The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, thousands of Palestinian mourners march through Qusra in a funeral procession for the Palestinian shot by a settler 11/30. IDF troops arrest 4 Palestinians, issue 1 arrest summons, and confiscate 2 cars during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Hebron; and patrol near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during raids in Abu Dis and Silwan. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmers working near al-Maghazi refugee camp, al-Qarara, and Juhur al-Dik, causing no damage or injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, WAFA 12/2; PCHR 12/7)

Following days of unconfirmed reports and rumors from the White House, PA pres. Abbas calls upon the leaders of 8 Arab states to pressure U.S. pres. Trump into delaying or cancelling his proposed move of the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. According to a PA spokesperson, Abbas “warned categorically that taking such a step would lead to the destruction of the peace process” and create an “uncontrollable situation” in the region. (TOI 12/2)

Near Jenin in the West Bank, Israeli forces carry out the punitive demolition of the home of a Palestinian imprisoned in connection with the killing of an Israeli settler on 10/4/2017. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday protests against the 11/30 killing of a Palestinian farmer and Israel’s occupation, settlements, and separation wall in 3 villages near Ramallah (Nabi Salih, Bil‘in, and Ni‘lin), Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya, Khirbat Qalqas near Hebron, and Qusra near Nablus; 1 Palestinian is injured. They also arrest 1 Palestinian and issue arrest summons for 2 more during raids in and around Bethlehem and Jenin. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmers working near al-Maghazi refugee camp and on agricultural lands near Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp and Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, TOI, WAFA 12/1; PCHR 12/7)

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) launches an air strike at a military base outside Damascus, Syria. According to Syrian press sources, the target was an Iranian military base 13 km south of the city. The extent of the damage is not reported. (HA, TOI 12/2)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers destroy several water pipes used by Palestinians in the northern Jordan Valley. IDF troops arrest 14 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Tubas, and patrol near Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raid a Palestinian school in Bayt Hanina, detaining 4 teachers before ordering the school to shut down. The students are told to look for another school to attend this year. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya on 3 separate occasions. They arrest 2 fishermen and confiscate their boat; there are no serious injuries. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on farmlands near Gaza City and late at night near al-Maghazi refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (WAFA 11/6; PCHR 11/9)

Thousands of Palestinians gather at rallies across the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza to mark the 100-year anniversary of the Balfour Declaration. Israeli forces violently disperse 1 protest outside the British consulate in Jerusalem and another in Sheikh Jarrah; there are no serious injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 2 Palestinians during raids near Jenin and in Bethlehem, and patrol near Hebron, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on a “resistance site” near al-Maghazi refugee camp on 2 separate occasions, causing no damage or injuries, according to local sources. (MNA 11/2; PCHR 11/9)

The EU releases a statement welcoming Hamas’s 11/1 transfer of control of Gaza’s border crossings to the PA, calling it “an important step in the implementation of the agreement signed in Cairo on 10/12, and toward allowing the PA to resume its full responsibilities in Gaza and achieving intraPalestinian reconciliation.” U.S. special representative Greenblatt also salutes the development, saying it is “essential that the PA assume full responsibility in Gaza.” (WAFA 11/2; TOI 11/3)

Sinai Province of the Islamic State (SPIS) fighters fire 2 rockets from the north Sinai Peninsula into Israel, where they land in open areas, causing no damage or injuries. Sources on the ground in Sinai report seeing Israeli fighter jets launch air strikes on a number of targets in response to the rockets. The attacks come after a day of heavy violence in Sinai and weeks of tension between Hamas and local Islamist groups in Gaza. Hours before the attack, SPIS fighters assaulted Egyptian soldiers at a vacant church in al-Arish with rocket-propelled grenades and car bombs, and also rob a bank nearby, sparking a firefight with Egyptian security personnel (at least 3 civilians and 4 soldiers are killed and at least 20 people are injured). The Egyptian army then launches a counterassault on insurgent hideouts near Rafah, al-Arish, and Shaykh Zuwayd, killing at least 24 fighters affiliated with SPIS and other armed groups. Meanwhile, the Egyptian authorities announce that they will not be opening the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for 4 days as planned. (AA, AP, HA, JP, REU, TOI, WAFA 10/16; TOI 10/17)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault 2 Palestinian children on their way to school in Hebron. They also throw stones and bottles at a mosque in al-Tuwani village near Hebron, causing minor damage and sparking clashes between their IDF escort and residents of the area (there are no serious injuries). Settlers steal olives harvested from more than 65 trees in orchards near Nablus and Ramallah (IDF troops arrest a number of them later in the day). Other settlers attempt to assault Palestinians picking olives outside the Eli settlement near Hebron, but the Palestinians drive them off. IDF troops conduct a raid in Dahaysha refugee camp near Bethlehem, arresting 1 Palestinian and sparking clashes with stone-throwing residents; 1 Palestinian is injured. They arrest 13 Palestinians during latenight raids near Jenin and Ramallah, and in Bethlehem and Qalqilya, and patrol near Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently disperse a Palestinian family gathering in Issawiyya to welcome a relative home from prison, moderately injuring 3 of them. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza City and Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. They arrest 4 fishermen and confiscate 2 boats. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmland near al-Maghazi refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (WAFA 10/15; MNA, WAFA 10/16; PCHR 10/19)

At the weekly Israeli cabinet meeting, PM Netanyahu says U.S. pres. Trump’s 10/13 decision not to certify the 7/14/2015 Iran nuclear deal presents an opportunity to “fix” the deal. “I believe that any responsible government, and whoever seeks to promote peace and security in the world, needs to take advantage of the opportunity that Pres. Trump’s decision has created to improve the agreement or abrogate it and, of course, stop Iran’s aggression,” he says. (TOI 10/15; JTA 10/16)

Unidentified parties fire a rocket from Gaza toward Israel. It lands in an open area short of the border, causing no damage or injuries. An IDF tank shells and destroys a Hamas observation post east of al-Maghazi refugee camp. Israeli artillery also target a site east of Gaza City, causing a fire to break out; there is no major damage or injuries. Separately, IDF troops stationed along the border fence arrest 2 Palestinians attempting to cross from Gaza into Israel near Rafah, and open fire on Palestinian lands near al-Bureij refugee camp, causing no damage. In East Jerusalem, approximately 524 Israeli settlers tour Haram al-Sharif in the morning, commemorating the Jewish holiday Sukkot. Some of the settlers reportedly pray at the sanctuary. In the West Bank, the Israeli authorities shut down al-Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron to Muslim worshippers to make way for Sukkot-related activities at the site. IDF troops arrest 16 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Jerusalem, Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Nablus, Salfit, and Jenin, and patrol near Tulkarm and Hebron. In Israel, approximately 30,000 Palestinians and Israelis gather in Jerusalem to call for a resumption of IsraeliPalestinian peace talks. The Israeli NGO Women Wage Peace organized the demonstration. Hamas denounces the PLO for supporting the rally, accusing it of “normalizing” relations with Israel. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 10/8; MNA, TOI, WAFA 10/9; PCHR 10/12)