The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers used clubs to vandalize Palestinian-owned cars traveling near the Yitzhar settlement on the Nablus-Qalqilya road. Israeli forces demolished 1 house under construction in Halhul. 4 Palestinians were arrested during a raid near Ramallah; during the raid, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians, leading to 1 injury and 1 Palestinian-owned vehicle was seized by the Israeli forces. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces harassed several Palestinians in al-Tur, leading to clashes; tear-gas related injuries were reported and 2 Palestinians were arrested. 4 Palestinians were also arrested during raids in Issawiyya and the Old City. (WAFA 11/23; PCHR 11/26)

The PA announced new lockdown measures against the spread of the COVID-19 virus, including a lockdown from 6 p.m.-7 a.m. every day and a general all-day lockdown on Fridays and Saturdays. The lockdown will be in effect for 2 weeks. The West Bank had 5 new deaths and 869 new cases on 11/23. (WAFA, WAFA 11/23)

The Jerusalem District Court rejected the appeal of a Palestinian family against their eviction from their home in Silwan. The court said the family of 26 had to leave the house they have occupied since 1967 to allow Israeli settlers to move in. (PCN 11/24; HA 11/26)

PA prime minister Muhammad Shtayyeh said that the PA will start repaying its dues to public servants and retirees who have not been receiving full payments since February, when the PA starts receiving the money owed to it by Israel later this week. Prime Minister Shtayyeh said payment of dues for salaries remained the priority but recognized that the PA also will pay back all of its other unpaid bills to various sectors and contractors. (WAFA 11/23)

According to the deputy leader of Fatah Mahmoud Alalul, the PA and president-elect Joe Biden’s team have made several understandings on how to proceed with the U.S.-PA relations after President-elect Biden is sworn in come January. Among the issues are definition of settlement products and the U.S. recognition of people born in East Jerusalem as Israelis. (HA 11/24)

An Israeli court forced the Israeli ministry of interior to publish guidelines for a scheme that would allow some 20,000 Palestinians from East Jerusalem to obtain Israeli citizenship faster than the normal process, which is extremely strenuous for Palestinians. (HA 11/24)

Without formally conceding the election, U.S. president Donald Trump said in a tweet that he had allowed the General Services Administration to prepare for President-elect Biden’s transition to the presidency. President Trump continues to maintain that he really won the election because Biden’s victory was based on voter fraud, an assertion he has not backed with any evidence. (HA 11/23)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers in the Yitzhar settlement erected a sign saying, “[e]ntry for Arabs is dangerous.” Israeli settlers also stole olive harvests in Burin. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Burqa, injuring 5 with rocks and damaging vehicles. Palestinians accessing their land on the other side of the separation barrier from where they live found some 60 olive trees were vandalized and olive crops were stolen. Israeli forces blocked off several roads to villages in the Jenin area, preventing Palestinians from harvesting their olive crops. 11 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Halhul, Kafr Qaddum, Nablus, and Ya‘bad. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested in Shu‘fat refugee camp. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of al-Sudaniyya; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/12; PCHR 10/15)

Israel approved construction of 500 new settlement housing units in the Tzur Hadasah settlement near Bethlehem. (MEMO, WAFA 10/12)

B’Tselem said that a Palestinian man who has been hunger striking to protest his administrative detention for nearly 80 days is “on the verge of death.” (AJ 10/12)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh asked members of the EU parliament, during an online debate, to recognize the state of Palestine and to be more active in a future peace process. (WAFA 10/13)

The Israeli cabinet approved Israel’s normalization deal with the UAE; the Knesset is set to vote on the deal on 10/15. (HA, HA, REU 10/12)

In the West Bank, Israel issued demolition orders for 4 residential structures south of Hebron and 5 homes in the Ramallah area as punitive demolitions against alleged Palestinian attackers. Israeli forces violently dispersed a protest against the U.S. administration’s peace plan in Qalqilya, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 7 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Halhul, Ramallah, Salfit, and Anata. Israeli settlers severely beat 1 Palestinian doctor visiting patients near Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, 3 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Silwan and Issawiyya. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian lands near Bayt Hanun and east of Dayr al-Balah. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20; PCHR 2/27)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel will expand 2 settlements, Har Homa and Givat Hamatos, in East Jerusalem with 2,200 and 3,000 housing units respectively. Prime Minister Netanyahu also said that Israel would apply sovereignty to al-Ibrahimi Mosque. The PA called Netanyahu’s announcement part of “a systematic destruction of the two-state solution.” (HA, NYT, WAFA 2/20; JP 2/23)

Israel and the PA ended its trade dispute, allowing Palestinian goods to exit the West Bank and Israeli agricultural products to enter the West Bank market. Israel started banning Palestinian goods to the Israeli market on 2/2 and later expanded the ban of export from the West Bank altogether. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 2/20)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian shepherds in Aqraba. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Za’atra, causing damage. In Sabastiyya, Palestinian students visiting an archeological site were briefly detained by Israeli forces. Israeli forces also seized a Palestinian-owned vehicle during a house raid near Bethlehem. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Halhul. 2 Palestinians were injured by Israeli gunfire in 2 separate incidents near Jenin and Tulkarm. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/11; PCHR 12/12)

A Palestinian power distribution company said that Israeli- forced power cuts will start on 12/15 with Ramallah cutting power for 3 hours daily and on 12/17 with Bethlehem cutting power 3 hours daily. (WAFA 12/11)

In Israel, the Knesset was dissolved by its members as Israeli citizens are set to vote in a 3d general election in under 1 year on 2 March 2020. Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Benny Gantz were able to secure a majority government since the last Israeli elections on 17 September. Netanyahu’s Likud party also agreed to hold primaries on 26 December. Netanyahu’s main rival in the Likud party is Gideon Sa’ar, who previously served as Israel’s minister of education and minister of internal affairs. (HA, HA 12/11; HA, JP 12/12)

U.S. president Donald Trump signed an executive order titled “Combatting Anti-Semitism” at a White House Hanukkah party. The order, which folds anti-Semitism under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, is officially aimed at combatting anti-Semitism in the U.S. education system. However, the order explicitly mentions the highly controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of anti-Semitism which conflates criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Many thus fear that the new executive order is intended to stifle criticism of Israel rather than protecting Jewish people against anti-Semitism. President Trump said during the signing ceremony that, “I will always celebrate and honor the Jewish people, and I will always stand with our treasured friend and ally, the State of Israel.” (NYT 12/10; CNN, HA, JP, NYT, WhiteHouse 12/11; HA; WAFA 12/12)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian was shot in his foot by Israeli forces using live ammunition near the separation wall southwest of Jenin. 11 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Halhul, al-‘Arub refugee camp, Bayt Awa, Ramallah, ‘Urif, and Tubas. Israeli forces razed a dirt road and demolished water pipes near al-‘Izzariya. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/18; PCHR 11/21)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo announced that the U.S. no longer considers Israeli settlements illegal under international law. Secretary Pompeo explained that the Trump administration called the notion that settlements are illegal under international law a distraction and said the issue should be addressed in Israeli courts. Pompeo’s announcement received sharp criticism and condemnation from several countries and international organizations. PA prime minister Mohammad Shtyyeh called it “a mockery of international law and resolutions that criminalize Israeli settlements and prohibit the occupying power from transferring its civilian population into occupied territory.” (AJ, Amnesty, CNN, EU, HA, HA, NYT 11/18; AJ, BBC, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 6 olive trees west of Ramallah. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized 22 Palestinian-owned vehicles and wrote racist graffiti in Hebrew on walls in Hizma. Israeli forces violently dispersed the weekly anti-settlement protest in Kafr Qaddum, causing tear-gas related injuries. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Halhul, Bayt Furik, Jalazun refugee camp, and Ramallah. In Gaza, 104 Palestinians were injured during the 82d weekly Great March of Return protest, including 41 by live ammunition. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen off the shore of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (HA, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/8; PCHR 11/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 3 vehicles and wrote racist graffiti in Hebrew on several buildings in Qabalan. 11 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Tulkarm, Bethlehem, Nablus, Jenin, and Halhul. Israeli forces also took measurements of the family home of an accused Palestinian attacker for punitive demolition in Kobar. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian woman was shot in the head by Israeli forces using rubber-coated bullets in Issawiyya; 1 Palestinian was arrested during the raid. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire and used water hoses against Palestinian fishermen near Rafah; 2 Palestinians were arrested and 1 boat was seized. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/7; WAFA 11/8; PCHR 11/14)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces entered Bardala in the Jordan Valley and shut down the village’s water pipes. Israeli settlers with military escort entered a mosque in Halhul, leading to clashes with Palestinians; several Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets and from tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces raided several buildings in Ramallah, including the Addameer office, and confiscated documents and computers. The raid led to clashes with Palestinians; several Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets and from tear gas inhalation. Israeli forces also delivered stop-work orders for 5 residential structures and animal barns in the Jordan Valley. Israeli forces arrested 18 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Nablus, Jenin, Salfit, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid and 1 Palestinian was handed a summons for interrogation. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/19; PCHR 9/26)

Israel returned to their families the corpses of 2 Palestinians killed in East Jerusalem and the West Bank in April and August. (WAFA 9/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians, including 7 during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Ramallah, Halhul, and Salfit, and 1 at a flying checkpoint in Hebron; among the arrested at a late-night raid in Ramallah was 1 Palestinian instructor from Birzeit University in Ramallah. Israeli forces also conducted house raids in Zabbuba near Jenin; no arrests were reported. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian-owned vehicles travelling on a road northeast of Ramallah, causing damage. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Issawiyya. 1 Palestinian demolished his store in Silwan after receiving a demolition order by Israeli authorities. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1; PCHR 9/5)

After more than 340 Palestinians had been arrested in Issawiyya in East Jerusalem during the summer, it was reported that the Israeli police, the Jerusalem Municipality, and residents of Issawiyya had come to an agreement on limiting Israeli operations in Issawiyya. The agreement includes that residents of Issawiyya cancel a school strike on 9/2, the 1st day of the school year. (HA 9/1)

According to the Palestinian Energy Authority, Qatar will be cutting the amount of fuel it funds for Gaza by 50 percent, causing the hours of electricity available in Gaza to drop from 8 hours per day to 5 or 6. (HA 9/1)

At a visit to the Israeli settlement of Elkana, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that that he aspires to apply Israeli sovereignty to all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s announcement comes 2 weeks before the Israeli general election. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1)

The al-Kasom Regional Council in the Negev, which presides over a large Bedouin community, announced that 17,000 students would not start the school year as planned on 9/2 as the Israeli education ministry had not given it enough money to begin the school year as planned. (HA 9/1)

Israeli forces and Hezbollah operatives exchanged missiles near the border of Israel and Lebanon. According to Hezbollah, it fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli military vehicles. The Israeli military and Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that it had hit the Hezbollah cell that fired the anti-tank missiles with “100 shells, aerial fire and various measures.” (HA 9/1; AJ, AJ, HA 9/2; HA 9/4)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces sealed off the main entrance to Bayt Umar north of Hebron. Israeli forces also arrested 4 Palestinians during late-night raids in Yatta and Halhul in the Hebron area. In Kafr Qaddum, Israeli forces violently suppressed the weekly anti-settlement demonstrations leading to 3 injuries. In Gaza, 87 were wounded by Israeli forces opening fire on the Great March of Return protesters, including 44 that were hit by Israeli live ammunition. 4 Palestinians were arrested for traversing the Gaza fence into Israel. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen 3 nautical miles from the coast of Bayt Lahiya. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/30; HA 8/31; PCHR 9/5)

The EU announced that it was contributing $27 million to the PA to help pay for civil servants’ salaries for August. (WAFA 8/30)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed the weekly anti-settlement demonstrations in Kufr Qaddum and Qalqilya; no injuries were reported. In Halhul north of Hebron, clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian residents during a raid; 3 Palestinians were injured by rubber-coated bullets. At the Allenby Bridge, 1 Palestinian returning from Jordan was arrested. Israeli forces also arrested 1 Palestinian during a daytime raid in Bayt Fajjar. Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians and Palestinian-owned property around Hebron. East of Yatta, settlers sprayed racist graffiti and set fire to hay bales. Settlers also threw stones and glass bottles at Palestinian-owned vehicles on a road east of Hebron. They also threw stones at 2 Palestinian-owned homes in Tuqu‘ and Nahalin near Bethlehem; in the incident in Tuqu‘, 1 vehicle also sustained damage. In Gaza, 2 Palestinians were injured by live ammunition east of Khan Yunis by the Gaza fence. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/9; PCHR 8/22)

In protest over the possibility that Israeli police would allow Israeli Jews to commemorate Tisha B’Av on the Haram al-Sharif compound on the same day as Eid al-Adha, the Islamic Waqf called on Muslims to attend a mass service on the compound on 8/11—the day of Eid al-Adha—and announced that all mosques in the Old City would be closed except Al-Aqsa Mosque. (HA, WAFA 8/9)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces blocked the entrance to the town of Tuqu‘ near Bethlehem and stormed the city center, leading to clashes with local residents; no injuries were reported. Israel also issued a military order to confiscate 401 dunams (99 acres) of Palestinian-owned land in al-‘Arub, Bayt Umar, and Halhul near Hebron. Israeli forces also confiscated 4 Palestinian-owned vehicles during late-night raids. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, and Salfit. Separately, a 19-year-old Palestinian woman was also arrested at the al-Zaayim checkpoint for allegedly attempting to stab an Israeli soldier. In East Jerusalem, around 87 Israeli settlers along with Israeli forces stormed Haram al-Sharif to perform prayers. Israeli forces sealed the Damascus Gate of the Old City and arrested 2 Palestinians in the vicinity. Later, demolition notices were delivered for 13 residential structures in the al-‘Izzawiya neighborhood. In Gaza, Israeli forces razed land east of Rafah and fired toward Palestinians east of Khuza‘a; no injuries were reported. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA 4/10; MNA, MNA, WAFA 4/11)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory after the 4/9 Israeli general elections and will serve his 5th term as prime minister. Both U.S. president Donald Trump and secretary of state Mike Pompeo congratulated Netanyahu with his victory. The PR firm behind the Likud party’s initiative to place cameras at the Palestinian-majority polling stations (see 4/9) boasted a historically low turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel in a Facebook post that also depicted 2 of its employees with Netanyahu and his wife Sara. Turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel was less than 50 percent. PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi called Netanyahu’s victory a vote to “entrench and expand apartheid.” (HA, HA, WAFA 4/10; HA 4/11)

The Palestinian activist and co-founder of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement Omar Barghouti was denied entry to the U.S. to embark on a speaking tour in several U.S. cities and to attend his daughter’s wedding. He was stopped before boarding his plane in Tel Aviv and was told that the American consulate had ordered that he could not board the plane. (NYT 4/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces gave evacuation notices for land seizure to several Palestinians in Bittir near Bethlehem and Halhul and Bayt Umar near Hebron. Israeli forces also gave notice to Palestinians in 7 villages in the Nablus area that 406 dunams (100 acres) will be seized by Israel for a settler-only road and 384 dunams (94 acres) for a military road in the northern Jordan Valley. In Hebron, several Palestinian students, a teacher, and a janitor suffered from tear gas inhalation when Israeli forces fired tear gas into the school yard. The teacher and janitor were taken to a hospital for treatment. Israeli forces also halted construction of a road west of Yatta near Hebron. South of Bethlehem, a Palestinian was hospitalized after an Israeli settler rammed his car. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were injured and 3 arrested by Israeli police after a confrontation with Israeli settlers. Israeli settlers also sealed the door to the Shaykh Makki Mosque in the Old City for a 3d time (2 previous sealings happened in March). An Israeli court released 5 Palestinians who had been detained since March but banned them from returning to their homes in Silwan for 30 days. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces fired at Palestinian fishermen 3 nautical miles offshore from al-Sudaniyya. Israeli forces also razed farmland and fired at Palestinians near Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/8)

After the postponement of the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike reported on 4/7, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails started an open-ended hunger strike to protest their treatment by the Israelis. (HA, WAFA 4/8)

A French employee at the French consulate in Jerusalem was sentenced to 7 years in prison by an Israeli court for smuggling arms from Gaza to the West Bank. He confessed to having smuggled 30 guns, receiving $7,200 for his services. (HA 4/8; MEMO 4/9)

Russian president Vladimir Putin said weeks after U.S. president Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights that the U.S. change of policy is “a violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.” (MNA 4/9)

In response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comment on 4/6 that he would extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank, the Arab League’s assistant secretary-general Saeed Abu Ali said that such actions would lead to “dangerous repercussions” and called for an “immediate official investigation” by the International Criminal Court of “the ongoing settlement crimes in the Palestinian territories.” (MEMO 4/9)

In a White House statement, President Trump announced that the U.S had decided to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. Prime Minister Netanyahu later tweeted on his Hebrew language account, “Thank you for the answer to another important request that serves the interests of our country and the region,” implying that the terror designation was made upon request by Netanyahu. On Netanyahu’s English language Twitter account, the word “request” was omitted. (NPR 4/8; HILL 4/9; HA 4/10)

In the West Bank, unidentified assailants set fire to a cherry orchard in the Israeli settlement Kfar Etzion overnight, causing moderate damage. Israeli settlers then set fire to a Palestinian wheat field near Hebron and spray racist graffiti on the walls of a home nearby. Israeli settlers also cut down approximately 1,000 grape vines in a Palestinian agricultural area outside Halhul village near Hebron. Meanwhile, IDF troops conduct raids in Balata refugee camp near Nablus late at night, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian minors; 3 Palestinians are injured. They also arrest 8 Palestinians during raids near Qalqilya, Jenin, Hebron, and Ramallah. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries (2 fishermen are arrested). (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 5/23; HA, PCHR, WAFA 5/24; PCHR 5/31)

A Palestinian minor succumbs to injuries sustained during a violent clash with IDF troops in Ramallah on 5/15. (HA, WAFA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) announces that the State of Palestine deposited an instrument of accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention on 5/17/17 (the State of Palestine is set to formally adopt the convention on 6/16/18). Meanwhile, U.S. officials say that the Trump administration is considering punitive measures against international organizations that accept Palestine as a member, including the OPCW. In a similar vein, the Times of Israel reports that the Trump administration is considering action against the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) office in Washington in response to the Palestinians’ 5/22 referral to the ICC. (HA, JP, TOI, WAFA 5/23)

The Arab League cancels a cooperation understanding with the Guatemalan Foreign Ministry in protest of the recent move of the Guatemalan embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. (WAFA 5/23)

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and international activists at Friday protests against U.S. president Donald Trump’s 12/6/17 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, as well as Israel’s settlements, the separation wall, and occupation in 2 villages near Ramallah (al-Mazra‘a and Nabi Salih), al-Bireh, Jericho, Salfit, Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya, 2 villages near Nablus (Beita and Huwwara), and along Gaza’s border near Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Jabaliya refugee camp, and al-Bureij refugee camp; at least 41 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, IDF troops conduct a raid in Nablus overnight, sparking clashes with stonethrowing residents; 7 Palestinians are injured. They also assault and lightly injure 5 Palestinian minors in central Hebron. Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to 3 homes under construction near Bethlehem, issue arrest summons to 1 Palestinian during a raid near Hebron; and patrol near Tulkarm and Hebron. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya and Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (WAFA 2/16; WAFA 2/17; PCHR 2/22)

Israeli forces return the corpses of Palestinians killed in deadly confrontations with the IDF on 9/26/2017 and 2/7 to their families in Bayt Surik near Jerusalem and Halhul near Hebron, respectively. (JP, MNA, TOI 2/17)

An Israeli security guard shoots and kills a Palestinian minor after he stabs and lightly injures another guard at the entrance to Karme Tzur settlement near Hebron. After the incident, IDF troops raid the alleged attacker’s home in Halhul village, sparking clashes with stone-throwing residents; there are no serious injuries. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops clash with Palestinians in Jericho; 21 Palestinians are injured. They also arrest 9 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah; and patrol near Hebron and Nablus. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles near Salfit, lightly injuring 1 driver and damaging 1 car. In East Jerusalem, Palestinian minors throw stones at a fence surrounding an Israeli settlement near Kafr ‘Aqab, sparking minor clashes with Israeli forces; 1 Palestinian is injured. Israeli forces also demolish a Palestinian home in Silwan. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 2/7; MNA, PCHR, WAFA 2/8; PCHR 2/15)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing in both directions for the first of 3 days. (WAFA 2/7; OCHA 2/15)

The IAF conducts air strikes on a military “research center” near Damascus, according to the Syrian army. Israeli forces have reportedly targeted the site 3 times in the past 3 months. (DPA, HA, REU 2/7)

For a 9th day in a row, Palestinians across the oPt gather to protest U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Attendance spikes today, as the protests coincide with weekly Friday protests against Israel’s occupation, separation wall, and settlements. Israeli forces violently disperse demonstrations across East Jerusalem, Halhul village near Hebron, 2 areas near Ramallah (outside the Beit El settlement and in Nabi Salih), Kafr Qaddum near Qalqilya, Bethlehem, Tubas, Tulkarm, Huwwara checkpoint near Nablus, and along Gaza’s border near Bayt Hanun, Khan Yunis, Jabaliya refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Gaza City; 4 Palestinians are killed and approximately 150 are injured. (A video showing a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, Ahed Tamimi, shoving and slapping an Israeli soldier amid clashes in Nabi Salih near Ramallah, will go viral over the weekend. She will be arrested on 12/19). Israeli forces arrest 8 Palestinians and issue arrest summons to 2 during raids near Bethlehem and in East Jerusalem, and patrol near Tulkarm and Hebron. Separately, Palestinians throw stones at Israeli vehicles near Jerusalem, injuring 1 settler. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, IMEMC, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 12/15; PCHR 12/21)

The Israeli authorities announce that the Erez border crossing has reopened for Palestinians to enter and exit, but that the Kerem Shalom crossing is to remain closed indefinitely. Both were closed on 12/13. (TOI 12/15)

For a 7th day in a row, Palestinians across the oPt gather to protest U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital (attendance continues to steadily decline). Israeli forces violently disperse protestors in Hebron and 3 nearby villages (Dura, Bayt Umar, and Halhul), outside the Beit El settlement near Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, and along Gaza’s border near al-Bureij refugee camp, Bayt Hanun, Khan Yunis, and Rafah; at least 26 Palestinians are injured, including 1 journalist, and 5 are arrested. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently detain 2 Palestinian youths inside an ambulance in Halhul; arrest 3 Palestinians during late-night raids in Hebron and near Ramallah; and patrol in and around Hebron, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian students outside a school in Burin village near Nablus, sparking minor clashes; there are no serious injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya and Abu Dis. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MNA, WAFA, YA 12/13; MNA, PCHR 12/14)

Unidentified parties fire 3 rockets from Gaza toward Israel in the evening; 2 are intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and 1 falls in an open area, causing no damage or injuries. The IAF conducts air strikes on at least 5 Hamas sites across Gaza, causing damage but no injuries. The Israeli authorities announce that both the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings will be closed indefinitely as collective punishment for the week of rocket attacks emanating from Gaza. (HA, TOI 12/13; HA, PCHR, WAFA, YA 12/14; PCHR 12/21)

At an emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul, reps. of the 57 OIC members jointly declare East Jerusalem to be the capital of the State of Palestine and urge all countries to recognize Palestine. Addressing the attendees, PA pres. Abbas says that Israel’s violations and of international law free the Palestinians from prior commitments made in context of the peace process, threatens to abandon the PA’s security coordination with the IDF, and announces the Palestinians’ intention to go to the UNSC for full UN membership. (AFP, HA, NYT, REU, TOI, WAFA, YA 12/13)

Hamas’s military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), takes responsibility for shooting at a Jewish settler vehicle driving nr. Hebron (in area C, under full Israeli control, where the PASF is not allowed to operate), killing 4 Jewish settlers, including a pregnant woman, marking the deadliest West Bank attack on Israelis in more than 2 yrs. and the first staged by Hamas since before the 1/2006 elections. Both Abbas and Netanyahu say the attack should not derail peace talks. The YESHA settlement council vows to renew construction in West Bank settlements immediately, before the temporary freeze ends, to demonstrate Israelis’ “resolve against terrorism.” Following the attack and throughout the night, the IDF seals the entrances to Hebron, Halhul, and al-Fawar r.c. and imposes a curfew on nearby Bani Na‘im village, raiding and searching homes and detaining Palestinians with suspected connections to Hamas. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers implementing their “price-tag” doctrine to punish Palestinians for any state acts against settlers, beat Palestinian farmers working their land nr. Emanuel settlement nr. Salfit and stone Palestinian vehicles traveling on the Nablus–Qalqilya road (2 separate incidents) as well as on a road bypassing Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron attempt to break into a nearby Palestinian home but are prevented by the IDF. Late at night, the IDF patrols 2 villages nr. Salfit; no incidents are reported. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that in the previous wk. 3 Palestinians were killed in 2 separate tunnel collapses on the Rafah border. (NYT, WP, WT 9/1; PCHR 9/2; OCHA 9/3)

With the Rafah border breached, Israel halts emergency imports authorized on 1/22, arguing that Gazans can now get food and fuel fr. Egypt. Meanwhile, the IDF makes an air strike on a car nr. the Rafah border, assassinating Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbrs. Zayid ‘Abd al-‘Aal and Ibrahim al-‘Absi; sends troops into areas e. of Rafah to conduct arrest raids, detaining and taking back to Israel 25 Palestinians possibly connected to the 1/23 border breach. In the West Bank, 2 Palestinians fr. Bayt Umar nr. Hebron infiltrate Kefar Etzion settlement, stab and wound 3 Jewish settlers before being shot dead by settlement security officers; no group takes responsibility. The IDF sends troops into Bayt Umar, fires on residential areas, occupies the homes of the 2 Kefar Etzion attackers, interrogates their families, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, killing 1 Palestinian teenager, wounding 2 Palestinians; later, IDF troops posted at the entrance to the village fire on a funeral procession for 1 of the assailants, injuring 1 mourner. A Palestinian gunman fires on Israeli border police outside Shu‘fat r.c. nr. Jerusalem, killing 1 Israeli border policeman, wounding another, escaping unharmed; no group takes responsibility. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Azun, nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur in Hebron, guarded by IDF troops, add 5 mobile homes to an unauthorized outpost nearby in Halhul. (AP 1/24; NYT, WP, WT 1/25; OCHA 1/30; PCHR 1/31)

The IDF makes a late-night raid into Bayt Hanun, firing on residential areas, clashing with local gunmen, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., wounding 3. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into al-Bireh to raid a Fatah office, arresting an AMB mbr. who was among the 178 granted amnesty in 7/07; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c., al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas, and nr. Hebron, Qalqilya. Jewish settlers take over a hilltop nr. Hebron to establish a new outpost (Givat Halhul); the IDF removes them by evening. Nr. Gaza’s Nussayrat r.c., Hamas-affiliated police fire on a car that fails to stop at a checkpoint, wounding a Hamas mbr. In a similar incident in Rafah, Hamas-affiliated security forces wound a PRC mbr. Unidentified assailants detonate a bomb nr. a police jeep in Gaza City, causing damage but no injuries. (WP 12/11; OCHA 12/12; PCHR 12/13)

Palestinians fire some 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a gas station in Sederot, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. An Islamic Jihad mbr. is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c., firing on residential areas and stonethrowing youths who confront the troops, wounding 5 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in al-Khadir. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur and Kiryat Arba set up a tent on a hill northeast of Halhul, later leave but vow to establish a new settlement on the site; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Einav nr. Tulkarm set fire to 80 d. of Palestinian olive, almond trees nearby. Nr. Ramallah, Palestinian gunmen fire on a convoy delivering gas to a Jewish settlement, wounding an Israeli security guard. Some 70 Palestinian protesters thought to be aligned with the Army of Islam throw stones, possibly fire at Fatah lawmaker Majid Abu Shamalah as he leaves an end-of-the-school-year celebration at a Rafah UNRWA school, prompting his bodyguards to open fire, killing 1 of their own and leaving 2 teachers, 2 protesters, and 2 schoolchildren (ages 9, 14) wounded; the attack on the school comes days after the Army of Islam warned the school against holding the celebration, which they condemned for involving “the mixing of adolescent boys and girls, which is forbidden in Islam.” Unidentified gunmen fire on a Fatah base in Bureij r.c., causing no injuries. A Palestinian possibly affiliated with the Army of Islam orders UNRWA employees off an agency minibus in Rafah before tossing a hand grenade inside, damaging it. (Jerusalem Post 5/6; NYT 5/7; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10; AHR 5/15)

The IDF makes an air strike on a rocket launching site nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Hebron, sets up flying checkpoints, searches Palestinian cars and checks IDs; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths outside Nablus, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., Halhul nr. Hebron, Yabad nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops vandalize Palestinian property, cars, a cemetery in Awarta nr. Nablus. ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Hanun, leaving 2 Fatah mbrs., 2 bystanders wounded. Suspected Hamas gunmen fire on a PA security post e. of Gaza City, wounding 3 PA security officers. PFLP mbrs. hold a sit-in outside al-Maghazi r.c. to protest ongoing Palestinian violence. A Palestinian accused of drug dealing dies in ESF custody in Rafah. (PCHR 1/25; OCHA 1/31; PCHR 2/1; AIC 2/13)

Before dawn, the IDF responds to Hamas’s 7/3 rocket fire on Ashqelon by carrying out air strikes on the PA Interior Min. in Gaza City (destroying it and wounding at least 7 Palestinians in homes nearby, including 4 children), a Hamas-run school in Gaza City, a Hamas training camp in s. Gaza. Later, Hamas fires a 2d 2-engine Qassam rocket that lands outside Ashqelon, causing no damage or injuries, the Israeli security cabinet authorizes the IDF to step up operations in Gaza and the West Bank aimed at halting rocket fire and “striking at institutions and infrastructures that serve terrorism,” particularly targeting Hamas. During the day, the IDF moves more tanks, troops into n. Gaza and begins to push south toward Bayt Hanun and Jabaliya r.c., reoccupying fmr. settlement sites, occupying a 7th Palestinian home as an operational base, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen and shelling (fr. land and sea) areas where militants are allegedly burying explosives, killing 1 Hamas mbr., 1 PA naval officer, wounding at least 17 Palestinians (10 PA naval officers at a barracks nr. where the Hamas mbr. was killed, 7 children). In Gaza City, 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. are killed when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into ‘Ayn al-Sultan r.c. nr. Jericho, surrounds a building, orders wanted AMB cmdr. Mahmud Haymur to surrender, ordering him to undress when he emerges and then executing him by shooting him in the head at point blank range; surrounds, fires on a PA police station in Halhul nr. Hebron, demanding custody of an Israeli Palestinian believed to be held there (police allow soldiers to search the station to confirm he is not there); raids 3 Islamic charities nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Nablus, confiscating computers, vandalizing offices; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, nr. Tulkarm and Qalqilya, and in Bethlehem. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, under IDF escort, begin work on a new settler bypass road linking the settlement to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs. In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen assassinate senior Hamas mbr. Husayn Abu Ajwa, who is considered a leading promoter of religious and political reform within the movement. (IFM, NYT, PCHR, REU, WP, WT 7/5; HA, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP, WT 7/6; HA 7/8; PCHR 7/13; OCHA 7/18)

Overnight, the IDF launches a major raid on Nablus, surrounding and searching houses, assassinating senior Hamas military cmdr. for the n. West Bank, Amjad Hinnawi, and arresting several other Palestinians. The IDF also partially demolishes an apartment building in alZababda nr. Jenin; imposes a curfew on parts of Hebron, conducts arrest raids and house searches, occupying 1 Palestinian home as an observation post; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yatta (arresting local Islamic Jihad leader Mahmud al-Haddar), nr. Bethlehem. A Palestinian gunman fires on a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Halhul, causing damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar burn 30 Palestinian olive trees in Nablus. In Rafah, gunmen of a previously unknown group called the Islamic Army raids and orders closed a PA Central Election Commission (CEC) office, saying that the upcoming parliamentary elections are un-Islamic and a plot by the U.S. and Israel; CEC officials refuse to leave, PA security forces arrive, the gunmen leave. (HA 11/14; IMEMC, REU, WP 11/15; PCHR 11/17)

Israel lifts the seal on Gaza imposed after the 7/12 bombing (the seal on the West Bank remains in place), but cancels 7,000 work permits for Gazans, renewing permits of only 2,000 workers and 200 merchants. The IDF reinforces troops in Gaza, sending tanks and armored vehicles, expanding construction of roads in central Gaza in preparation for disengagement; announces that it will replace its rubber-coated steel bullets that have killed scores of Palestinians with compressed sand bullets originally developed for close-quarter hostage rescues; says sand bullets have already been used against Palestinians protesting the separation wall. Gaza settler leaders begin collecting settlers’ weapons ahead of disengagement; some settlers say they will not give up their arms. The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem; conducts arrest raids in al-Bireh (targeting Islamic Jihad), Halhul nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack, beat 3 Palestinian farmers working their land nearby; the IDF intervenes, declares the area a closed military zone, orders farmers to leave, arresting 1 farmer and 1 international peace activist. Late in the evening, AMB n. Gaza cmdr. Ahmad Abu Zayid is fatally shot by an unidentified gunman; initial reports indicate his death is a result of intra-Palestinian fighting, but the AMB later accuses Israel of assassinating him, saying that earlier in the evening, Israeli security personnel (suspected Shin Bet) questioned his family regarding the car he drives, whether he has a bodyguard, whether he travels armed. A grenade explodes outside the Gaza City home of PA Atty. Gen. Hussein Abu Assi causing serious damage but no injuries; no group takes responsibility (see 6/28). In Gaza City, unidentified gunmen driving in a car open fire on 2 PA military intelligence officers, injuring them. Nr. Khan Yunis, 2 Palestinians are killed when explosives they are handling detonate. (IMEMC, WAFA, YA 8/1; AP, Deutsche Presse Agentur, PCHR, YA 8/2; JP, PR, WT 8/3; PCHR 8/4; FT 8/8)

The IDF erects 10s of new checkpoints around Tulkarm (turned over to PA security control on 3/22), imposes a curfew on the nearby villages of Allar (sparking demonstrations by local residents), Saida (also conducting house searches); conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun, and Bayt Umar and Halhul nr. Hebron; informs residents of a house nr. a settler bypass road in Wadi al-Silqa that they will only be allowed to enter and leave their home during three 2-hr. periods each day (see 3/19); begins construction of a new 43-km stretch of the separation wall btwn. Tarqumiyya (northwest of Hebron) and Sammu‘ (southwest of Hebron). Palestinians throw stones, a Molotov cocktail at a Jewish settler vehicle Modi’in settlement nr. Ramallah. lightly injuring 3 settlers. After 26 AMB mbrs. on Israel’s wanted list are forced by the PA to leave the PA’s Ramallah headquarters, where they have been given sanctuary for more than a yr., 6 of them go on a rampage, firing on Abbas’s office inside the compound while Abbas is there, ransacking several nearby restaurants, causing no injuries. A PA court convicts 4 Palestinians of collaborating with Israel, sentences 3 to jail terms of 3–5 yrs., releases the 4th. (IMEMC 3/30; AYM 3/30 in WNC 3/31; MM, NYT, PCHR 3/31; JAZ, VOI 3/31 in WNC 4/1; MM, WP 4/1; OCHA 4/6; PCHR, PR 4/7)

The IDF pulls out of Bayt Hanun, pulls back from the outskirts of Jabaliya r.c., ending Operation Active Shield, revealing the widespread destruction (including an estimated 3,900 dunams bulldozed, 10,000s of trees razed) wrought since it entered and sealed the area on 6/28. At the Bayt Hanun municipal office, 6 armed, masked AMB mbrs. break up a news conference called by 3 PC mbrs. to discuss the pullout, denounce the PA for failing to do anything while the area was under siege. After the pullout, Palestinians fire at least 7 Qassam rockets toward Sederot and the Negev, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also fires on, shells residential areas of Khan Yunis (wounding a Palestinian inside a hospital nearby, seriously damaging a home), nr. Gaza City; fires on, demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Khuza nr. Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Halhul nr. Hebron, Ramallah. A 12-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. Some 150 Jewish settlers erect tents on a new unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Hebron, harass local Palestinians. Sharon orders 3,700 acres of Palestinian land to be annexed to Ma’ale Adumim settlement for construction of a new neighborhood, linking the settlement to Jerusalem 4 mi. to the west. (AP, BBC, HA, MA, MM, REU 8/5; VOI, VOP 8/5 in WNC 8/7; VOI 8/5 in WNC 8/10; AFP, MM, NYT, WT 8/6; al-Quds 8/6 in WNC 8/10; PR 8/11; PCHR 8/12; NYT 8/18)

The IDF kills 3 Palestinians (ages 14 and 15) who approach the Gaza settlements of Aley Sinai, Dugit, Nisanit; fatally shoots a 4^th Palestinian “moving btwn. Yitzhar and Emmanuel settlements” nr. Nablus; delays an ambulance carrying a newborn baby in need of urgent medical attention, possibly leading to the baby’s death; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Bethlehem, 2 in Dayr al-Balah, 1 each in Bayt Hanina, Khan Yunis, Madama, Nablus; bulldozes 16 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah. Palestinians throw stones at a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Halhul, lightly injuring 1 Jewish settler. Late this evening, the IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into Bureij r.c., Maghazi r.c., Nussayrat r.c. in response to alleged attempts by Palestinians to infiltrate nearby Jewish settlements. (HA, LAW, PCHR 1/1; NYT, WP, WT 1/2; AFP 1/2 in WNC 1/3; MM, WT 1/3; PRCS press release 1/5; PR 1/8)

The IDF reoccupies Beitunia, Bethlehem, Dahaysha r.c.; expands bases there and in Jenin, Qalqilya; conducts raids into Halhul, Tulkarm town and r.c.; raids Shaykh Ajlin, bulldozing Palestinian land, firing on Palestinians working the fields, killing a Palestinian boy; fires on residential areas of Birzeit. The IDF issues a limited call-up of reservists, bars Palestinian workers fr. entering Jewish settlements. In Jenin town, IDF troops evacuate and vandalize a hospital admin. building, throwing a grenade in the foyer, blowing up a safe, spraying the building with heavy machine gun fire, breaking doors, destroying $13,600 of equipment; fire on, seriously damage 2 fire trucks. The IDF reportedly has transferred more than 600 Jenin r.c. residents to Salim detention center for questioning; some 150 are released today, sent to Romani village, are told to stay there for 2-4 wks. Late this evening, a PFLP gunman, retaliating for the arrest of PFLP 2d-in-command Malluh on 6/11, attacks a home in Itamar settlement, killing 4 Jewish settlers and 1 settlement guard, wounding 2 settlers and 2 border policemen before being shot dead. A pregnant Palestinian woman is fatally hit by stray IDF gunfire in her home in Qalqilya. In Gaza, 1,500 unemployed Palestinians who have been cut off fr. their jobs in Israel since 9/00 hold a "March of Hunger," protesting Israeli closures, lack of support fr. the PA. (AFP, AP, HA, LAW, WP, WT 6/20; MA 6/20 in WNC 6/21; XIN 6/20 in WNC 6/24; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/21; PRCS press release 6/24; LAW 6/26; PCHR 6/27)

In Jerusalem, Sharon, Israeli pres. Moshe Katsav address a "Transfer Now" conference hosted by the right-wing Moledet party. (Peace Now press release 6/20; MA 6/21 in WNC 6/24)