The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with a military escort raided al-Mazra’a al-Gharbiya, vandalizing property. Israeli settlers also erected vending stalls on a highway near al-Farisiya. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers stole 14 Palestinian-owned sheep in Kafr ad-Dik. Israeli forces issued demolition notices for a residential structure near Tubas and 3 homes in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Kafr Dan; 4 were arrested. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 6 Palestinians during a raid in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound; some settlers were seen openly praying on the compound. In Umm al-Fahm, Israeli authorities demolished several Palestinian-owned agricultural structures. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/7; PCHR, WAFA 6/8; UNOCHA 6/18)

An Israeli bulldozer nearly plowed into a Lebanese protester before UNIFIL soldiers convinced the Israeli soldier manning to bulldozer to move back. Israeli forces have been working on constructing a barrier in the area south of Kfar Chouba near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. (AP, HA 6/9)

Fatah deputy chairperson Mahmud Aloul told reporters that Fatah’s decline in popularity is linked to the party’s inability to deliver on promises made when Fatah adopted a peaceful resistance. Aloul also said he would not seek to succeed Mahmoud Abbas as Fatah chairperson, saying the party needs someone from the younger generation. (ALM, QDS 6/7; ALM 6/10)

U.S. special representative for Palestinian affairs Hady Amr met with members of the family of the 2-year-old boy Israeli forces shot on 6/1 and who succumbed to his wounds on 6/5. On 6/6, Amr’s office called on the Israeli government to “evaluate all use of deadly force that involves civilian casualties.” Amr also met with PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh. (TOI, WAFA 6/7; WAFA 6/8)

Israeli national security advisor Tzachi Hanegbi met with Moroccan officials, including Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, in Rabat, discussing possible Israeli recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. In return for recognition of sovereignty Morocco is reportedly willing to upgrade the 2 countries’ diplomatic missions to embassies and enter a free-trade agreement. (ALM, HA, MEE, REU, TOI 6/7; HA, MEE, REU 6/8; ALM 6/10; HA 6/11)

U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken met with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah. According to a U.S. official, the 2 discussed Israel normalization, Yemen, Sudan, and human rights. Blinken also met with Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and GCC ministers at a GCC ministerial meeting in Riyadh. The GCC nations and the U.S. issued a joint statement after the meeting calling for a “2-state solution along 1967 borders with mutually agreed swaps consistent with internationally recognized parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative.” Iran reopened its embassy in Riyadh and bin Salman met with Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro a day prior to Blinken’s meetings. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, REU, TOI 6/7; DoS, NYT, REU 6/8; NYT 6/10)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces handed a demolition order for a Palestinian-owned house in al-Twana sheltering 10 people; 1 other resident in al-Twana received a stop-work order. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 Palestinian-owned bulldozer in Tulkarm. 3 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah and Dura. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli supreme court ruled that 1 78-year-old man in Silwan could be evicted from his home after his landlord sold the house he was living in to the settler organization Elad. Israeli forces stormed the Bab al-Rahma area of the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces also delivered demolition notices for 1 mosque and the house of a Fatah official in Silwan. 2 Palestinian families started demolishing their own homes in Jabal Mukabir. In Gaza, Israeli forces arrested 1 Palestinian cancer patient at the Erez crossing as he was traveling to East Jerusalem for treatment. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 9/14; HA 9/15; PCHR 9/17)

The Israeli settler that in July 2015 burned the house of a Palestinian family, killing 1 18-month-old and his parents and severely burning 1 other child, was sentenced in an Israeli court to 3 life sentences. (GDN, REU 9/14; AJ 9/15; JP 9/16)

The Unified Palestinian Leadership for Popular Resistance, an umbrella organization formed on 9/3 after a meeting between the major Palestinian factions in Gaza and the West Bank, including Fatah and Hamas, declared 9/18 a day of mourning over the normalization agreements between the UAE, Bahrain, and Israel. (WAFA 9/14)

Ahead of the signing ceremony on 9/15 formalizing the UAE and Bahrain’s normalization with Israel, PA prime minister Mohmmad Shtayyeh condemned the deal, calling it “a dark day in the history of the Arab nation and of the Arab League,” and further stated that, “[t]omorrow the Arab peace initiative dies, as will the Arab consensus.” He also said that his government has recommended to PA president Mahmoud Abbas that the PA reevaluate its relations with the Arab League. (AJ, HA 9/14)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Washington D.C. ahead of the signing ceremony for the normalization deals with Bahrain and the UAE on 9/15. His delegation notably did not include his coalition partners defense minister Benny Gantz and foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi. A spokesperson for the Qatari foreign ministry ruled out that Qatar would normalize relations with Israel before peace is made between Israel and Palestine. (HA 9/14; AJ 9/15)

The EU donated $600,000 to UNRWA to help contain COVID-19 in UNRWA-run refugee camps. (WAFA 9/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 9 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ya‘bad, Kaubar, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians including a Waqf guard at the Haram al-Sharif compound, 1 other in the Old City, 5 during late-night raids in the Old City, and delivered 2 summonses for interrogations. In Gaza, Israeli forces detained a Palestinian journalist returning via the Erez Crossing from Jordan, where he had undergone treatment for liver cancer. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/19; PCHR 5/21)

The Islamic Waqf announced that the Haram al-Sharif compound and al-Aqsa Mosque would reopen after the end of Ramadan. (WAFA 5/19)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas announced that the PA will end all agreements with Israel and the U.S., including security agreements, because of Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank. Haaretz reported that Palestinian sources said that coordination with Israel would continue at a lower level of engagement, at least for a time. In a speech, President Abbas said that, by Israel making the unilateral decision to annex parts of the West Bank, it has “annulled the Oslo agreement and all agreements signed with it, after snubbing all these years all these agreements and all the resolutions of the international legitimacy and international law.” Abbas further stated that the PA is ready to negotiate within the parameters of the Arab Peace Initiative, and that it had signed agreements “to accede to international agreements and conventions that we [the PA] have not yet joined.” (Guardian, WAFA, WAFA 5/19; HA, NYT, WAFA 5/20)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and German foreign minister Heiko Maas released a joint statement after a virtual meeting, stipulating that “[a]nnexation of any part of occupied Palestinian territories including East Jerusalem constitutes a clear violation of international law and seriously undermines the chances for the two-state solution within a final status agreement.” It further read that Germany “took note of the Palestinian view that such a step would put an end to all signed agreements.” Separately, the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that Israeli annexation will have consequences for the EU’s relationship with Israel. (HA, WAFA 5/19)

A plane from the UAE with COVID-19-related aid materials for Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza landed in Israel. The aid package included 14 tons of medical supplies, including 10 ventilators. The direct flight from the UAE to Israel is the 1st of its kind. (AJ, HA, REU 5/19)

The EU Police Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support donated $65,500 worth of protective equipment and hand sanitizer to the Palestinian Civil Police. (WAFA 5/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces killed 1 Palestinian during a protest in Tulkarm. 11 Palestinians and 2 Israeli soldiers were injured during clashes in ‘Azun, where Palestinians mourned the death of the PA police officer who was killed on 2/6; 8 of the Palestinians were shot by live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed protests against the U.S. administration’s peace plan in and around Nablus, Jenin, Kafr Qaddum, and Jericho, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 6 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 at checkpoints in Hebron and near Nablus, 1 during a house raid in Hebron, and 3 during clashes with Israeli forces near Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided the Haram al-Sharif compound, injuring 3 Palestinians. Israeli forces also arrested 1 Palestinian during a house raid in Ras al-Amud. In Gaza, Palestinians gathered to protest near Khuza‘a; several Palestinians suffered tear-gas related injuries when Israeli forces violently dispersed the protest. Israeli forces also opened fire on Palestinian farmland east of Dayr al-Balah and Rafah; no injuries were reported. In Israel, Israeli police turned back buses transporting Palestinians going to worship at the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israel also demolished the bedouin village al-Araqib for the 174th time since 2010. (AJ, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/7; PCHR 2/13)

After the PA announced that it had banned some Israeli products from entering the Palestinian market, Israel banned Palestinian agricultural exports going abroad, including via Jordan. (WAFA 2/7; REU 2/8; AJ, HA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/9)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protests of the U.S. administration’s peace plan throughout the West Bank for the 4d day in a row: 1 Palestinian was shot by live ammunition at the Qalandia checkpoint; 1 was injured by live ammunition in Nabi Salih; 1 was hit with a tear gas canister to her face near Tubas; and others suffered rubber-coated bullet and tear-gas related injuries. A Palestinian family started demolishing their own home in Abu Dis to avoid exorbitant Israeli demolition fees. Israeli settlers uprooted 700 apricot and almond tree seedlings in Sabastiyya; Israeli settlers also broke windows of a Palestinian-owned home in Madama. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces stormed the Haram al-Sharif compound, leading to clashes with worshippers; 10 people were reported injured by rubber-coated bullets and 3 were arrested. In Gaza, for the 3d consecutive day, Israeli forces struck targets in Gaza. Subsequently, 2 rockets were fired at Israel; 1 was intercepted and the other landed in an open area, causing no damage or injuries. 14 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces as they were protesting near the Gaza fence, including 10 who were hit by live ammunition. 1 minor Palestinian succumbed to wounds sustained during the Great March of Return protest on 10/11/19. This brings the death toll stemming from the Great March of Return to 231. (AJ, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WP 1/31; HA 2/1; PCHR 2/6)

The Israeli defense minister Naftali Bennett ordered a ban on all Palestinian agricultural imports to Israel, effective on 2/2. (HA, WAFA 1/31)

In the West Bank, Palestinians protested the U.S. administration’s peace plan in several places throughout the West Bank, leading to clashes with Israeli forces, causing 41 injuries, including 3 Palestinians shot by live ammunition in Ramallah and others suffering injuries from rubber-coated bullets and tear gas. 5 Palestinians were arrested, including 4 during late-night raids in and around Bayt Umar and Dura; and 1 was arrested at a checkpoint near Qalandia. In East Jerusalem, the gates to the Haram al-Sharif compound were closed by Israel temporarily after 2 Palestinians were arrested at the compound. Another 4 Palestinians were arrested in the vicinity of the compound, including a Waqf guard. In Gaza, Palestinians observed a general strike in protest over the U.S. administration’s peace plan. Israeli forces struck targets in Dayr al-Balah and Khan Yunis, causing damage and minor injuries to 2 Palestinian minors. Israeli officials claimed that the attacks were in response to incendiary balloons sent toward Israel. (HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/29; PCHR, WAFA 1/30)

Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to prevent the Palestinian-Israeli politician Heba Yazbak from the Joint List from running during the Israeli elections in March. The committee claimed that she had expressed support for terrorists. Yazbak called the campaign against her a plot of the right wing in “trying to hide the real injustice of the occupation and the blockade.” The Israeli high court of justice will issue a final ruling. (HA 1/29)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian school in ‘Ayn Bus was set on fire, damaging classrooms, and racist Hebrew graffiti was painted on the building. Israeli forces seized tracts of land north of Hebron to expand an Israeli settlement. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Biddu, Bethlehem Tubas, Tulkarm, Hebron, and Jenin. During a raid in Jenin, Israeli forces confiscated a vehicle and cash. Palestinians protested the U.S. administration’s version of a peace plan in several places throughout the West Bank; at least 12 Palestinians were reported injured. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian-owned store in Wadi al-Juz. 8 Palestinians were arrested, including 3 during raids in Silwan and the Old City, and 5 at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Palestinians also protested the U.S. administration’s peace plan. (AJ, HA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/28; PCHR 1/30)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted in the 3 corruption cases against him. Prime Minister Netanyahu had earlier on that day, before the indictment, withdrawn his request for immunity from prosecution. (AJ, HA 1/28)

U.S. president Donald Trump, flanked by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, presented the U.S. administration’s version of a peace plan, which on all contentious issues took maximalist Israeli positions. The plan presented a vision for 2 states; however, the map of these 2 “states” presented with the plan showed a carved-up West Bank where the majority of Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley were annexed by Israel. A swath of land in Israel, where some 250,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel live, would be annexed to the Palestinian “state.” Some land in Israel along the Egyptian border would also be part of the Palestinian state. Jerusalem would become part of Israel and the Palestinian capitol would be east of Jerusalem on the West Bank side of the separation border. Gaza and the West Bank would be connected by a bridge or a tunnel. The Palestinian state would be demilitarized, including disarming Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine (PIJ). Israel would control all of Palestine’s international borders. There would be no right of return for Palestinians as “[t]heir Arab brothers have the moral responsibility to integrate them into their countries as the Jews were integrated into the State of Israel.” Furthermore, the peace plan would allow Jews to pray on Haram al-Sharif and the PA would have to stop paying stipends to families of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Palestinians, according to the plan, would have 4 years after the “peace deal” was signed to achieve the right to their own state. (BBC, NPR, NYT, REU 1/28; AJ, HA 1/29; HA 1/30)

The Palestinian leadership’s response to the U.S. administration’s vision of a peace plan was condemnation. PA president Mahmoud Abbas said that “Trump and Netanyahu declared the slap of the century, not the deal. And we will respond with slaps.” At President Abbas’s speech were representatives from Hamas and PIJ. Hamas said Abbas had spoken with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and that the 2 had agreed to stand together in unity on the matter. Abbas also called for an urgent session at the Arab League to discuss the U.S. peace plan. (AJ, AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 1/28)

Shortly after the U.S. peace plan was released, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he would convene the Israeli cabinet on 2/1 to start annexing Israeli settlements, the Jordan Valley, and the northern Dead Sea. Jared Kushner, senior advisor to President Trump, said shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement that he did not believe that Israel would start annexing West Bank settlements on 2/1, contradicting the Israeli prime minister. (HA, HA, HA 1/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided a school southwest of Jenin and seized construction equipment and a tractor. Israeli forces also closed the Huwwara checkpoint for the 1st of 2 days coinciding with the Bahrain workshop. In several places throughout the West Bank, Palestinians protested the Bahrain workshop. Israeli forces arrested 13 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Tulkarm, Jenin, and Hebron. During a raid near Ramallah, several Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets as they were protesting the Israeli incursion. A carpentry store was also damaged by Israeli forces during the incursion. In Bayt Umar, Israel forces prevented utility workers from working on the electricity network and seized a crane and a vehicle. In East Jerusalem, Israeli municipal workers tore down a protest tent set up by Palestinians protesting the Israeli planned demolitions of a number of buildings in Silwan. In Gaza, Israeli authorities halted transfers of fuel to the Gaza power plant indefinitely, citing incendiary balloons. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishing boats and detained 3 Palestinian fishermen within the permitted fishing area. 3 Palestinians were injured by live fire east of Bayt Hanun. The 1st day of a 2-day general strike was observed in Gaza in protest of the Bahrain workshop. (GISHA, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/25; WAFA; WAFA 6/26)

Charges against a Palestinian man accused of raping a 7-year-old girl in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank was dropped after an Israeli court found that there was not enough evidence tying the man to the rape. The Israeli military prosecution was criticized for their handling of the investigation and an Israeli army spokesperson said that the military would launch a probe into the investigation. (HA, WAFA 6/25)

The Chilean president Sebastián Pinera met with PA officials in East Jerusalem and toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. (HA 6/26)

The U.S.-sponsored Bahrain workshop on Middle East economic development, dubbed the Peace to Prosperity, began for the 1st of 2 days. Despite focusing on the economic element of peace between Palestine and Israel, neither country was represented at the workshop. The U.S. peace team intends to raise $50 billion in contributions for economy development in Palestine and for its neighbors. A spokesperson for PA president Mahmoud Abbas said that the Arab Peace Initiative from 2002 was a red line that could not be redrafted if a peace plan was to be executed. The comments followed U.S. special adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump Jared Kushner’s comments to Al-Jazeera that a peace deal would need to be found “somewhere between the Arab peace initiative and between the Israeli position.” (WAFA 6/25; HA 6/26)

The national security advisers of Israel, Russia, and the U.S. met in Israel to discuss the security situation in the Middle East. (HA 6/24)

The UK announced that it would increase its support to the UNRWA to $85.5 million. (WAFA 6/26)

In the West Bank, 10 Palestinians were reported arrested by Israeli forces. In East Jerusalem, clashes between Israeli police and Muslim worshippers erupted after 120 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound on the Israeli-celebrated Jerusalem Day, which included a flag march through the Old City. 1 Palestinian was injured with a head injury after being beaten by Israeli police and others suffered from tear gas inhalation. The march also left much of East Jerusalem closed to Palestinians. 40 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids and throughout the day. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/2)

The Israeli state comptroller criticized the Israeli and Jerusalem authorities for neglecting social services in East Jerusalem such as garbage disposal and street cleaning. The state comptroller also criticized the waiting time for East Jerusalem Palestinians seeking Israeli citizenship. (HA 6/2)

An Israeli police officer was charged with fracturing the leg of a Palestinian citizen of Israel and assaulting 7 others detained at a demonstration in Haifa in 2018. (HA 6/2)

Israel struck targets in Syria for the 2d day in a row. 2 people were reportedly killed and 2 others injured when Israeli missiles hit buildings at a Syrian military base in Homs. (HA 6/3; HA 6/4)

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said of the still-unannounced U.S. peace plan that Egypt would not accept terms against Palestinian wishes. (HA 6/3)

U.S. president Donald Trump said of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to form a government that he is “not happy” with the outcome and that Israeli politicians “should get their act together.” (HA 6/3)

U.S. special adviser and son-in-law to President Donald Trump Jared Kushner said, when asked if he believed that Palestinians were capable of governing themselves, that “we’ll have to see. The hope is that they, over time, will become capable of governing.” Kushner would also not confirm if the U.S. peace plan includes 2 states. “I do think they should have self-determination. I’m going to leave the details until we come out with the plan.” (AJ 6/3)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers puncture the tires of several Palestinian vehicles and leave racist graffiti on nearby walls in Iskaka village near Salfit. Approximately 30 armed settlers enter Urif village near Nablus in the evening. They damage equipment at an infrastructure construction site and spark clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinians in the area; 3 Palestinians are injured. IDF troops also violently disperse Palestinian schoolchildren throwing stones in Hebron; and patrol near Qalqilya, Tulkarm, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, several senior Islamic Waqf officials enter Haram al-Sharif via al-Rahma Gate and pray at the sanctuary. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home in al-Walaja. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza City and al-Bureij refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian homes, farmers, and shepherds near Rafah, Khan Yunis, and Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. In the evening, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians gathering to continue the Great March of Return near Rafah; 6 Palestinians are injured. (MNA, MNA, WAFA 2/14; MNA, MNA 2/15; PCHR 2/21)

On the 2d day of a Middle East security conference in Warsaw, U.S. president Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner says that the Trump administration’s long-awaited plan for Palestinian-Israeli peace will require compromises of both sides. “We hear Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel and we understand that there is a chance,” he adds. “They do a better job than me to explain why there is a reason to be optimistic.” Kushner also says that the Trump administration’s plan is not based on the Arab Peace Initiative. “I think it was a great initiative, in 2002 when it was done, but it hasn’t produced peace.” After meeting with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo says that “stability in the Middle East” won’t be achieved “without confronting Iran.” Netanyahu’s office later leaks a video recorded during a closed session in Warsaw on 2/13 depicting several Arab foreign ministers downplaying the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in relation to Iran in terms of issues threatening the security of the Middle East. Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa is depicted saying that “toxic” money from Iran has obstructed past efforts to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. (AP, EI, HA, HA, HA, JP, JP, JP, JP, TOI, TOI, YA, YA 2/14)

Israeli forces arrest a Lebanese minor after he crosses the Israel-Lebanon border armed with a knife. (HA, MNA 2/14)

Israeli forces conduct raids in Abu Dis overnight, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians; 9 Palestinians are injured, including several schoolchildren. Elsewhere in East Jerusalem, approximately 240 right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif in the morning. In the West Bank, IDF troops raid a charity in central Hebron, damaging files and other property. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians gathering in central Hebron to welcome a member of their community home after spending 14 years in an Israeli prison; 3 Palestinians are arrested and none are seriously injured. The IDF also arrests 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid near Qalqilya and patrols near Jenin and Hebron. (MNA, WAFA 9/20; PCHR 9/28)

Addressing the UNGA in New York, PA pres. Abbas reiterates his support for a 2-state solution, promises to send PA officials to take control of Gaza next week, and expresses hope for U.S. pres. Trump to forge a “historic” Palestinian-Israeli peace agreement. He says the Palestinians are giving Trump’s efforts a chance, but that they will ask for equal status within the international community if Israel undermines the U.S. efforts. Later, Trump and Abbas meet. According to Palestinian and U.S. sources, Trump asks Abbas to give him and his administration time to draft a new peace plan. Abbas reportedly agrees. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 9/20; HA 9/24)