The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 2 Israeli settlers were injured by broken glass after their vehicle was shot at near Huwwara. Israeli settlers assaulted 1 Palestinian man with stones near Burqa. Israeli forces issued demolition orders for 3 homes and stop-work orders for 14 homes in Ein ad-Duyuk at-Tahta; 1 Palestinian was shot and injured before being arrested during the raid. 24 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Bethlehem, Nablus, Khirbat Karme, Tulkarm, Rumana, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers with police protection stormed and tried to seize 1 Palestinian-owned home in the Old City, the settlers were later removed from the home. Israeli settlers also toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 12 Palestinian militant factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, held military drills dubbed Hard Corner 4. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/12; ALM 9/13; MDW, PCHR 9/14; UNOCHA 9/26)

Hamas Political Bureau deputy chairperson Moussa Abu Marzouk met with Lebanese officials and members of Palestinian factions, including Fatah’s Azzam al-Ahmad, to try to broker a settlement between the Islamist groups and Fatah who have been fighting in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp since late July. (AP 9/12; AJ, ALM 9/13)

PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh met with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly in Ramallah, calling on the UK to recognize the State of Palestine. Foreign Secretary Cleverly met with Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, before arriving in the West Bank. (MEMO 9/11; QDS, WAFA 9/12)

In the West Bank, 4 Israeli soldiers were injured by an explosive device thrown at them at a military checkpoint near Nabi Saleh. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles near the Ofra settlement, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian and injured 1 other during a raid in Qabatiya; 5 were arrested. Israeli forces also delivered a demolition notice against retaining walls in al-Khader. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Ramallah, al-Bireh, Nablus, Qabalan, Hebron, and Bani Na’im. (ABC, AJ, AP, HA, MEE, MEMO, NA, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/5; PCHR 9/8; UNOCHA 9/16)

Israel said its probe into the death of journalist Shireen Abu Akleh found that an Israeli soldier “highly probably” shot and killed Abu Akleh in Jenin on 5/11. The Israeli army claimed that Abu Akleh likely was shot by a soldier using a telescopic scope, misidentifying Abu Akleh as a Palestinian militant during crossfire. Abu Akleh was wearing a vest and helmet clearly marking her as a journalist and eyewitnesses and several independent investigations have concluded that no crossfire happened during the killing of Abu Akleh. The Israeli military advocate general’s office said that it will not open an investigation into any potential wrongdoing by any of the soldiers involved. PA president Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel’s report, calling it “another Israeli attempt to evade responsibility for murder.” U.S. state department spokesperson Ned Price said “[w]e welcome Israel’s review of this tragic incident, and again underscore the importance of accountability in this case, such as policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.” (AA, AJ, AJ, AJ, AX, DW, FOX, GDN, HA, HA, HA, MDW, MEE, MEMO, NBC, NPR, NYT, REU, TOI, SKY, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WSJ 9/5; AJ, AP, CNN, HA, HA, JP, MEMO, REU, WAFA 9/6; ALM, GDN, MEE, MEMO 9/7; AP, HA 9/8; HA 9/12)

Haaretz reported that the Israeli civil administration was seeking to legalize 30 of 35 agricultural settlement outposts using a new regulation that allows legalizing outposts on “state land.” The move will need the approval of the defense minister and justice ministry. (HA, HA, MEE 9/5)

The Jerusalem municipality planning and building committee approved construction of 700 new settlement units in East Jerusalem in the Givat HaShaked settlement adjacent to Beit Safafa. In addition to the housing units, a school and commercial buildings were also approved. (ABC, AP, HA, PCN 9/5; MEMO 9/7)

Israel delayed the implementation of new regulations for foreigners visiting the West Bank outside of Israeli settlements after criticism from the U.S. and others. The coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT) also updated the new regulations called “Procedure for entry and residence of foreigners in the Judea and Samaria area,” scrapping some of the most controversial new rules, such as forcing foreign spouses of Palestinians to leave the West Bank for a minimum of 6 months for a “cooling off” period and requiring foreigners to tell the Israeli government if they have started a relationship with a Palestinian resident of the West Bank. U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides expressed concerns regarding Israeli limitations to who can study and teach at Palestinian academic institutions. The regulations were originally released by COGAT in April. PA prime minister Mohammed Shtayyeh called the regulations racist and said they were aimed at Palestinians with foreign passports. (MEE, TOI, WAFA 9/3; JP, MEMO, TOI 9/4; AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, MDW, MEE, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 9/5; HA 9/7)

The EU provided $35 million to the PA to help pay for salaries and pensions for August. (WAFA 9/5)

The IDF expands operations in n. Gaza, launching an air strike on a minivan in Gaza City, assassinating Hamas cmdr. Luay alBurnu, 2 other Hamas mbrs.; shelling Jabaliya r.c., killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 4; later making an air strike on Jabaliya, killing 2 Hamas mbrs., wounding a by stander in what may be an assassination. An IDF sniper fatally shoots a 12-yr.-old Palestinian girl in the head in Gaza; the IDF say he was aiming at an armed Palestinian. In Bayt Hanun, the IDF fatally shoots a Hamas mbr. in exchanges that also leave an IDF officer seriously wounded; fires an antitank rocket to demolish the home of a Palestinian militant, collapsing the walls of a neighboring home, killing a Palestinian civilian; demolishes at least 4 other Palestinian homes; continues house to house searches; lifts the curfew for 3 hrs. to let residents buy food. IDF operations along the Rafah border also continue. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Ramallah, in Jenin and Nablus; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bethlehem. (NYT, WP, WT 11/5; PCHR 11/9)

In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in Abasan, directing tank fire at residential areas, killing 1 Palestinian woman inside her home, wounding a man, bulldozing 120 d. of agricultural land; makes an air strike on a car driving in Bayt Lahiya, killing 3 Hamas mbrs. (‘Adil al-Maqusi, Muhammad al-Taluli, Rasim Zhahir) allegedly en route to fire rockets into Israel, wounding 1 bystander; makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City, assassinating Fatah Mujahiddin Brigades mbr. Raja’i al-Labban, wounding a 2d Fatah mbr.; makes a late-night air strike on Rafah destroying a Palestinian home (after warning residents to leave), severely damaging 5 others, cutting power to some areas; conducts arrest raids in Wadi al-Silqa. Late in the evening, Palestinians fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Sederot, lightly injuring 3 Israelis. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts searches in Qabatya, exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, firing on residential areas, wounding 1 Palestinian militant; conducts house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Nablus (firing on residential areas, wounding 2 civilians). 100s of angry Palestinians barred by Israel fr. attending Ramadan Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque use makeshift ladders to scale the separation wall and 4 checkpoints around Jerusalem and 1 checkpoint nr. Nablus, fighting with IDF soldiers who disperse them using tear gas, water cannons, stun grenades, rubber-coated steel bullets. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai stone a Palestinian home in Hebron. Jewish settlers nr. Ramallah prevent Palestinians fr. reaching their olive groves; Israeli border police intervene to disperse the settlers. Overnight and throughout the day, Hamas mbrs. angered over the assassination of a local leader on 10/12 engage in fierce clashes with Fatah mbrs. in Bayt Lahiya, leaving a 14-yr.-old Palestinian dead, around 50 Palestinians injured. A Palestinian wounded by IDF fire in Gaza on 10/12 dies. (AP, NYT, REU 10/13; NYT, WT 10/14; PCHR 10/15, 10/19)

Israel DM Mofaz says the comprehensive closure on the West Bank, Gaza that has been in place since the 3/22 Yasin assassination will be in place until early 5/04. The IDF closes the only entrance to Qalqilya, sets up several new checkpoints on the Qalqilya–Nablus road; raids Tulkarm r.c., fatally shoots wanted Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Khalid Kharwish in an apparent assassination, wounds 10 others, raids a hospital emergency room to arrest a critically wounded Palestinian militant; fatally shoots 3 unarmed Palestinian laborers who were apparently attempting to sneak across the Gaza border fence into Israel to find work; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem; raids, shuts down the Arab Women’s Care Society in East Jerusalem, arresting several employees, confiscating records, seizing its bank accounts on the grounds that the group, licensed by the Israeli Interior Min. as a charitable society in 1994, is run by Hamas; blows up a Palestinian home in Tulkarm r.c.; bulldozes an area of land nr. Hebron, erects a new observation tower; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, Hebron, al-Khadir, Nablus. The IDF also begins work on a 2-km stretch of the separation wall btwn. Dahiyat al-Barid checkpoint n. of Jerusalem and the Qalandia checkpoint s. of Ramallah that will isolate, prevent the expansion of Dahiyat al-Barid and al-Ram. (al-Arabiyya TV 4/4 in WNC 5/7; WT 4/5; VOP 4/5 in WNC 4/7; NYT 4/6; PR 4/7; PCHR 4/8)

The PLF names Omar Shibli (Abu Ahmad) as secy.-gen., succeeding Muhammad Abbas who died in U.S. custody in Iraq on 3/9. (Daily Star 4/3; PR 4/7)