The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Issawiyya and Silwan. (WAFA, WAFA 9/2)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh expressed “great concern” over news that Israel and the U.S. were planning to implement parts of the economic peace deal announced at the June Manama workshop. So far, a field hospital is being constructed near the Erez crossing funded and operated by a U.S. evangelical Christian group FriendShips. FriendShips advertise that its medical volunteers will be able “to see and enjoy the Biblical sites of Israel when not working on the site in Gaza.” (TOI 12/1; WAFA 12/2; REU 12/3)

The organizing committee of the Great March of Return protests announced that it would resume planning weekly protests after canceling them for 3 weeks due to tensions between Gaza and Israel. (HA 12/2)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man was rushed to a hospital in Ramallah after being beaten by Israeli forces at a checkpoint outside of Ramallah. Israeli forces also arrested 19 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Salfit, and Ramallah. Israeli settlers slashed tires and sprayed racist graffiti on walls in Duma village. Israeli forces razed land and demolished 1 house and 2 greenhouses in al-Walaja. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrested 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Issawiyya. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level land east of Khan Yunis. Israeli forces also arrested 1 Palestinian at the Erez crossing. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/16; PCHR 9/19)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with the Israeli Army Radio that he “intends to extend [Israeli] sovereignty on all the settlements and the [settlement] blocs . . . sites that have security importance or are important to Israel’s heritage.” PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said in response that the “Jordan Valley is part of Palestinian lands and any settlement or annexation is illegal,” further stating that the PA will sue Israel in international courts. (AJ, WAFA 9/16)

Cross-border violence in Gaza continues for a 4th day. Hamas forces fire at least 2 mortar shells at an IDF position overnight nr. Rafah, causing no injuries. Israeli forces then shell Hamas positions in e. Rafah and an Islamic Jihad position nr. Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. Also in Gaza, 3 Palestinian children die in a house fire sparked by a candle they were using because power outages have lasted 18 hours per day. Hamas officials will blame the Israeli blockade for their deaths. Across the oPt, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday demonstrations against Israel’s occupation, separation wall, and settlements in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Silwad, and Nabi Salih), 1 nr. Qalqilya, and along Gaza’s border nr. the Erez crossing; 4 Palestinians are injured. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops conduct late-night raids nr. Jenin and Hebron, arresting 3 Palestinians; patrol nr. Tulkarm and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, around 300 elderly Gazans visit Haram al-Sharif after the Israeli authorities lift a 2-week ban on Gazans’ Friday visits to the sanctuary. (BBC, HA, JP, MNA, OCHA, TOI, YA 5/6; HA 5/7; PCHR 5/12)

Stabbing and other small-scale attacks continue in Israel and Jerusalem. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians attack a group of Jewish Israelis on an Israeli bus in Jabal Mukabir, killing 2 and injuring at least 10 (a 3d Israeli will succumb to injuries sustained in the attack on 10/27). Israeli police shoot the 2 Palestinians, killing 1 and seriously injuring the other. In West Jerusalem, a Palestinian driver rams an Israeli pedestrian, then gets out of his car and stabs 5 other Israelis (1 Israeli will succumb to his injuries later in the day). Israeli police shoot and critically injure the Palestinian before arresting him (the Palestinian succumbs to his injuries later in the day). In Israel, Israeli police shoot and seriously injure a Palestinian after he stabs and moderately injures an Israeli in Ra’anana, n. of Tel Aviv. Later, a Palestinian stabs and injures 4 Israelis in the same city. Several Jewish Israelis assault and detain him as he attempts to flee, including 1 Israeli driver who rams the man with his vehicle. An Israeli man attacks a Palestinian citizen of Israel in Netanya, lightly injuring him. In Kiryat Ata nr. Haifa, a Jewish Israeli stabs and moderately injures another Jewish Israeli, mistakenly identifying him as a Palestinian. Following the morning’s attacks, Israel’s security cabinet meets and decides not to return the bodies of Palestinians shot and killed by Israeli forces after carrying out attacks on Israeli citizens. Instead of returning the bodies to their families, they will bury them secretly. The cabinet also decides to revoke the residency status of Palestinian attackers, bar any homes punitively demolished from being rebuilt, and allow the police to “impose a closure on, or to surround, centers of friction and incitement in Jerusalem, in accordance with security considerations”. (HA, JP, NYT, TOI 10/13; EI, HA, MNA, NYT 10/14; HA 10/27)

For the 5th day in a row, IDF troops open fire on hundreds of Palestinians protesting along Gaza’s border fence e. of al-Bureij r.c. and nr. the Erez border crossing, injuring 51. They also disperse and drive back around 30 Palestinians who cross the s. border. The Israeli authorities close the Erez crossing shortly after the clashes. Later, Palestinians open fire on Israeli forces patrolling along the border fence e. of Khan Yunis, causing no damage. Off the coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats nr. Gaza City, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI 10/13; HA 10/14; PCHR 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops clash with and violently disperse Palestinians protesting and throwing stones throughout the region, killing 1 Palestinian in Bethlehem and injuring at least 33. Israeli forces raid the Jenin home of the Palestinian who allegedly stabbed and injured an Israeli soldier in Afula on 10/8, preparing for a possible punitive demolition. The IDF also conducts raids and house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm, arresting 13 Palestinians. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian drivers nr. Nablus and nr. Hebron, injuring 1 Palestinian in the former and sparking minor clashes in the latter. Israeli settlers also assault and moderately injure a Palestinian youth outside a settlement e. of Jerusalem; assault 4 Palestinian farmers working nr. Ramallah. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/13; PCHR 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

In Israel, many schools, public institutions, and businesses in predominantly Palestinian cities go on strike, and around 20,000 Palestinian citizens of Israel and solidarity activists march through Sakhnin protesting the recent Israeli restrictions at Haram al-Sharif and violations in the oPt. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/13; EI, HA 10/14; PCHR 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

Three errant mortar shells launched from Syria land in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF fires artillery shells at 2 Syrian army targets nr. the border, causing damage. (HA, JP, TOI 10/13)

In the Gaza Strip, the IDF continues its assault with attacks on 41 targets, killing 11 Palestinians and injuring dozens. Israeli fighter jets and drones strike targets in n. Gaza, as well as nr. Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah, while IDF troops fire smoke bombs and live ammunition across the Israel-Gaza border in 1 location and Israeli artillery shelling hits 2 others. The armed Palestinian groups fire over 100 projectiles into Israel; of which, 3 land in urban areas, 73 land in open areas, and 17 are intercepted by Iron Dome batteries. Meanwhile, Hamas executes 4 alleged collaborators with Israel in the courtyard of a mosque in Jabaliya r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts patrols in Hebron and 2 nearby villages, as well as 1 village nr. Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces clash with a group of Palestinian youth outside a checkpoint nr. Shu‘fat, and 1 Palestinian is wounded when the soldiers open fire with tear gas and rubbercoated metal bullets. (AFP, AP, HA, MNA 8/23; PCHR 8/28)

Following talks between Hamas leader Mishal and PA Pres. Abbas in Doha on 8/21 and 8/22, Hamas publicly agrees to support Abbas’s application to join the ICC. According to PLO chief negotiator Erakat, only Islamic Jihad has not yet approved the document Abbas is asking all Palestinian factions to sign before he moves forward. (AFP, AP, MNA 8/23)

On the diplomatic front, Abbas travels to Cairo for talks with Egyptian pres. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. After their meeting, Abbas says “my main goal is for the truce talks to resume in Egypt as soon as possible.” In an interview on Egyptian television, Abbas says that he is planning a major diplomatic initiative and that he will present the plan to U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry, who is scheduled to visit the region in the coming days. The plan reportedly includes asking the UN to set a timetable for the Israeli occupation and signing the Rome Statue on behalf of the PA, which would give the ICC jurisdiction over cases relating to the occupation. For its part, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry releases a statement after the Abbas/al-Sisi meeting inviting the Israelis and Palestinians to return to Cairo for further cease-fire negotiations. (AJ, HA, WSJ 8/23)

Israeli PM Netanyahu holds talks with UN Secy.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon. Netanyahu compares Hamas to ISIS, in reference to the group’s 8/22 execution of collaborators, and blames the group for the latest escalation in violence. (AJ, HA, REU 8/23)

In the evening, 2 rockets are fired from Lebanon into n. Israel. No group claims responsibility for the attack, though Lebanese military officials suspect a small, local Palestinian group. Late at night, 5 rockets are fired from Syria into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israeli military officials say that a Palestinian group, not Syrian govt. forces, is responsible. Between the 2 sets of rocket attacks, 8 Israelis are lightly injured. (DS, JP, REU 8/23; AFP, HA, YA 8/24)

Israeli DM Ehud Barak decides to close a gap in the separation fence between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim settlement, putting Ma’ale Adumim outside the Separation Wall and preventing Palestinians from reaching area E1. (HA 1/21)

IDF troops on the Gaza border open fire on Palestinians close to the border fence in 2 incidents nr. the Erez crossing (wounding 1) and Jabalya (no injuries). Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast nr. al-Waha, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes agricultural sheds, tin-made homes, and a water well s. of Hebron; patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Jenin and 2 nearby villages, and 1 village each nr. Hebron and nr. Nablus at night. (MNA 1/21; PCHR 1/23)

Palestinian protesters in Balata r.c. nr. Nablus set fire to tires and demonstrate against the PA’s detention of Fatahaffiliated gunmen who gave themselves up on 1/17. Requests by Palestinian Council (PC) deputies to visit the detainees have been ignored. (MNA 1/21)

Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad announces that Hamas and Fatah will form a tripartite comm. with Egypt to implement national reconciliation. Meanwhile, an Egyptian security official confirms that an Egyptian delegation will soon visit the Gaza Strip to push forward the reconciliation efforts. (MNA 1/21)

The EU announces that Denmark and Holland agree to jointly contribute around €7.2 m. to the payment of 12/2012 salaries and pensions for more than 80,000 Palestinian civil servants and pensioners in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (WAFA 1/21)

In the morning, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border w. of the Erez crossing direct gunfire and 1 artillery shell at open areas around the former Nisanit settlement site, causing no reported injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya launch 4 artillery shells at open areas near the border, causing no reported injuries. Late at night, Israeli warplanes make a total of 7 air strikes on greenhouses and open areas nr. the Bayt Lahiya border in the north, a suspected weapons factory in c. Gaza, and a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. A Palestinian civilian dies of injuries sustained in a 11/14/01 IDF air strike on a UNRWA school in Khan Yunis. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 9 Palestinian stores in al-Oja village in the Jordan Valley, n. of Jericho; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah (where they target the home of Hamas-affiliated Reform and Change PC mbr. ‘Abd al-Jabir Fuqaha, arresting him, summoning his son for interrogation, and confiscating his computer, phone, and files), in Nablus, and nr. Hebron; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya (summoning 3 Palestinians for interrogation). In East Jerusalem’s Shaykh Jarrah neighborhood, Israeli security forces raid the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office and a protest tent outside, detaining Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. Muhammad Toutah and Khalid Abu Arafa, who had been living at the ICRC offices since 6/2010 to protest Israel’s 9/2009 decision to revoke their Jerusalem IDs on the grounds that they are affiliated with a “terrorist organization” (i.e., Hamas); Israeli authorities expel them to the West Bank. Hamasaffiliated PC mbr. Ismail Ashkar comments, “Every time we move toward reconciliation and reactivating the Palestinian parliament, we see Israel targeting our lawmakers.” (AFP, JP, NYT, YA 1/24; WP, WT 1/25; PCHR 1/26; OCHA 1/27)

Israeli embassies and mission in the Hague, Brussels, London, New York, Boston, and Houston receive envelopes containing a suspicious white powder that turns out to be flour, raising fears of an anthrax attack. No one takes responsibility. (DS 1/24; JPI 2/3)

On Naksa Day, commemorating the 1967 war, IDF troops open fire on 100s of unarmed Palestinian refugees and supporters inside Syria who try to cross a trench and earthen berm 150 m. on the approach to the border fence nr. the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. Syrian authorities report 22 killed and more than 350 wounded, possibly marking the worst violence on the Syrian border since the 1973 war; Israel says the numbers are exaggerated, however. More protests are held inside Syria nr. the border at Qunaytra; the IDF fires tear gas and percussion grenades when protesters begin to march toward the border, but no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF clashes with up to 200 stone-throwing Palestinian protesters at the Qalandia crossing (using tear gas and percussion grenades to disperse them) and blocks Palestinian marchers fr. approaching Elon Moreh settlement nr. Nablus. In Gaza, Hamas-affiliated police block 10s (possibly 100s) of demonstrators fr. approaching the Erez crossing. Overall, protests are much smaller than the Nakba Day demonstrations on 5/13–15, with no protests reported in Egypt, Jordan, or Lebanon. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 4 villages nr. Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun and Nur Shams r.c. By this date, the IDF has also arrested Fatah PC mbr. Hussam Khader in a raid on Nablus. (AFP, AP, IsRN, KUNA, MNA, The Media Line [online] 6/5; NYT, WP, WT 6/6; PCHR 6/9; OCHA 6/10; WT 6/15; PCHR 6/16; OCHA 6/24)

IDF troops on the Gaza border nr. Erez crossing open fire at a group of Palestinians hunting birds nr. the border fence, wounding 1 Palestinian. Later, IDF troops on the Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun open fire on Palestinian farmers working their land nearby, wounding 1 of them. The IDF also makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza to level land along the border fence to clear lines of sight. (OCHA 11/20; PCHR 11/19)

Palestinians fire 2 mortars at the IDF position at the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF responds late in the evening with 2 air strikes (the 1st since 6/13/09) on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. During the day, IDF troops make a brief incursion into central Gaza nr. al-Maghazi r.c. to level land along the border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. and nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Salfit. Jewish settlers in Hebron beat a Palestinian man. (WP 8/10; OCHA, PCHR, WJW 8/13)

IDF troops fire on armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. the Israel-Gaza border, sparking a cross-border exchange of gunfire and calling in an air strike, leaving 2 armed Palestinians dead and 3 armed Palestinians and 1 IDF soldier wounded; the IDF enters Gaza to clear the area, claiming to find a cache of grenades and an antitank missile. Palestinians also fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The UN reports that in 3/09, a total of 10 Palestinians were killed in tunnel incidents (7 collapses, 2 electrocutions, 1 fall) and 12 were rescued fr. tunnels experiencing unexplained breathing difficulties. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Tubas. The UN reports that over the previous wk., the IDF has installed a guardrail along 7 km of Road 317 (used by Jewish settlers) nr. Hebron to prevent Palestinian herders fr. crossing the road to access grazing areas. (OCHA, WP 4/1; PCHR 4/2)

The Knesset approves (69–45, with 5 Labor MKs who had opposed joining the coalition abstaining, 1 Israeli Palestinian MK absent) Netanyahu’s coalition government, which bills itself as representing Israelis who are unhappy with the peace process, worn down by Palestinian rocket fire fr. Gaza, and increasingly worried about the growing regional influence of Iran. (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 4/1; WJW 4/2)

IDF troops, bulldozers cross into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of Khan Yunis, exchanging fire with Hamas mbrs., causing no reported injures. In a similar incident nr. the Erez crossing, IDF soldiers exchange fire with DFLP gunmen, causing no reported injuries. The IDF also makes an air strike on an alleged rocket-launching site in n. Gaza, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat a 6-yr.-old Palestinian boy on his way to school until his grandfather halts the attack; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Hamas accuses PA security forces in the West Bank of arresting 26 Hamas mbrs. and supporters, mostly in Hebron, but also in Bethlehem, Jericho, and Salfit. (HA, JP, MNA, REU, YA 11/8; HA, JAZ, MNA 11/9; OCHA 11/12; PCHR 11/13)

After a last-minute talks in Cairo between Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulayman and senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahhar fr. Gaza, Hamas’s dep. leader Musa Abu Marzuq announces from Damascus that Hamas will not attend national unity talks in Cairo on 11/9. Hamas officials cite Egyptian and PA unwillingness to compromise on the wording of an Egyptian draft national unity statement or to discuss issues of importance to Hamas, and the PA’s failure to fulfill a pledge to release 100s of Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners held in the West Bank as a confidence-building gesture in advance of the summit. (AFP 11/8; NYT, WT 11/9; see also MNR 11/7)

Rice stops in Jenin to meet with Abbas and to inaugurate a new hospital wing funded by USAID, announcing another $14 m. in USAID funds for Jenin. (HA 11/8; IFM, NYT, WP, WT 11/9)

The IDF reopens the Erez crossing (closed since a 5/22 bombing) for limited VIP and medical travel; sends troops, bulldozers into al-Bureij r.c. in c. Gaza to level 70 d. of agricultural land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, and in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus. Jewish settlers attempt to occupy a plot of Palestinian land nr. Bil‘in to establish a new unauthorized outpost; the IDF removes the settlers. (OCHA 5/28; PCHR 5/29)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Juhur al-Dik in c. Gaza to raid, search a municipal building and cultural center, firing on surrounding residential areas, killing a 63-yr.-old Palestinian man, bulldozing the municipal building and 370 d. of agricultural land (including 5 poultry farms, killing 5,000 chickens), ordering all Palestinian men in the area to surrender for questioning, releasing all but one by late evening. During the day, under cover of Palestinian mortar fire, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a truck bomb on the Palestinian side of the Erez crossing, damaging a passenger tunnel but causing no other casualties; the IDF makes a helicopter air strike on a jeep accompanying the truck, killing 1 armed Palestinian; Israel seals the crossing, which has been opened to limited VIP traffic and extreme medical cases, until repairs can be made; no group takes responsibility for the attack, apparently intended to capture an IDF soldier. Some 5,000 Palestinians stage a nonviolent march fr. Gaza City to Qarni crossing to protest Israel’s ongoing siege; IDF troops at the crossing fire on the marchers, killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 16 Palestinians (including 6 youths). Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Ramallah and in Qabatya nr. Jenin. At lest 10 Jewish settlers fr. Hebron throw stones at Palestinian children and teachers leaving a school, injuring 1 teacher and a 12-yr.-old boy; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (IFM 5/22; WT 5/23; OCHA 5/28; PCHR 5/29)

Overnight, the IDF makes air strikes on suspected rocket-launching sites in n. Gaza, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., 1 unidentified armed Palestinian, 2 bystanders. Across Gaza, several thousand Palestinians take part in a nonviolent march to the border with Israel to urge an end to the siege; Hamasaffiliated security forces block demonstrators fr. reaching the Erez crossing. After the rally, some Palestinian youths gather at Erez and throw stones toward IDF positions, burn tires; the IDF fires on them, wounding 2. Palestinians fire 11 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, seriously injuring a 10-yr.-old Israeli boy in Sederot. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Nablus in a truck with Palestinian license plates, raiding a shop, firing on those inside, wounding 2 Palestinians, arresting 6 (including a 16-yr.- old boy); conducts rare arrest raids, house searches in Jericho. (IFM, JP, NYT 2/25; NYT, WT 2/26; OCHA 2/27; PCHR 2/28)

Israel allows another 216 Gazans to leave Gaza through the Erez crossing for the Hajj (see 12/16); makes another “exceptional” opening of Sufa crossing to allow entry of livestock (85 truckloads of livestock have been allowed in since 12/16). The IDF makes air strikes on 2 cars in Gaza City, assassinating 6 Islamic Jihad mbrs. including senior cmdr. and master rocket maker Majid Harazin (who had been on Israel’s wanted list for 9 yrs. and targeted for assassination 3 times previously), his senior lieutenant Jihad Dhahir in the 1st strike and another senior rocket designer, Karim Dadu, in the 2d strike; 5 children are wounded in the 1st strike. In the West Bank, the IDF arrests senior Reform and Change employee Murad Badir Shahin, raids his Hebron home. (NYT 12/17; WP 12/18; NYT, OCHA 12/19; PCHR 12/27)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire a surface-to-surface missile at a group of Palestinians preparing to fire a rocket into Israel, killing 2 Palestinian resistance mbrs., wounding 4; exchange fire with Palestinian gunmen across the border nr. Erez crossing, causing no reported injuries; make air strikes on as many as 5 suspected rocket-launching sites in the Bayt Hanun area, causing no reported injuries; shell an open area nr. Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. Hamas organizes large rallies in Gaza City (7,000), Rafah (3,000), al-Bureij r.c. (2,000), and Nussayrat r.c. (2,000) to protest ongoing Israeli excavations nr. the al-Aqsa Mosque. A Palestinian is killed when a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Balata r.c., Nablus; erects checkpoints, checks IDs in al-Bireh. Jewish settlers fr. Aley Zahav and P’duel w. of Salfit vandalize a nearby Palestinian home, light a fire near the house, damage a car and an animal pen; IDF troops observe but do not intervene. In Gaza City, unidentified assailants detonate an explosive device outside an ESF post, causing damage but no injuries. Later, unidentified assailants detonate a bomb outside Fatah al-Yasir offices nearby, causing significant damage but no injuries.ESF officers find, dismantle another explosive device in Gaza City; the target of that attack is unclear. (OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22)

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

In Gaza, Palestinians fire 3 mortars at IDF bulldozers clearing Palestinian land on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF bulldozes Palestinian land nr. the Qarni crossing, along the border e. of Dayr al-Balah. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Jenin r.c. in a failed attempt to capture West Bank AMB leader Zakariya Zubaydi, fatally shooting Muhammad Hayja (his deputy and a local AMB leader). The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Qalqilya, Tubas. (NYT, WP 7/2; OCHA 7/4; PCHR 7/5)

Abbas issues a presidential decree banning all militias, including the AMB, which vows to ignore the order. Meanwhile, the IDF withdraws fr. an area n. of Jabaliya r.c. occupied on 6/22; bulldozes 3 plots of Palestinian land nr. the Erez crossing, the border fence e. of Dayr al-Balah, and the Sufa crossing. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza City coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Jenin r.c., surrounds the home of a wanted Islamic Jihad mbr., sparking an exchange of gunfire that leaves 1 Palestinian bystander (a relative of the wanted man) dead; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Balata r.c. (firing percussion grenades that spark a fire, damaging a restaurant) and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Hadasah severely beat a 13-yr.-old Palestinian boy in Hebron. (OCHA, WP 6/27; PCHR, WP 6/28)

In retaliation for the deaths in Jenin late on 6/19, the AMB, Islamic Jihad fire at least 6 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, lightly injuring 1 Israeli; the IDF responds with helicopter air strikes on 2 launching sites nr. Bayt Hanun, 1 nr. Erez crossing, causing no reported injuries. Islamic Jihad mbrs. also fire 4 RPGs at IDF soldiers nr. Dayr al-Balah and detonate a roadside bomb, causing no injuries. The IDF makes a major raid on al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis, killing 5 Palestinians (at least 4 of them armed, including at least 2 Hamas mbrs.); 1 IDF soldier is injured. After the UN and Israeli human rights groups warn of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza within a mo. if borders are not opened to trade, Israel allows shipments of wheat flour into Gaza through Kerem Shalom; also temporarily opens the Erez crossing to allow some 200 foreign nationals, a handful of special medical cases to leave Gaza. Meanwhile, Egypt withdraws its security delegation fr. Gaza, orders its amb. to move residence fr. Gaza to Ramallah in what is seen as a political move backing Abbas and breaking ties with Hamas. ESF mbrs. kidnap, fatally shoot a Fatah mbr. in Gaza City. Unidentified gunmen fire on an ESF patrol nr. Nussayrat r.c., causing no injuries. AMB mbrs. stage a march in Hebron in support of Abbas. (NYT 6/20; Interfax, MNA, OCS, XIN 6/20 in WNC 6/21; NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 6/21; OCHA 6/27; PCHR 6/28)

Israel allows 12 trucks with food, medical supplies to enter Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing; evacuates 2 Palestinians wounded in the crossfire at Erez on 6/18, 3 other Palestinian medical cases; allows Israeli medics to enter Erez to treat the 9 others wounded. Twice during the day, IDF troops stationed at the Erez crossing fire toward Palestinians waiting to cross the checkpoint in an attempt to disperse them, wounding another 2. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a curfew on Beita nr. Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin (exchanging fire with Palestinians, killing 1 AMB mbr., 1 Islamic Jihad mbr.), Qalqilya. Israeli security officials announce that they recently arrested 12 PFLP mbrs. for allegedly plotting to kidnap Americans to secure the release of their leader, Ahmad Saadat, who is currently held by Israel. (NYT, WP 6/20; PCHR 6/21)

IDF troops on the Gaza border shoot, wound a Palestinian farmer working his field nr. Jabaliya r.c.; fire on a group of Palestinians who stray nr. the border fence e. of al-Maghazi r.c., causing no injuries; send bulldozers, tanks into Gaza to level land along the border fence nr. Rafah. In Jabaliya r.c., 2 Palestinian children are injured when they accidentally trigger an unexploded IDF tank shell. In Gaza City, a Hamas mbr. dies when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem; occupies a Palestinian home nr. the Hawara checkpoint into Nablus as an observation post; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah, Nablus (Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF vehicle during the raid, injuring 2 IDF soldiers). Nr. Jenin, 2 Palestinian boys are injured when they accidentally trigger unexploded IDF ordnance. The Foreign Press Association bureau in Jerusalem organizes a demonstration by foreign reporters outside the Erez crossing into Gaza in support of kidnapped BBC reporter Johnston. (REU, WT 4/25; PCHR 4/26; OCHA 5/2; PCHR 5/3)

In Gaza, IDF troops at Erez crossing fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border, wounding 1; troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire 2 tank shells at Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ (blowing up the home of a wanted Palestinian), Bayt Sahur, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai throw stones a Palestinian family in nearby Tal Rumayda. (OCHA 1/24; PCHR 1/25; AIC 2/13)

For a 3d day, IDF troops at the Erez crossing fire at Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the 1st such incident since the Gaza ceasefire went into effect on 11/26, an Islamic Jihad mbr. receives a phone call fr. the IDF warning him to evacuate his home pending an air strike; family and neighbors surround the home and no strike is carried out. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in Silat al-Harithiyya, nr. Nablus. Inside Israel, Israeli forces demolish 21 bedouin homes in Twayyil in the Negev. An ESF mbr. is injured in an exchange of fire btwn. ESF, Fatah mbrs. in Bayt Lahiya. ESF, Force 17 mbrs. clash nr. Abbas’s office in Gaza City, leaving a Force 17 mbr. wounded. After nearly 6 mos. of silence, the PRC faction holding captured IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit say that he is in “good health” and is being treated according to “Islamic standards.” (Negev Coexistence Forum press release 1/9; OCHA, WP, WT 1/10; PCHR 1/11)

In Gaza, the IDF makes air strikes on an AMB car carrying rockets to a launch site nr. Bayt Hanun (the targets escape unharmed, 2 bystanders are wounded; a PA security officer later sent to retrieve the deserted car is killed by IDF fire that also wounds 2 bystanders) and on a bridge in n. Gaza; allows the Erez crossing to open for several hrs. for the import of food, medical supplies. The International Comm. of the Red Cross (ICRC) reports that 3 Palestinians with medical problems stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border, closed since 6/25, have died of heat stroke; that some 4,000 Palestinians, including 578 “urgent humanitarian cases” are now waiting on the Egyptian border for reentry to Gaza. A 12- yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received in the IDF shelling of Bayt Lahiya on 7/6. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, and in and around Hebron, Nablus. Overnight, Hamas mbrs. fire on a group of AMB mbrs. in Gaza City, wounding 5 and kidnapping 2; in retaliation, the AMB kidnaps 2 Hamas mbrs.; all 4 abducted men are released by early morning. (HA 7/11; NYT, OCHA 7/12; PCHR 7/13)

Sharon, returning to work a wk. after suffering a mild stroke, orders the IDF to implement Operation Blue Skies to enforce a no-go zone in n. Gaza by all means possible without re-entering the Strip in order to prevent rocket fire, stating that the operation will be open ended; the IDF takes no immediate action, however. The U.S. says (12/28) that it approves the decision, seeing it “in the context of [the PA’s] failure to address the security situation”; that the PA should take “effective measures against such acts [i.e., rocket fire] so that the measures Israel is taking are not necessary.” During the day, the IDF extends the 12/15 general closure on the West Bank and Gaza until 1/3 because of Hanukah; seals the Erez crossing (closed to most Palestinians since 12/16) to VIP and humanitarian cases; sends troops into Anabta, fires live ammunition at stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Late in the evening, the IDF launches an air strike on a Fatah office in Bayt Lahiya, destroying it and cutting electricity to the area; conducts 2 air strikes on a bridge southwest of Bayt Lahiya, also damaging several nearby homes; conducts 3 air strikes on open areas in n. Gaza, causing no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh cut down 120 Palestinian olive trees in Burin, nr. Nablus. In Gaza City, Hamas mbrs. detonate an explosive device outside the home of PA police official Abu Wa’il Saada, causing damage but no injuries; Saada family mbrs. exchange fire with the Hamas mbrs., causing no injuries. (AFP, IMEMC, Israeli cabinet communiqu´e, NYT, WT 12/25; HA, YA 12/26; CSM, PCHR, PMC 12/29)

Overnight, the IDF deploys an artillery battery outside the s. Gaza Strip (since Operation First Rain, artillery has been positioned in Nahal Oz, outside the n. Gaza); begins massing troops in the Gaza border in case the Israeli cabinet calls for ground operations; conducts arrest raids, house searches in the n. West Bank targeting mostly Islamic Jihad mbrs. During the day, the IDF begins erecting a massive new checkpoint (the Zaatara checkpoint) s. of Nablus at Tapuach Junction that will sever the Nablus and Jenin districts from the rest of the West Bank, creating a northern West Bank canton; the crossing, which is similar to the Qalandia checkpoint that Israel has said will be treated as an international crossing, was approved by the IDF Central Command 9 mos. ago and should begin operation in 2 mos. An IDF drone fires on a car in n. Gaza that launched rockets toward Sederot (causing no damage), killing AMB mbr. Majid Nattat. Soon after, Palestinians fire another 2 rockets and a mortar toward Sederot, and the IDF carries out 2 air strikes on 2 roads leading to Bayt Lahiya; no injuries are reported in the exchange. Later, the IDF carries out another 3 air strikes on n. Gaza, causing no reported injuries; fires stun grenades to disperse Palestinians hoping to cross the al-Ram checkpoint into Jerusalem to mark the final Friday of Ramadan at al-Aqsa mosque. Late in the evening, the IDF launches F-16 air strikes on uninhabited areas of n. Gaza; patrols, shoots out street lights in Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Palestinians then fire an antitank rocket at the Erez crossing, causing no damage or injuries. Meanwhile, 10,000s of Palestinians attend the Gaza funerals of the 7 Palestinians killed in the 10/28 Muhanna assassination; AMB, Hamas, Islamic Jihad hold massive armed marches, firing automatic weapons in the air in violation of their agmt. with the PA not to carry or use weapons in public. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by IDF soldiers, severely beat 2 Palestinians in Hebron. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba vandalize several Palestinian homes in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai violently beat 2 Palestinian teenagers in Hebron; the IDF intervenes and detains 1 Palestinian. Mofaz orders the eviction of 15 Jewish settler families living in the unauthorized enclave of Amona in Hebron. (AP, CSM, HA, IDF Radio, IMEMC, REU, YA 10/28; NYT, WP, WT 10/29; HA, IMEMC 10/30; OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/10)

The IDF launches Operation Days of Penitence, sending 3 brigades (ca. 2,000 troops) with 100 tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs), armored bulldozers to cordon off the n. Gaza Strip, killing 8 Palestinians (including at least 3 Hamas mbrs., 3 other armed Palestinians, 2 bystanders), wounding 17 in clashes during the day (some casualties, according to hospital workers, were hit by internationally banned flechettes); 2 Palestinians (including 1 militant) die of injuries received in n. Gaza on 9/29, 9/30; the IDF also drops a bomb on a factory in Jabaliya r.c. Armed Palestinians build sand berms to block streets, lay booby-traps along roads in Jabaliya, wounding 2 IDF soldiers with a roadside bomb. The IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian, captures 7 attempting to cross the Israel-Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing; the AMB, Hamas say the 8 (who are wearing PA police uniforms, carrying 88 lbs of explosives) are their mbrs. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Rafah; fires missiles at a workshop in Gaza City, causing serious damage, no injuries. In Sakhnin, Israel, 3,000 Israeli Palestinians hold a demonstration to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the 10/00 riots, during which 18 Israeli Palestinians died (13 killed by Israeli police, 5 by Israeli civilians). (HA 10/1; JAZ, VOI, VOP 10/1 in WNC 10/5; HA, NYT, WP 10/2; PCHR 10/7)

The IDF partially reopens the Erez crossing into Israel for the 1st time since 3/15, issuing permits for 513 Palestinian workers over age 35 (though only around two-thirds are able to enter Israel because of prolonged searches). The IDF also sends tanks, troops into Palestinian residential areas nr. Gaza’s Netzarim settlement, creating sand berms around 4 Palestinian homes, causing some damage to the buildings, destroying a well and a bird farm; conducts arrest raids in Tubas; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Balata r.c. and Nablus, wounding 5; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; raids a home in Hebron, severely beating 25 residents; razes a grove of 400 olive trees in s. Nablus for construction of a new separation wall segment. (VOP 6/17 in WNC 6/19; PCHR 6/24)