Hamas attack and warned Iran about getting involved in the fighting. Iran denied any involvement or knowledge. (ALM, HA, HA, REU, REU 10/9; HA, REU, REU 10/10)

Egyptian officials said they had warned Israel about an imminent attack from Gaza. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office denied having received warnings. (HA 10/9)

President Erdoğan spoke to Israeli president Isaac Herzog, urging him to end indiscriminate attacks on Gaza. (AJ, ALM 10/9)

The UN Security Council convened a meeting on the situation in Gaza without releasing a statement. Secretary-General Guterres called for an immediate ceasefire and said 137,000 Palestinians were sheltering in UNRWA facilities. Guterres also said he was deeply distressed by Israel’s decision to prevent all power, food, and gas from entering Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 10/9; AJ, HA 10/10)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken deleted a tweet on X in which he said he “encouraged Turkey’s advocacy for a cease-fire.” The tweet was replaced by language that supported Israel’s “right to defend itself.” (HA 10/9)

Hungary, Bulgaria, and Poland evacuated hundreds of their own citizens and European and Israeli nationals from Israel. (HA, HA 10/9)

The U.S., Germany, the UK, France, and Italy issued a joint statement of support for Israel, saying the countries are coordinating to “ensure Israel is able to defend itself, and to ultimately set the conditions for a peaceful and integrated Middle East region.” (AP, REU 10/9; HA, HA 10/10)

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov condemned violence against Palestinians and Israelis and criticized the U.S. for its “destructive policy” of undermining the Quartet by monopolizing Israeli-Palestinian dialogue during a press conference with Arab League secretary-general Ahmed Aboul Gheit. (REU, WAFA 10/9)

The EU, Germany, and Austria said they suspended all aid to Palestinians in response to Hamas’ operation in Israel. None of the aid in question is delivered to Hamas. Later EU countries, including Ireland, France, Spain, and Luxembourg, objected to the EU Commission's decision and EU Crisis Management commissioner Janez Lanercic said the EU aid would continue. (AJ, HA, REU, REU, REU 10/9; AJ 10/10)

The Bank of Israel said it will sell $30 billion of foreign currency to maintain the shekel’s stability in light of the war with Hamas. The shekel had lost 10% of its value compared to the dollar in 2023 before the war. (AJ, ALM, HA, REU 10/9)

In the West Bank, armed Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles south of Jericho. Israeli settlers also opened fire at Palestinian homes in Jalbun; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 Palestinian protesters in Hebron, Ramallah, Jericho, and Beita. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Aqraba, al-Bireh, Ramallah, Tuqu’, Huwwara, Qalqilya, al-Ram, and al-Arroub refugee camp, injuring 9 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at the Qalandia checkpoint, killing 4 and injuring 9. In Gaza, Israeli forces continued bombing civilian targets, in some instances without warning, killing at least 200 people. Palestinian militants fired rockets at Israel and attacked Israelis on the ground near the Gaza fence, resulting in hundreds of casualties and causing damage. Near Gaza, Israeli forces shot and killed an Israeli citizen and shot and injured 4 Israeli soldiers and an Israeli citizen, mistaking them for Palestinians. Israeli forces also killed dozens of Palestinian militants trying to enter Israel by sea. Hamas said it had fighters in the Israeli towns of Ofakim, Sderot, Yad Modechai, Kfar Aza, Kibbutz Be’eri, Yeted, and Kissufim. In Safed, Israeli forces assaulted and arrested 11 Palestinian workers from Gaza before dropping them off in the West Bank at the Jalamah checkpoint. In Lebanon, Israeli forces opened fire at what Israel described as a Hezbollah tent and fired artillery shells after mortar shells were fired at Israel. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8; AJ, HA, WAFA 10/9)

The Gaza Ministry of Health reported that as of 8 p.m. at least 413 Palestinians had been killed and 2,300 injured in Gaza while 15 Palestinians had been killed and 191 injured in the West Bank since 10/7. Israeli sources reported more than 677 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 2,000 injured. The UN reported that more than 123,538 Palestinians were displaced, including 73,538 sheltering in UNRWA facilities. 159 housing units were destroyed and 1,210 were damaged since 10/7. Israel cut off water supplies, affecting 610,000 Palestinians. An Naseer Hospital, Al Quds Hospital, and 2 Palestinian Red Crescent Society facilities were targeted by Israeli airstrikes overnight. 3 UNRWA schools sheltering displaced Palestinians were damaged in Israeli airstrikes, raising the number of UNRWA schools targeted to 4. Egypt allowed 100 truckloads of food, 30 truckloads of fuel, and 70 truckloads of construction material to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing.  (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8; UNOCHA 10/9)

In Egypt, an Egyptian police officer shot and killed 2 Israelis and an Egyptian at a tourist site in Alexandria. (AJ, AP, HA 10/8)

Israel claimed that 260 Israelis were killed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants at a music festival near Gaza on 10/7. (AJ, HA 10/8; REU 10/10)

Israel ordered the evacuation of Israeli towns near Gaza, reportedly in preparation for a ground invasion of Gaza. (AJ 10/8; HA 10/10)

A Hamas official said the group was holding more than 100 Israelis captive in Gaza. Islamic Jihad said it was holding 30 Israelis captive in Gaza and that they would not be released unless they were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel had reached out to Egypt to help facilitate hostage negotiations. (HA, HA, WSJ 10/8)

PA envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour said messages from the international community asserting Israel’s “right to defend itself will be interpreted by Israel as a license to kill.” The PA requested an emergency meeting of the Arab League. (HA 10/8; WAFA 10/9)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas spoke with the leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Jordan. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/8)

The Israeli security cabinet decided to halt all electricity, fuel, and goods from entering Gaza and to destroy Hamas’ military and governmental capabilities. (HA 10/7; AJ 10/8)

The U.S. State Department said that at least 4 U.S. citizens were killed in the Hamas operation against Israel on 10/7. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE for the second day in a row. Blinken said he spoke with Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan about not allowing the war to disrupt Saudi-Israeli normalization efforts. The U.S. also directed the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the eastern Mediterranean to provide Israel with U.S. support. U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the second time in 2 days. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA 10/8; AP, HA, REU 10/9; ALM,  AP 10/10)

The UAE called on both sides to protect civilians and called the Hamas abduction of civilians “appalling.” (AJ, HA, REU, UAE 10/8)

Iran denied Wall Street Journal reporting, saying that it was not involved in the Hamas and Islamic Jihad operation in Israel but said “[w]e emphatically stand in unflinching support of Palestine.” (HA 10/8; AJ 10/8)

In the Gaza Strip, civil employees in the ministries of public works, labor, justice, and women’s affairs go on strike in protest of the fact that they haven’t been paid a full salary since 6/2. In the West Bank, IDF troops assault Palestinian workers during a raid on a bakery in c. Nablus, injuring 3. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids nr. Tulkarm, Hebron, Nablus, and Ramallah; patrols in 1 village and al-Fawar r.c. nr. Hebron. Israeli settlers destroy 12 olive trees and saplings in a village nr. Nablus and leave racist price-tag graffiti. In s. Israel, Israeli police violently disperse around 10,000 Palestinians protesting after a funeral held in Rahat for Sami al-Ajar, the Palestinian bedouin killed by police on 1/14, killing another Palestinian bedouin with tear gas, injuring over 40, and detaining 5 for throwing stones. The Arab High Follow-Up Comm. calls for an extension of the general strike in Rahat began after al-Ajar’s killing, and for a general strike in all Palestinian areas of Israel on 1/20. (MNA 1/17, 1/18; +972, JP, MNA, WAFA 1/19; MNA, OCHA 1/23)

Following Canadian FM John Baird’s meeting with PA FM al-Maliki in Ramallah, dozens of Palestinians throw shoes and eggs at Baird’s vehicle, protesting Canada’s recent proIsrael positions. (MNA, WAFA 1/18)

The PA unity govt. announces that it will pay its civil servants 60% of their salaries for 12/2014 by the end of the week. The funds were reportedly collected through loans from banks, aid from Arab countries, and existing domestic resources. Around 200 PA employees loyal to Mohammad Dahlan will not receive paychecks. (MNA, WAFA 1/18; NYT 1/20; TOI 1/25)

In Syria, an Israeli helicopter fires 2 missiles at a 3-car convoy nr. Qunaytra in the Golan Heights, killing 6 Hizballah fighters and 6 mbrs. of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. (AFP 1/18; JP, MNA 1/19; JP 1/20; YA 1/31)

Dep. ministers from Iran and the P5+1 meet in Geneva for negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Earlier in the day, reps. of China and Iran conduct bilateral meetings. (ALM 1/18; AP 1/21)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops e. of Khan Yunis detain 3 Palestinians as they attempt to cross the border fence into Israel. In the West Bank, Israeli forces conduct house searches and arrest raids nr. Ramallah and Jenin; patrol nr. Hebron and Salfit; demolish 30 dunams (around 7.4 acres) of wheat fields nr. Bethlehem; and deliver eviction orders to several Palestinian bedouin families in a village nr. Jericho. Israeli settlers level land so they can establish a road leading to an outpost s. of Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fire sound bombs and tear gas at Palestinian students as they exit their elementary school in al-Tur, then arrest 1 of their parents. (MNA, WAFA 1/15; PCHR 1/22; OCHA 1/23)

In Cairo, the Arab League agrees to make the “necessary communications and consultations” with international partners to submit a new proposal on behalf of the Palestinians to the UNSC. Diplomats from 5 Arab countries will form a joint comm. to organize the resubmission, and PA Pres. Abbas agrees to respect the comm.’s decisions regarding timing. (AP, HA, JP, MNA, WAFA 1/15; TOI 1/17)

After meeting with the U.S. Consul Gen. to Israel and Palestine Michael Ratney in Ramallah, PA PM Hamdallah calls on the international community to pressure Israel into unfreezing its tax revenue transfers to the PA. (AJ, REU, WAFA, YA 1/15) 

Iranian FM Zarif meets with German FM Steinmeier in Berlin, then with EU foreign affairs chief Mogherini, to discuss the ongoing negotiations over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. In Geneva, reps. of Iran and the U.S. discuss the negotiations. (AFP 1/16; MNA 1/17)

In the Gaza Strip, 2 Palestinian infants and 1 young fisherman die from the effects of winter storm Huda. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian youth playing in the snow nr. Nablus, injuring 2 with live ammunition and several others with tear gas. The IDF conducts house searches and raids nr. Qalqilya and Ramallah; patrols nr. Tulkarm and Qalqilya. An Israeli private settlement security officer opens fire with live ammunition on another group of Palestinian youth playing in the snow nr. Hebron, injuring 1. Also nr. Hebron, an Israeli settler shoots and injures a Palestinian youth. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian cars nr. Nablus, injuring 1 Palestinian girl. Separately, Israeli settlers destroy 194 olive and almond trees outside Yatta village nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, an Israeli settler opens fire on Palestinian merchants in the Old City, sparking clashes wherein 1 Palestinian is arrested. Israeli police assault and arrest 2 Palestinian youth as they play in the snow in Ras al-Amud. Israeli forces conduct house searches and arrest raids in the Old City and Silwan. (AFP, JP, MNA, WAFA 1/10; IMEMC, MNA 1/11; OCHA, PCHR 1/15)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man is crushed to death in line at a checkpoint nr. Tulkarm, the same checkpoint where 1,000s of Palestinians protested poor conditions on 12/21. An Israeli settler hits a 10-year-old Palestinian boy with his car nr. Bethlehem, moderately injuring him. Overnight, 2 Israeli settlers throw Molotov cocktails at a Palestinian home nr. Hebron and leave racist price-tag graffiti. Israeli forces demolish a home nr. Hebron and raze a nearby agricultural area. IDF troops detain 8 Palestinian children outside Ofer prison nr. Ramallah, then fire tear gas canisters at their parents when they attempt to recover their children. They also arrest a 14-year-old Palestinian girl after she throws stones at Israeli settlers’ cars. Israeli settlers clash with Palestinians in Burin village, then IDF troops open fire on the Palestinians with live ammunition, injuring 4. Off the coast of the Gaza Strip nr. Rafah, Israeli naval forces arrest 3 Palestinian fishermen. In East Jerusalem, unknown assailants throw stones at a bus in Shaykh Jarrah, lightly injuring 1 Palestinian woman. A Jewish Israeli vandalizes the Dormition Abbey nr. the Old City. Then, a Palestinian man stabs an Israeli settler in the back with a screwdriver nearby, moderately injuring him. Israeli police arrest a Palestinian on charges related to violent threats against Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely. (JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 12/31; WAFA 1/1; OCHA 1/15; DS 1/29)

Under the aegis of the State of Palestine, Pres. Abbas signs a request to join the ICC, and signs many other international treaties and conventions, at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Fatah at the presidential compound in Ramallah. The ICC will take up to 60 days to process the request. (MNA 12/30; AM, JP, MNA, NYT, 12/31; MNA, WAFA 1/1)

Hundreds of employees of the Hamas-run govt. in Gaza go on a 1-day strike, protesting the PA unity govt.’s decision on 12/30 to rehire civil servants who lost their jobs when Hamas came to power in 2007. (MNA 12/31; AFP 1/1)

Israel’s High Court of Justice rejects a petition to ban all punitive home demolitions, a policy resurrected following the 6/2014 abduction and killing of 3 Israeli settler teenagers. The court also rejects a petition to block the demolition of the Jabal Mukabir homes of the 2 Palestinians who attacked a West Jerusalem synagogue on 11/18. (Israel’s Supreme Court froze the demolition order for the synagogue attackers’ homes on 11/27.) It also, however, freezes the 2d order to demolish the home of the Palestinian who allegedly attempted to assassinate right-wing Jewish activist Yehuda Glick on 10/29. (HA, JP, TOI 12/31; HA 1/1)

PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erakat reveals that the PA is in consultations with Arab countries and others over the text of a draft resolution requesting the UNGA accept Palestine as a non-member state. Erakat reiterates that the UN bid is intended to complement rather than harm the peace process. Reports indicate that the U.S. government is lobbying European countries to oppose the Palestinian initiative on the basis that it would be counterproductive and lead to negative consequences, such as sanctions, for the PA. (Guardian, MNA 10/1)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket from the Gaza Strip into s. Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In East Jerusalem, the IDF conducts house searches in Ras al-Amud neighborhood after clashes with local Palestinian youths; troops fire tear gas during the searches, moderately injuring a Palestinian woman. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Hebron in the morning, 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and 2 villages nr. Qalqilya at night. (AFP, IMEMC 10/1; PCHR 10/4; OCHA 10/5)

Palestinian citizens of Israel hold protests across Israel, including a 2,000- strong march in Sakhnin, to mark the 12th anniversary of the killing of 13 Arabs by Israeli police during demonstrations in solidarity with the 2d intifada then underway. (AFP 10/1)

Freedom Theater director and former AMB commander Zakaria Zubeidi is freed from PA prison after having been charged in connection to a 1/5/12 attack that resulted in the death of former Jenin governor Qaddura Musa from a heart attack (see QU in JPS 164). (MNA 1/10)

Syrian state television attacks Hamas leader Khalid Mishal, accusing him of ‘‘selling out’’’ and being ungrateful for Syria’s years of patronage. Hamas closed its headquarters in Damascus earlier in 2012 after refusing to support the regime’s attacks on Syrian protesters and the opposition. (NYT 10/2)

PLO Executive Comm. mbr. Hanan Ashrawi said that a UNGA vote on Palestinian statehood would likely be held on 11/29/12, the 65th anniversary of the UN partition plan for Palestine, and not postponed until next year’s session. Israeli vice premier Moshe Ya’alon described Abbas’s speech at the UN as proof that the Palestinian leader has no intention of making peace with Israel. (JP 9/28)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on 2 Palestinian fishermen tending their nets on the beach nr. the fence, killing 1 and wounding 1. It is the 1st fisherman fatality recorded since 9/2010. In the West Bank, Palestinians, along with Israeli and international activists, hold weekly nonviolent protests against Israeli land confiscation and settlement expansion in Bil‘in nr. Ramallah and Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, and are attacked by IDF soldiers with tear gas. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah and 1 village nr. Tulkarm at night; conducts arrest raids and house searches in 1 village nr. Qalqilya at night. (IMEMC 9/28; PCHR 10/4; OCHA 10/5)

Jordan names diplomat Walid Obeidat as the new ambassador to Israel, a position vacant since 2010, when the previous ambassador was not replaced once his term expired. (AFP 9/28; BBC 10/9)

Egypt partially reopens the Rafah crossing for Palestinian travel. Smuggling tunnels along the Rafah border remain closed; Palestinians report that costs of construction materials in Gaza have spiked 20%–30% since 8/5 because of tunnel closures. Israeli bans on fuel imports also continue, forcing Gaza’s power plant to shut down 2 turbines for lack of fuel, causing rolling blackouts across the Strip to increase fr. 12 hrs./day to 16 hrs./day. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, al-Ma‘sara, al-Nabi Salih, and Ni‘lin. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (al-Nabi Salih only), rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 1 Palestinian is moderately injured by a rubber-coated steel bullet (Kafr Qaddum) and several demonstrators are beaten by IDF soldiers in al-Ma‘sara. (PCHR 8/16; OCHA 8/18)

Egypt suspects that Islamist militants who were persecuted under the Mubarak regime staged the 8/6 attack on the n. Sinai border and vows a swift response and reassertion of government control over the Sinai Peninsula. Egyptian pres. Morsi and SCAF head Field Marshal Tantawi make a joint visit to El-Arish in a show of unity. Israeli and Egyptian brigadier generals meet at Kerem Shalom to discuss their investigations of the incident. Israeli PM Netanyahu issues a formal statement of condolences, stating, ‘‘It is clear that Israel and Egypt have a common interest in maintaining a quiet border.’’ (NYT, WP 8/7)

Israel allows 54 Gazans with family members in Israeli jails to visit their relatives. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho before dawn; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho, Qalqilya (firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries), Salfit and 1 nearby village, and 1 village nr. Ramallah; and conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Kafr Qaddum and Salfit. (PCHR 8/9; OCHA 8/10)

Gaza’s power plant begins operating on 4 turbines for the first time since 2006, after Israel (in a gesture to mark Ramadan) allowed the UN Development Program to import new transformers to replace those destroyed by an Israeli air strike in 2006. The improved capacity of the plant and additional Israeli fuel imports to mark Ramadan reduce rolling blackouts across Gaza to 8–10 hrs./day (down from around 12 hrs./day in recent months). The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning; conducts synchronized patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin at midday; patrols in alNabi Salih in the afternoon, firing rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them (causing no serious injuries); and conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho in the evening. (PCHR 8/2; OCHA 8/3)

PA Fin. Min. Nabil Kassis says the government is finding it harder each month to meet its routine budget expenses because donors, including the U.S. and Arab states, have failed to fulfill their 2012 pledges. The PA had hoped to close a $1.1 b. gap in its $4 b. budget, but is expected to fall short by $250,000, despite increasing taxes and making cuts to subsidies. (WT 7/27)

Republican candidate Mitt Romney begins a 6-day international tour of Britain, Israel, and Poland to point up his foreign policy skills. The theme of the trip is ‘‘the importance of locking arms with the nation’s allies.’’ Aides say that on the Middle East, Romney intends to highlight differences with Obama over plans for the peace process, support for Israel, Iran’s nuclear program, and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. (WT 7/26; see QU in JPS 165 for details.)

The International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation (formed by Israeli Knesset mbrs. and mbrs. of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008) sponsors 2 panels on Capitol Hill to mark nearly 20 yrs. since the signing of the 9/2003 Oslo Accord and to discuss how to move the peace process forward. Speakers include former State Dept. adviser to the negotiations Aaron David Miller, Likud MK and avid settlement supporter Danny Danon (who supports annexation of the West Bank except for the Palestinian population, which would be left to fend for itself), right-wing settler leader and former MK Rabbi Benny Elon (who supports annexation of the West Bank and creation of a Palestinian state in Jordan), and Israeli negotiator to the Oslo talks Yossi Beilin (who says: ‘‘My interest is not necessarily a Palestinian state. All I want is a Jewish majority forever.’’), and Jerusalem Post dep. managing editor Caroline Glick (who says Oslo was destined to fail because Palestinian leaders ‘‘raised a generation of kids who value death’’). The only representative of the Palestinian viewpoint, American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) dir. Ghaith al-Omari, praises Oslo for establishing a sense of ‘‘mutual respect’’ necessary for moving talks forward and calls for a quick resumption of negotiations. Elon responds that there will be no progress until the Palestinians understand that the Jewish people ‘‘are back in Zion, back in Jerusalem.’’ (WJW 7/26)

Cross-border violence continues in Gaza. During the day, Palestinians fire some 20 rockets into Israel, causing damage in 1 instance but no injuries. Israel warplanes and drones carry out at least 3 air strikes on groups of armed Palestinians in Gaza City and n. Gaza, killing 2 Palestinians (1 civilian, 1 Popular Resistance Comm. [PRCs] mbr.) and wounding 9 (2 armed and 7 civilian, including 1 woman). Late in the evening, Hamas authorities in Gaza announce that another cease-fire with Israel has been brokered by Egypt, effective immediately. After the announcement, Palestinians fire at least 5 more rockets (no damage or injuries), but Israel does not respond. In total across 6/17–23, 11 Palestinians (7 armed; 4 civilians, including 2 children) were killed, and 49 Palestinians (7 armed; 6 PASF; and 36 civilians, including 2 women and 1 child) and 3 Israelis (2 police, 1 civilian) were injured. Palestinians fired around 155 rockets (including at least 10 Grads) and mortars; Israel carried out at least 25 air strikes. In addition, OCHA reports that during the period, several Palestinian rockets fired toward Israel fell short or exploded prematurely, killing 2 Palestinian children (a baby and a 5-yr.-old) and injuring 19 Palestinians (including 4 children ages 3–12). Furthermore, 2 armed Palestinians were killed and 26 were injured when a building that had been hit by the IDF collapsed while they were inspecting the damage. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning; 1 village each nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the afternoon; and Ni‘lin and 1 village nr. Salfit late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Salfit. Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists take part in a nonviolent demonstration against Israeli land confiscations and settlement expansion in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron; the IDF fires tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse them, causing no injuries; 3 Palestinians are arrested. Jewish settlers seize several water wells on Palestinian farmland nr. al-Khadir village nr. Bethlehem. (HA 6/23; WP 6/24; PCHR 6/28; OCHA 6/29; see also OCHA 6/22)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the afternoon, Israeli warplanes carry out 3 air strikes n. of Rafah in s. Gaza, targeting a poultry farm and damaging a nearby greenhouse; no injuries are reported. Late at night, an Israeli warplane makes an air strike on a group of Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB) mbrs. operating nr. the border n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding 2 IQB mbrs. and damaging a nearby home. Also late at night, Israeli naval vessels halt and seize 3 Palestinian fishing boats off the s. Gaza coast, detaining 3 fishermen (released 6/6). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning; in 2 villages each nr. Jericho and Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jenin and Tulkarm in the afternoon; and in Jericho and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night. The IDF also bulldozes 5 residential tents in Wadi al-Malih village in the Jordan Valley nr. Tubas (an area designated as an IDF firing zone), and informs another 28 families in the same community that they must relocate or face demolition; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and nearby ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c., in and around Jenin, and in Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm. Dozens of Palestinians demonstrate outside Israel’s Ofer military prison nr. Ramallah in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails; IDF troops fire live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and percussion grenades at the demonstrators, wounding 2. Meanwhile, 10s of Palestinians gather nr. the Qalandia r.c. nr. Ramallah to mark the 45th anniversary of Israel’s 1967 occupation; the IDF fires live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse the crowd, causing no serious injuries. Jewish settlers fr. the Hebron area burn 20 d. of Palestinian crop land in al-Zahiriyya village. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar settlement nr. Nablus beat a Palestinian shepherd grazing animals nearby; other Palestinians race to the scene, prompting 1 settler to fire in the air; IDF troops nearby intervene, arresting the shepherd and 3 other Palestinians. (YA 6/5; PCHR 6/7; OCHA 6/8)

An armed Palestinian teenager infiltrates the Israeli border e. of Abassan village in s. Gaza before dawn, exchanging gunfire with IDF soldiers who also call in air strikes to target the border area; the Palestinian gunman and 1 IDF soldier are killed. Later in the morning, IDF troops in the area fire across the border into Gaza, causing no injuries but starting a brush fire. Unidentified Palestinians respond by firing 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Hrs. later, Israeli warplanes fire 3 missiles at a Palestinian car inside Abassan village, killing 2 armed Palestinians and injuring at least 1. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning; in Qalqilya in the afternoon; and in Jericho and al-Nabi Salih late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, and al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (al-Nabi Salih only), rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 3 Palestinians (including 1 child) are wounded by live ammunition and 3 are hit by tear gas canisters. Jewish settlers fr. Adei Ad outpost nr. Ramallah uproot 75 almond trees fr. a nearby Palestinian plot. (JP, IDFS, REU 6/1; NYT 6/2; PCHR 6/7; OCHA 6/8)

Hamas’s acting PM in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh authorizes a senior CEC team to begin updating Gaza’s voter rolls, in keeping with agreements reached in Cairo on 5/20/12. The CEC estimates that since the rolls were last updated for the 1/2006 elections, the number of eligible but unregistered Gaza voters has grown to as many as 250,000. (NYT 5/29)

In Hamza village, just n. of Jerusalem, Israeli security forces demolish a gas station, car wash, 2 auto body shops, and 2 cafeterias, confiscating several motorcycles, fuel pumps, gasoline, and equipment. Deeper in the West Bank, IDF soldiers nr. Qalqilya fire tear gas, stun grenades at a group of Palestinian laborers attempting to cross into Israel without permits to find work, causing no injuries but starting a small fire that burns a grove of 20 Palestinian olive trees. The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Jenin in the morning; in 1 village nr. Jericho in the afternoon; and in 2 villages each nr. Ramallah, Salfit, and Tulkarm and 1 nr. Jenin late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Kafr Qaddum and nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, and Salfit. (PCHR 5/31; OCHA 6/1)

A Turkish court indicts 4 fmr. senior IDF commanders (fmr. IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and those who headed the Israeli navy, air force, and military intelligence) who were in authority when Israel killed 9 Turks aboard the Mavi Marmara aid flotilla ship to Gaza in 2012 (see QU in JPS 157). The 4 officials are unlikely to appear for trial but may be tried in absentia. (NYT, WP 5/29; NYT 6/5)

The Washington Post runs (5/28) a special report alleging proof of an elaborate plan orchestrated either by Iranback Hizballah elements or operatives based in Iran to assassinate U.S. embassy officials and their families in Azerbaijan. The U.S., however, refrains at this stage from accusing Iran or Hizballah of direct involvement. (WP 5/28)

Unidentified gunmen fire on the home of Jenin governor Qaddura Moussa in apparent effort to assassinate him; the shots miss, but within hours Moussa dies of a heart attack. By 5/9, the PASF detains 10s of Palestinians in connection to the shooting but does not made a formal arrest. Those detained include a number of PASF officers, raising concerns of fissuring and infighting within the PASF. Others worry (see NYT 5/10) that gangs might be attempting to assert local authority. Jenin residents say that instability in Jenin has been growing since the 4/4/11 murder of Jenin’s Freedom Theater director, Juliano Mer-Khamis. The decline in Jenin worries Israel and the Quartet, which have considered Jenin a model for transition from Israeli to Palestinian security control. (NYT 5/10)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipality submits maps for plans for the massive housing construction (4,010 units, first announced in 10/2011) in Givat Hamatos settlement in s. Jerusalem. The drawings show new ideas for construction of 9 hotels (1,100 rooms) in the area, intended to make the area a major tourist center that would compete with Bethlehem by capitalizing on its close proximity to Bethlehem’s religious sites. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities seize a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina, East Jerusalem, and turn it over to a Jewish settler family that claims to own the land on which the house sits. (HA, WAFA 5/1; PCHR 5/3, 5/10)

In the morning, IDF troops make 2 incursions in to s. Gaza e. of Abassan and al-Qarara to level lands and clear lines of sight. IDF troops and a helicopter guarding the unit nr. Abassan fire on surrounding agricultural areas to keep Palestinians away, wounding 1 Palestinian. Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, an Israeli warplane fires a missile at a smuggling tunnel on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no injuries. OCHA reports that in the previous week, Israel granted 60 of 100 applications from Gazan UN staffers for 3-month multiple exit permits (rather than time-bound permits for specific events, valid for up to 1 week only). OCHA says this marks 1st time the UN has received so many long-term permits at one time and constitutes a considerable improvement in access for UN Gaza staff. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 2 cow pens and 2 structures nr. a settler-only bypass road outside Hebron; demolishes a Palestinian home under construction without permits nr. Qalqilya. About 30 Palestinians rally in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners outside the IDF’s Ofer prison nr. Ramallah; IDF troops fire live ammunition and tear gas at the demonstrators, wounding 3. (WP, YA 5/2; NYT, PCHR 5/3; OCHA 5/4)

The IDF ends is probe into the 1/5/2009 shelling of a house in Gaza City during Operation Cast Lead that killed 21 mbrs. of a family that had been ordered by troops on the ground to stay in the home, concluding that the building was not deliberately targeted and therefore the incident did not constitute a war crime. (WP 5/2; NYT 5/3)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops make a brief incursion into n. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence n. of Bayt Hanun, occasionally firing on the surrounding area to keep Palestinians away (no injuries reported). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian water tanks serving Palestinian agricultural land in area C; bulldozes 1 d. of agricultural land nr. Qalandia (n. of Jerusalem) that was previously confiscated for construction of the separation wall; conducts morning patrols in Qalqilya and 1 nearby village, 2 villages each nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm, and 1 nr. Jericho; afternoon patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Jenin; late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron; and late-night patrols in Bayt Umar, Birzeit, Jericho and 1 nearby village, Tulkarm, and 2 villages nr. Hebron and Ramallah (firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them). Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus, escorted by IDF troops, throw stones at a Palestinian elementary school in nearby Ourif village; when local Palestinians throw stones back at the settlers, IDF soldiers fire tear gas at them to force them to disperse, causing no serious injuries. (JP, YA 4/23; PCHR 4/26; OCHA 4/27)

A Turkish official says that Turkey has blocked NATO from inviting Israel to participate in a NATO summit planned for Chicago in 5/2012 as part of a NATO outreach program to boost ties with nonmember states. NATO officials deny that the issue was ever discussed. Israel does not comment. (WP 4/24)

Gaza’s power plant shuts down completely for lack of fuel imports— a result of Israeli import restrictions; OCHA reports that because of ongoing fuel and electricity shortages, more than 40% of Gazans have been without running water for the past week and rolling blackouts across the Strip have increased to 18 hrs./day. Israel allows the International Comm. of the Red Cross (ICRC) to bring in enough fuel to supply back-up generators at Gaza hospitals for 2 weeks. Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians and international activists staging a nonviolent march to the Erez crossing to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone along the border; no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, firing on residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors and then firing tear gas at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, and nr. Qalqilya and Salfit. Jewish settlers enter a Palestinian a Palestinian area n. of Hebron but are followed and removed by Israeli border police. (JP, YA 2/28; PCHR 3/1; OCHA 3/2)

West Bank Islamic Jihad spokesman Khader Adnan, held in Israeli administrative detention and observing a hunger strike since 12/17, ends his fast after reaching a deal with the Israeli Justice Min. under which authorities agree to not renew his detention order and to release him 3 weeks early (on 4/17/12) provided no new information on his case comes to light. As a result, a meeting of Israel’s High Court, set later for the day, is canceled. That hearing could have ordered a broader review of Israeli military courts and the policy of administrative detention, which Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu sought to avoid. Israel is currently holding around 320 Palestinian administrative detainees, down from 800 in 1/2008. Meanwhile, Palestinians demonstrate in solidarity with Adnan outside Ofer prison nr. Ramallah, clashing with IDF soldiers; 4 Palestinians are moderately injured, and 2 are arrested. (NYT, WP, WT 2/22; PCHR 2/23; OCHA 2/24)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at about 75 Palestinian and international demonstrators staging a nonviolent march towards the Erez crossing to protest Israel’s imposition of a nogo zone along the length of the Gaza border; no injuries are reported. IDF troops on the Gaza border n. of Bayt Hanun fire warning shots at a smaller group of Palestinians staging a similar nonviolent march to the border, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jenin and 1 nearby village in the morning; in and around Tulkarm and in 1 village nr. Jenin (firing tear gas and percussion grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries) in the afternoon; and I Tulkarm and 1 village nr. Salfit late at night. IDF undercover units make a late-night incursion into Anabta village nr. Tulkarm, raiding several homes, cars, and a grocery store, detaining 3 Palestinians. (JP 3/21; PCHR 2/23)

Hamas authorities in Gaza for the 1st time allow 100s Palestinians to demonstrate against the Syrian regime of Pres. Bashar al-Asad. (NYT 2/22)

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that Egypt is brokering talks in Cairo between Israel and Hamas authorities in Gaza to increase the amount of fuel Israel allows into Gaza to run Gaza’s electricity plan so as to ease rolling blackouts across the Strip. OCHA reports that Israel allowed in more fuel this week, but blackouts are still averaging 8–16 hours/day, compared to 12–18 hrs./ day in recent weeks. In 1/2012, Egypt tightened its restrictions on fuel trucks traveling toward the Gaza border area to limit smuggling of fuel through the tunnels under the Rafah border (see Quarterly Update in JPS 163). (OCHA 2/24)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 homemade Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, Israeli warplanes make 2 late-night air strikes on a suspected weapons factory in Gaza City, lightly injuring 1 Palestinian. Later, unidentified Palestinians fire a 3d rocket into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian child is killed in a smuggling tunnel collapse on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) patrols in Tulkarm, 3 villages nr. Qalqilya, 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Jericho in the morning; patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin (firing tear gas and percussion grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries), 1 nr. Jericho, 1 nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon; patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Jericho, and 1 nr. Ramallah late at night; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon and nr. Hebron late at night. One of those detained in the West Bank arrest raids is Hana Shalabi, an Islamic Jihad mbr. who was released after 2 years in administrative detention in the 10/2011 Hamas-Israel prisoner swap that freed captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit (see QU in JPS 163); she immediately begins a hunger strike to protest her renewed detention without charge. (PCHR 2/23; OCHA 2/24; NYT 4/2)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore; they detain and confiscate 1 fishing boat and arrest 1 fisherman. Later in the day, Israeli naval vessels fire on another group of fishing boats, forcing them to flee, damaging 1 boat, and confiscating 5 trawling nets. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm in the morning; patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon (firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries); conducts late-night patrols in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm; and conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Israel’s Jerusalem planning comm. approves plans for the right-wing settler group Elad to build a new archeological tourism center in Silwan, East Jerusalem in the Western Wall yard opposite al-Aqsa Mosque. The complex will include offices, museum and conference space, an underground car park, and 2 underground “archeological tunnels” that will run north under the Mughrabi gate and south under the area housing the Umayyad Caliphate palaces (which Israel calls the Temple of Solomon). (JP 2/14; WT 2/15; PCHR 2/16; OCHA 2/17)

Three Iranians are arrested as they flee a mysterious explosion in their Bangkok apartment. One of the men throws grenades at a taxi that refuses to stop for him and at approaching police, seriously injuring himself only. The 2d man is arrested at Bangkok airport attempting to leave the country. The 3d makes it out of Thailand but is detained when he lands in Malaysia. Israel and the U.S. suspect the bombings are linked to the 2/13 Indian and Georgian attacks and earlier incidents in Thailand (see 1/13) and Azerbaijan (see 1/24), but they have no evidence the men were plotting against Israeli or Jewish targets. Thai police and outside experts doubt, but do not rule out, an Israeli connection, saying the operation was very amateurish and the men could have been arms runners or involved in other illegal activity in Bangkok. (NYT, WP 2/15; WP, WT 2/16)

U.S. Dep. Secy. of State Burns meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss ways of reviving peace talks with the Palestinians. U.S. officials say that they are trying to find ways around Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, but give no details. (NYT 11/22; JPI 12/2)

The IDF makes a late-night incursion into s. Gaza, patrolling in and firing on residential areas of Rafah, causing no injuries and making no arrests. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF raids and searches the home of a PA police officer nr. Jenin, arresting him; patrols in 7 villages nr. Ramallah, in 1 instance firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them. (PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

PA Tourism and Antiquities M Hamdan Taha says that now that Palestine has full membership in UNESCO (see QU in JPS 162), it is planning to seek world heritage status for the old cities of Hebron and Jericho. An application for Bethlehem is already in the works and is expected to have a better chance now that Palestine has membership. The PA also plans to seek recovery of artifacts looted by Israel, increase funds for preservation and excavations, and use its status to force Israel to stop calling West Bank sites “Israeli antiquities.” (WP 11/22)

King Abdallah of Jordan makes an official visit to Ramallah (his 1st in 10 yrs.) to hold talks with PA pres. Abbas on their independent efforts to reconcile with Hamas and personally to inform Abbas that Jordan has invited Damascus-based Hamas leader Khalid Mishal (barred fr. visiting Jordan since 1999) for an official visit to Amman. The king stresses that any improvement in ties with Hamas is not intended as a move against the PA or as a gesture to Jordan’s Islamist opposition. The U.S. reportedly has expressed displeasure to Jordan over the Mishal visit and hinted that U.S. aid could be cut if Jordan reconciles with Hamas. (NYT, WP 11/22; JPI 12/2)

Obama Middle East adviser Ross announces at a lunch with Jewish leaders that he will resign effective 12/2011 to return to work at the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Sources say his decision reflects “the diminishing chances for a breakthrough in either Iran or the Arab-Israeli peace process” before the 2012 presidential elections. (NYT, WP 11/10)

In retaliation for Israeli air strikes on 11/8, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli naval vessels detain a Palestinian fishing boat off the c. Gaza coast, confiscating the boat, detaining 1 man who is a mbr. of the Palestinian naval police, questioning and releasing 2 others. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts afternoon patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho and 2 nr. Ramallah (firing rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at stone-throwing youths in 1 case, causing no serious injuries); patrols in Tulkarm late at night; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (XIN 11/9; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

The Israeli navy halts and boards 2 boats (sailing as the “Freedom Waves Flotilla”) carrying 27 international activists and journalists (fr. Ireland, Canada, the U.S., and Australia) attempting to run the Gaza blockade, taking them from international waters off the Gaza coast to Ashdod, where the boats are confiscated and the activists detained; an organizer on 1 boat is tasered by a soldier when he resists orders to leave his cabin and join the other activists being rounded up. Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jericho and 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning, and in Tulkarm and 1 village nr. Jericho late at night. The weekly demonstrations by Palestinians and international activists in Bil‘in and al-Nabi Salih support the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN and oppose Israeli occupation and land seizures. Palestinians and international activists demonstrating in Ni‘lin express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and call for national reconciliation. In all 3 cases, IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, causing no serious injuries; 1 Palestinian in al-Nabi Salih is arrested. (NYT, REU, WP 11/5; Democracy Now 11/8; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

Abbas addresses the UNGA and officially submits the papers requesting full UN member-state status. UN secy.-gen. Ban Ki-Moon immediately sends the application to the UNSC. Rotating UNSC head, Lebanese amb. Nawaf Salam, says he will distribute it to UNSC mbrs. on 9/26. (NYT, WP, WT 9/24)

Netanyahu also addresses the UNGA session, calling on Abbas to resume talks immediately in New York, again without giving details on the basis or goal of talks. (WP 9/24) Within 3 hrs. of Abbas’s speech, the Quartet issues a vague statement calling on Israel and the Palestinians to return to talks within a month, with the objective of reaching a final agreement within a year. While Quartet special envoy Blair heralds this as “breakthrough,” UN and U.S. officials say the idea is to delay UNSC consideration of the Palestinian application to the UN on the assumption that if talks are “underway and making progress,” the UNSC would put off a vote in hopes that the parties could reach negotiated agreement. (State Dept. press release 9/23; NYT, WP, WT 9/24)

In the West Bank, 1,000s of Palestinians gather in Ramallah’s Clock Tower Square after dark to watch Abbas’s UN address televised live and celebrate the application for statehood. Similar rallies are held across the West Bank, but are banned in Gaza by Hamas authorities, who are angry that Abbas did not consult with Hamas over the process. Observers note (e.g., NYT, WP 9/24) that the “festive mood was tempered with resentment at . . . Obama’s firm stance against the initiative.” One Palestinian on the street states (WP 9/24): “We are choking on the American double standard. America supported the movements for freedom in Egypt, Tunis, Libya and Yemen, but this stops when it comes to the Palestinian people. We are asking, why?” During the day, the regular weekly protest against the separation wall in Bil‘in, al-Nabi Salih, and Ni‘lin are turned into rallies in support of the UN statehood initiative; in al-Nabi Salih, Palestinian demonstrators burn Israeli flags and posters of Obama. Similar small rallies are held at Qalandia r.c. The IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and percussion grenades at the demonstrators, causing no serious injuries. (NYT, WP 9/24; PCHR 9/29; OCHA 9/30)

Meanwhile, nr. Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron, a Palestinian boy is killed in a hit-and-run by a vehicle with Israeli plates. Later in the day in the same area, a Jewish settler man and his infant son, residents of Kiryat Arba, die in a car crash; the IDF says it was an accident, but local settlers accuse the army of covering up a murder, claiming that vengeful local Palestinians stoned the vehicle causing it to crash. The IDF denies the claims and expresses concern that settlers are attempting to provoke violence on the eve of Abbas’s UN speech. Meanwhile, unarmed Palestinians patrolling the outskirts of Qusra village in the n. West Bank (subject of numerous recent attacks by Jewish settlers fr. Esh Kodesh outpost) throw stones at a group of armed Jewish settlers that try to enter the village, sparking a clash; the IDF intervenes, firing tear gas and live ammunition at the Palestinians, killing 1 Palestinian and wounding 7. The IDF also patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and Salfit in the morning, in Jericho in the afternoon, and in al-Bireh, 2 villages nr. Salfit, and 1 nr. Tulkarm late at night. (NYT, WP 9/24; PCHR 9/29)

Despite a Greek ban on vessels heading to Gaza to discourage the Freedom Flotilla II, the U.S. activists’ boat The Audacity of Hope attempts to leave port but is detained by the Greek coast guard. In the West Bank, the IDF bars Palestinian farmers fr. working a 60-d. plot of agricultural land nr. Susia settlement; patrols in 4 villages nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, and Ramallah during the day. A Palestinian who was shot by the IDF when he apparently failed to heed orders to stop at a checkpoint nr. Hebron on 1/20/11 dies of his injuries in Israel’s Hadasah Hospital. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, injuring 2 Palestinians and accidentally starting a fire that burns 200 beehives and 150 olive trees nr. Kafr Qaddum. (NYT, WP 7/2; WP, WT 7/4; PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/8)

IDF troops make a day-long incursion into c. Gaza to level land along the border fence e. of al-Bureij r.c. to clear lines of sight, firing on nearby residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors; no injuries are reported. Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF uses live fire, tear gas, and stun grenades to disperse Palestinians and Israeli activists staging a nonviolent march in Dayr Qaddis nr. Ramallah to protest local settlement expansion and construction of the separation wall; 2 Palestinians are wounded with live ammunition, and 1 Israeli activist is arrested. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Matityahu settlement nr. Ramallah set fire to 10s of Palestinian olive trees in Bil‘in; the IDF prevents Palestinian firefighters fr. reaching the site quickly and directs live fire, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who challenge them (no serious injuries are reported). Israel’s Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court rules that a Palestinian family (the Farhans) cannot be evicted from their home in Shaykh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, where they have lived since 1948. (HA 6/15; JTA, PCHR, YA 6/16; PCHR 6/23; OCHA 6/24)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians and international activists taking part in a nonviolent march to the border fence to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone, moderately injuring 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts separate synchronized morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm and in 2 villages nr. Salfit; also patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning and in Jericho and 2 villages nr. Salfit late at night; fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them in Nabi Salih, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun. Jewish settlers set fire to a mosque in al-Mughayyir nr. Ramallah, spray graffiti that says “Price Tag—Aley Ayin,” indicating the attack was in retribution for the IDF’s removal of structures at Aley Ayin outpost on 6/2. Jewish settlers fr. Carmiel settlement nr. Hebron prevent local Palestinians farmers and shepherds from reaching their land nr. the settlement, stoning the Palestinians and killing several sheep; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (AP, REU 6/7; WP, WT 6/8; PCHR 6/9; OCHA 6/10)

Egypt temporarily closes the Rafah crossing for maintenance; Hamas officials in Gaza complain that they were not notified in advance. The IDF fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at Palestinians conducting a nonviolent protest march nr. Ramallah, moderately injuring 1 Palestinian with live ammunition; conducts late-night patrols in Nabi Elias nr. Qalqilya, firing flash grenades to intimidate residents. (NYT 6/5; PCHR 6/9; OCHA 6/10)