The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 2 Palestinians, including a member of the PA security service’s intelligence branch, and the Israeli deputy commander of the Nahal brigade’s special reconnaissance unit, were killed during an exchange of gunfire near the Jalamah checkpoint. Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades said the 2 Palestinians were members of its organization. Israeli forces raided Burqa, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also demolished 2 agricultural structures and 20 olive trees in Rujeib, delivered stop-work notices for 1 house and 1 agricultural structure in Husan and demolition notices against 3 residential tents in Ras al-Ahmar. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seized 2 residential tents in the Masafer Yatta area. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jamma‘in, ‘Ayn Bus, Nablus, al-Janiya, Silwad, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested, including 1 at a checkpoint and 1 in Isawiya. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, MEE, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/14; HA, PCHR 9/15; UNOCHA 9/16; UNOCHA 9/30)

Israel shut down the Jalamah and Salem checkpoints and prohibited Palestinians from Kafr Dan from entering Israel as a punitive measure for the early morning shooting (see above). Both the Palestinians killed were from Kafr Dan. (HA 9/14)

It was reported that Palestinian children in Tuba had been unable to attend school for 2 days as Israeli soldiers began refusing escorting the children to their school. Since 2004, Israeli soldiers have escorted children in Tuba to their school to protect them from settler attacks. Residents in Tuba said they believe canceling the escorting of the children was related to an incident on 9/12 where 1 Israeli settler was reported injured nearby after armed Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians working their land. The Israeli military said that they had not changed their policy, but had decided to temporarily cancel the escorts. (HA 9/14)

The U.S. senate foreign relations committee passed an amendment to the Manager’s package of the State Department Authorization Act, requiring secretary of state Antony Blinken to submit a report on the circumstances surround the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. (HA 9/15; WAFA 9/16)

U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs Barbara Leaf told reporters that the U.S. is concerned about the security situation in the West Bank and cited economic conditions as a direct factor. (AX, HA 9/14; MEMO 9/15)

Axios reported that the EU special envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process Sven Koopmans had complained to the Israeli foreign ministry that his requests for meetings with prime minister Yair Lapid, president Isaac Herzog, and defense minister Benny Gantz had been denied. (AX 9/14)

In an interview with the French newspaper Le Point, Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani dismissed the idea of normalizing relations with Israel, saying “are things normal in Israel? No! There are still occupied Arab lands, refugees who have not been able to return to their homes for over 70 years, Muslims and Christians, living under siege in Gaza.” Sheikh Al Thani further called the “Israeli-Palestinian question” the most important, saying there will not be peace in the Middle East without it being solved. (HA, LePoint 9/14)

UN commissioner Lynn Welchman criticized Israel for its air strike on the Damascus Airport in June, which suspended UN deliveries of humanitarian aid to Syrians. (AP, HA, REU 9/14; MEE 9/15)

The Washington Post reported that in the upcoming book, The Divider: Trump in the White House, 2017-2021 by Peter Baker and Susan Glasser, it is said that former U.S. president Donald Trump offered King Abdullah II of Jordan the West Bank. According to the authors’ sources, King Abdullah said he thought he was having a heart attack when he was made the offer. (WP 9/14; HA, JP, MEE, TOI 9/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up sheds in Dayr Istya. Israeli settlers with military escort vandalized property in Burqin and Israeli forces attacked Palestinians when they tried to fend off the settlers, injuring 2 with rubber-coated bullets. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian child and wounded dozens of others during a protest at a checkpoint in Bil‘in; Israel said that 2 Israeli soldiers were lightly injured. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian in Hebron, saying he was going to attack the soldiers. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Ramallah, killing 2 and injuring 64. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qalqilya, injuring 12 with live ammunition and 20 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Ijza, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Nablus, injuring 11 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Atuf, injuring 11 with live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Huwwara, injuring 1 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Nabi Salih, injuring 13 Palestinians with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qiffin, injuring 1 Palestinian with live ammunition; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Anabta, injuring 2 with live ammunition and 3 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Beita, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Fajjar, injuring 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Aida refugee camp, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Dayr Sharaf, injuring 2 with live ammunition and 2 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in al-Naqura, injuring 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries and a tear gas canister ignited a fire in a field. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Luban al-Sharqiyya, injuring 5 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Burqa, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Furik, injuring 3 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 1 with rubber-coated bullets; others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Qarawat Bani Hassan, injuring 1 with live ammunition. Separately, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters at a checkpoint near Jenin, injuring 7 with live ammunition. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Tuqu‘, leading to tear-gas related injuries. A total of 202 were reported injured during the protests in the West Bank. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Shaykh Jarrah and Bab al-Amud, injuring 41. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian minor in her back, fracturing her spine with a rubber-coated bullet, and injured her father with a rubber-coated bullet and stun grenade while they were inside their home in Shaykh Jarrah; a video shows the incident. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Silwan. In Gaza, 3 Palestinians were killed, including 1 child, and many were injured, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 216 to 219, including 63 children and 2 pregnant women. The casualties included: 1 in an air strike a house south of Gaza City; 1 of a heart attack during heavy bombardment of Rafah; and 1 Palestinian infant succumbed to her wounds sustained on 5/11 during an air strike on Gaza City that killed her father, mother, and sister. In Israel, Israeli police shot and seriously injured 1 Palestinian-Israeli minor who was sitting in a car with friends in Umm al-Fahm. Rockets fired from Gaza killed 2 Thai citizens working at a factory in Moshav Ohad, raising the Israeli death toll to 12. Israel also said it had destroyed 7.5 miles of Gaza tunnels overnight. 1 drone of unknown origin was shot down by Israeli forces near the northern part of the Israeli-Jordanian border. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/18; AX, CNN, HA, HA, HA, PCHR, PCHR, WAFA 5/19; PCHR 5/20; MEE 5/21; HA, NYT 5/26; HA 5/27)

Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and Israel observed a general strike in protest over evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem and the Israeli attacks on Gaza. (WAFA 5/18; HA 5/19)

A spokesperson for the health ministry in Gaza said that no more COVID-19 tests were being processed in Gaza due to an Israeli air strike destroying the sole COVID-19 test processing center. (AJ 5/18)

Israel opened the Kerem Shalom crossing and then closed it shortly after, citing Hamas’s shelling of the area. (AJ, AJ 5/18)

The Israeli high court of justice ruled that 1 Israeli settler must stop cultivating 170 dunams (42 acres) of land near Turmus ‘Ayya, saying the cultivation is illegal. The court, however, refused to rule on the ownership of the land, stating that the 8 Palestinian petitioners must obtain permission to farm the land from a different body as the court does not consider itself the proper venue for the question. (HA 5/23)

Israel’s Channel 12 said that an Egyptian truce proposal calling for an end to violence from 6 a.m. on 5/20 had been agreed to by Hamas. (AJ 5/19)

The Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai was criticized by the public security minister Amir Ohana for saying that there “were terrorists from both sides [Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli] and we will bring every one of them to justice.” (HA 5/18)

After saying that his committee would review a sale of arms to Israel on 5/17, chairman of the house of foreign affairs committee Gregory Meeks was said to have reversed course and that he is looking at discussing the arm sales with the Biden administration. The Biden administration had informed Congress on 5/4 that it would be selling Israel $735 million’s worth of precision-guided missiles. It was reported that Chairman Meeks had come under significant pressure after saying he would review the sale. Several other Democrats in the House have called for conditioning or ending military aid to Israel. (AJ, REU 5/17; ALM, HA, HA, MEE 5/18)

U.S. president Joe Biden joked, when asked by a journalist if he would answer a question about Israel, that she could ask a question if she let him run her over with the Ford F-150 he was sitting in. President Biden was visiting a Ford plant in Dearborn, Michigan. (FOX 5/18)

France called for the UN security council to agree on a resolution calling for a ceasefire. Prime minister Emmanuel Macron made the call after a meeting with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian king Abdullah II. (AJ, REU 5/18; AP, HA 5/19)

The EU foreign ministers met to discuss how to help facilitate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Hungary was said to have prevented consensus on a meaningful engagement. Separately, Germany said it would donate $48.9 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA 5/18; ALM 5/19)

The Egyptian presidency said it would give $500 million to help rebuild Gaza. (AJ 5/18)

An elderly Palestinian woman dies of complications related to a heart attack at Haram al-Sharif (Israeli forces reportedly prevented an ambulance from reaching her in time to administer the proper treatment). In the West Bank, Israeli forces carry out the punitive demolition of a Palestinian home in al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah, sparking clashes with residents of the area; at least 56 Palestinian are injured. The home belonged to the Palestinian responsible for fatally injuring an Israeli soldier during clashes in the camp on 5/24. IDF troops shoot, injure, and arrest a Palestinian minor who was allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Israeli settler vehicles outside Ramallah earlier in the day. They also arrest 13 Palestinians during late-night raids near Ramallah, Hebron, and Nablus; and patrol near Hebron, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and Salfit. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and Nablus; 1 Palestinian is injured and there are no reports of serious damage. In 4 separate incidents off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza City and Jabaliya refugee camp; 1 fishermen is injured and 3 are arrested. (MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, TOI, TOI, WAFA 12/15; EI 12/18; PCHR 12/20)

Australian prime minister Scott Morrison announces that the Australian government has decided to recognize West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. He also says that Australia will not move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem until a final peace agreement is reached. Morrison’s announcement draws criticism from Israelis and Palestinians alike. PLO secretary general Saeb Erakat calls on Arab and Muslim countries to sever all ties with Australia. Numerous senior Israeli officials criticize Morrison for recognizing only West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. (AJ, AP, CNN, HA, TOI 12/15)

Two PIJ engineers are killed and tens of bystanders are injured in an explosion in Umm al-Nasr village near Bayt Lahiya in northern Gaza. PIJ initially accuses Israel of targeting the engineers with a drone strike. An IDF spokesperson denies any Israeli involvement, and PIJ later says that the explosion was an accident and that the 2 men mishandled explosives. Separately, unidentified parties fire 2 rockets from Gaza toward Israel late at night; 1 falls short of the border and the other lands in an open area in southern Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IAF conducts air strikes on 2 Hamas military sites, injuring 3 Palestinians and causing major damage. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 12/12; HA, MNA, WAFA 12/13)

For a 6th day in a row, Palestinians across the oPt and Israel gather to protest U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital (protests have steadily declined in size since 12/8). IDF troops violently disperse them in Tulkarm, Bethlehem and nearby al-‘Arub refugee camp, and along Gaza’s border near Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Rafah; 14 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, an elderly Palestinian woman suffers a fatal heart attack late at night when Israeli soldiers raid her home near Jericho. They also shoot and seriously injure a Palestinian they claim was attempting to stab Israeli soldiers outside the Ariel settlement. An IDF spokesperson later states that the Palestinian was not carrying a knife, but was among a group that was “suspected of an attempt to attack on the border.” Meanwhile, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian youth in central Hebron, allegedly after he is found to be carrying a knife; arrest 34 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, Tubas, Jenin, and Tulkarm; and patrol near Tulkarm, Salfit, and Nablus. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 19 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya and Silwan. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian agricultural areas near Bayt Hanun, causing no damage. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 12/12; MNA, WAFA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

Stabbing incidents continue in Jerusalem. In West Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian after he allegedly stabs and moderately injures an Israeli woman nr. the c. bus station. They later raid his Ras al-Amud home. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian outside a gate to the Old City after he attempts to evade them and ignores their calls, according to PCHR. (HA, JP, MNA, WAFA, YA 10/14; PCHR 10/22)

For a 6th day in a row, Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinians protesting along Gaza’s border, injuring 5 with live ammunition e. of al-Bureij r.c. They also level land n. of Bayt Hanun. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 10/14; PCHR 10/22) 

The wave of violence and Israeli crackdown continues across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Pursuant to the Israeli security cabinet’s order on 10/13, Israeli forces set up roadblocks and checkpoints around al-Suwana, Wadi al-Juz, Sur al-Bahir, Jabal Mukabir, Issawiyya, and Silwan overnight. They also arrest 20 Palestinians on early morning raids throughout the area. IDF troops injure 13 Palestinians in clashes with protesters throughout the West Bank. They also assault and critically injure a Palestinian man nr. Ramallah after stopping his vehicle to investigate alleged stone-throwing in the area (the man will have a heart attack and die on 10/15). Late at night, the IDF delivers punitive demolition notices to 7 homes around Nablus and Ramallah belonging to Palestinians accused of attacking Israelis in recent mos.; conducts raids and house searches across the West Bank, arresting 14 Palestinians; patrols nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with stone-throwers (1 Palestinian is injured). Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian agricultural land outside a village nr. Nablus and chase local farmers off with stones and gunfire, seriously injuring 4 Palestinians and 1 international activist. IDF troops arrest 4 settlers after the incident. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA, YA 10/14; EI, MNA 10/15; PCHR 10/22)

Following Israel’s security cabinet meeting on 10/13, Public Security Min. Gilad Erdan approves a series of temporary measures aimed at easing restrictions on the acquisition of firearms, stating that “citizens with firearms training are a multiplying force for the police in their fight against terror.” (JP, TOI 10/14; HA, TOI 10/15)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian close to the border fence nr. al-Bureij r.c. as he is collecting gravel. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure 1 Palestinian nr. Hebron while arresting him. Meanwhile, an elderly Palestinian dies of a heart attack during an IDF raid of her home in al-‘Arub r.c. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages nr. Hebron at night; patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, and in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 village each nr. Hebron, Jericho, and Nablus at night. (MNA 6/26; PCHR 7/3)

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians fire 3 rockets into s. Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops subsequently launch attacks on 4 targets in s. Gaza, causing no injuries. Separately, a Palestinian in possession of a grenade is arrested by Israeli soldiers after entering Israel through the perimeter fence. In the West Bank, a 17-yearold Palestinian is killed when he steps on a landmine in the n. Jordan Valley. Separately, an elderly Palestinian dies of a heart attack in Haris nr. Salfit during an IDF raid of the village. In al-Bireh, IDF troops clash with residents during a raid, causing no serious injuries. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 4 nearby villages, Nablus and Balata r.c., ‘Askar r.c. and 3 villages nearby, Bethlehem and 3 villages nearby, 3 villages nr. Jenin, 1 village each nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm, and in al-Bireh. (AFP, HA, JP, MNA, YA 6/22)

Overnight in Gaza, the IDF sends troops, bulldozers into Bani Suhayla nr. Khan Yunis, bulldozing 125 d. of agricultural land, several greenhouses, 1 Palestinian home before withdrawing in the morning; during the operation, troops fire a tank shell at armed Palestinians approaching the area (wounding 3) and detain 11 Palestinians (including 1 child) for questioning. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Qabatya, and nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police and intelligence officers break up a memorial service for the late Palestinian political figure Faisal Husseini, declaring it an illegal political gathering, arresting 4 Palestinians. A Jewish settler deliberately drives into a flock of Palestinian sheep nr. Hebron, killing 3 sheep, injuring 2. The Israeli Housing Min. says it is moving ahead with previously announced plans to build 884 new Jewish settler housing units in East Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev (763 units) and Har Homa (121 units) settlements. Meanwhile, in Bayt Furik, angry Palestinians demonstrate, throw stones at a Palestinian Authority (PA) police station in Nablus, denouncing the PA’s recent confiscation of 86 unlicensed and stolen vehicles, injuring 3 policemen; the PA police fire live ammunition and percussion grenades at the protesters and beat several, injuring 8 Palestinians and causing an elderly Palestinian woman to have a fatal heart attack. In Gaza’s al-Maghazi r.c., unidentified gunmen fire on a group of Hamas mbrs., who return heavy fire; no injuries are reported. In Gaza’s Shati’ r.c., a bomb explodes outside a store, causing damage but no injuries; no group takes responsibility. (NYT 6/2; OCHA 6/4; PCHR 6/5; REU 7/14)

DF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun open fire on Palestinian farmers who stray too nr. the border fence, seriously injuring 1. Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries, bringing to 21 the number of rockets fired since the Gaza cease-fire went into effect on 11/26. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Abu Dis, Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Bethlehem, Tulkarm; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital in Nablus, allowing him to die. Following the 12/11 attack on Balusha’s car in Gaza City, Abbas deploys extra security forces under his command across the Strip, sparking an exchange of gunfire btwn. Fatah, Hamas mbrs. during a Fatah demonstration in Khan Yunis against the killings, leaving 4 Fatah mbrs. injured. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish 4 homes in the unrecognized village of Um Mitnan in the Negev. (IMEMC, MM 12/12; OCHA, WP 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

The IDF expands Operation Summer Rains overnight, sending 50 tanks, troops back into n. Gaza in and around Gaza City, engaging in intense clashes with and conducting air strikes on Palestinian gunmen, leaving at least 7 Hamas mbrs., 5 Islamic Jihad mbrs., 9 civilians dead, at least 57 Palestinians wounded, bulldozing wide tracts of land. In at least 3 incidents in Jabaliya r.c., the IDF phones Hamas mbrs. warning them to evacuate their houses, then conducts air strikes destroying the homes. The IDF also closes the Qarni crossing. Palestinians fire 13 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 1 Israeli in Sederot. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in a car with Palestinian license plates into Kafr Qadim nr. Qalqilya, surrounds a home, evacuates and checks residents, demolishes the home, arrests 1 Palestinian, injures 1; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a Qalqilya hospital, allowing him to die; patrols, searches cars in Yatta nr. Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Jenin, Nablus. In Rafah, a Palestinian is killed in an exchange of fire btwn. PA security forces, armed Palestinians. Israeli security sources reveal that Israeli-Canadian citizen Falah, arrested on 7/8 and held without access to a lawyer, was detained for photographing a military antenna nr. Ras al-Naqura, alleging that he was sent “to photograph and report where rockets have landed in Israel,” noting that he visited Beirut, Tehran within the last 2 yrs.; Falah, who was arrested before Hizballah’s 7/12 cross-border raid and the firing of rockets into Israel, said the photos were for academic purposes, he did not know the antenna was military, and his trips to Lebanon, Iran were public knowledge. (REU, NYT, WP 7/26; NYT, WP, WT 7/26; PCHR 7/27; OCHA 8/2; PCHR 8/3)

The IDF faces intense fighting in s. Lebanon, where some 100 Hizballah mbrs. ambush an elite IDF Golani Brigade unit in Bint Jubayl, pinning them down for 1 hr. under a heavy barrage of mortars, antitank rounds, RPGs, and small-arms fire before they could return fire, killing 8 IDF soldiers, wounding at least 22; the IDF estimates that it killed around 20 Hizballah mbrs. A 9th IDF soldier is killed, 5 are wounded by antitank fire in clashes nr. Maroun al-Ras. Meanwhile, the IDF continues air strikes nr. Beirut and in s. Lebanon, including hitting an Amal command center and the Hizballah headquarters in Tyre. In Anjar nr. the Syrian border, a truck carrying emergency food, medical supplies donated by the UAE (see 7/18) is hit, killing the Syrian driver. Hizballah fires around 150 rockets into Israel, striking Carmiel, Haifa, Jish, Safad, Tiberias. Israel allows 2 Jordanian military transports carrying humanitarian aid to land at Beirut airport, though it still will not provide safety guarantees for trucks transporting the supplies southward on the coastal highway or across the border fr. Syria, where relief goods for 20,000 people have been stockpiled. The UN moves 5 convoys of supplies (containing wheat, soap, diapers, water purification tablets, medical kits) to the south on 5 routes approved for one-time use by the IDF. (NYT, WP, WT 7/27)

The IDF opens the Qarni crossing (closed 5/13) for exports only but closes the Sufa crossing; sends undercover units in a car with Palestinian license plates into Nablus in a predawn raid, besieging a Palestinian house, fatally shooting 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in an hrs.-long exchange of gunfire, wounding and arresting a 3d, and causing a 78-yr.-old Palestinian bystander to suffer a fatal heart attack, occupying a home as an observation post; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ refugee camp (r.c.) nr. Nablus, Jenin town and r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah. The PA Interior Min. begins deploying Interior M Said Siyam’s new 3,000-mbr. volunteer security force, the Executive Support Force (ESF), in Gaza. The ESF is made up of members of the Palestinian resistance (largely from Hamas, around one-sixth from the Popular Resistance Comms. [PRCs]). For the 2d day, a Hamas mbr. is killed in a drive-by shooting in Gaza City; no group claims responsibility. In Ramallah, 100s of government workers protest the PA’s failure to pay wages. Discount Bank, the last Israeli bank doing business with the PA, announces that it will sever its ties with Palestinian banks in 3–6 mos. (HA, MM, Palestine Media Center 5/17; JP, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 5/18; HA, NYT 5/19; HJ, MA 5/20 in WNC 5/21; PCHR 5/25)

The IDF lifts the seal on the West Bank and Gaza, imposed on 9/26; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint nr. Hebron, allowing her to die; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Hebron, 1 in Jenin; fires on residential areas of Jenin, Nablus, Rafah; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Nablus, wounding 2 stone-throwers (ages 10, 12), 2 bystanders inside their homes. Palestinians fire 2 mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries; fire on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Einav settlement, causing damage but no injuries. (HA 9/29; VOP 9/29 in WNC 10/1; PCHR 10/2)

The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing youths in Askar r.c., killing 1 Palestinian; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital, allowing him to die; places a curfew on villages northwest of Nablus, patrols streets, firing in the air; fires on stone-throwing youths in Askar r.c., injuring 2; fires on residential areas of Hebron, Tulkarm; fires at Palestinians at a roadblock outside Dayr al-Balah for no apparent reason, causing no injuries; demolishes 7 Palestinian homes and 11 greenhouses, bulldozes 57 dunams of land in Rafah; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, a bird farm, and 3 greenhouses, bulldozes 52 dunams of land in Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids outside Ramallah. (HA 6/14; VOI 6/14 in WNC 6/17; PM, WP 6/15; HP 6/16; LAW, PCHR 6/19)

Israeli DMin. security negotiations coordinator Amos Gilad, PA Security Affairs M Muhammad Dahlan meet in Ramallah to discuss Israel’s proposal to turn over security control for n. Gaza to the PA. (NYT, WP 6/15; JP 6/15 in WNC 6/17; NYT 6/16; PR 6/18)

The IDF pulls some troops out of Bayt Hanun, where it has demolished 14 Palestinian homes since 5/16; some 600 Palestinians demonstrate against Hamas for firing rockets fr. the Bayt Hanun area, prompting the IDF incursion on 5/15. The IDF also tightens the closure, curfews on Hebron; reinforces troops around Qalqilya, closing the only entrance to the city; issues a confiscation order for 1,700 dunams of land in Nahalin and Husan, w. of Bethlehem, for construction of a new settler bypass road; confiscates a 3-story building, conducts arrest raids in Nahalin; arrests senior PA intelligence official Ahmad Barqawi in Ramallah on suspicion of having himself carried out several attacks on Israelis; delays transportation of a Palestinian heart attack victim to a Jenin hospital, allowing him to die; halts at a road block, beats 2 photojournalists in Bethlehem; demolishes 15 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 2 in Nablus; fires on residential areas of Tal al-Sultan. The IDF also raids the Hebron offices of the international peace group Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), checks passports and visas of all CPT volunteers, photographs several mbrs.; tells mbrs. they may not go near any Jewish settlement, may not operate in the PA-controlled H1 area of the city, must limit operations in Israeli-controlled H2 (where CPT offices are located), may not return to H2 if they leave. (CPT press release, HA, HP, MM 5/20; HP, WP, WT 5/21; VOI 5/21 in WNC 5/22; HA, LAW, PCHR 5/22; PR 5/28; MEI 5/30)

Bush phones Abbas, then Sharon to tell them that he is still committed to the road map, invites the leaders to send envoys to Washington to discuss implementation. (HA 5/20; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/21)

A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device on a bus outside French Hill settlement in East Jerusalem, killing 6 Jewish settlers, 1 West Bank Palestinian laborer, wounding 12 settlers; as rescue workers arrive at the scene, a 2d Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device in the area, killing only himself. (Reports indicate that the 2 bombers today and the 1 yesterday were friends fr. Hebron, possibly mbrs. of the same soccer team.) The IDF expels Mahmud al-Safuri, brother of detained Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Haj ‘Ali al-Safuri, fr. Jenin to Gaza for 2 yrs. for allegedly aiding his brother in staging attacks; this is the first such forced transfer since 9/4/02. The IDF also seals the West Bank, places closures on most villages, cities; continues operations in Bayt Hanun, fatally shooting 1 Palestinian, demolishing 3 Palestinian homes, bulldozing more land, tightening the closure; fatally shoots a 2d Palestinian in Khan Yunis; chases, fires on a group of laborers on their way to work in Israel, causing 1 Palestinian to suffer a fatal heart attack; bulldozes 120 dunams of land in Abasan; demolishes 10 Palestinian homes in Rafah r.c.. Sharon convenes a cabinet mtg. to discuss responses, overrules calls to expel PA head Yasir Arafat. Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot an alleged collaborator in Nablus. (WT 5/18; ITAR-TASS 5/18 in WNC 5/19; HA, MM, NYT, WP 5/19; MM, PCHR 5/20; HA, MM, PR 5/21; LAW, PCHR 5/22; HA 5/23; al-Haq 5/24; NYT 6/13)

In light of the Jerusalem bombing, Sharon postpones plans to leave for Washington today to meet with Pres. George W. Bush regarding implementation of the road map; convenes his security cabinet to discuss retaliation. (NYT, WP, WT 5/19; VOI 5/20 in WNC 5/21)

The IDF reoccupies Bethlehem following Christmas celebrations, reimposes a 24-hr. curfew on residents; assassinates local AMB head Jamal Yahya in Tulkarm; assassinates Hamas mbr. Bassam Ashqar, ambushing his car in Ramallah, also killing a Palestinian bystander; raids Qabatiyya, assassinating local Islamic Jihad leader Yusif Abu Rub, demolishing his family house, arresting local Izzeddine al-Qassam Brigades head Natzir Nazal, senior Hamas mbr. Talal al-Baz; sends undercover units into a hospital in Ramallah, fatally shooting wanted Palestinian Samir al-Shamali, who was working there as a guard, in what may be an assassination, sparking demonstrations, clashes with local residents that leave 1 Palestinian stone thrower dead; fatally shoots 2 Palestinians “approaching” Netzarim settlement; fires on demonstrators protesting the curfew in Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 20; raids a village n. of Ramallah, firing stun grenades, causing an elderly Palestinian to suffer a fatal heart attack; imposes a curfew on Beitunia, sends 30 tanks into the town; conducts house-to-house searches, arrest raids in Qalqilya; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. The PA accuses Israel of stepping up attacks on Palestinians in an effort to scuttle Fatah-Hamas talks in Cairo. The IDF also announces that it has begun building 300-yd.-wide buffer zones around several Jewish settlements in the West Bank (see Quarterly Update in JPS 126). Palestinians fire 2 mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing damage but no injuries. This evening, Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz orders the IDF to step up pressure on militant groups in the territories. (HP, LAW, PCHR, PM 12/26; HA, NYT, WP, WT 12/27; AYM, Interfax, ITAR-TASS, al-Quds 12/27, De Standaard 12/28 in WNC 12/31; NYT, WT 12/28; LAW, PCHR 1/1)

The IDF fires on what it initially claims is a group of “Palestinian militants [trying] to infiltrate a Jewish settlement” nr. Khan Yunis, killing a Palestinian woman, wounding her 3 children. The IDF says it will investigate the incident, stresses that the area is a closed military zone. The IDF also bars an ambulance fr. transporting a Palestinian heart attack victim to a hospital in Nablus, allowing him to die. (HA 12/8; NYT, WP, WT 12/9; WP 12/10; LAW, PCHR 12/11; PRCS press release 12/15)

Israel says it will delay its military response to the 10/21 Hadera bombing in deference to U.S. regional concerns, but will reimpose curfews, blockades across the Palestinian territories and suspend steps to ease restrictions. The IDF bars Palestinians across the West Bank fr. harvesting olives, saying troops cannot protect pickers fr. Jewish settlers; the ban is lifted late in the evening after Arab MKs file a petition with the Israeli High Court opposing the order. Israel's Infrastructure M Efi Eitam orders a halt to all drilling for water by West Bank Palestinians, freezes the issue of permits for future drilling. The IDF bars a Palestinian heart attack victim fr. crossing an IDF checkpoint to reach a hospital, allowing him to die; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes (Balata r.c., Nablus, Rafah); demolishes 4 barracks, 3 Palestinian homes, 3 bakeries, several cattle sheds in Yatta; bulldozes 10 dunams of land in Bayt Lahia; conducts arrest raids in Khan Yunis, Rafah. Israel releases AFP photographer Hussam Abu Alan, detained without charge on 4/24/02. (HA, PM, REU 10/22; LAW, NYT, PCHR, PR, WP 10/23; WT 10/24; AYM 10/24 in WNC 10/28; al-Quds 10/30 in WNC 10/31)

Israel ends the siege on Arafat's compound in Ramallah, allowing Arafat, all those inside with him to leave; troops remain in Ramallah however. A Palestinian heart attack victim dies at an IDF checkpoint nr. Khan Yunis when troops deny his passage to a hospital for several hrs. Palestinians in Nablus defy the curfew by reopening schools. The IDF surrounds 3 Nablus schools, forces them to close; fires on curfew breakers in nearby Balata r.c., injuring 3 children. The IDF also fires tear gas into an education center for children and the mentally disabled in Shu`fat r.c., injuring 150 children; demolishes 4 Palestinian houses nr. Netzarim settlement; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian children nr. Bayt Hanun and Khan Yunis, injuring 4. (AFP, JT 9/29, Interfax, MENA, QA 9/30 in WNC 10/1; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/30; CSM 10/1; LAW, PCHR 10/2; MEI 10/11; WP 11/8)

The Jerusalem Report, citing Britain’s respected Jane’s Foreign Report, claims that IDF special forces are currently operating inside western Iraq, with the knowledge of the U.S., to locate missile launchers that could be used against Israel. (JP 9/29)

The IDF directs tank fire at Palestinian youths violating the curfew in Nablus and throwing stones at soldiers, killing a 17-yr.-old Palestinian, injuring an 11- and a 13-yr.-old; directs heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes 86 dunams of crop land nr. Qarni crossing, Shuhada Junction. In Gaza, AMB gunmen fire on an IDF patrol nr. the Rafah border, killing 1 IDF soldier. A Palestinian heart attack victim dies in an ambulance detained at an IDF checkpoint for over an hr. (LAW, PCHR 7/10; NYT, UPMRC, WP 7/11)

Fmr. Christian Coalition leader Gary Bauer and Rabbi Daniel Lapin, head of the ultraconservative Jewish-Christian group Toward Tradition, announce the formation of the American Alliance of Jews and Christians (AAJC), which they will co-chair. AAJC aims to "unite Christians in support of Israel and work with American Jews and Christians on behalf of traditional values." Among the mbrs. of the AAJC board are Rev. Jerry Falwell, Rev. Pat Robertson. A similar Christian right lobbying group, Stand for Israel, cofounded by fmr. Christian Coalition exec. dir. Ralph Reed and IFCJ head Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, is doing a $400,000 media campaign targeting major newspapers, conservative radio talk shows. (Toward Tradition press release 7/10; MEI 7/26) (see 7/9)

A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device on a bus in Jerusalem during morning rush hr., killing 18 Israeli Jews, 1 Israeli Arab, injuring 50. Late in the evening, as the IDF sends tanks troops into Jenin town and r.c. in response, imposing a curfew and firing on Palestinians who resist, the Israel cabinet convenes to discuss what further action to take. Afterward, Israel announces the launching of Operation Determined Path, under which "Israel will respond to acts of terror by capturing PA territory. . . . Additional acts of terror will lead to the taking of additional areas," which would be held indefinitely. During the day, the IDF assassinates Islamic Jihad student leader Yusif Bisharat in Hebron; raids the Nablus home of PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. and DFLP mbr. Taysir Khalid; shells residential areas of Gaza City, injuring 8; conducts arrest raids in villages around Jenin; bulldozes Palestinian agricultural land nr. Kefar Darom settlement. An elderly Palestinian dies of a heart attack when troops enter her Jenin home. An ailing Palestinian dies when the IDF bars his ambulance fr. crossing a checkpoint. Jewish settlers under the protection of IDF troops take over a building nr. the old city of Jerusalem. (AP, JP, LAW, MM 6/18; AFP, ATL, Interfax 6/18 in WNC 6/19; ATL 6/18, JT, al-Quds 6/19 in WNC 6/20; HP, LAW, MM, NYT, PCHR, UPMRC, WP, WT 6/19; WP 6/20; NYT 6/21; AYM 6/23 in WNC 6/26; MM 6/24, MEI 6/28; New Haven Register 7/3)

In light of the Jerusalem bombing, Bush postpones a speech outlining U.S. policy on the peace process, which he had planned to give today. (WP 6/19; NYT 6/20; AYM 6/20 in WNC 6/24)

In a predawn operation, the IDF sends tanks, troops, APCs into Hebron fr. 3 directions; surrounds several houses; arrests 4 Palestinians, including senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Muhammad Sidr. The IDF also reenters Jenin, imposes a curfew; conducts arrest raids in villages around Bethlehem, Tulkarm; raids, shells residential areas of Khan Yunis and Rafah, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 15, arresting 23. (The IDF withdraws to the outskirts of Bethlehem, Hebron by nightfall.) At least 3 Palestinians are killed before dawn: 1 shot by the IDF emerging fr. a taxi in Salfit, 1 shot by the IDF while trying to circumvent a checkpoint nr. Nablus, 1 who dies of a heart attack at an IDF crossing in Khan Yunis. The IDF is reportedly setting up numerous new roadblocks, checkpoints n. of Jerusalem. Israeli police arrest a Palestinian man, his Israeli Christian wife on charges of driving 2 suicide bombers fr. the West Bank into Israel. (HP, NYT, WT 5/30; HP, NYT, WP 5/31; WT 6/1; WP 6/2, LAW 6/5; WJW 6/6; NYT 6/13)

U.S. Asst. Secy. of State William Burns arrives in Cairo on the first leg of a 4-day regional tour to confer with Egyptian, EU, Israeli, Jordanian, Palestinian leaders. (HA 5/30; MENA 5/30 in WNC 5/31; MM, NYT, WT 5/31; WP, WT 6/1; MENA 6/1 in WNC 6/3)

The IDF openly assassinates wanted AMB Nablus cmdr. Mahmud Titi, firing rockets at him in Balata r.c., also killing 2 AMB mbrs, 1 Palestinian bystander, seriously damaging a nearby home. Hrs. later an AMB suicide bomber detonates a device in Rishon Letzion, killing 2 Israelis, injuring 25. Nr. Bethlehem, the IDF fires on a group of 20 Palestinian laborers attempting to circumvent a checkpoint, killing 1 Palestinian. In Jenin, Islamic Jihad mbr. Khalid Zakarni dies in a mysterious explosion; the IDF claims explosives he was carrying detonated prematurely, Palestinian sources say he was hit by an IDF tank shell. The IDF also bars a Palestinian woman needing kidney dialysis, a Palestinian man suffering a heart attack fr. crossing checkpoints to reach hospitals, allowing them to die; conducts house-to-house searches, directs heavy gunfire at residential areas in Salfit, detaining 100s of Palestinian men aged 15 to 50, arresting 13 PSF mbrs.; conducts arrest raids in Burkin (firing several shells at the home of a Hamas mbr.), Hebron, Husan, Nahalin, Tulkarm. In Gaza, the IDF shuts the main north and south road, claiming the action is in response to Palestinian mortar fire at Gaza settlements. The IDF also begins issuing magnetic cards to al-Mawasi residents; only residents with cards will be allow to cross through the al-Mawasi checkpoint. (MM 5/23; Interfax 5/23 in WNC 24; AP, JP, LAW 5/22; LAW, NYT, UPMRC, WP, WT 5/23; PCHR 5/30)

Under an agmt. reached on 5/21, 12 of the 13 Palestinians deported to Cyprus are sent on to 3d countries (3 each to Italy, Spain; 2 each to Greece, Ireland; 1 each to Belgium, Portugal). They will be treated as refugees, given 1-yr. residency permits; if they leave their host country, they will not be allowed to return. The 13th, PA Bethlehem intelligence chief Abdallah Daoud, considered by Israel the "most dangerous" of the 13 men, will remain in Cyprus until a country can be found that will take him. (NYT, WP 5/22; CNA 5/22 in WNC 5/23; NYT, WP 5/23; MEI 5/31; CNA 8/6 in WNC 8/8)

In Nablus, the IDF fires missiles at a car driven by senior Fatah mbr. Jihad Mussaimi in an apparent assassination attempt. Mussaimi and several bystanders are injured. Following a Palestinian sniper attack on the Jewish enclave of Hebron that wounds 2 Jewish settler boys, the IDF sends troops into the PA-controlled area of Hebron to blow up 2 Palestinian homes in the Abu Sunayna neighborhood. The 3-hr. raid, similar to that on Jinin on 8/13-14, sparks an intense gun battle that leaves 2 Palestinians dead and 10 Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier wounded; a Palestinian woman dies of a heart attack while waiting hrs. for an ambulance to reach her. In Gaza, the IDF fires on Palestinians throwing stones at a Jewish settlement, killing 1 Palestinian boy; sends 3 tanks into Dayr al-Balah refugee camp, sparking a gun battle that leaves 4 Palestinians injured. (AFP 8/23; NYT, WP, WT 8/24; NYT, WT 8/25; HA 8/26)

In Nablus, the IDF fires missiles at a car driven by senior Fatah mbr. Jihad Mussaimi in an apparent assassination attempt. Mussaimi and several bystanders are injured. Following a Palestinian sniper attack on the Jewish enclave of Hebron that wounds 2 Jewish settler boys, the IDF sends troops into the PA-controlled area of Hebron to blow up 2 Palestinian homes in the Abu Sunayna neighborhood. The 3-hr. raid, similar to that on Jinin on 8/13-14, sparks an intense gun battle that leaves 2 Palestinians dead and 10 Palestinians, 1 IDF soldier wounded; a Palestinian woman dies of a heart attack while waiting hrs. for an ambulance to reach her. In Gaza, the IDF fires on Palestinians throwing stones at a Jewish settlement, killing 1 Palestinian boy; sends 3 tanks into Dayr al-Balah refugee camp, sparking a gun battle that leaves 4 Palestinians injured. (AFP 8/23; NYT, WP, WT 8/24; NYT, WT 8/25; HA 8/26)

2 Palestinians die of injuries received earlier, including senior Fatah mbr. Bardawil who was wounded on 6/5 in a possible assassination attempt. The IDF directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; raids 3 PA-controlled areas in Gaza, 1 in Hebron; occupies an uninhabited building in Nablus for use as an IDF post. Palestinians fire mortars at 2 Gaza settlements, causing no damage. Jewish settlers attempt to set up a new enclave nr. Nablus, where a settler was killed a wk. ago, but the IDF intervenes, declares the area a closed military zone. IDF troops bar an ambulance carrying a Palestinian man suffering a heart attack fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a hospital; the man dies en route to the hospital via a 2d, longer path. Troops also bar a Palestinian woman in labor from crossing a checkpoint to reach Jericho hospital 40 m. away; after she gives birth, the soldiers allow her to walk through the crossing with her newborn. Israeli security forces arrest a number of Palestinian fr. Hebron working illegally inside the Green Line; escort them to Gaza, where they are barred fr. returning to Hebron. (HA, HP 6/8; HA 6/11)

CIA Dir. Tenet holds preliminary mtgs. with Sharon in Tel Aviv, Arafat in Ramallah. Israel presents two lists of Palestinians it wants arrested immediately: 34 Palestinians who committed anti-Israeli attacks and were released fr. PA prisons since the intifada began; some 300 Palestinians that "participated in the recent violence against military and civilian targets." The PA says it will coordinate with Israel and act on tips to prevent attacks, noting that it has already passed information to Israel regarding 2 possible suicide bombings since 6/1, but will not make preventive arrests without probable cause. (HA, MM 6/7; HJ, MENA, al-Quds, SA 6/7 in WNC 6/8/; MM, NYT, WP 6/8; DUS 6/8 in WNC 6/11; NYT 6/9)

In Ramallah, reps of the nationalist and Islamist groups give PLO Exec. Comm. secy. Mahmud Abbas a memorandum calling on Arafat to open a "national dialogue" to discuss forming an emergency government that includes all Palestinian factions. (AYM 6/8 in WNC 6/11; HJ 6/10 in WNC 6/12; AYM 6/12 in WNC 6/14)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes leave a total of 2 Palestinian, 1 Jewish settler dead. Israeli DM Ben-Eliezer approves deployment of special forces units to bolster the IDF in the West Bank; some units will operate undercover, lying in ambush for Palestinian attackers, while others will operate overtly in a show of force. Jewish settlers increase vigilante attacks in the West Bank, shooting at and stoning Palestinian cars, beating a group of Palestinians nr. Nablus. In Bethlehem, a Palestinian, previously questioned by the PSF for selling land to Israelis, is killed in a drive-by shooting outside his home, raising speculation that Palestinians targeted him as a collaborator. (HA, MM, NYT 6/1; HP 6/2)

In Washington, Israeli pres. Moshe Katsav meets separately with Bush, Powell; asks the U.S. to set a deadline for the Palestinians to halt attacks on Israel. Bush makes no commitment. Afterwards, Katsav says Bush did not ask Israel not to retaliate against Palestinian attacks; warns Arafat that he has a "few days, no more" to end the violence or face a sharply escalated IDF military response. Powell phones Arafat and asks him to "implement the Mitchell Comm.'s call for an immediate, unconditional cease-fire." (JP [Internet] 5/31; WP, WT 6/1; WJW 6/7)

Orient House head and PLO Jerusalem Affairs M Faisal Husseini dies unexpectedly of a heart attack in Kuwait. (BBC, CNN, HA, JP [Internet] 5/31; AFP 5/31 in WNC 6/1; MM, WP, WT 6/1; DUS 6/11 in WNC 6/12; al-Quds 6/20 in WNC 6/22)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. Nr. Rafah border, a Palestinian sniper fatally shoots an IDF soldier. The IDF seals the border with Egypt, closes the Gaza airport, shells areas around Rafah in response. The IDF also demolishes 4 Palestinian homes nr. Netzarim Junction; bulldozes 40 dunams of Palestinian land to expand Gush Etzion settlement. 1 Palestinian dies of a heart attack when the IDF blocks his transportation to Nablus hospital. Jewish settlers fr. Neve Dekalim attack, seriously injure a Palestinian farmer working his field. (HA 2/5; WP 2/6; LAW 2/8)