The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian laborers attempting to cross the separation wall nr. Hebron, wounding 2. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in al-‘Arub r.c. and 2 villages nr. Hebron at night; patrols in 1 village each nr. Bethlehem and Jenin at night. In al-‘Arub r.c., Israeli forces detain more than 30 Palestinians after a petrol bomb is thrown at a military watchtower nr. the camp. (MNA 9/7; PCHR 9/12)

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says that the EU will ensure new funding guidelines regarding West Bank settlements will not harm relations with Israel, speaking in Vilnius, Lithuania, after a meeting with U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry. Ashton says the guidelines will be implemented “sensitively.” Kerry urges the EU to postpone altogether the new restrictions. (HA, REU 9/7)

U.S. Pres. Obama uses his weekly radio and internet address to reassure Americans of the necessity and limits of a military strike on Syria. A recent poll showed that only 19% of the U.S. public supports an intervention. An AIPAC source tells the media that the Israel lobby organization plans to send 250 activists to lobby lawmakers in Washington during the coming week, to push for support for a military strike on Syria. Meanwhile, EU FMs meeting in Lithuania blame the Asad regime for the use of chemical weapons but do not endorse military action. (AP, REU 9/7)

The Egyptian military launches a major offensive against Islamist militants in the n. Sinai, deploying helicopter gunships and armored vehicles in an attack that kills 9 fighters and wounds another 20. Fifteen are arrested, and 2 Egyptian soldiers are also killed. Egyptian authorities also close the Rafah crossing with the Gaza Strip, citing “security concerns.” (AP, MNA, REU 9/7)

In the West Bank, IDF soldiers demolish 2 structures in Oz Zion, a Jewish settlement outpost nr. Ramallah. The IDF also patrols in al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron and 2 villages nr. Hebron in the afternoon, and in 1 village nr. Ramallah at night. IDF soldiers violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners. The demonstrations are held in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Nabi Salih, Budrus), 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma’sara), 1 village nr. Hebron (Bayt Ummar), al-Haraiek area nr. Hebron, al-Shakara area nr. Ramallah, and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum); 1 Palestinian is seriously injured in Kafr Qaddum by a tear gas canister to the head. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Jabaliya r.c. shoot and wound 1 Palestinian in the Gaza Strip. Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the north Gaza coast and also off the south Gaza coast off Khan Yunis: no damage or injuries reported. (AFP, MNA 4/26; PCHR 5/2)

The European Union missions in Ramallah and Jerusalem express serious concern over Israel’s demolition of 22 structures across 8 locations in the West Bank and East Jerusalem earlier in the week that displaced 28 Palestinians. The EU statement notes that some of the destroyed structures were funded by member states. (JP 4/27)

U.S. Pres. Barack Obama hosts Jordan’s King Abdullah II at the White House, with discussions to include the Syrian crisis, as well as Jordan’s political and economic developments. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office before the meeting, Pres. Obama says he would respond ‘‘prudently’’ and ‘‘deliberately’’ to solid evidence Syria has used chemical weapons, a development he describes as a ‘‘game changer’’ for Washington (see 4/23). (AFP, AP, REU, NYT 4/26)

Israeli media report on an internal Foreign Ministry document that predicts that the EU will increase efforts in 2013 to pressure Israel and the Palestinians to reach an agreement. The report suggests that the EU may try to promote the establishment of an actual Palestinian state independent of negotiations with Israel. Other Israeli media report that the PA is seeking to join a number of international organizations in the light of their successful UN statehood bid, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Israel’s Foreign Ministry is apparently seeking to stymie these efforts through its ambassadors in countries where the organizations’ headquarters are located. Meanwhile, Palestinian officials in Ramallah claim that Israel is refusing to renew the VIP cards of several senior PA officials, complicating their ability to move freely around the West Bank and Israel. (HA, JP, ToI 12/26)

Israeli and Palestinian officials confirm that Israel will allow materials for private construction into the Gaza Strip for the 1st time since mid-2007. The deal will allow up to 20 trucks of gravel to enter the territory daily through Kerem Shalom crossing in the south. (MNA 12/25; AFP 12/26)

In the West Bank, the IDF raids the Palestinian village of Yatta in the south, sparking a clash with stone-throwing Palestinians; 1 Palestinian is injured when he is hit in the head by a tear-gas canister. The IDF patrols in Tulkarm, nearby Nur Shams r.c., and 1 village nr. Jericho at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 3 nearby villages, 1 village nr. Bethlehem, and 1 village nr. Jenin at night. (PNN, WAFA 12/26; MNA, PCHR 12/27)

Fatah’s Revolutionary Council meets in Ramallah to discuss internal and national issues, including the next steps to take following the UN bid and subsequent Israeli settlement expansion. (MNA 12/26)

Anonymous Israeli officials confirm a story in al-Quds al-Arabi that PM Netanyahu secretly met Jordan’s King Abdallah in Amman recently (no dates reported) to discuss the risk of Syria’s chemical weapons falling into the hands of armed Islamist groups. (REU 12/26)