The Palestine Chronology

The IDF’s attacks on the Gaza Strip continue, with reports indicating nearly 20 more Palestinians killed and as many as 300 Israeli air strikes during the day. As the Palestinian death toll approaches 50, with scores more wounded, Gaza’s hospitals feel the strain. IDF targets include the private homes of Hamas officials, police buildings, government buildings, and smuggling tunnels. Israel’s interior min. Eli Yishai says that the goal of the operation is to ‘‘send Gaza back to the Middle Ages.’’ Palestinian armed groups fire over 70 rockets into Israel, with Israel’s Iron Dome defense system intercepting 57 rockets, bringing the total of intercepted projectiles since the start of Operation Pillar of Defense to over 250. Sixteeen Israelis are injured. (REU, BBC, HA, MNA 11/17)

Tunisian FM Rafik Abdesslem makes a solidarity visit to the Gaza Strip, vowing that his government will take steps in the Arab League and UN to stop Israeli aggression. Most of the diplomatic focus is on tentative Egyptian efforts to mediate a cease-fire. In Cairo, Egyptian pres. Morsi holds talks with Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatar’s Emir Shaykh Hamad Bin-Khalifa al-Thani, Hamas leader Khalid Mishal, and Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan ‘Abdallah Shalah. Dep. head of Hamas’s politbureau Musa Abu Marzuq says despite efforts to secure a temporary cease-fire, Israel and Hamas are both far from reaching an agreement. As part of a potential deal, Hamas officials are reported to be demanding an easing of the blockade and an end to the assassination of Hamas leaders. (Guardian, MNA, MNA, WP 11/17)

Palestinians demonstrate across the West Bank to protest the continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with IDF forces wounding and arresting dozens, including in major clashes nr. Huwara checkpoint outside Nablus. The IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, and in 2 villages nr. Salfit, 1 village nr. Ramallah, 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, Tulkarm, 3 villages nr. Hebron, and al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.) nr. Hebron, where IDF soldiers wound 1 Palestinian with live ammunition in clashes with residents, at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Jenin, 1 village each nr. Hebron, Nablus at night. (MNA 11/17; PCHR 11/22)

Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense against Gaza enters its 3d day, leaving another 11 Palestinians dead and bringing the Palestinian death toll since 11/14 to 30, around 1/3 civilians. Intense levels of Israeli air strikes continue, with 40 attacks before dawn and at least 200 overall during the day; reports estimate some 500 targets struck by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) since the operation began. The IDF bombs Gaza’s Ministry of Interior building and the offices of Hamas’s acting PM Ismail Haniyeh. Palestinian armed groups fire a total of 190 rockets into Israel, including a rocket that lands in an open area nr. Gush Etzion settlement bloc s. of Jerusalem, causing no damage or injuries. The Israeli cabinet approves Israeli DM Ehud Barak’s requests to mobilize 75,000 reservists. Israel’s FM Avigdor Lieberman states that the 2 goals of the operation are to restore deterrence and destroy long-range missiles. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Palestinians hold demonstrations to protest the attack on Gaza, including a rally of hundreds of Hamas activists in Ramallah. IDF forces injure dozens of Palestinians in the solidarity protests, seriously wounding 1 man in Kafr Qaddum village nr. Qalqilya with a tear-gas canister to the head. (AP, HA, Guardian, JP, MNA 11/16)

Internationally, there is a mixture of support for Israel’s actions and caution regarding escalation. The U.S. Senate unanimously passes a resolution expressing support for Israel’s ‘‘right to act in self-defense.’’ UK foreign secretary William Hague warns Israel against staging a ground incursion into Gaza. Egyptian PM Hesham Kandil visits the Gaza Strip, during which time Israel temporarily stops its attacks. Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi condemns Israel’s operation and pledges Egyptian support for the Palestinians. Meanwhile, UN high commissioner for human rights Navi Pillay condemns Israel’s aerial bombardment of Gaza as well as Palestinian rocket fire. (HA, Guardian, JP, MNA, REU 11/16)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning, 1 village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, and 1 village nr. Ramallah, 2 villages nr. Salfit, and 1 village nr. Jericho at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Tulkarm in the afternoon, and in Hebron and 1 nearby village, and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night. Israeli soldiers violently disperse Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals taking part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the Israeli occupation and land confiscations held in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Nabi Salih, Budrus), 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma‘sara), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). There are no serious injuries, except in Bil‘in, where 2 Palestinians are wounded by a tear-gas canister and rubber-coated steel bullet respectively, and in Kafr Qaddum, where 1 Palestinian is wounded by a tear-gas canister. (PCHR 11/22)

Egyptian security forces say that unidentified militants fire 3 rockets into Israel from the Sinai Peninsula nr. Rafah. No damage or injuries are reported. (MNA 11/16)

In Amman, Jordanian protests over rising fuel prices continue for a 4th day. Protesters clash with security forces, and a rally of several thousand passes off largely peacefully; chants include demands for the departure of King Abdallah II. (WP 11/16)

The IDF assassinates Hamas commander Ahmad Jabari and his bodyguard and separately kills 7 other Palestinians in a number of air strikes on military and civilian targets across the Gaza Strip, leaving around 90 wounded. The dead include 2 children and an elderly man. Code-named Operation Pillar of Cloud in Hebrew (a Torah reference) and renamed Operation Pillar of Defense for foreign audiences, the Israeli military attacks are described as the ‘‘beginning’’ of an effort to increase deterrence and remove Hamas’s rocketlaunching capabilities. The IQB warns that Israel has ‘‘opened the gates of hell’’ with Jabari’s assassination, and fires dozens of rockets and mortars into Israel. They are joined by the DFLP, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, and PRCs, all of whom claim responsibility for rocket and mortar fire. In total, over 90 projectiles hit Israel from the Gaza Strip, causing 4 injuries. The Iron Dome rocket-defense system intercepts 30 rockets. Overnight, the IDF undertakes air strikes on around 100 sites across the Gaza Strip. U.S. pres. Obama calls Israel PM Netanyahu to express his support for Israel’s military operation and the country’s right to selfdefense. Obama also calls Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi to stress the importance of de-escalation and to pledge to stay in close touch. Egypt strongly condemns Israel’s military assault, and UN secy.-gen. Ban Ki-moon calls for a cease-fire. The UNSC holds an emergency meeting but takes no action. (Guardian, REU 11/14; JP, MNA 11/15)

Unidentified assailants fire 4 rockets from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Israel, landing nr. an agricultural community and causing no injuries. (HA 11/14)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho in the morning, in 1 village nr. Salfit in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Balata r.c. and 1 village nr. Hebron at night. Palestinians across the West Bank demonstrate to mark the day before the 24th anniversary of the PLO’s declaration of independence, blocking roads nr. Bethlehem, Jericho, and Ramallah, and clashing with soldiers at checkpoints in Atara (nr. Ramallah) and Bethlehem. (AFP, PCHR 11/14)

Israeli DM Barak says that almost all the villages nr. the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are now controlled by the Syrian opposition. (AP 11/14)

On a 2d day of violent protests in Jordan against price hikes and in general opposition to King Abdullah’s regime, unidentified gunmen attack 2 police stations, and ensuing clashes leave 1 protester dead—the 1st fatality in Jordanian demonstrations in 2012. (AP 11/15)

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosts Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi and Hamas chief Khalid Mishal at a conference of his ruling party. Erdogan, Morsi, and Mishal express their support for the Palestinian and Syrian people in their respective struggles against Israel and the Asad regime. (AP, YA 9/30)

Qatar announces the opening of a diplomatic office in the Gaza Strip intended to oversee aid projects funded by the Qatari government. (AP 9/30)

In the West Bank, Jewish settlers fr. Daniel settlement establish caravans on the land of al-Khadir village, nr. Bethlehem. The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning; conducts arrest raids and house searches in 1 village nr. Qalqilya. (PCHR 10/4)

Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi tells the U.S. media that Egypt’s peace deal with Israel depends on the Jewish state’s policies toward the Palestinians and that the U.S. government needs to help create a Palestinian state to reduce anger in the region. (REU 9/23)

The PA says that in a village nr. Nablus, its security forces discovered an underground bunker used by Hamas mbrs. that contained communications equipment. (MNA 9/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin and 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning; patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit, 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, and 1 village nr. Hebron at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 3 villages nr. Hebron. (PCHR 9/27)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket from the Gaza Strip into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF makes a brief incursion into the Gaza Strip nr. Rafah to level land along the border fence in the morning. In the West Bank, the IDF reopens a road linking Jericho and the Jordan Valley with cities in the northern West Bank to Palestinians for the 1st time in a decade. (MNA, ToI 8/17; PCHR 8/30)

In Gaza, Hamas security forces arrest Salafist leader Shaykh Abu Suhaib Rashwan, allegedly linked to the group responsible for the kidnapping and murder of Italian activist Vittorio Arrigoni in 2011 (see QU in JPS 160). (MNA 8/17)

Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi says that Egypt will continue to target ‘‘terrorists’’ in the Sinai Peninsula, working with others, including Palestinians. (ToI 8/17)

PA PM Fayyad and Israeli Fin. Min. Yuval Steinitz sign an economic agreement, to go into effect on 1/1/2013, that will regulate taxes and bilateral trade with the aim of reducing illegal trade and tax evasion and building the PA’s tax revenue base. It is the first major IsraeliPalestinian economic agreement since the 1994 Paris Protocol, which sets out in detail the economic relationship between Israel and the PA. (JP, UPI 8/1; JPI 8/17)

Overnight (similar to 7/30), IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire into agricultural areas along the Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis sporadically for hours, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm and 1 village nr. Jenin in the morning; patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Halmish settlement nr. Ramallah uproot and burn 30 Palestinian olive trees on Palestinian land nr. al-Nabi Salih. OCHA reports that Israeli authorities demolished an extension to a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. (PCHR 8/2; OCHA 8/3)

With the Tal Law exempting the ultraOrthodox from military service set to expire at midnight, Israeli DM Barak orders the IDF to start drafting ultraOrthodox Jewish men and gives IDF officials 1 mo. to draft official guidelines to implement the order. (NYT, WP, WT 8/1)

Israeli pres. Peres’s office releases the text of a letter that it says is from Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi, formally responding to a Ramadan greeting Peres sent on 7/15/12. The text, welcomed by Israel, pledges to work to promote Middle East peace and get bilateral Israeli-Egyptian relations back on track, particularly regarding border security. Morsi aides deny that any letter was sent, but Peres’s office releases copies that show Morsi’s name typed (not signed) and an accompanying letter from the Egyptian amb. on embassy letterhead, indicating that the letter had been cleared with Morsi’s office. Official bilateral relations do not suffer, and public optimism on future relations increased. Most analysts believe (e.g., NYT, WP 8/1) that the incident simply reflects Morsi’s attempt to speak to 2 audiences, Israel and the international community, and his constituency in Egypt, hostile or at best ambivalent concerning the peace treaty with Israel. (NYT, WP 8/1)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 rockets or mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah (2 synchronized) in the evening; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Jericho; and conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and Nablus, firing tear gas and stun grenades at stonethrowing youths who confront them in Nablus (causing no serious injuries). Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Kafr Qaddum, al-Nabi Salih, and Ni‘lin. IDF soldiers fire live ammunition (al-Nabi Salih only), rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; a Palestinian child (al-Nabi Salih) and 1 Swedish activist (Kafr Qaddum) are moderately injured by tear gas canisters, and 1 Palestinian (Kafr Qaddum) is moderately injured by a rubber-coated steel bullet. (YA 7/28; 8/2; OCHA 8/3)

Pres. Obama signs into law the U.S.-Israel Enhanced Security Cooperation Act, which calls for an unprecedented strengthening of military, intelligence, and technology cooperation intended to preserve Israel’s qualitative military edge. Experts describe the act as prescribing a ‘‘laundry list of security enhancements’’ for Israel (see QU in JPS 165 for details). (JTA, White House press release 7/27; WP 7/28, 7/30; Defense News 8/1)

Hamas acting PM in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh meets with Egyptian pres. Morsi in Cairo to discuss Fatah-Hamas reconciliation prospects and ways of further easing the siege of Gaza. (WP 7/28)

Qalqilya from laying water pipes from a well to a nearby plot of agricultural land, confiscating their excavator and a welding machine. The IDF also a patrols in Tulkarm in the morning; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Susia settlement nr. Hebron seize 5 d. of nearby Palestinian land. (PCHR 7/26; OCHA 7/27)

The longest-ever Palestinian hunger striker, Akram Rikhawi, ends his fast after 103 days in exchange for a pledge that Israel will release him 5 mos. early (in 1/2013). (NYT 7/24)

In Brussels for a regular meeting with the EU, Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman requests that, in light of the 7/18 Bulgaria attack, the EU add Hizballah to its terrorist list. The EU says that thus far there is no proof of Hizballah’s involvement in terror. (NYT 8/16)

Egypt eases travel restrictions on Palestinians that will make it easer for Gazans to enter and will allow them to stay for up to 72 hrs. before returning or transiting through. All Palestinians must still have Palestinian national identification, a passport, or proof of residency in a 3d country and obtain a visa. The move comes a week after newly elected Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi held separate meetings in Cairo with PA pres. Abbas and Hamas leader Khalid Mishal. (NYT, WT 7/24)