The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, IDF troops uproot around 60 olive trees in Tuqu‘ village nr. Bethlehem, while separately, Jewish settlers nr. Nablus attack a house in Burin village, throwing stones and a Molotov cocktail, causing no injuries. (MNA 11/25; PCHR 11/28)

The Israeli NGO Peace Now announces that an Israeli military cmte. has approved the construction of 829 new homes in West Bank settlements Givat Ze’ev, Nofei Prat, Shilo, Givat Salit, and Nokdim. The planned construction is condemned by Nabil Abu Rdeineh, aide to PA Pres. Abbas, as a “policy of escalation aimed at putting obstacles in front of the peace process.” (AFP, REU 11/25)

UN Secy.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon announces that an international peace conference on Syria will take place in Switzerland on 1/22/14, in an attempt to bring about direct talks between the Syrian govt. and opposition forces. The statement describes 1 of the key goals of the peace talks as “the establishment, based on mutual consent, of a transitional governing body with full executive powers, including over military and security entities.” (AP, REU 11/25) 

Pres. Obama, speaking during a visit to San Francisco, defends the deal with Iran, saying that the U.S. “cannot close the door on diplomacy.” In a clear criticism of those who have attacked the agreement, Obama says that “tough talk and bluster may be the easy thing to do politically, but it’s not the right thing to do for our security.” Meanwhile, Israeli PM Netanyahu announces that national security adviser Yossi Cohen will visit Washington to discuss the agreement with U.S. officials. In the UK, Foreign Secy. William Hague urges Israel to refrain “from taking any steps that would undermine this agreement.” (REU 11/25; AP 11/26)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron at night. (PCHR 11/21)

At a conference in Sderot, Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman declares that a peace deal with the Palestinians is impossible in the foreseeable future. He also claims that ties with the U.S. are “deteriorating,” and that Israel must “seek other allies with common interests.” Dep. FM Ze’ev Elkin, speaking in Moscow on a trip for talks with Pres. Vladimir Putin, subsequently tries to downplay his boss’ remarks, affirming that “there is no one who can take the place of the Americans.” Meanwhile, senior Palestinian official Nabil Shaath says that Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erakat and Mohammed Shtayyeh will remain on a temporary basis until a new team can be formed. (HA, MNA, REU, YA 11/20)

Negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group of powers resume in Geneva, with hopes of reaching an interim accord on confidence-building steps. Optimism is expressed publicly by the likes of Britain’s Foreign Secy. William Hague, and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech in Tehran, in which he says that Iran will not retreat “one iota” from its nuclear rights but says that his country seeks friendly relations with the U.S. Also in his speech, Khamenei describes Israel as “a rabid dog,” which provokes an angry response from Israeli PM Netanyahu who is in Russia to appeal for tougher terms in a nuclear agreement with Iran. (AP, JTA, REU 11/20)

Israel’s “David’s Sling” missile defense system, co-developed with the U.S. and designed to protect the country from potential attack by Syrian and Hizballah-held missiles, passes a 2nd live test. Israeli defense officials say that the system could be deployed in 2014, a year ahead of the Israeli Air Force’s official deadline. (HA, REU 11/20)

A suicide car bomb attack kills 11 Egyptian soldiers nr. al-Arish in the Sinai Peninsula, wounding 37. Separately, a grenade attack on a checkpoint in Cairo injures 4 policemen. Meanwhile, Egyptian authorities close the Rafah crossing with Gaza due to a technical fault with the terminal’s computers. (AP, MNA, REU 11/20)

srael holds parliamentary elections, dealing a significant setback to current PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu joint ticket. The next Knesset will be almost evenly split between the right-wing/religious bloc and centrist/center-left blocs, with the headlines dominated by the rise of centrist party Yesh Atid (‘‘There Is a Future’’) and its leader Yair Lapid. The final tally gives 31 seats to Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu, 19 to Yesh Atid, 15 to a resurgent Labor party, 12 to Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home, 11 to Shas, 7 to United Torah Judaism, 6 each to Meretz and Tzipi Livni’s party Hatnuah, 4 each to United Arab List and Hadash, 3 to Balad, and 2 to Kadima. Voter turnout overall is high, with the estimated turnout for Palestinian citizens of Israel at 56%, according to figures cited by Army Radio. At the end of the night, Netanyahu says that he sees ‘‘many partners’’ for his ‘‘goals’’ and will seek to assemble ‘‘the broadest’’ coalition possible. (REU, AP 1/22; JP 1/23; JP 1/24)

British foreign secretary William Hague warns that it is almost the last chance to bring about a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and condemns Israeli settlement construction. (REU 1/22)

Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast nr. al-Waha, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Jewish settlers begin work to expand Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah. The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning, and in al-Bireh at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 1 village each nr. East Jerusalem and Ramallah at night. (MNA, WAFA 1/22; PCHR 1/23)

Malaysia’s PM Najib Razak visits the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing. Pres. Abbas criticizes the visit as enhancing the Fatah-Hamas division. (MNA, NYT 1/22) 

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate and the PLO’s Information and Culture Department condemn today’s arrest of journalists in the Gaza Strip by Hamas authorities. Most of those detained are affiliated with Fatah. (JP 1/22)