The Palestine Chronology

The IDF patrols in 3 villages n. of Ramallah in the morning. IDF soldiers and border police escort 100 Jewish settlers on a walking tour of the archeological sites in and around Bayt Umar village nr. Bethlehem, firing tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinians who come near. Another team of IDF soldiers and border police escort a separate group of Jewish settlers on a similar tour of archeological and religious sites in al-Karmil village nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers install 6 mobile homes in Otniel settlement and 2 in Avigal settlement in the same area s. of Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Rotem settlement in the n. Jordan Valley severely beat a Palestinian shepherd nearby; he is found later by an IDF patrol that has the Red Crescent transport him to a hospital in Jenin. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (Nabi Salih only), rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 7 Palestinians (including a child) and 1 international activist are injured in Nabi Salih, and 2 Palestinian journalists are detained for 4 hrs. (PCHR 2/9; OCHA 2/10)

The IDF raids Budrus nr. Ramallah, fires on residential areas, sparking clashes that leave 2 Palestinians injured; sends troops into Salim with military orders to occupy a Palestinian home as an IDF post for 1 mo., confining the 16 family mbrs. to 1 floor; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at a nonviolent Palestinian demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1 Palestinian), Dayr Ballut nr. Nablus (wounding 2 Palestinians). Palestinians complain that 100s of people were unable to attend Friday prayers at Hebron’s Ibrahimi Mosque because of prolonged IDF checks at the newly installed electronic gates surrounding the site (see 3/13, 3/24). A Palestinian is injured in an explosion in Gaza City, reportedly while preparing a bomb; 3 Palestinians are injured in a similar incident in Khan Yunis. Some 20 Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus rampage through the nearby village of Asira, breaking windows, throwing stones, beating a 50-yr.-old Palestinian woman; when IDF troops come to Yitzhar later in the day to investigate, some 150 settlers throw stones, clash with troops; later in the evening settlers attack Palestinian homes again, causing damage but no injuries; Yitzhar officials say the attackers were “a number of boys” who had gotten drunk for Purim. Jewish settlers fr. Otniel nr. Hebron detain 3 Palestinian women, 4 children cultivating olives on their nearby land; hold them at the settlement for 5 hrs., until PA security officials intervene with the IDF to secure their release. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai rampage through Palestinian areas of Hebron for 3 hrs., damaging Palestinian homes but causing no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba throw stones and bottles at 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron, threaten to burn them. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack 10s of Palestinians, 4 international peace activists helping Palestinians clean up poisoned feed that the settlers spread on Palestinian land nr. Yatta on 3/22. (HA 3/26; OCHA 3/30; PCHR 3/31)

A PFLP suicide bomber fr. Askar r.c. nr. Nablus detonates a device in a Tel Aviv open-air market, killing 3 Israelis, wounding 32. The PFLP says that the bombing was carried out to warn Palestinian leaders against being “seduced into talking about ending the resistance and haggling over the national legitimate rights and principles of our people” now that Arafat is out of the West Bank. In the evening, IDF undercover units raid Nablus, assassinate Nablus AMB leader Majdi Mari (whom it attempted to assassinate on 9/15/04), AMB mbrs. Jihad Abu Salah and Fadi al-Sarwan, injure a 4th AMB mbr., 4 bystanders. During the day, the IDF closes the Qalandia checkpoint, declaring the area a closed military zone (see 10/16); fatally shoots 2 Palestinians allegedly attempting to infiltrate Kefar Darom; fires on a group of stone-throwing Palestinian children in Askar r.c., killing a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy; stops, argues with, shoots and wounds 2 Palestinian teenagers walking nr. the separation wall nr. Jayyus; fires on stone-throwing youths in Jenin r.c.; bulldozes 39 d. of olive groves and greenhouses, 1 Palestinian home nr. Dayr al-Balah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Anza nr. Bethlehem, al-Bireh, Birzeit, Jayyus, al-Khadir, al-Mughayyir, Nur al-Shams r.c., Rafat nr. Nablus, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Otniel throw stones at, harass Palestinians and international peace activists harvesting olives on nearby Palestinian land, forcing them to leave. Jewish settlers in Hebron assault Palestinians, attack Palestinian homes nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs. In both cases, the IDF troops observe but do not intervene. (BBC, HA, MM, PM 11/1; HA, JAZ, JP, VOI, VOP 11/1 in WNC 11/3; CSM, MM, NYT, PRCS, WP, WT 11/2; VOP 11/2 in WNC 11/4; PR 11/3; PCHR, WJW 11/4; MEI 11/5; JPI 11/12)