The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stormed Khirbet Makhoul, harassing Palestinians in the village. Israeli settlers also vandalized 10 olive trees in Bruqin. Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians during a late-night raid in Jalazun refugee camp. Israeli forces also shot and injured 1 8-year-old Palestinian with a baton round and arrested 2 other minors during a raid in Aida refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 5 with baton rounds. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 2 with tear gas canisters and others with tear gas. Meanwhile, Israeli forces seized 1 generator and construction equipment in al-Juwaya. 7 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Jalazun refugee camp, Hebron, and Beit Umar. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/30; PCHR 10/6; UNOCHA 10/16)

Booking.com published warnings for listings in the West Bank. Booking.com had initially said it would will add a human rights warning to properties in the West Bank owned by Israeli settlers and add the word “occupied” to text referring to those properties. The final version was much more ambiguous as it referred to the listings as “conflict-affected,” following an Israeli pressure campaign. Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid called the successful pressure campaign an important step “in the fight against delegitimization.” (AJ, HA, MEE 9/19; WAFA 9/20; AP 9/30; HA, REU 10/1; MEE 10/2; AJ 10/5)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers let their cattle graze on Palestinian farmland in Makhoul, destroying crops. Israeli settlers with military escort also raided Huwwara, throwing stones at Palestinian shops and vehicles, injuring 3 Palestinians and damaging 20 cars and 2 stores. Israeli forces delivered demolition orders for 4 houses under construction in Rujeib. Dozens of Israeli soldiers also raided al-Ibrahimi Mosque, closing it off to Palestinian worshippers. 9 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ni‘lin, Kharbatha al-Misbah, Jaba‘, Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, Hebron, and Qalandia; Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the raid in Qalandia, injuring 6 with rubber-coated bullets and others with tear gas. In East Jerusalem, 5 Palestinians were arrested during house raids in al-Tur and Silwan, including 3 minors. (AP, HA, JP, MEMO, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/24; IN, JP 1/25 CNN 1/26; PCHR 1/27)

Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the Russian and Syrian militaries will start patrolling the air space along the Golan Heights. (HA 1/24)

The UAE said it had intercepted 2 ballistic missiles targeting Abu Dhabi, allegedly fired by the Yemeni Houthi movement. The UAE and Saudi military coalition attacked Houthi-held areas of Yemen on 1/21, killing more than 80 people in Saada and Hodeida and cutting off internet access in the country. (HA, MEMO 1/21; AJ, AP 1/22; AP 1/23; AJ, AP, HA, MEE, REU, REU 1/24)

With tensions on the Gaza border rising, Hamas secures the pledge of the major Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, to observe the cease-fire Hamas declared in 1/2009 in the wake of OCL. Late in the evening, however, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. An Israeli court hands down a 9-yr. jail sentence to Israeli Palestinian Ameer Makhoul, who pled guilty in 10/2010 to spying on behalf of Hizballah as part of a plea deal. (JP, WP 12/31; PCHR 1/6; OCHA 1/7)

Israel warns that it will not allow passage to a flotilla of 8 boats organized by the Free Gaza Movement (FGM) and a Turkish organization, Humanitarian Relief Fund (going by the acronym IHH), currently en route to Gaza in an effort to defy Israel’s siege and deliver 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid, saying it will send Israeli naval commandos to intercept the boats and escort them to Ashdod port, where the 100s of activists onboard would be deported. The U.S. urges restraint. (NYT, WP, WT 5/28)

IDF troops on the Gaza border nr. the former Nahal Oz crossing fire on armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. the border fence, injuring 7; the Palestinians respond with mortar fire, causing no injuries. The IDF also makes air strikes, directs tank fire at an area s. of Qarni crossing in response to mortar fire fr. the area; 2 Palestinian civilians, no Israelis are injured in the exchange. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on a Palestinian home in ‘Arab al-Ramadin village nr. Hebron, firing tear gas in the home (8 family mbrs. are evacuated to a medical center for treatment); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron (including arresting a 12-yr.-old boy, who is released on 5/28). (YA 5/28; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

Israel charges 2 Israeli Palestinians, Ameer Makhoul (dir. of Ittijah, a union of Arab organizations in Israel) and Omar Said (also a pro-Arab advocate), with espionage for allegedly passing information on the location of IDF facilities to Hizballah, a charge the men deny. (WP, WT 5/28)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. In Israel, the IDF censor reports that several wks. ago authorities arrested Israeli Palestinians Ameer Makhoul and Omar Said, mbrs. of Israel’s Balad party, on charges of spying and making contact with Hizballah. Lawyers for the men say Israel’s espionage laws are overly broad and the government construes e-mail conversations with anyone in Lebanon as being contact with Hizballah. (NYT 5/11; OCHA, PCHR, WJW 5/13)