The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 1 Israeli settler was lightly injured by glass shards from his vehicle after his car was hit by live ammunition near Huwwara. Israeli settlers set up tents on Palestinian-owned land near Yatta. Hundreds of Palestinians took part in a funeral procession from Ramallah to Nabi Salih for the 2-year-old Palestinian boy who was critically injured by Israeli forces on 6/1 and died of his wounds on 6/5. Israeli forces attacked Palestinians in Nabi Salih after the funeral, injuring 1 with live ammunition, 1 with a baton round, and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beit Umar, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces uprooted 50 olive trees in Hizma. Israeli forces also temporarily seized, for 3 days, parts of a 3-story house in Zeita for a military outpost. Meanwhile, Israeli forces demolished 1 house in al-Mazra’a al-Gharbiya. 11 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Tammun, Tulkarm, Qabatiya, Nablus, and Beit Fajjar. In East Jerusalem, 5 Palestinian families demolished their own homes in Wadi Qaddum, displacing more than 30 Palestinians. Israeli authorities also demolished 1 home in Wadi al-Juz, displacing 8. 3 Palestinians were arrested in Isawiya. (AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/6; PCHR 6/8; UNOCHA 6/18)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a phone conversation about the killing of 3 Israeli soldiers by an Egyptian police officer on 6/3. The 2 sides have promised a joint investigation into the incident. (HA, REU 6/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers damaged Palestinian property in the old vegetable market in the old city of Hebron, which has been closed to Palestinians by Israel since 2000. Israeli settlers also slashed tires of 25 Palestinian-owned vehicles and wrote racist graffiti on nearby walls in Salfit. Israeli forces forced Palestinian vendors in Huwwara to close their shops. Israeli forces also raided the home of a former Palestinian prisoner in Zeita, informing him that they will temporarily seize 2 floors of his home for a military outpost. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Tubas, Ramallah, ad-Doha, Zeita, and Deir Sammit. In East Jerusalem, 119 Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. 1 Palestinians was arrested in Isawiya. In Israel, 1 Israeli man who was shot during an attack in Tel Aviv on 3/9 succumbed to his wounds. (TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/20; HA 3/21; PCHR 3/23; UNOCHA 3/31)

The Knesset repealed part of the 2005 Disengagement Law, allowing Israelis to enter the Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim settlements that were evacuated in 2005 and potentially buy or be allocated land to repopulate the settlements. U.S. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel called the law inconsistent with Israeli commitments made in Sharm El Sheikh on 3/19 and stated that the bill contradicts commitments made by Ariel Sharon to George Bush when the law first passed. PA presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh said the bill “goes against all decisions of the international community.” (AJ, AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, MDW, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA 3/21; HA, PCN 3/22; HA, WAFA 3/23; WAFA 3/24)

The UN independent commission of inquiry began 5 days of public hearings in relation to its investigation into human rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. This round of hearings, held in Geneva, will commence on 3/24. (AJ 3/24)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers tried to set fire to a mosque and wrote racist graffiti on Palestinian homes in Zeita Jama’in. Israeli settlers also vandalized 3 homes and 20 vehicles in Muhmas. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers uprooted some 200 olive trees in Turmus ‘Ayya and wrote racist graffiti in the village. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bayt Rima, Jenin, Iktaba, Tubas, Dheisheh refugee camp, Hebron, and Sa‘ir; 3 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition when Palestinians confronted the Israeli soldiers in Dheisheh refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers slashed tires on more than 20 Palestinian-owned vehicles in Sheikh Jarrah. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Gaza; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian farmers east of Abasan and Khuza‘a; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/24; HA 3/25; PCHR 3/31; UNOCHA 4/10)

The Israeli ministry of housing and construction added 468 settlement housing units in the Givat Hamatos settlement in East Jerusalem to its lottery, providing steep discounts to the winners of the lottery in purchasing the settlement units. Peace Now said that once the winners of the lottery are announced, it will be harder to prevent the settlement expansion of the Givat Hamatos settlement. (HA, PCN 3/24)

The PA Detainees Affairs Commission said Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons had canceled a planned open-ended hunger strike scheduled to begin on 3/25 after Israel’s prison service agreed to the prisoners’ demands. (WAFA 3/24)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met with EU commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi in Ramallah. The 2 discussed Várhelyi’s insistence that the PA rewrite its schoolbooks to have EU financial support for the PA released. Prime Minister Shtayyeh told Várhelyi that the PA refuses Várhelyi’s demands. Várhelyi has been a lone voice in the EU for demanding the revision of PA schoolbooks as a condition for the EU releasing its annual aid to the PA. (WAFA 3/24)

Haaretz reported that Israeli soldiers are forced to register information about at least 50 Palestinians during their shifts at checkpoints and guard posts, and those who do not fill their quota are not allowed to leave their post until they have registered their quota. The registration of information is used in Israel’s Blue Wolf system, a database with photos and details about random Palestinians living in the West Bank including ID number, age, gender, residence, license plate number, and contacts. The Blue Wolf system was 1st reported by the Washington Post in November 2021. In footage obtained by the Israeli anti-occupation group Breaking the Silence, a security coordinator at an Israeli settlement is also heard telling Israeli soldiers to photograph foreign activists in the West Bank to make sure they will not be allowed to enter Israel at Ben Gurion Airport next time they try to enter. (HA, HA, MEE, WAFA 3/24; WAFA 3/25)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Israeli activists from Rabbis for Human Rights working with Palestinians in Burin to plant trees; 7 were injured by the settlers with clubs and other improvised weapons and 1 car was set on fire. Rabbis for Human rights posted a video of the incident on Twitter. Israeli settlers also fenced off 4 dunams (1 acre) of Palestinian land in Kafr ad-Dik and planted it with trees. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized some 300 olive tree saplings in Deir Sharaf. Israeli settlers also vandalized 90 olive trees and olive saplings in Yasuf and Bidya. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian man and attempted to set his car on fire in Deir Istiya. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, inuring 6 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, injuring 9 with rubber-coated bullets and 52 with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 17 with tear gas. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian man in Sinjil, detaining him before allowing Palestinians to take him to a hospital in Ramallah. Meanwhile, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet and others with tear gas. 6 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during late-night raids in Sinjil and Jannatah and 4 during a house raid in Zeita. PA forces arrested 3 members of Islamic Jihad during a raid in Beita, including Abdul Raouf al-Jaghoub, a local Islamic Jihad leader. Hamas and Islamic Jihad slammed the PA for the arrests. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers led by deputy mayor of Jerusalem Aryeh King assaulted 1 Palestinian and set up barbed wire around a plot of land belonging to the Salem family, who are threatened by eviction in Sheikh Jarrah; Israeli forces also confiscated Palestinian flags from protesters. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire and fired tear gas at Palestinian farmers east of Dayr al-Balah, Abasan, and al-Qarara; no injuries were reported. (HA, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/21; MEMO 1/22; ALM 1/25; PCHR 1/27)

Israel’s public security minister Omer Bar-Lev called the incident where activists from Rabbis for Human Rights were attacked by Israeli settlers near Burin “actions of a terror organization.” Public Security Minister Bar-Lev further stated that it is difficult to apprehend the attackers. No arrests were made as of 1/22. (HA, MEMO 1/23)

The Qatari foreign ministry said it had signed a deal to cover the cost of supplying Gaza’s power plant with gas through an escrow account. (HA 1/21; ALM, MEMO 1/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers harvesting olives near Nablus, causing no serious injuries. IDF troops arrest 1 Palestinian student after questioning a group in Zayta village near Tulkarm and another during a late-night raid near Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Silwan. Along Gaza’s border, unidentified parties open fire on an IDF patrol, causing no injuries or damage. In the Negev, Israeli police arrest a West Bank Palestinian in Rahat on suspicions that he was planning an attack on Israeli civilians. (HA, TOI, WAFA 10/11; EI, PCHR 10/12; PCHR 10/19)

Israel’s Interior Min. says it will move forward with plans to build 1,300 new Jewish settlement housing units in East Jerusalem (978 in Har Homa/Jabal Abu Ghunaym, 320 in Ramot). At the same time, Israel issues construction tenders for 800 units in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, which Israel intends to keep under final status. Meanwhile, Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authorities issue a report stating that the municipality is currently building more than 13,500 housing units for Jews in various Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. The UN, U.S., and PA denounce the plans. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Zayta village nr. Tulkarm in the morning; patrols in Bayt Liqya late at night, firing rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries. (HA, JAZ, MNA, YA 11/8; HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/9; OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

Pres. Obama dispatches U.S. Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on a 3-day regional tour of the Middle East, with stops in Syria (to warn Damascus against interfering in Lebanon), Turkey (to urge Turkey to repair its ties with Israel), Lebanon (to show support for Pres. Michel Suleiman), and Israel and Ramallah (to explore ways of reviving the peace talks). (XIN 11/8; AP 11/9; NYT 11/11)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Zayta village nr. Tulkarm, detaining 2 Palestinian men for questioning, but releasing them when they withdraw hrs. later. In an act of reconciliation, rabbis fr. the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, escorted by the IDF and PASF, bring new Qur’ans to the Bayt Fajjar mosque burned on 10/4, saying they are “sorry and ashamed” by the arson. A PA security court in Ramallah sentences IQB mbr. Alaa Hisham Diab to 20 yrs. in prison for his participation in a 5/09 shootout in Qalqilya that left 3 PASF officers and 2 IQB mbrs. dead. Hamas denounces the verdict, saying that the apparent “lack of legality of the courts that issue these verdicts” and the timing of “these verdicts . . . while there is talk of coming closer to reaching internal reconciliation” are disturbing. (AFP, MNA 10/5; UNSCO, WP, WT 10/6; PCHR 10/7; OCHA 10/8)

The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza nr. al-Qarara to level land for a 2d day.Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Zayta for a 2d day, firing on residential areas, conducting random ID checks, and arresting 3 Palestinian teenagers; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving nr. Qalqilya, causing no injuries. Palestinians throw stones at a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Ramallah, causing no injuries. (OCHA 5/28; PCHR 5/29)

After the Knesset approves his 7-party coalition, Sharon is sworn in as PM of Israel. The Knesset also passes a preliminary budget for 2001, a measure switching back to the 1-ballot voting system. The 7 parties in the unity government are Labor, Likud, One Nation, Shas, National Union Party, Yisrael Ba'Aliya, Yisrael Beitainu. Sharon's cabinet is the largest in Israeli history. (HA, JP [Internet], MM 3/7; MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/8; MM 3/9; MA, SA 3/9 in WNC 3/13; WT 3/10; WP 4/1)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. Israel seals the West Bank, Gaza. Hrs. after Sharon's swearing in, the IDF digs a trench, erects an earthen barrier on the Birzeit-Ramallah road, completely encircling Ramallah. Electricity, water lines to Birzeit University are cut. The IDF also tightens the closures on Bayt Lid, Bethlehem, al-Kifriyat, Nablus, Ramin, Safarin, Shufa, Tulkarm, Zayta; directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Rafah, Shaykh Ajlin; conducts arrest sweeps in Burqa. Jewish settlers establish a new settlement enclave on confiscated Palestinian land nr. Nablus. (HA, HP, LAW 3/7; HA 3/8; WP, al-Quds 3/12; JT 3/13 in WNC 3/14; HA 3/15; al-Quds 3/16 in WNC 3/20; MEI 3/23; Middle East Report 3/28; HJ 4/10 in WNC 4/18)