The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers physically assault and pepper spray a Palestinian man in Nablus during a raid near Joseph’s Tomb. Israeli settlers also begin constructing a settlement outpost in al-Muarajat. Israeli forces shoot and kill an 11-year-old child and injure 2 others during a raid in Burin. Israeli forces also shoot and kill a 16-year-old child during a raid in al-Am’ari refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shoot and injure a Palestinian child in Fawwar refugee camp. Israeli forces also punitively demolish the home in Jenin of a Palestinian man killed by Israeli forces in May 2023. Meanwhile, Israeli forces raid Tulkarm and Nur Shams refugee camp, uprooting streets. Israeli forces also arrest 55 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Tubas, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Khan Yunis, Gaza City, Rafah, Bayt Lahiya, Jabalia refugee camp, and Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least 124 people. A Palestinian child dies of hunger at the Abu Youssef al-Najjar Hospital in Rafah. Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia refugee camp partially resumes operations after receiving fuel. In Lebanon, Hezbollah forces attack Israelis near the Blue Line, killing an Indian national and injuring 7 others near Margaliot. Israeli forces bomb al-Adisa, Chihine, Hula, Markaba, and Ayta ash Shab, killing 3 medics in al-Adisa. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 3/4; UNOCHA 3/5)

More than 30,534 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 13,400 children and 8,900 women, and around 71,920 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 7,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 413 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 107 children. More than 4,606 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 244 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,453 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 170 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. (REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 3/4; UNOCHA 3/6)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Guinea-Bissau president Umaro Sissoco Embalo in Ramallah. Embalo met with Israeli officials in Israel on 3/3. Abbas later travels to Turkey for a 3-day visit. (WAFA, WAFA 3/4)

3 Palestinian members of the Knesset, Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Youssef Atauna, meet with Jordanian king Abdullah II in Amman, discussing Israel’s war on Gaza and planned Israeli restrictions on Palestinian entry to the Haram al-Sharif compound during the month of Ramadan. (AJ, HA 3/4)

At the UN General Assembly, countries discuss the U.S. decision to veto a 2/20 ceasefire resolution at the Security Council and are briefed by UNRWA commissioner-general Philippe Lazzarini. (AJ, WAFA 3/4)

U.S. president Joe Biden tweets that he will not give up on pushing for a 6-week ceasefire. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz. A White House readout of the meeting says Harris reiterates Israel’s right to defend itself, expresses deep concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and urges Hamas to accept a 6-week ceasefire. Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich says Gantz is in the U.S. to advance U.S. plans to establish a Palestinian state. Deputy Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser for Energy and Investment Amos Hochstein meets with Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, discussing the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby says “some members of the Israeli cabinet” are working to obstruct aid entering Gaza. (AJ, AP, HA, NYT 3/4; AJ, AX 3/5; AJ 3/6)

UNRWA says some of its staff have been forced to give confessions under torture and ill-treatment by Israeli forces. The statement follows an Israeli claim that there are more than 450 Hamas and Islamic Jihad affiliated people working for UNRWA and the release of audio files purporting to be evidence that 2 UNRWA workers confessed to taking part in events on 10/7/2023. Commissioner-General Lazzarini says Israel “seeks to eliminate [UNRWA’s] role in protecting the rights of Palestinian Refugees.” (AJ, AP, HA 3/4; AJ, HA, UNOCHA 3/5)

UN special representative of the secretary-general on sexual violence in conflict Pramila Patten says during a press conference that a UN investigation team has found that Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to “cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment” in detention and are subject to “disproportionate physical and sexual violence, including sexual harassment and threats of rape during house raids, including at night, and at checkpoints.” Patten also say that the team has “found clear and convincing information that sexual violence, including rape and sexual torture” has been committed against Israeli captives released after being held in Gaza and that there are “reasonable grounds to believe conflict-related sexual violence” occurred on 10/7/2023 in at least 3 locations. Patten says some highly publicized allegations of sexual violence were determined to be unfounded and stresses that the report is not the result of an investigation as Israel did not share any evidence of allegations. (AJ, AJ, HA, INT, NYT, REU 3/4; AP, NYT 3/5; UNOCHA 3/6)

The Israeli National Social Security Agency says 806 Israeli civilians have been killed since 10/7/2023, including 38 children. (HA 3/4)

Spain announces sanctions on 12 violent Israeli settlers. (WAFA 3/4; AJ 3/5)

In the West Bank, a Palestinian man succumbs to injuries sustained in an Israeli drone strike on Jenin on 2/22. Israeli settlers raid Taybeh, kidnapping 3 elderly Palestinian farmers who are later released from a military base in Tarqumiyah. Israeli forces seize a bulldozer during a raid in Nabi Salih. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers tour the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces bomb Dayr al-Balah, Rafah, Khan Yunis, Gaza City, and al-Bureij refugee camp, killing at least 90 people. In Lebanon, Israeli forces bomb near Baalbek, killing 2 people and injuring 6 others. Israeli forces also bomb al-Sarira, Ayta ash Shab, Majadel, and Wadi al-Dalafa, killing at least 2 people in Majadil. Islamic Jihad says 2 of its fighters are killed in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah shoots down an Israeli drone using a surface-to-air missile and fires 60 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military site. In Yemen, U.S. forces attack 6 sites. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; AP 2/27; UNOCHA 2/28)

More than 29,782 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 12,000 children and 7,200 women, and around 70,043 have been injured since 10/7/2023. At least 8,000 people are missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 400 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7/2023, including 102 children. More than 4,575 people have been injured. Israel reports that 1,139 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured in Israel since 10/7/2023, including Israeli soldiers. In addition, 238 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 1,396 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27/2023. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7/2023. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12/2023 due to the Israeli blockade. At least 70,000 housing units have been destroyed and 290,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7/2023, constituting over 60% of all housing units. 138 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza. Israel allows 10 trucks carrying aid to enter northern Gaza. Jordan and France airdrop aid to Gaza from 4 C-130 planes at 11 sites. The Red Crescent says it has suspended medical missions for the next 48 hours as it is unable to ensure the safety of its staff. (AJ, HA, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; AP, UNOCHA 2/27)

PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh resigns on behalf of himself and the rest of the cabinet during the weekly cabinet meeting in Ramallah, saying “the next stage and its challenges require new governmental and political arrangements that take into account the new reality in Gaza and the need for a Palestinian-Palestinian consensus based on Palestinian unity.” Shtayyeh says he submitted his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas on 2/20 but formally submitted his resignation in writing today. Abbas accepts the resignation of Shtayyeh and the rest of the cabinet, asking him and the rest of the ministers to stay on as caretakers until a new government is formed. Shtayyeh, who has been prime minister since March 2019, also cites the genocide in Gaza and the “unprecedent escalation in the West Bank and Jerusalem” as reasons for resigning. Before Shtayyeh’s resignation, over the weekend it was rumored that the Palestinian government would resign in order to facilitate the formation of a technocratic government to be led by the PA as requested by the U.S. (HA 2/25; AJ, AJ, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; AP, HA 2/27)

The New York Times reports that Israel has agreed to release 15 high-profile Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 5 female Israeli soldiers as part of the potential ceasefire deal. U.S. president Joe Biden says he hopes a ceasefire agreement can be reached by 3/4. Axios reports that Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi and Shin Bet director Ronen Bar traveled to Egypt last week to assure the Egyptian government that Israel will take measures to prevent Palestinians from fleeing to Egypt during its planned invasion of Rafah. A delegation of Israeli officials arrive in Qatar for ceasefire talks. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Palestinians will not be allowed to return to northern Gaza until all Israeli captives are released. Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi and U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken discuss the ceasefire negotiations. (AJ, AP, AX, AX, HA, NYT, REU, REU 2/26; AJ, AP, AP, AX, HA, HA, NYT, REU 2/27)

Israeli industry minister Nir Barkat meets with Saudi minister of commerce Majid bin Abdullah Alkassabi on the sidelines of a World Trade Organization meeting in the UAE, saying the 2 countries can “make history together.” (AJ 2/26)

During the sixth and final day of the ICJ hearings on the legality of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, the Arab League calls the occupation an “affront to international justice” and says Israel perpetrates “racial domination and apartheid” against Palestinians. Turkey, Zambia, Spain, Fiji, the Maldives, the African Union, and the OIC also present arguments. During the 6 days of hearings, only the U.S., Fiji, Hungary, and the UK spoke in favor of Israel’s argument that the court should not make a decision on the occupation while 50 other countries and organizations argued, to varying degrees, that the occupation is illegal and has to end. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; WAFA 2/27)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres says the UN Security Council’s “lack of unity on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and on Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the horrific terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October, has severely—perhaps fatally—undermined its authority,” calling for reform of the council. Arab diplomats meet with Guterres, warning him about Israeli plans to severely limit the number of worshippers allowed at the Haram al-Sharif compound during Ramadan. (AJ, AP, HA, REU, WAFA 2/26)

USAID administrator Samantha Power visits a World Food Programme warehouse in Jordan, saying only around 85 trucks carrying aid enter Gaza a day while around 500 are needed. (AJ, HA 2/26)

President Biden reiterates in an interview his previous claim that without Israel, Jews living throughout the world would not be safe. (AJ 2/27)

Israel submits a report on progress it has made since the ICJ issued provisional measures to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza as part of the South African genocide case against Israel. Human Rights Watch says Israel has ignored the ICJ provisional measures and “in some ways even intensified its repression, including further blocking lifesaving aid.” Amnesty International also says Israel has failed to comply with the measures. (Airwars, AJ, HA, HA, WAFA 2/26; NYT 2/27)

EU high commissioner for foreign affairs Josep Borrell criticizes European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in an interview with El Pais, saying her trip to Israel in October 2023 “with such a completely pro-Israeli position, without representing anyone but herself in a matter of international politics, has carried a high geopolitical cost for Europe.” Borrell also says Israeli prime minister Benjamin “Netanyahu’s plans for Gaza are unacceptable. The seeds of hatred are being sown for generations. It is an open secret that the Israelis funded Hamas and played at dividing the Palestinians.” (AJ, EP 2/26)

19,012 artists sign an open letter calling on Israel to be banned from the Venice Biennale, saying there should not be a “genocide pavilion at the Venice Biennale.” Italian minister of culture Gennaro Sanguiliano rejects the call, saying the letter is “shameful.” The Biennale later issues a statement saying it would “not take into consideration any petition or call to exclude” countries. (AJ, ANGA, HA 2/26; AJ, AJ, REU 2/27; AP, NYT 2/28)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers erected barbed wire fencing near Rujeib. Israeli forces shot and injured 4 Palestinians with baton rounds during a raid in Kafr Qaddum. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Beit Umar. 2 Palestinian children were arrested in Hebron and a shepherd was arrested while grazing his sheep near Deir Istiya. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family was forced to demolish their own home in the Old City. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/8; PCHR 7/13; UNOCHA 7/29)

30 diplomats from EU countries, the UK, Canada, and Norway toured the Jenin refugee camp to inspect the damage done by Israel during its assault on the camp earlier in the week. The tour was made at the request of UNRWA. EU representative to Palestine Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff said during the tour that the EU is “concerned about the deployment of weaponry and weapons systems which question the proportionality of the military during the operation.” (AJ, HA, WAFA 7/8)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said that Israeli settlers who shoot at Palestinians when suspecting a crime will no longer have their weapons temporarily confiscated by Israeli forces. (WAFA 7/9)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 3 Palestinian-owned vehicles and sprayed “Jews wake up, Arabs leave” and the Star of David on a wall near the vehicles in Marda. Israeli forces violently dispersed a funeral procession in Abu Dis for a Palestinian woman who was killed in June 2021 and whose body was handed to her family on 8/23; 1 was injured by a baton round to his head. Israeli forces demolished 1 agricultural structure and 1 carwash in Huwwara and residential and agricultural structures belonging to 8 families near Fasayil. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Bireh, Jalazun refugee camp, Beit Rima, Silwad, Qatanna, al-Azza refugee camp, Husan, Beit Sahour, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Silwan, displacing 10. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian agricultural lands east of al-Qarara; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/24; PCHR 8/25; UNOCHA 9/2)

1 6-year-old Palestinian boy died in Gaza after being denied exit permits for medical treatment at the Hadassah medical center in Jerusalem. The boy was unable to attend 2 appointments for medical treatment on 1/12 and 8/10, as the request for his exit permit remained “under review.” (HA 9/1)

The Israeli army suspended 4 soldiers of the Ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda Battalion after a video surfaced of them beating 2 Palestinians near Ramallah. The 4 soldiers had detained the 2 Palestinians after stopping their car. A statement from the Israeli military said that the soldiers used “unnecessary force.” (AP, HA, MEMO 8/24)

Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhala met with Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon, discussing Israel’s latest offensive against Islamic Jihad in Gaza. (ALM 8/24)

Axios reported that the U.S. is pressuring Israel to keep its promise to open the Allenby Bridge crossing to Jordan 24/7, rather than the current limited hours of operations. (AX 8/24)

In response to U.S. air strikes in Syria on 8/23, groups said to be affiliated with Iran attacked the U.S. Mission Support Site Conoco in Syria, lightly injuring 1 U.S. soldier. The U.S. responded by attacking militants with helicopters, killing at least 2 people. (REU, REU 8/24; AJ, HA, MEE 8/25)

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries inflicted by Israeli forces on 8/3 in Jenin. Israeli forces demolished 1 poultry farm in al-Walaja, 1 rainwater collection well in Khallet al-Dabe’, 1 car wash in al-Lubban ash-Sharqiya, and 1 agricultural structure in al-Fakhit. Israeli forces also handed an evacuation order to Palestinians near Tuqu’ for their livestock, forcing them to remove their livestock and dismantle their agricultural structures within 14 days. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting Israeli construction at al-Ibrahimi Mosque, leading to tear-gas related injuries; 3 were arrested. 9 other Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Jaba‘, Huwwara, and Yatta. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces summoned 2 Palestinian activists for questioning after they protested the arrest of a local activist in Sheikh Jarrah on 8/10. In Israel, Israeli authorities said they shot down a drone entering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Lebanon, claiming the drone was operated by Hezbollah. Israel also said it had shot down a drone flying from Gaza into Israel, claiming it was operated by Hamas. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/11; HA, PCHR, REU 8/12; HA, MEMO 8/13)

The Israeli government gave its initial approval for the construction of more than 2,000 new settlement units in the West Bank and 863 housing units for Palestinian villages in Area C, including 150 units in Ma‘asara, 270 in Bir al-Basha, 223 in al-Masqufa, 160 in Khirbet ‘Aaba, and 50 in Khirbet Zakariya. Of the advanced settlement expansion plans, 908 are expected to get final approval next week, including 58 in Beit El, 285 in Har Brakha, and 105 in Alon Shvut. An Israeli official told Haaretz that the move was a “calculated risk” made by the government vis-à-vis the U.S. Biden administration. The Meretz party wrote a letter to Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz, calling the decision to expand Israeli settlements “a dangerous move.” The U.S. later criticized Israel’s decision to expand Israeli settlements, on 8/13, saying that settlement activity is an obstacle to a 2-state solution. (AA, AX, HA, REU 8/11; MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 8/12; HA, MEMO 8/13; JP 8/16)

IDF chief of staff Aviv Kochavi said the Israeli army will take harsher measures against Israeli soldiers who do not follow regulations, in response to the killing of 40 Palestinians by Israeli forces in the West Bank since May. The statement came after Chief of Staff Kochavi met with senior staff of the Israeli central command on 8/8 and urged them to take steps to reduce lethal shootings. Kochavi said the military will back soldiers who make mistakes in their judgements in relation to lethal shootings, but not if the soldiers act reckless. (HA 8/12)

Israel’s police commissioner Kobi Shabtai inaugurated a new police department focused on combatting crime in Palestinian Israeli communities, which seeks to increase the number of Palestinian Israeli police officers by 300%. 69 Palestinian citizens of Israel have been killed in Israel since 2021 and only 23% of the cases have been solved, whereas 71% of the cases involving Jewish Israelis have been solved by Israeli police. (HA 8/12)

Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid visited Morocco to meet with his Moroccan counterpart and open the new Israeli mission to Morocco as part of the 2 countries’ normalization deal. The 2 foreign ministers signed cooperation agreements related to air travel, culture, sports, and youth. Foreign Minister Lapid said the 2 countries would open mutual embassies within 2 months. The leader of the PJD party in Morocco condemned the decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel. Part of the 2 countries’ normalization deal was for the U.S. to recognize Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara during the Trump administration, a controversial recognition that the Biden administration has not reversed. (MEMO 8/10; AJ, AJ, AX, HA, MEMO, REU 8/11; AJ, ALM, AX, HA, HA, MEMO, REU 8/12; ALM 8/13; MEE 8/16)

U.S. CIA director William J. Burns met with Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennet and other Israeli officials during a trip to Israel. Director Burns is expected to meet with PA president Mahmoud Abbas and other senior PA officials on 8/12. Axios reported that Director Burns voiced concern to Prime Minister Bennett about Chinese investment in Israel. (AX 8/9; HA, MEMO 8/10; ALM, HA, MEMO, MEMO, REU 8/11; AX, HA, HA 8/12; AX 8/18; MEE, MEMO, TOI 8/19)

The private equity firm KKR announced that it will be funding a server farm in Israel to be completed in the 2d quarter of 2023. The server farm will be located underground in Petah Tikva. (HA 8/11)

Palestinian Israeli NGO Combatants for Peace asked the ICC to open an investigation into potential war crimes committed by Israel in demolishing the bedouin village Khirbet Humsa on 7/7. (HA 8/11; MEMO 8/13)

Human Rights Watch (HRW) said its investigation into the events of the Israeli assault on Gaza in May, dubbed Operation Guardians of the Wall, had showed that Hamas’s rockets fired at Israel “violated the laws of war and amount to war crimes.” HRW also said that Hamas’s rockets had killed 12 civilians in Israel and a misfired rocket had killed 7 Palestinians in Gaza. HRW released its investigation into Israeli actions during the assault on 7/27, finding that Israel had also committed war crimes. (HA, HRW 8/12; ALM 8/23)

France donated $575,000 to the UN World Food Programme for its programming in Gaza. (WAFA 8/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers vandalized 1 solar panel and 15 olive seedlings near ‘Urif. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Dura and Bayt Umar, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Hebron, injuring 13, including 5 with live ammunition and 8 with rubber-coated bullets; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces seized a caravan in Sabastiyya. 5 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Tarqumiyya and Jenin refugee camp; Israeli forces also seized a vehicle during a house raid in Aqraba. In East Jerusalem, 1 Israeli settler rammed Palestinians with his vehicle near the Old City, causing injuries; Palestinians were throwing stones at the vehicle but it was unclear what transpired before the ramming, which appeared in a video. Israeli settlers also attacked Palestinians in Shaykh Jarrah during a tour of the neighborhood by 2 Israeli lawmakers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshipers with tear gas, sound bombs, and rubber-coated bullets at the Haram al-Sharif compound, injuring more than 305 people, including inside of al-Aqsa Mosque where a sound bomb caught a carpet on fire. Israeli forces prevented the Palestinian Red Crescent from entering the compound. Israel also reversed its decision from 5/9 to allow Jewish worshipers to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound for the Israeli celebration of Jerusalem Day. The Jerusalem Day march was later canceled by its organizers as Israeli police decided to prevent the settler march to go through the Damascus Gate plaza. Israeli forces also confiscated the keys to the al-Aqsa Mosque from the Islamic Waqf. Also at the Haram al-Sharif compound, Israeli police were filmed beating up an Israeli-accredited Palestinian journalist covering the events for Anadolu Agency. The Palestinian Red Crescent said that 612 Palestinians were injured throughout Jerusalem, including 333 who were hospitalized. In Gaza, Israeli started a military operation later dubbed “Guardian of the Wall” after Hamas fired rockets at Israel, giving Israel hours to leave the Haram al-Sharif compound. Hamas had earlier in the day warned Israel that it would fire rockets at 6 p.m. if Israel did not remove its forces from the holy places. 20 Palestinians were killed, including 9 children, and dozens were injured. The casualties included: 2, including 1 child, in 1 drone strike at Jabaliya; 10, including 6 children in 2 drone strikes at Bayt Hanun, with 32 others wounded, including 12 children; and 1, with 2 injured, in an Israeli air strike in Khan Yunis. 7 were also killed, including 1 child, and 34 were injured in Jabaliya in an explosion that was not conclusively attributed to an Israeli air strike. Additionally, damage was sustained in al-Bureij refugee camp, al-Qarara, and Rafah. In Israel, 1 Palestinian citizen of Israel was shot dead and 1 other injured by 1 Jewish-Israeli in Lydda; 3 Jewish-Israelis were arrested. Israeli forces later violently dispersed Palestinian-Israeli protesters at the Lydda city hall. In Ramla, Jewish-Israelis threw stones at Palestinian-Israelis and their property and set fire to trash cans. Israeli police dispersed Palestinian-Israeli protesters in Nazareth, Kafr Kana, Kafr Manda, Shefa-Amr, Majdal Krum, Dayr Khana, Umm al-Fahm, Baka al-Garbiyeh, Taiba, Jaffa, Haifa, and Jaljulya; 46 were arrested. The Knesset was evacuated after a rocket from Gaza landed in the vicinity of Jerusalem. (HA 5/9; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, AP, AX, FOX, GDN, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, MEE, MEE, MEMO, NYT, PCHR, REU, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/10; ALM, HA, HA, MEE, PCHR, PCHR 5/11; ALM, HA, WAFA 5/12; WAFA 5/19; MEE 5/21; NYT 5/26)

Israel closed all crossings to Gaza and the sea for fishing as collective punishment for rockets fired at Israel. (PCHR 5/10)

The PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and the PA presidency condemned Israel’s attack on the Haram al-Sharif compound and called on the international community to take action. The PA civil affairs minister Hussein al-Sheikh said the Palestinian leadership is “examining all options to respond to this heinous aggression against the holy sites and the citizens.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas also discussed the situation with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/10)

Leader of the Ra’am (United Arab List) Mansour Abbas said that he had broken off contacts with Israeli opposition leaders Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett just before he was to have a joint meeting with them, citing the violence in Jerusalem and Gaza. Mansour Abbas met with Naftali Bennett on 5/9. (ALM, HA 5/10; ALM, HA, MEMO, NBC 5/11)

Israel attacked Syria in the Quneitra region with a helicopter, injuring 1. (HA 5/10)

Iran confirmed that it is in direct talks with Saudi Arabia to resolve the issues between the 2 countries. A Saudi official confirmed the talks on 5/7. (AJ, HA, REU 5/10)

The U.S. said 1 of its Coast Guard ships had fired 30 warning shots at 13 Iranian vessels that came too close to the ship and 6 other U.S. navy vessels. Iran said that it was the U.S. that had acted recklessly in the encounter. (AJ, HA, REU 5/10; AP, MEMO 5/11)

UN security council members met at an emergency session to discuss the situation in Palestine-Israel. No statement was issued after the meeting. U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price said that the U.S. administration wanted to make sure that a statement would “not escalate tensions.” Spokesperson Price also refused to say if the U.S. condemned the Israeli air strike that killed 9 Palestinian children, and suggested that Palestinians, contrary to Israelis, do not have the right to defend themselves, saying that only states recognized by the U.S. have that right. (HA, MEE 5/11)

Hundreds of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s north coast to continue the Great March of Return and to cheer on approximately 30 Palestinian boats sailing in a symbolic challenge to the Israeli blockade. IDF troops and Israeli naval forces violently disperse the demonstrations; at least 30 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion across Gaza’s border fence to level land near Dayr al-Balah and open fire on a Palestinian bird-hunter approaching the border fence near Bayt Hanun. In East Jerusalem, Israeli MK Yehuda Glick leads a group of 40 right-wing Jewish activists on a tour of Haram al-Sharif. A Palestinian demolishes his storehouse, parking area, and staircase in Silwan to avoid paying Israeli demolition fees. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish 2 Palestinian homes and a sheep barn in Fasayil village near Jericho. IDF troops shut down the main street in Bayt Umar while they conduct raids in the village, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians; there are no reported injuries. They also arrest 20 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids near Ramallah, Bethlehem, Tubas, Hebron, Nablus; and patrol in and around Nablus, Jenin, and Hebron. (MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/3; MNA 12/4; PCHR 12/6)

The IDF launches a major military operation, dubbed Operation Northern Shield, aimed at exposing and demolishing tunnels stretching from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. Hezbollah has reportedly built a network of such tunnels since 2006. Kicking off the operation, Israeli forces uncover a tunnel stretching 40 meters into Israel and booby-trap it to prevent anyone from entering from the Lebanese side. (HA, JP, JP, TOI, YA 12/4)

Hours before the launch of Operation Northern Shield, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo in Brussels to discuss recent developments in the Middle East, including Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu reportedly tells Pompeo about Operation Northern Shield and asks him to tell the Lebanese government that they need to stop Hezbollah from acquiring precision-guided missiles. (HA, JP, TOI, TOI 12/3)

As the quarter opens, Israel maintains a tight siege on Hamas-controlled Gaza, imposing a 300-meter no-go zone inside the full length of the Gaza border and limiting the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m. off Bayt Lahiya and Rafah and 3 naut. mi. elsewhere. In the West Bank, governed by the Fatahled Palestinian Authority (PA), Israeli military operations are relatively low. Israeli troops on the Gaza border fatally shoot a mentally handicapped Palestinian teenager who approaches the border fence e. of Dayr al-Balah in c. Gaza. In the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) patrols 6 villages nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Tulkarm during the day and 2 villages nr. Jenin and Ramallah late at night. An Israeli military court says it is holding Samer Allawi, a senior Palestinian journalist who serves as al-Jazeera satellite network’s Kabul bureau chief, on suspicion of being a Hamas mbr. but has not yet indicted him; the IDF confirms that it detained him on 8/9/11 at a border crossing to Jordan when he attempted leave the West Bank, where he had visited family in Nablus; Allawi denies any Hamas connection. (AFP 8/16; JTA, WP, WT 8/17; PCHR 8/18; OCHA 8/19)

Hamas’s Gaza leadership calls on factions to halt their fire for 24 hrs. in an effort to restore the truce. Senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahhar appears on Israeli TV to state that Hamas seeks a new cease-fire in exchange for regular food and electricity in Gaza and a halt to IDF operations in the West Bank. On the ground, Palestinians (suspected to be Islamic Jihad, which says it had not agreed to suspend attacks) fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. An unnamed senior Israeli security official states (YA 12/23) that “all of the IDF’s preparations for a military operation are continuing as planned. As far as we are concerned the clock is ticking down on a military operation.” Israel, which maintains a full seal on Gaza, dispatches diplomats to lobby for international support and sympathy for Israel in the face of rocket attacks. Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak asks Israeli FM Livni to come to Cairo on 12/25 for talks on renewing the truce. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Nablus. (IFM 12/22; HA, JP, MA, MM, WP, YA 12/23; PCHR 12/24)

In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in Khuza‘a, wounding 8 Palestinians (including at least 4 civilians), bulldozing areas of agricultural land. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units in a car with Palestinian license plates into Jenin to assassinate Islamic Jihad cmdr. Mujahid alSabi‘, also firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1; raids Kafr Dan, firing on residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c. and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Tulkarm. (PCHR, WP 9/7; PCHR 9/14)

Israel announces that, in a deal brokered by the UN, it will remove its air and naval blockade on Lebanon as of 6:00 P.M. local time on 9/7 as British, French, German, Greek, Italian forces take over naval patrols and assist the Lebanese army in border patrol, but says it will reserve the right to attack any smugglers it detects crossing the Syrian border. (IFM 9/6; NYT, WP, WT 9/7)

The IDF continues operations in Gaza City, shelling, firing on, and using drones to fire missiles at any group of Palestinians in the eastern part of the city, killing at least 4 Palestinian civilians, wounding at least 12. Also in Gaza, the IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who approaches the n. Gaza border fence. In the West Bank, the IDF raids Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, fatally shoots 2 AMB mbrs. in what may be an assassination; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Qalqilya. Of note: The Israeli prison authority transfers jailed Fatah tanzim leader and elected PC mbr. Marwan Barghouti fr. Haradim penitentiary nr. Tel Aviv to Nafha prison in the Negev; Palestinians alleged he was moved to isolate him fr. other Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli human rights group B’Tselem reports a “substantial increase” in the past 2 mos. of IDF soldiers beating, mistreating, humiliating Palestinians during encounters in the West Bank. Some 300 unemployed Palestinians demonstrate, scuffle with police in Gaza City, demanding welfare payments fr. the PA (see 8/28). (NYT, WP, WT 8/30; PCHR 8/31)

As the quarter opens, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) continue Operation Southern Arrow, with heavy shelling and air strikes on Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket fire (at a rate of 10 Israeli strikes per 1 Palestinian rocket attack) and tight restrictions on Gaza’s crossings (see Quarterly Update for details). The IDF also continues to separate the n. and s. West Bank by closing (since 4/21) the Zatara checkpoint s. of Nablus and to restrict movement into and out of the n. Jordan Valley. Meanwhile, Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza continue to suffer severe economic shortages due to the U.S.- and Israeli-led economic sanctions on the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA) that have prevented the PA from paying government workers’ salaries for 2 mos. Today, the IDF patrols in ‘Araba nr. Jenin, firing on residential areas; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Nablus. Islamic Jihad fires its 2d Grad rocket fr. Gaza toward Ashqelon, damaging a poultry farm but causing no injuries (see 3/28, 4/21). A Hamas mbr. is killed in a driveby shooting in Gaza City; no group claims responsibility. (MM 5/16; NYT, PCHR 5/18)

Israel says that the Hamas-led PA is responsible for the 4/17 suicide bombing but that it will not launch a large-scale military operation in retaliation so as to “avoid escalation”; instead it will increase “diplomatic pressure” on the government, including revoking the Israeli residency rights of 3 Change and Reform PC mbrs. (including Jerusalem Affairs M Abu ‘Arafa) from East Jerusalem, meaning they would have to leave the city. The AMB, ARB, PRCs issue a joint statement demanding that Abbas “apologize to the entire Palestinian people for the offense he committed” by condemning the 4/17 suicide bombing. Meanwhile, the IDF steps up Operation Southern Arrow, shelling areas of n. Gaza, hitting a sewage treatment facility, seriously injuring 3 Palestinian children, and wounding a farmer working his field, a shepherd grazing his sheep, a Palestinian outside his home in Bayt Lahiya, a Palestinian walking in a residential area of Bayt Hanun, a truck driver nr. the customs bureau in Jabaliya; detains, severely beats a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy at a Bethlehem checkpoint for allegedly carrying a knife; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, in Nablus (confiscating the camera of an AP journalist covering the raid). Israeli police detain PA Jerusalem Affairs M Abu ‘Arafa at a checkpoint on the outskirts of East Jerusalem as he is en route to a PA cabinet mtg., delaying him 2 hrs. (AFP, AP, IMEMC, JP, NYT, PNN, REU, WP 4/18; MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/19; MM, PCHR 4/20; HA 4/24)

IDF tanks and infantry begin massing on Gaza’s northern border in apparent preparation for a major incursion. The IDF continues operations in and around Tulkarm; conducts predawn missile strikes on 3 auto repair garages, machine shops in Gaza City, Khan Yunis thought to be weapons factories, injuring 3 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids targeting Hamas and Islamic Jihad mbrs. in Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, and Tulkarm, arresting 26 Hamas, 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs.; also raids, searches homes in Mughraqa; fires on a group of Palestinians trying to cross the closed Abu Huli crossing into Gaza, wounding 4; conducts patrols nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm and in Dahaysha r.c., Nablus (firing on residential areas), Qalqilya, Tubas nr. Jenin. Hamas fires 10 mortars, 8 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza at Sederot and Nisanit settlement (lightly injuring 7 settlers). In Gaza City, some 10,000 Hamas supporters attend the funeral of 4 Hamas mbrs. assassinated on 7/15. In Bayt Lahiya, Hamas gunmen shoot, wound a PA security officer. In Khan Yunis, Palestinian gunmen associated with a Fatah splinter group set fire to the newly opened offices of Fatah head Faruq Qaddumi, then fire on PA security forces posts in the area. In Ramallah, AMB mbrs. fire in the air, order stores to close to protest Palestinian deaths in recent days; PA security forces deploy in response, ordering stores to reopen. (HA, IMEMC, JAZ, REU, YA 7/16; VOI, VOP 7/16 in WNC 7/17; HA, JAZ, JP, NYT, WP, XIN 7/17; VOP 7/17 in WNC 7/18; OCHA, PR 7/20; PCHR 7/21)

Israel releases the leader of the Islamic movement in Israel Shaykh Ra’id Salah, arrested in 5/03, after serving a sentence for directing funds to West Bank and Gaza charities that allegedly support “terrorism”; his sentence was reduced by more than a yr. for good behavior. (REU 7/17; VOI 7/17 in WNC 7/18; JP 7/18 in WNC 7/19; PR 7/20)

The IDF continues operations in Bayt Hanun and Jabaliya r.c. launched on 9/28, expands into Bayt Lahiya; occupies buildings as sniper posts; shells, fires on residential areas, killing 1 stone-throwing Palestinian youth, 4 armed Palestinian (including 1 Hamas mbr., wanted PRC mbr. Mosad Baradi), and 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding around 60. Palestinians target military vehicles with roadside bombs, antitank rockets, causing no injuries. Despite the maneuvers, Hamas fires a Qassam rocket at Sederot, killing 2 Israeli children, wounding 5; Sharon says that operations in n. Gaza will be expanded as a result. Late in the evening, the IDF carries out 2 missile strikes at Jabaliya r.c., killing 3 Palestinians and destroying an Islamic charitable organization. The IDF also continues operations begun 9/28 in Shaykh Ajlin, bulldozing 8 Palestinian homes, 8 d.; fires on stone-throwing youths outside Gaza City, killing 1 Palestinian; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring a 4-yr.-old Palestinian inside her home. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c., fires on a taxi wrongly thought to be carrying wanted Palestinians, killing the Palestinian driver, a Palestinian man, wounding his wife. In Hebron, 5 Jewish settlers armed with heavy metal chains, rocks, sticks severely beat, rob 2 American women working with Christian Peacemaker Teams escorting Palestinian children to their school; 1 woman suffers a punctured lung, the other a broken arm and knee. Jewish settlers set fire to 400 d. of olive trees nr. Bayt Furik, damaging 100s of trees. (HA, MM 9/29; VOI, VOP, YA 9/29 in WNC 10/1; HA, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 9/30; AFP 9/30 in WNC 10/2; PCHR, PR 10/6, 10/13; JPI 10/15)

The IDF assassinates senior Hamas political leader and spokesman Ismail Abu Shanab, firing 5 missiles at his car as he drives through Gaza City, also killing 2 bodyguards, wounding at least 19 bystanders. Hamas, Islamic Jihad declare the cease-fire officially over. The IDF also imposes curfews on all Palestinian cities; continues operations in Nablus, where tanks and troops have entered the heart of the city, demolishing 1 Palestinian apartment, raiding and evacuating the staff of a medical clinic for 6 hrs.; sends 5 bulldozers, 100 special forces units into Nazlat Issa, nr. the Green Line, to demolish at least 7 Palestinian homes, 115 shops, 2 factories, several warehouses; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Jenin, 2 in Hebron (including the home of the 8/19 bomber); shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Qabatiyya. Palestinians fire 12 mortars at Gush Katif, 5 Qassam rockets at s. Israel, damaging 2 buildings but causing no injuries. The IDF arrests a Hebron settler for alleged membership in a Jewish militant group. (BBC, HA, MM, PCHR, PM 8/21; MA, MENA, al-Quds, VOI, XIN, YA 8/21 in WNC 8/23; XIN 8/21, AYM, JP, QA, al-Quds, al-Ra’i, SA 8/22, JT, al-Quds 8/24 in WNC 8/26; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/22; WT 8/23; PR 8/27; PCHR 8/28; MEI 9/12)

An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber marking the 35th anniversary of the 1967 war detonates a large car bomb nr. a bus in Meggido, killing 14 IDF soldiers, 3 Israeli civilians, wounding 38. In response, the IDF sends tanks, helicopters into Jenin, declaring the area a closed military zone, imposing a curfew, conducting house-to-house searches; makes raids on Hebron, Qalqilya, Tulkarm; continues operations in Nablus. Late in the evening, the IDF sends tanks, troops into Ramallah, imposes a curfew, declares the area a closed military zone, shells Arafat's offices in what remains of the PA compound; bulldozers pile debris in front of the headquarters' exits; Arafat, who is inside, is not harmed. (AP, CNN, LAW, MM 6/5; AFP, Interfax, XIN 6/5 in WNC 6/6; MM, NYT, WP, WT 6/6; GS 6/7; QA 6/7 in WNC 6/10; MEI 6/14)

American PR firms representing Israel urge the Israeli government not to respond to the Meggido bombing for 24 hrs. so that the U.S. newspapers, TV news programs would open with pictures of the bombing, victims' funerals rather than IDF retaliatory attacks. (MM 6/7)

Mubarak arrives in Washington, reportedly carrying a proposal for Bush to support recognition of a Palestinian state in early 2003, with permanent status talks to be completed within 3 yrs. thereafter. (MM, WP 6/5; MM 6/6, MM 6/7) (see Quarterly Update)

In light of the economic downturn since the intifada began, the Knesset passes (74-28) an amendment to the National Insurance Law (1995) applying a 4% cut to all child allowance payments, an additional 20% cut in amounts paid to parents of children without a relative serving in the IDF (i.e., mostly Israeli Arabs). (Adalah press release 6/6)

Polls show that Reps. Earl Hilliard (D-AL) and Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), both 5-term incumbents, are struggling to win renomination this yr., largely because of their statements critical of the U.S.'s pro-Israel policy. Their challengers are highlighting their own strong support of Israel, tapping large Jewish donors. The races are creating Black-Jewish tensions in Congress, as Hilliard and McKinney are African American, most of the Jewish money donated to the rival campaigns is fr. outside the candidates' home states. (WP 6/6; AP 6/26; WJW 6/27; WT 7/2)

Casualties:

PLO says it has moved 8 Israeli POWs from Lebanon to undisclosed location because it had information a military operation was being planned to free them.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Senior IDF officers receive Peace for Galilee campaign ribbon, Yesh Gvul (There's a Limit) movement holds demonstration, calls ribbon mark of Cain; Sharon attacks Arens' Lebanon negotiating position in Cabinet meeting, says Israel is conceding too much for too little, other ministers call for unilateral withdrawal to Awali river; foreign and defense ministers tell Habib there can be no agreement unless Haddad forces play key security role; 300-480 children, mostly girls, in 5 Jenin schools taken ill with dizziness, headaches, fainting spells and stomach pains, Jenin Mayor SI wki suspects settlers of spreading poison gas, government accuses radical Palestinian factions, Civil Administration medical officer says victims definitely inhaled poison gas; Jenin under curfew after stone-throwing demonstrations; border police jeep assaulted near Sakhnin, 4 youths arrested.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat postpones visit to Amman, has talks with King Fahd in Riyadh.

Arab Governments: Saudi Arabia says it will support any PLO-Jordanian agreement.

US and Other Countries: NY businessman creates special legal defense fund, supported by private American contributions, for settlers accused of violating Israeli law when retaliating against attacks by Palestinians.