The Palestine Chronology

The Israeli government approves construction of 84 structures in West Bank settlements despite the 11/25 freeze. Meanwhile, Israel makes its 1st arrests in enforcing its 10-mo. ban on new Jewish settlement construction, briefly detaining the mayor of Bet Arye settlement and 2 Jewish settlers in Elon Moreh when they confront police escorting building inspectors delivering stop-work orders. Israeli security officials say inspectors have handed out 60 stop-work orders since beginning on 11/30. YESHA settlement council leaders attend a high-profile ceremony to start construction of a new synagogue in Efrat settlement, vowing they will continue to settle the West Bank with or without government support. Also in the West Bank, the IDF makes unusual daytime arrest raids nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border shoot, wound, detain 1 Palestinian nr. the border fence outside Bayt Lahiya. (NYT, PCHR 12/3; OCHA 12/9; PCHR 12/10)

In the West Bank, the IDF fires tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian farmers to prevent them fr. working their land nr. the separation wall in Jayyus nr. Qalqilya; beats and fires tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinians holding a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bayt Allam n. of Hebron (injuring 6); makes rare daytime incursions into Dayr Abu Mash‘al (raiding a home and arresting 1 Palestinian) and Ni‘lin (patrolling streets, firing tear gas at residential areas) nr. Ramallah; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., nr. Hebron. The IDF also completes the relocation of its Bayt Ibia checkpoint (see 3/15), allowing Palestinians freer movement between Jenin and Nablus, but places additional restrictions on Jenin residents seeking to travel s. to Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, angry over an IDF decision to allow Palestinians to use the Kiryat Arba Road by the settlement if they live in the immediate area and register their vehicles with the District Coordination Office, vandalize at least 14 Palestinian homes nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Efrat begin bulldozing land nr. Bethlehem for the creation of a settler-only bypass road; Israel declared the area state land in 2/09, 1 month after settlers first made attempts to seize the land for a road, and has not responded to appeals by the Palestinian owners. (OCHA 3/31, 4/1; PCHR 4/2)

Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. the Gaza border fence, sparking an exchange of gunfire with the IDF that leaves 2 armed Palestinians dead. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in a car with Palestinian license plates into Qabatya nr. Jenin to arrest a Palestinian; enters Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron to chase several stone-throwing youths, raiding 2 homes and a store, occupying rooftops, and firing on residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian, arresting 2; fires live ammunition, rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (injuring 9); fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in a demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); uproots 70 olive seedlings on a Palestinian plot nr. Efrat settlement nr. Bethlehem; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. (OCHA 2/24, 2/25; PCHR 2/26)

After nearly 2 wks. of consultations with top 2/10/08 election vote-getters Tzipi Livni (Kadima) and Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud), Israeli pres. Shimon Peres taps Netanyahu to form a government. Netanyahu quickly opens coalition talks with various parties. (IFM 2/20; NYT, WP 2/21; WP 2/23; NYT 2/24)