The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort threw stones at Palestinians protesting settlement expansion west of Salfit; Israeli forces also beat several Palestinian protesters. Israeli forces delivered demolition notices for 3 Palestinian-owned homes in Ya‘bad and demolished 1 house in al-Khadir; 1 house under construction and 1 well near Halhul; and 2 shacks in Qalqilya. 13 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Izzariya, Anata, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jericho, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family started demolishing their own home in Jabal Mukabir to avoid paying exorbitant Israeli demolition fees; 6 people were displaced. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level agricultural lands east of al-Bureij. Israeli forces also opened fire on Palestinians near the Erez crossing; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/30; WAFA 12/1; PCHR 12/3)

PA and Israeli officials met to discuss the details of transferring the $756 million to the PA in taxes owed. (WAFA 11/30)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. According to WAFA, President al-Sisi confirmed Egypt’s support of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. (WAFA 11/30; WAFA 12/1)

A court in Israel rejected a lawsuit brought by 1 Palestinian-Israeli on behalf of his nephew and niece who have to travel outside the city of Carmiel to go to school as there are no Arabic-speaking schools in their city. The suit asked for the city to pay their expenses for traveling to the Arabic-speaking school, but the Israeli court dismissed the suit, citing the Jewish Nation-State Law saying the city’s Jewish character had to be preserved. The judge wrote in his ruling, “Carmiel, a Jewish city, was meant to establish Jewish settlement in the Galilee . . . Establishing an Arabic-language school . . . [and] funding school rides for Arab students . . . could change the demographic balance and damage the city’s character.” (Adalah, HA, HA 11/30)

Saudi Arabia allowed Israeli airlines to fly over their airspace for commercial flights 1 day before the 1st commercial flight between Israel and the UAE was set to happen. The flight was said to be at risk of being canceled; however, according to a U.S. official, U.S. special advisor to the president Jared Kushner and Saudi officials were able to “reconcile the issue.” Special Advisor Kushner is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar this week. (AJ, HA 11/30; MEE 12/1)

The EU donated $11.15 million to the PA to help pay for medical transfers to East Jerusalem hospitals. (WAFA 11/30)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians, including 1 minor by live ammunition as they were protesting the Psagot settlement east of al-Bireh; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. In East Jerusalem, the Israeli municipality demolished a staircase leading to the Lion’s Gate at the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli forces arrested 5 Palestinians as they were headed to the funeral of 1 Palestinian killed by Israeli forces on 11/25 at a checkpoint in the West Bank, near East Jerusalem. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA 11/29; WAFA, WAFA 11/30; PCHR 12/3)

The WHO delivered 15 ventilators to Gaza hospitals as the COVID-19 virus continues to challenge the Gazan health system. The ventilators were paid for by Kuwait. (REU 11/29; HA 11/30)

An Israeli court rejected a petition filed by Palestinians to reclaim their land that had been seized by Israel and used by settlers to build settlement outposts south of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The ruling paves the way for Israel to legalize the settlement outposts. (HA 11/30)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with the King Abdallah II of Jordan in the Jordanian city of Aqaba. In a statement released by Jordan after the meeting, Jordan reaffirmed its commitment to a Palestinian state. President Abbas later traveled to Egypt, meeting with secretary-general of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry. Abbas is scheduled to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on 11/30. This marked the 1st time Abbas left the West Bank in 2020. (WAFA 11/28; HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/29; WAFA, WAFA 11/30)

The Israeli security cabinet approved the transfer of $756 million to the PA in tax funds but continues to withhold $181.5 million that the PA pays to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and their families. (HA 11/29)

According to Iraqi officials, 1 Iranian senior commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Muslim Shahdan, had been killed in an air strike along with 3 others as they entered Syria from Iraq in a car. There were no reports of who carried out the air strike, but Israel has frequently been carrying out air strikes in Syria and Iraq and is believed to have assassinated an Iranian nuclear scientist on 11/27. (HA, TOI 12/1)

UN secretary-general António Guterres said in a statement commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People that “the question of Palestine remains distressingly unresolved,” and criticized Israel for continuing to make a 2-state solution less viable. (WAFA 11/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolished 2 residential structures and seized 1 Palestine TV broadcasting van near Tubas. Israeli forces also seized 1 Palestinian-owned vehicle near Tubas and demolished 1 shack in Beita. 7 Palestinians were arrested during raids in al-‘Arub refugee camp, Qalqilya, ‘Anata, Shu‘fat refugee camp, and Dayr Balut. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were arrested during a late-night raid in Issawiyya; clashes ensued during the raid, leading to tear-gas related injuries. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya within the allocated fishing zone; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 9/29; PCHR 9/30; PCHR 10/1)

At a speech to the UN General Assembly, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Hezbollah is storing missiles in a neighborhood in Beirut and that Iran is a few months away from enriching enough uranium for 2 nuclear bombs. The secretary-general of Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah said that Netanyahu’s speech was made to incite the people of Lebanon against Hezbollah and that he was lying about his claims. (HA, REU 9/29)

The emir of Kuwait Shaykh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jabar al-Sabah died at the age of 91, leaving the throne to his 83-year-old brother Shaykh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, who was appointed crown prince in 2006 when Emir Shaykh Sabah took office. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 9/29; AJ 9/30)

The student body at Columbia University passed a referendum to recommend that the university divest from “stocks, funds and endowment from companies that profit from or engage in the State of Israel’s acts towards Palestinians.” (AJD 9/29; JP, MDW, TOI 9/30; WAFA 10/2)

The PA and India signed a memorandum of understanding for Indian contributions of $36.1 million for 1 hospital in Bayt Sahour and contributions for the national printing press and 2 schools. (WAFA 9/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 2 Palestinians near al-Walaja, causing both to be hospitalized. Israeli settlers also chopped down 50 olive trees in al-Sawiya. Israeli forces injured 4 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets during the weekly anti-settlement protest in Kafr Qaddum; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 1 Palestinian man, aged 54, died of a heart attack after a stun grenade fired by Israeli forces landed in close proximity to him near the Barta‘a checkpoint. Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians in Hebron, leading to tear-gas related injuries. 2 Palestinians were arrested, including 1 during a late-night raid near Bethlehem and 1 at a checkpoint southeast of Jenin. In East Jerusalem, 7 Palestinians were arrested while leaving the Haram al-Sharif compound. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/18; PCHR 9/19; WAFA 9/20;  PCHR 9/24)

A Hamas senior official denied reports that the Egyptian delegation had made a breakthrough in brokering a prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. According to the official, the 2 parties are still far from each other as many obstacles remain. (HA 9/18)

U.S. president Donald Trump said at a press briefing after meeting a Kuwaiti official that he thinks Kuwait will soon follow the UAE and Bahrain in normalizing ties with Israel. Kuwaiti officials said earlier this month that the country would be the last to join a normalization agreement with Israel. (HA 9/18)