The Palestine Chronology

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops conduct a limited incursion close to the border fence nr. al-Qarara to level land. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Hebron; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 village nr. Hebron. (MNA 9/11; PCHR 9/18)

The Hamas-run govt. in the Gaza Strip begins paying a backlog of salaries to around 50,000 of its employees. These people, who were hired by Hamas after the group took power in 2007, have not been paid since the PA unity govt. took de jure control of Gaza on 6/2, and were only paid sporadically since Egypt began cracking down on the tunnels into Sinai in 10/2013. Anonymous Hamas officials say that recent tax revenues enabled the payment of salaries from 10/2013–5/2014, though there is speculation in the media that the money was donated from a regional partner, like Qatar. (JP 9/10; AFP 9/11)

An Israeli delegation, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz, meets with U.S. officials in Washington for their semiannual “Strategic Dialogue.” Topics of discussion include regional changes, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and OPE, as well as Iran’s nuclear program. (JP 9/12)

Al-Nusra Front releases 45 Fijian UN peacekeepers nr. a crossing at the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. (AP, REU 9/11)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm, 1 village nr. Qalqilya, and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin in the afternoon and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night. Jewish settlers attack Palestinian shepherds and farmers s. of Hebron. (WAFA 7/20; PCHR 7/25)

Israel’s Minister for International Relations Yuval Steinitz announces that Israel will release some Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal for the resumption of direct talks. The releases will be in stages, but no precise numbers are given at this time. Steinitz also says that Israel has not agreed to resume talks on the basis of any territorial framework. Yet, at the same time, anonymous Palestinians officials brief the media that the U.S. had offered a guarantee that negotiations would be conducted on the basis of the 1967 borders. Israeli PM Netanyahu welcomes the resumption of peace talks, which he calls“an essential strategic interest for Israel.” Meanwhile, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum says that the return to talks is a “disaster” and endangers the prospects for Palestinian national reconciliation. (AP, HA, MNA, REU 7/20)

Egyptian interim pres. Adly Mansour picks a 10-member committee of judges and law professors to propose amendments to the constitution drafted by the ousted Muslim Brotherhood-dominated govt. The team of experts has 30 days to make their proposals, after which a 2d committee of 50 public figures will review the amendments. Following the review, the new constitution will be put to a referendum. Meanwhile, Jordan’s King Abdallah II visits Cairo, the 1st head of state to visit Egypt since the army took power. (AFP, AP 7/20)

PA PM Fayyad and Israeli Fin. Min. Yuval Steinitz sign an economic agreement, to go into effect on 1/1/2013, that will regulate taxes and bilateral trade with the aim of reducing illegal trade and tax evasion and building the PA’s tax revenue base. It is the first major IsraeliPalestinian economic agreement since the 1994 Paris Protocol, which sets out in detail the economic relationship between Israel and the PA. (JP, UPI 8/1; JPI 8/17)

Overnight (similar to 7/30), IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire into agricultural areas along the Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis sporadically for hours, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm and 1 village nr. Jenin in the morning; patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Halmish settlement nr. Ramallah uproot and burn 30 Palestinian olive trees on Palestinian land nr. al-Nabi Salih. OCHA reports that Israeli authorities demolished an extension to a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. (PCHR 8/2; OCHA 8/3)

With the Tal Law exempting the ultraOrthodox from military service set to expire at midnight, Israeli DM Barak orders the IDF to start drafting ultraOrthodox Jewish men and gives IDF officials 1 mo. to draft official guidelines to implement the order. (NYT, WP, WT 8/1)

Israeli pres. Peres’s office releases the text of a letter that it says is from Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi, formally responding to a Ramadan greeting Peres sent on 7/15/12. The text, welcomed by Israel, pledges to work to promote Middle East peace and get bilateral Israeli-Egyptian relations back on track, particularly regarding border security. Morsi aides deny that any letter was sent, but Peres’s office releases copies that show Morsi’s name typed (not signed) and an accompanying letter from the Egyptian amb. on embassy letterhead, indicating that the letter had been cleared with Morsi’s office. Official bilateral relations do not suffer, and public optimism on future relations increased. Most analysts believe (e.g., NYT, WP 8/1) that the incident simply reflects Morsi’s attempt to speak to 2 audiences, Israel and the international community, and his constituency in Egypt, hostile or at best ambivalent concerning the peace treaty with Israel. (NYT, WP 8/1)