The Palestine Chronology

U.S. admin. sources say Pres. Barack Obama’s admin. has “launched a last-ditch diplomatic campaign” to convince the Palestinians to abandon their statehood initiative at the UN by making it clear that the U.S. will veto and by presenting (soon, via the Quartet) a proposal for renewed talks as an alternative. The sources say that the Quartet proposal is aimed primarily at swaying UN member states to vote against a Palestinian statehood resolution and is not expected to result in a resumption of serious peace talks. (NYT 9/4).

The IDF conducts afternoon and evening patrols in Jenin and 4 nearby villages, 2 village nr. Tulkarm, and 1 nr. Hebron; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. In Israel, as many as 400,000 Israelis turn out nationwide (more than 300,000 in Tel Aviv) for protests calling for social justice. July 14th movement organizers had called for a million-person march today to revive the Saturday protests, which fell off after the 8/18 Elat attack. After the rally, demonstrators begin taking down tent camps, as organizers switch attention to forming local committees to press for social reforms. (WP 9/4; PCHR, WJW 9/8; OCHA 9/9; Foreign Policy [Internet] 9/12; see also NYT 9/1)

Egypt, in effort to improve relations with Israel by strengthening border security, begins an operation to close smuggling tunnels under the Rafah border. Meanwhile, the Israeli emb. in Cairo hires contractors to erect a 12-ft. wall around the emb. in effort to deter the 100s (and sometimes 1,000s) of Egyptian who have gathered outside since the 8/18 Elat incident to protest the deaths of 3 Egyptian soldiers. (WP 9/4, 9/5)

The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Tulkarm, in 1 instance firing rubber-coats steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them; sends troops into Bayt Umar to break up a peaceful rally in solidarity with Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, sparking stone-throwing clashes and arresting 5 Palestinians. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba beat 2 Palestinian teenagers nr. the settlement; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Later, other Jewish settlers in Hebron attack 2 other Palestinian teenagers. (PCHR 8/11; OCHA 8/12)

For the 3d Saturday in a row, Israelis hold massive popular protests across Israel calling for “social justice.” As many as 320,000 Israelis take part, making it the largest demonstration in Israel’s history. For the first time, some Israeli Palestinian communities take part, calling for “social justice for all.” (ICAHD 8/7; WP 8/8; JPI 8/12)

Unidentified assailants attack and damage Egypt’s national gas pipeline to Israel for the 3d time in a month and the 5th time since unrest in Egypt erupted in 2/2011 (see 7/11). IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers working nr. the border fence, grazing 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized morning patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin; patrols in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 each nr. Jericho and Ramallah; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, the IDF enters Silwan at midday, raiding a home and arresting a Palestinian. (JTA 7/31; PCHR 8/4; OCHA 8/5)

As many as 150,000 Israelis in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, Beersheba, and 6 other cities protest the high cost of living, demanding economic reforms, “social justice,” and “a welfare state now.” In previous days, the Histadrut, Israel’s labor federation, said it strongly supports the demonstrations. (WP 7/31; NYT, WP, WT 8/1)