In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided a Palestinian-owned house in Kaubar and took measures to punitively demolish it; 2 of the house’s occupants are detained by Israel. Israeli forces also...
In the West Bank, clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians when Israeli settlers toured Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus; 1 Palestinian was hospitalized after being hit by a rubber-coated...
Occupied Palestine/lsrael: After separate meetings with U.S. envoy Richard Murphy, P. M. Shamir expresses "deep reservations" about U.S. ideas for new peace...
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In the West Bank, Israeli forces raided a Palestinian-owned house in Kaubar and took measures to punitively demolish it; 2 of the house’s occupants are detained by Israel. Israeli forces also arrested 11 Palestinians, including 4 during late-night raids in and around Tulkarm, Jenin, and Ramallah; 1 on a street near Nablus; and 7 during daytime raids in and around Ramallah, Nablus, ‘Ayn al-Hilwa, and Hebron. During a daytime raid in Nablus, Israeli forces confiscated a tractor, and separately during a different raid in Nablus, Israeli forces seized carpentry equipment. 1 Palestinian was shot by Israeli forces after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing by the Gush Etzion junction. Israeli forces also seized and impounded a PA health ministry vehicle providing medical services to 1,500 Palestinians in rural areas south of Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas and arrested 3 Palestinians at Bab al-Rahma in the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/2; WAFA 1/3; HA 1/7; PCHR 1/9)
9 Palestinians from Issawiyya in East Jerusalem were placed under nighttime curfew between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. 6 of the men were told that they were facing a nighttime curfew on 12/29, but the curfew did not take effect until 1/2. The Israeli military cited a 1945 Mandate-era regulation to justify placing the 9 under nighttime curfew. (HA 1/2)
The U.S. assassinated Iranian major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and commander of the IRGC’s special forces Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and the deputy chairman of the Iraqi government-sanctioned militia Popular Mobilisation Forces, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, along with several other Iranian and Iraqi officials at Baghdad International airport. The assassinations were carried out by an American MQ-9 drone that fired missiles at the officials’ convoy as it was leaving the airport. The Pentagon released a statement saying that the strike was directed on behest of U.S. president Donald Trump and was aimed at “deterring future Iranian attack plans.” Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement that Iran would have 3 days of mourning followed by a retaliation. The speaker of the Iraqi parliament Mohammed al-Halbousi condemned the assassination, calling it “a flagrant breach of sovereignty and violation of international agreements.” (DOD, NYT, REU 1/2; AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, HA, WP 1/3; HA 1/4)
In the West Bank, clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians when Israeli settlers toured Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus; 1 Palestinian was hospitalized after being hit by a rubber-coated bullet, others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 6 Palestinians were arrested including 5 during late-night raids in Hebron, Taqqua, and al-‘Arub refugee camp; 1 was arrested at a military checkpoint near al-Khadir. Israeli forces delivered a stop-work order for a Palestinian-owned house near Tubas. In East Jerusalem, 15 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Issawiyya. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. Off the shore of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen west of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (WAFA 12/29; PCHR 1/2)
Israel notified 6 Palestinians living in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiyya that Israel intends to use a British Mandate-era emergency regulation to place them under nighttime curfew for several months. (HA 12/30)
8 Palestinian and Arab banks signed a memorandum of understanding with the Jerusalem District Electricity Company (JDECO) for a loan to facilitate an end to the power cuts that have affected thousands of Palestinians since 12/15. The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) began to cut power for several major cities in the West Bank because the JDECO had accumulated too much debt to the IEC due to a fiscal crisis. The JDECO is a Palestinian-owned electricity company that relies on the IEC for supplying power to East Jerusalem and the West Bank. (WAFA 12/29)
In a statement, Hamas’s interior ministry accused the PA of providing information to Israel that aided the Israeli assassination of PIJ commander Baha Abu al-Ata on 11/12. The statement also said that Hamas had arrested a PA intelligence cell which had allegedly collected the information given to Israel. (HA 12/29)
The Israeli security cabinet approved a request made by defense minister Naftali Bennett to withhold $43 million of the PA tax revenue collected by Israel from the PA. According to the defense ministry, the $43 million represents payments transferred from the Israeli government to Israeli families who were victims of Palestinian attacks. (HA, REU, WAFA 12/29; WAFA, WAFA 12/30)
The U.S. conducted 3 airstrikes in Syria and Iraq against the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia group, killing 25 and injuring 55. U.S. officials said the attack was in response to the killing of a civilian contractor on 12/27 working for the U.S. at a military base in Iraq, officials also warned that “additional actions” may be taken. (AJ 12/29; AJ, HA, HA 12/30)
According to the Iranian media outlet Fars, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign tanker carrying illegal oil south of Larak Island in the Persian Gulf. The reporting did not indicate the nationality of the ship, but 16 Malaysian crew members were arrested. (HA 12/30; AJ 12/31)
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/lsrael: After separate meetings with U.S. envoy Richard Murphy, P. M. Shamir expresses "deep reservations" about U.S. ideas for new peace negotiations; F. M. Peres says U.S. plan is welcome [NYT, WP 2/11]. Gazan shot 1/5 dies in Israeli hospital [WP 2/11; FJ 2/14]. Tire-burning, rock-throwing demonstrations continue in E. Jerusalem [NYT 2/11]. In Netanya, 2 Jewish settlers accused of shooting to death a W. Bank Palestinian are released on bail [NYT 2/11]. Unified National Command of the Uprising issues statement rejecting Egyptian Pres. Mubarak's peace initiative [FJ 2/14]. Police arrest 7 residents of Taybah, town inside green line, for participating in protest against Israeli measures in occupied territories [FJ 2/14].
Military Action
Occupied Palestine/Israel: In Nablus, 2 Palestinians are killed by army gunfire. Clashes are reported in Gaza Strip's Beach camp [WP 2/11]. Military lifts 10-day-old curfew on Nablus and 4-day-old curfew on Shu'fat camp in E. Jerusalem [NYT 2/11]. Curfews are also lifted for 'A'idah, Balatah, new and old 'Askar, Beach, and Burayj camps and village of Bani Na'im. Curfews continue in Qalqiliyyah, Tulkarm, Bayt 'Ur al-Tahta, and Bayt Ummar. Jericho is placed under siege. Demonstrators throw stones, burn tires in Nablus, Silwan, Beach camp, Dayr al-Balah, Burayj camp, Rafah, and E. Jerusalem [FJ 2/14].