A spokesperson for PA pres. Abbas says that the UN bid will go ahead and that direct talks with the Israelis must wait until after the UNGA vote. The head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby,...
In the morning, IDF troops make a brief incursion into s. Gaza, firing on areas e. of Khuza’; some bullets hit 2 schools while classes are in session, but cause no injuries. Hours later, an...
Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1...
Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1...
Fatah PA pres. Abbas and Hamas leader Mishal end 2 days of talks in Qatar on forming by Fatah-Hamas consensus a transitional government of independent technocrats with a limited mandate to take...
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A spokesperson for PA pres. Abbas says that the UN bid will go ahead and that direct talks with the Israelis must wait until after the UNGA vote. The head of the Arab League, Nabil Elaraby, expresses his support for the initiative. Meanwhile, Israeli FM Lieberman is reported by Israeli media to be telling international diplomats of his intention to severely punish the PA if Abbas goes ahead with the UN bid. (REU, AFP 11/5; INN 11/6)
In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, and in 1 village nr. Jericho and 1 village nr. Qalqilya at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages nr. Hebron, 1 village nr. Qalqilya, 1 village nr. Bethlehem, 1 village nr. Nablus, and 1 village nr. Tubas. Jewish settlers from Kiryat Arba uproot around 70 Palestinian-owned olive and fruit trees nr. Hebron. In the al-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem, Jewish settlers attack a Palestinian family, residents of a home that an Israeli court has ruled was sold by a relative to the Elad settler organization. (MNA 11/5; PCHR 11/8)
The IDF says that a bullet fired from inside Syria hit 1 of its vehicles in the occupied Golan Heights, causing no injuries. As fighting between government and opposition forces in Syria continues, 7 Palestinians are killed in government shelling of Yarmuk r.c. (AP 11/5; NYT, MNA 11/5)
In the morning, IDF troops make a brief incursion into s. Gaza, firing on areas e. of Khuza’; some bullets hit 2 schools while classes are in session, but cause no injuries. Hours later, an Israeli helicopter gunship opens fire on open areas nr. Khuza’, causing no injuries. IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza e. of Juhur al-Dik village to level land and clear lines of sight. Late at night, the IDF makes a brief incursions into c. Gaza el. of al-Bureij r.c., firing 2 artillery shells at open areas, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF fills in an agricultural pool serving Palestinian agricultural land nr. Kiryat Arba settlement nr. Hebron; conducts morning patrols in Jericho, 1 nearby village, and 1 village nr. Ramallah; makes late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; conduct late-night patrols in 4 other villages nr. Jenin (3 synchronized) and 1 nr. Jericho. (PCHR 5/3, 5/10; OCHA 5/11)
Israel’s Prison Service say 100s of jailed Palestinians have joined a mass hunger strike in recent days, bringing the total number observing hunger strikes to at least 1,550 (or one-third of the Palestinian prisoner population of 4,700), including Islamic Jihad’s Diab and Halahleh, who have now gone 64 days without eating. PA Pres. Abbas vows to bring the issue of Palestinian administrative detainees before the UN. (PCHR, WT 5/3; NYT 5/4)
Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Qalqilya, afternoon patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm and 1 nr. Jenin; and late-night patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 nr. Qalqilya. 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, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin; protests in Bil’in and Ni’lin also call for solidarity with prisoners and national unity. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (Nabi Salih only), rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 13 Palestinians (5 in Bil’in, including 1 child; 8 in Nabi Salih, including 1 child) and 2 Israeli activists (in Nabi Salih) were injured. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron violently beat 2 Palestinians working their land nearby (1 requires hospitalization) and uproot 10s of olive trees. (PCHR 4/19; OCHA 4/20)
Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Qalqilya, afternoon patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm and 1 nr. Jenin; and late-night patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 nr. Qalqilya. 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, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin; protests in Bil’in and Ni’lin also call for solidarity with prisoners and national unity. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (Nabi Salih only), rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 13 Palestinians (5 in Bil’in, including 1 child; 8 in Nabi Salih, including 1 child) and 2 Israeli activists (in Nabi Salih) were injured. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron violently beat 2 Palestinians working their land nearby (1 requires hospitalization) and uproot 10s of olive trees. (PCHR 4/19; OCHA 4/20)
Fatah PA pres. Abbas and Hamas leader Mishal end 2 days of talks in Qatar on forming by Fatah-Hamas consensus a transitional government of independent technocrats with a limited mandate to take the Palestinians to new presidential and parliamentary elections and to lead reconstruction of Gaza, as agreed under the 5/2011 national unity deal. To overcome international concerns about Hamas’s participation and differences between Fatah and Hamas regarding who should serve as PM (Hamas strongly opposed current PA PM Salam al-Fayyad), the sides agree that Abbas would lead the transitional government, serving as both pres. and PM. They stress that the new government “will be a technical one more than a political one” and that diplomacy will rest with the PLO. A meeting of all Palestinian factions is set for 2/18 to endorse the plan. Israeli PM Netanyahu immediately denounces Abbas for “joining forces with the enemies of peace.” The EU and U.S. say they look forward to continuing their support of the PA, provided the new government is committed to the Quartet principles of nonviolence, recognition of Israel, and adherence to existing peace agreements. (NYT, WP 2/6; AP, NYT, WP 2/7; see also MNA 2/5)
Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, Israeli warplanes make late-night air strikes on open areas nr. the Gaza border n. of Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Salfit; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Jenin and Nablus. Just outside East Jerusalem nr. al-Tur, Israeli border police and an undercover unit bulldoze 20 d. of Palestinian land, demolishing 2 walls, 3 natural caves, and a water network supplying several Palestinian homes. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron escorted by IDF troops begin planting trees on 150 d. of nearby Palestinian agricultural land that the IDF previously declared a closed military zone. (PCHR 2/9; OCHA 2/10)
