The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, 2 rockets are fired toward Israel, with 1 falling short of the n. border and the other exploding in open land on the Israeli side of the border fence; neither cause major damage. Off the n. coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no injuries. Meanwhile, hundreds of Palestinian refugees gather in front of UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza City for the 2d Sunday in a row to protest the agency’s recent reduction in services. In the West Bank, thousands of Palestinians march in Duma, nr. Nablus, in solidarity with the victims of the 7/31 arson attack in the village. Israeli forces erect mobile checkpoints outside the village to stop the march, sparking clashes in the evening; there are no serious injuries. IDF troops assault 1 Palestinian each in c. Hebron and Bethlehem; conduct late-night raids and house searches in 2 villages nr. Nablus, arresting 2 Palestinians; patrol during the day in 3 villages nr. Hebron. Israeli settlers return to the evacuated Sa-Nur settlement, harassing Palestinians in the area; throw rocks at a Palestinian bus s. of Hebron, causing minor damage. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities increase restrictions on Palestinians’ access to Haram al-Sharif, barring all Palestinian women and men under the age of 30 from entering between 7:00 and 11:00 A.M. Israeli forces detain 5 Palestinians as they leave the sanctuary. Later, minor clashes break out when 30 right-wing Jewish activists tour the sanctuary; there are no serious injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli forces also set up mobile checkpoints at 5 entrances to the Old City. In c. Israel, 3 Jewish Israelis assault a Palestinian in Lydda, shouting that he should be forced out of the city. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 8/2; MNA, TOI 8/3; PCHR 8/6)

U.S. and Egyptian officials, including U.S. secy. of state Kerry, meet in Cairo for a Egypt-U.S. strategic dialogue, the 1st such meeting since 12/2009. (SIS 7/17; AHR 7/27; AP, NYT, REU 8/2)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of Palestinians approaching the border fence, causing 3 to suffer from tear gas inhalation. Separately, IDF troops stationed e. of Rafah open fire on agricultural lands nr. the border fence, causing damage. In 2 incidents off the coast nr. Jabaliya, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at demonstrations to commemorate Land Day, upcoming on 3/30, and protest Israel’s occupation in 6 areas nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih, Silwad, outside Ofer Prison, and Jalazun r.c.), and Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya; 10 Palestinians are moderately injured. The Israeli soldiers also cut off a main waterline into Kafr Qaddum, denying the village water for several hours. IDF troops also violently disperse Palestinian and international activists gathering in Abu Dis at the site of the “Gate of Jerusalem” protest tent camp. The IDF conducts house searches and raids in and around Hebron, arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts patrols in 2 villages nr. Hebron and 1 each nr. Jenin and Jericho. (MNA 3/27; PCHR 4/2)

The Israeli PM’s office announces that it is unfreezing tax revenue transfers to the PA that it has held as a punitive response to the Palestinian accession to the ICC since 1/2015. A statement announcing the move says that the total will be reduced by an undisclosed amount to pay portions of the PA’s debts to Israeli utility providers, such as the IEC. The PA FM criticizes the announced deductions, saying in a statement that they are “an unjustified and illegal procedure that could cause complications.” (AP, HA, JP, NYT, TOI 3/27; AFP, WAFA 3/28; JP 3/29)

French FM Fabius announces that, now that the 3/17 Israeli election has passed, he plans to explore the prospect of introducing another United Nations Security Council (UNSC) res. laying out parameters for a new round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Meanwhile, an EU spokesperson announces that Hamas will remain a designated terrorist organization pending a decision on an appeal of the General Court’s 12/17/2014 removal of Hamas from the list. Similarly, the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development, which the U.S. claims funneled money to Hamas, has been removed from the list since it was last published in 7/2014. (AFP, AP, HA, REU, TOI 3/27; AFP 3/28)

The PA unity govt. delegation led by PM Hamdallah meets with Fatah and Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip, concluding its 3-day trip. (MNA 3/26) The Egyptian attorney, Samir Sabri, who filed the original motion to designate Hamas a terrorist organization in Egypt withdraws his case, saying he hopes to remove “obstacles which Egypt’s political leadership might face in serving its role in the Palestinian reconciliation.” The Court of Urgent Matters, which designated Hamas a terrorist organization 2/28, is expected to reconsider its initial ruling, though it was only in part based on Sabri’s motion. (AHR, MNA 3/27)

The 28th regular session of the UNHRC concludes today after a mo. of meetings, with the council having agreed on 3 res. on the Palestinians. They reaffirm the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, confirm Palestinian rights to sovereignty over their natural resources, and condemn ongoing settlement growth in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (TOI 3/27; MNA 3/28)

PA Pres. Abbas arrives in Sharm al-Shaykh, Egypt, to participate in an Arab League summit on 3/28 and 3/29. Ahead of the summit, the Arab League agrees to send a delegation to Washington to lobby the U.S. Congress and promote the Arab Peace Initiative. (WAFA 2/25; MNA 3/27; HA 3/28)

In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops e. of al-Bureij arrest 3 Palestinians as they attempt to cross the border fence into Israel. Late at night, Israeli soldiers stationed nr. Jabaliya open fire on a group of stone-throwing Palestinians, injuring 5. Off the n. coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces open fire on several Palestinian fishing boats, causing damage but no injuries. Meanwhile, the union of hospital sanitation workers suspends its strike after PA ministers agree to pay the salaries of 750 mbrs. who had not received full wages since 6/2. Overnight, 1 Palestinian is killed and 4 are injured in an explosion at a Hamas military facility in s. Gaza. In the West Bank, IDF troops clash with around 30 stonethrowing Palestinians nr. Nablus, lightly injuring 1 with rubber-coated metal bullets. Israeli soldiers also assault and arrest 1 Palestinian at a checkpoint nr. Jenin. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids nr. Jenin and Hebron; patrols nr. Hebron and Tubas. Dozens of Israeli settlers clash with Palestinians nr. Burin village, s. of Nablus, after the settlers cut down an electricity line that leads to a Palestinian home. In East Jerusalem, municipal officials accompanied by security forces deliver 11 demolition orders to residences in Silwan. Elsewhere, 140 right-wing Jewish activists enter Haram al-Sharif, sparking verbal confrontations with Palestinian worshippers. Israeli forces detain 3 Palestinian photographers during the incident. (HA, MNA, WAFA 12/18; PCHR 12/25)

Reps. of the major Palestinian political parties meet in Gaza and discuss a 5-point initiative jointly presented by the PFLP and Islamic Jihad to kick-start the national reconciliation process. Meanwhile, 1,000s of supporters of Mohammad Dahlan, the exiled former PA and Fatah official, gather in a Hamas-approved demonstration as a corruption trial against him opens in the West Bank. Pres. Abbas orders several Fatah officials to be fired from the PA for helping organize the demonstration. (AHR, AP, MEMO, MNA 12/18; FT 2/4)

The U.S. announces that it will oppose the proposed UNSC res. submitted by the Palestinians on 12/17. Meanwhile, a senior Palestinian official says that the Palestinian res. lacks the support of 9 mbrs. of the UNSC, which would be required for the res. to pass, and is vulnerable to a veto by a permanent mbr. state. (AP, HA, MDW 12/18; AFP 12/19)

In the afternoon, the IDF carries out an air strike on a rocket-launching team in s. Gaza, killing 1 DFLP mbr. and seriously wounding another. By nightfall, Egypt announces it has secured pledges fr. the Palestinian factions to a reimpose the cease-fire. Netanyahu publicly states that “there is no cease-fire,” vowing to attack if Israel perceives a threat; Islamic Jihad says it reserves the right to respond if attacked. Late at night, the IDF carries out 3 air strikes targeting mbrs. of the armed wing of the Salafist alAhrar Movement nr. Khan Yunis, killing 2 al-Ahrar mbrs., and fires 2 drone missiles at another group of armed Palestinians in Jabaliya in n. Gaza, causing no reported injuries. There is no immediate Palestinian retaliation. In the West Bank, the IDF daytime patrols in Tulkarm town and r.c., 3 villages nr. Ramallah, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 each nr. Jenin and Jericho; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho, Salfit (summoning 1 Palestinian for questioning), Tulkarm, and 4 villages nr. Qalqilya (summoning 2 Palestinians for questioning). (AHR, IDFS 10/30; IDF, NYT 10/31; PCHR 11/3; OCHA 11/4)

In East Jerusalem, a group of Jewish settlers stabs and beats 2 East Jerusalem Palestinians, killing 1 Palestinian and wounding the other; Israeli authorities confiscate the body of the man killed and return it to the family with orders to hold the burial immediately, with no more than 10 family mrbs. present to prevent rioting (the family complies). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah, 2 nr. Qalqilya, and 2 nr. Tulkarm in the afternoon and evening, and in 1 village nr. Qalqilya late at night; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some areas) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 3 Palestinians are injured, and 3 are arrested. (PCHR 2/17; OCHA 2/18)

Early in the day, with massive antigovernment protests expected in Egypt after Friday’s midday prayers, rumors spread that Mubarak has left Cairo for his residence in Sharm al-Shaykh under pressure from the army. Soon after, the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces issues communiqué no. 2 indicating that the military is in effective control of the country and will oversee “the peaceful transfer of authority . . . towards a free democratic community that the people aspire to,” and pledging not to take action against protesters for demonstrating against the government. Timed with lateevening prayers, VP Suleiman confirms that Mubarak has “decided to relieve himself of his position as president and the supreme military council has taken control of the state’s affairs,” ending the 82-yr.-old leader’s 30-yr. rule. Flag-waving crowds in Tahrir Square and nationwide erupt in celebration. (AHR, NYT 2/11; NYT, WP, WT 2/12)

In Gaza, 1,000s of Hamas supporters rally to celebrate Mubarak’s fall, calling on the next Egyptian government to open the Rafah border and reconsider Egypt’s relations with Israel. In the West Bank, the PA continues to bar rallies in solidarity with Egyptian protesters, but 100s of Palestinians spontaneously honk horns and cheer in the streets when news of Mubarak’s exit broadcast. (NYT 2/12)

Overnight, Israeli naval commandos in boats and helicopters easily commandeer 5 small boats in the FGM-IHH flotilla to Gaza without incident, but open fire on passengers when they attempt to seize the main vessel (Mavi Marmara) sailing with the group, killing 9 Turkish activists (1 with dual U.S. citizenship); another 53 passengers (23 seriously, including 1 Australian) and 7 Israeli commandos (1 seriously; 1 stabbed, several with gunshot wounds) are injured. The IDF claims commandos acted in self-defense, saying they faced a premeditated attack by passengers; FGM-IHH says passengers were unarmed and nonviolent and at most acted in selfdefense. In light of the incident, the U.S. cancels a meeting at the White House between U.S. Pres. Barack Obama and Israeli PM Netanyahu scheduled for 6/1 and issues a statement saying that the U.S. is “deeply concerned by the suffering of civilians in Gaza” and “will continue to engage the Israelis on a daily basis to expand the scope and type of goods allowed into Gaza.” (IFM 5/31; IFM, NYT, WP, WT 6/1; AHR 6/3; JPI 6/11; ITIC 7/6; Counterpunch 6/10; JPI 7/16)

Meanwhile, IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. destroyed buildings inside the Erez industrial zone, causing no reported injuries. Israeli border police fire tear gas at Palestinian and international activists staging a nonviolent demonstration against Israel’s attack on the flotilla nr. the Qalandia crossing into Jerusalem, hitting an American activist in the head with a tear gas canister (she loses an eye). (PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4; WJW 6/10)

Israel opens the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing into Gaza for the first time since 4/08, when a Palestinian suicide bomber struck there; 15 trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter Gaza. Israel says it will allow around 80 trucks to enter over the next few days as a “trial run” prior to reopening the crossing for regular imports as part of the 6/19 cease-fire deal with Hamas. In the West Bank, the IDF searches homes and shops in Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Jenin town and refugee camp (r.c.), and nr. Hebron. As part of a new crackdown on Hamas in Hebron, PA security officials inform the head of the privately run Islamic Charitable Association (ICA), allegedly affiliated with Hamas, that the PA has removed the organization’s governing board and replaced it with a governing body comprising exclusively of Fatah mbrs. to run the charity and its affiliated orphanage and boarding school. (OCHA, WP, WT 8/20; PCHR 8/21; AHR 8/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., Nablus; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international activists taking part in the weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 1 Israeli journalist is injured) and Ni‘lin (5 are injured, including a French journalist). In Gaza, 3 bombs explode next to a car used by the IQB parked near a busy Gaza City beach (killing 3 Hamas mbrs. and 2 bystanders, including a 6-yr.old girl; wounding 17), the Gaza City home of Hamas official Marwan Abu Ras (no injuries), and a caf´e (killing 1 bystander), marking one of the most serious upsurges of intra-Palestinian violence since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 6/07; Fatah denies responsibility for the bombings. (NYT, WP 7/26; OCHA, PCHR 7/30; AHR 8/1)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Jenin town and r.c. The IDF fatally shoots a Syrian drug smuggler, wounds a 2d when they cross the n. Israel border into the Golan. (WP 7/20; AHR 7/21; OCHA 7/23; PCHR 7/24)

The IDF conducts additional late-night raids in Nablus, searching, sealing, and confiscating computers and documents fr. several organizations allegedly connected to the ICA, including Afaq TV station, the Union of Palestinian Women Committees (confiscating food donations intended for needy Nablus families), a clinic, a kindergarten (taking 2 buses). The IDF sends undercover units driving a car with Palestinian license plates into Kafr Dan nr. Jenin, ambushing a Palestinian car and opening fire, assassinating Talal ‘Abid, a wanted mbr. of the Abu Ammar Brigades (a Fatah offshoot in Jenin), arresting a 2d Palestinian; sends troops, bulldozers into Hebron to demolish 2 Palestinian homes (18 residents) for allegedly harboring wanted individuals, also uprooting trees and heavily damaging a 3d home; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas a Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall in Dayr al-Ghusun nr. Tulkarm, injuring several (including 2 journalists); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha fire 6 mortars at Burin village and 1 at Madama village, causing no damage or injuries (see 7/1, 7/3). Israel’s Interior Min. approves construction of 920 new settler housing units in Har Homa settlement in the Palestinian neighborhood of Jabal Abu Ghunaym in Jerusalem; it is not clear if this figure includes 121 units approved on 6/1. (JP 7/9; PCHR 7/10; WT 7/11; OCHA 7/16; PCHR 7/17; NYT 7/18; AHR 7/21)

After a wk. of almost complete Palestinian quiet in Gaza, Israel agrees to an Egyptian request to resume limited imports to the Strip, but states that it will henceforth close Gaza’s borders for 1 day for each Palestinian rocket fired and allow an extra 5 truckloads of food and 200 tons of cement into Gaza (over the minimum level of humanitarian goods) for each day without rocket fire. After Israel opens its border crossings at noon, Palestinians fire 3 mortars from Gaza toward Israel; 1 lands in Gaza and 2 in Israel, causing no damage or injuries; Israel does not respond. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza City coast, wounding 1 fisherman and forcing the boats to return to shore. In the West Bank, late in the evening, the IDF orders PA security forces in Nablus to return to their barracks, then sends some 130 military vehicles into the city to raid and seal several ICA-run schools, businesses (including a shopping mall, claiming that profits of the mall’s owners finance Hamas operations, a claim the shop owners deny), charities, and sport clubs, as well as a major medical center, seizing computers, records, cash; Shin Bet officers post notices that raided properties have been turned over to the Israeli army for 5 yrs., occupants have a limited time to vacate the premises, and anyone entering the sites after this may be arrested and imprisoned for Hamas collaboration. TheIDF also raids the al-Bireh municipal center, destroying computers containing vital data, such as land registrations, births, marriages; patrols in al-Far‘a r.c. nr, Jenin, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 3 (ages 12, 13, 19); lifts the 24-hr. curfew on Ni‘lin that was imposed on 7/5. (AHR, AP, OCHA, WP 7/9; PCHR 7/10, 7/17; AHR 7/21)

The IDF fires on Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the Gaza border fence nr. Qarni crossing, wounding 2 (including a 92-yr.- old man); sends troops, dogs into Shuka village nr. Rafah to conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches; sends a bulldozer, tank into Gaza to level land along the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes the home of a wanted Palestinian nr. Bethlehem; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya, Tulkarm and nr. Hebron, Jenin; issues a military order confiscating 369 d. of land nr. Qalqilya, 338 d. of Palestinian land nr. Tubas for “security purposes.” (NYT, PCHR, PLONAD, WP, WT 5/10; AHR 5/14; OCHA 5/16; PCHR 5/17)

Palestinians fire some 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a gas station in Sederot, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. An Islamic Jihad mbr. is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Jenin town and r.c., firing on residential areas and stonethrowing youths who confront the troops, wounding 5 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in al-Khadir. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur and Kiryat Arba set up a tent on a hill northeast of Halhul, later leave but vow to establish a new settlement on the site; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Einav nr. Tulkarm set fire to 80 d. of Palestinian olive, almond trees nearby. Nr. Ramallah, Palestinian gunmen fire on a convoy delivering gas to a Jewish settlement, wounding an Israeli security guard. Some 70 Palestinian protesters thought to be aligned with the Army of Islam throw stones, possibly fire at Fatah lawmaker Majid Abu Shamalah as he leaves an end-of-the-school-year celebration at a Rafah UNRWA school, prompting his bodyguards to open fire, killing 1 of their own and leaving 2 teachers, 2 protesters, and 2 schoolchildren (ages 9, 14) wounded; the attack on the school comes days after the Army of Islam warned the school against holding the celebration, which they condemned for involving “the mixing of adolescent boys and girls, which is forbidden in Islam.” Unidentified gunmen fire on a Fatah base in Bureij r.c., causing no injuries. A Palestinian possibly affiliated with the Army of Islam orders UNRWA employees off an agency minibus in Rafah before tossing a hand grenade inside, damaging it. (Jerusalem Post 5/6; NYT 5/7; OCHA 5/9; PCHR 5/10; AHR 5/15)