The Palestine Chronology

For a 2d day in a row, Gazan fighters fire a rocket into s. Israel. It lands in an open area, causing no serious damage or injuries. The IDF fires retaliatory tank shells across the border at Hamas sites, causing an undetermined amount of damage. After the exchange, DM Lieberman says that Israel will not seek an escalation of violence, but that it will not hesitate from retaliating against all rocket attacks. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, YA 10/6; PCHR 10/13)

Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nr. Rafah. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts a late-night raid in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Tubas, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 3 Palestinians are injured and 2 are arrested. IDF troops arrest 6 Palestinians during raids nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, and Tulkarm; and patrol nr. Hebron. In Israel, Israeli forces demolish the “unrecognized” bedouin village of al-Araqib in the Negev for the 104th time since 2010. They also shut down several organizations affiliated with the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Nazareth and Umm al-Fahm, including 1 media group. The branch was accused of incitement and outlawed in 11/2015 (see JPS 45 [3]). (MNA 10/6; MNA 10/7; PCHR 10/13)

PA pres. Abbas is admitted to hospital in Ramallah after suffering chest pains and undergoes cardiovascular testing. PLO secy.-gen. Erekat says that the tests confirm that Abbas is in “good health.” (HA, MEMO, MNA 10/6)

In the Gaza Strip, a mbr. of Hamas’s armed wing, IQB, dies of injuries sustained in Gaza City on 7/29/2014, during OPE. Also, a 3-story building in Dayr al-Balah collapses after being damaged during OPE last year. Meanwhile, Egyptian security forces shoot and injure a Palestinian exiting a tunnel on the Egyptian side of the border nr. Rafah. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish a synagogue in a settlement outpost nr. Hebron early in the morning. The IDF conducts house searches and raids in Nablus, a nearby village, and Balata r.c., arresting 31 Palestinians, most affiliated with Hamas. They also arrest a Palestinian on a raid in al-Fara‘a r.c. nr. Jenin and patrol in 3 villages each nr. Hebron and Tulkarm, and 1 nr. Jenin. Nr. East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish a mobile home in Bayt Hanina. In Israel, an Israeli man assaults a Palestinian worker from Jenin in a shop in Umm al-Fahm. Israeli forces demolish 3 structures in an unrecognized bedouin village in the Negev. (JP, MNA, WAFA 4/14; HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 4/15; HA, PCHR 4/16)

Israel’s COGAT Mordechai announces that starting today, Palestinian vehicles from the West Bank will be allowed to enter Jerusalem. In the 1st of 2 planned stages, over 100 Palestinian doctors are allowed to enter. Unrestricted travel for Palestinian businessmen and women will follow in the next phase. Palestinian cars have been banned from Jerusalem since the onset of the 2d intifada in 2000. (JP, MNA 4/14; HA 4/15)

In Syria, Palestinian residents of Yarmouk r.c. report that ISIS has begun retreating from previously held positions in the camp. Meanwhile, UNRWA sets up a distribution mission in a village nr. the camp to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees fleeing Yarmouk. (AFP, WAFA 4/14)

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Comm. unanimously approves, 19–0, an amended version of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, which would give Congress an opportunity to approve or disapprove of any agreement made between the P5+1 and Iran and increase congressional oversight on verification of the deal. The bill is now available for a vote on the Senate floor. (AP, HA, NYT, POL, REU 4/14; AP, HA, MDW, TOI 4/15)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids in al-Til and neighboring ‘Allar; fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinians demonstrating against Israeli excavations at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, wounding 2. In addition to the weekly nonviolent demonstration in Bil‘in, 100s of Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists take part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall nr. Bethlehem, Marda, Salfit, Tulkarm; in each case, the IDF fires tear gas, percussion grenades to disperse the demonstrators, injuring several. In an evacuated settlement site nr. Khan Yunis, 1 Hamas mbr. is killed, 9 are wounded when explosives they are handling during a training exercise accidentally detonate. Nr. Rafah, 3 Palestinians are injured when they accidentally trigger an unexploded IDF shell. Jewish settlers fr. Beit Hadasah in Hebron chase, severely beat 3 Palestinians (ages 10, 40, 55); the IDF intervenes, arrests 1 Palestinian. The bedouin residents of the unrecognized village of al-Nasara in the Negev report that over the past 3 wks., Israel has issued eviction orders to around 250 residents, declaring plans to build an IDF installation on the site of the village. (NYT 3/31; OCHA 4/4; PCHR 4/5)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jericho and neighboring ‘Aqabat Jabir r.c., Qalqilya, Tamun and nr. Hebron. The Israeli navy fire 7 shells at Palestinian fishing boats nr. Rafah, forcing the boats back to shore, causing no injuries; later in the day arrests 6 Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, confiscating 2 boats. Inside Israel, the Israel Lands Authority issues demolition orders for a Palestinian playground in the unrecognized village of Dahamesh nr. Ramla, stating it was built illegally on state land and “represents an incursion into farmland beyond the boundaries of the unrecognized settlement”; children in Dahamesh had no safe place to play before the playground was built with EU donor funds. In Gaza City, DFLP, PFLP, Islamic Jihad mbrs. hold a sit-in to protest ongoing Fatah-Hamas violence. Meanwhile, ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 ESF mbr. A Force 17 mbr. injured in clashes with Fatah in Gaza City on 1/9 dies. In the West Bank, suspected Fatah mbrs. vandalize, set fire to offices of the Jinata municipality (controlled by Hamas) nr. Bethlehem. (HA 1/10; PCHR 1/11; OCHA 1/17; PCHR 1/18)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence, wounding 4. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen w. of Rafah, damaging some boats but causing no injuries. The AMB fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Also in Gaza, Palestinian haulers hold a 1-day strike to protest new Israeli restrictions barring the passage of specific types of trailers through the Qarni industrial crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya, al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish Israeli police demolish 17 homes in the unrecognized village of Twayyil in the Negev. (Palestine Information Center, Palestine Times [London] 12/6; MM, PCHR 12/7; IMEMC 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

The IDF imposes a curfew on, patrols in, fires on residential areas of Dayr Istiyya nr. Salfit; patrols in Tamun and Tubas nr. Jenin; occupies 5 Palestinian homes in Allar nr. Tulkarm as observation posts; fires on residential areas of Rafah, wounding a Palestinian infant inside her home. A Jewish settler injures a 69-yr.-old Palestinian woman in a hit-and-run incident in the West Bank (exact place not reported). (VOI 7/1 in WNC 7/2; OCHA 7/6; PCHR 7/7)

Israel police send a large contingent (20 vehicles) into the unrecognized village of Bir al-Mashash in the Negev, with home demolition orders covering all structures in the village of 4,000 Israeli Palestinians. Angry residents scuffle with police, leaving at least 2 Israeli Palestinians hospitalized. (IMEMC 7/1)

The IDF pulls troops out of Nablus, lifts the 24-hr. curfew after a wk. of operations, during which 10s of Palestinians were detained; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, hitting an 8-yr.-old Palestinian in the chest with live ammunition; conducts arrest raids in and around Hebron, in Rafah. Israeli authorities demolish 7 Israeli Arab homes, a mosque in unrecognized villages in the Negev. Young Fatah mbrs. in Rafah waylay, essentially kidnap Arafat aide Ramzi Khoury, Gaza governor Muhammad al-Kidwa at the border crossing as they return fr. Cairo; take them on a forced 4 hr. tour of the recent IDF destruction in Rafah, protesting the PA’s failure to provide for 1,000s of homeless Palestinians. Jewish settlers attack Palestinians, Palestinian houses in Hebron. (WT 12/30; PCHR 1/1; MEI 1/9; HA 1/13)

The IDF raids an Internet cafe´ in Jenin in search of an Islamic Jihad mbr., fatally shooting 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 6, arresting the wanted man, 6 others; fatally shoots a 75-yr.-old Palestinian farmer riding a donkey through a restricted area nr. Netzarim settlement; fatally shoots a mute Palestinian who had stopped to watch Palestinians throw stones at troops in Tulkarm; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Hebron, 1 in Rafah. Jewish settlers open fire on stone-throwing Palestinians in the West Bank, seriously injuring a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy. The Israel Lands Admin. sprays toxic chemicals on 1,500 dunams of bedouin crop land belonging to the unrecognized village of Abda in the Negev. (ADL, MM 3/4; NYT, PM, WP, WT 3/5; PCHR 3/6; LAW 3/13)