The Palestine Chronology

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Fajjar nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Kafr Dan. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar nr. Nablus steal olives fr. Palestinian land in nearby Yanun. In Khan Yunis, Fatah mbrs. protest at the Omar Bin al-Khattab Mosque over Hamas’s removal of the pro-Fatah imam; ESF officers fire on, beat demonstrators to disperse them, wounding 21 (5 with live ammunition, 16 with batons). (OCHA 10/3; PCHR 10/4)

The IDF demolishes 10 Palestinian homes, bulldozes 4 dunams of land and large trees in Dayr al-Balah, nr. the Kefar Darom site of the 5/8 suicide attack on an IDF tank; bulldozes 49 dunams of land e. of Bayt Hanun, 15 dunams s. of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem, Hebron, Yanun. The IDF also raids the ISM offices in Bayt Sahur, surrounding the building with 22 vehicles, detaining 3 ISM mbrs. (2 foreign, 1 Palestinian), confiscating computers and other equipment. Israel says that information that 2 British suicide bombers attended a memorial service for ISM mbr. Corrie before staging their 4/29 attack raises concerns that “terrorists” could enter Israel posing as ISM volunteers. Israel announces that henceforth all foreign nationals entering Gaza must sign a waiver exempting Israel from any responsibility should they be killed or injured, promising that they will not disrupt military activities. Hamas fires 6 Qassam rockets at Sederot, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. Palestinians also fire 2 mortars at Gush Katif settlement, causing no damage or injuries. (AFP, HA 5/9; VOI 5/9 in WNC 5/12; HA, NYT, WT 5/10; PCHR 5/15) (see 5/3)

After a yr. of gunfire, stone-throwing, physical assaults, vandalism by local Jewish settlers, 150 Palestinian residents of Yanun in the West Bank evacuate their village, move to neighboring Aqraba, marking the 1st time that harassment by settlers has forced out an entire village; Yanun's mayor says he has protested settler violence to the Israeli authorities for 4 yrs. without results. The IDF withdraws to the outskirts of Jenin; sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza City to demolish the Gaza harbor offices, a road linking Gaza City to the central Gaza Strip; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes 10 dunams of Palestinian land nr Aley Sinai settlement, 2.5 dunams in Dayr al-Balah. A Hamas mbr. detonates a roadside bomb, throws grenades at an IDF post nr. Dugit settlement in Gaza, injuring 2 IDF soldiers before being shot dead. Some 200 Jewish settlers return to Havat Gilad, which the IDF has begun dismantling; troops to do not attempt to disperse them. Jewish settlers uproot 92 olive trees in al-Khadir. (HA 10/18; AP, GS, HA, NYT 10/19; NYT, PM 10/21; AYM 10/21 in WNC 10/23; MA 10/21 in WNC 10/25; LAW, PCHR, PR 10/23; MEI, MM 10/25)