The Palestine Chronology

The IDF demolishes a 6-story residential building on the Mount of Olives in East Jerusalem; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Yatta nr. Hebron. (OCHA 2/23; PCHR 2/24)

In Geneva, the World Council of Churches, the main global body of non-Catholic Christians, urges all 342 mbr. churches to divest fr. companies that profit fr. Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. (HA 2/22; AP, PR 2/23)

Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners, all of whom must sign pledges that they “opposed terror” and will not undertake “any activity against the State of Israel”; the IDF bars journalists fr. filming prisoners released at Tarqumiyya crossing nr. Hebron, detaining 3 journalists for 1 hr. The IDF imposes a curfew, closure on Nahalin village after local Palestinian youths throw stones at Beitar Ilit settlement, lightly injuring a 2-yr.-old child; raids Nablus to arrest a senior Hamas mbr. who allegedly was plotting a car bombing against an IDF target; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Umar nr. Hebron; fires on Palestinians demonstrating against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in outside Ramallah, wounding 10. Jewish settlers place 5 mobile homes on Palestinian land in al-Rashayda nr. Bethlehem, establishing an unauthorized outpost. (HA, MM 2/211; NYT, WP, WT 2/22; NYT, PR 2/23; PCHR 2/24; MEI 3/4)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 Palestinians in Rafah whom it suspected of smuggling arms; opens the Rafah crossing to Palestinians aged 16–35; fires, shells on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar refugee camp (r.c.), Balata r.c., al-Mawasi, Nablus; begins construction of a new separation wallsegment e. of Jerusalem nr. al-Ram. 5 armed Jewish settlers fr. Mitzpe Lakhish nr. Hebron severely beat a 17-yr.-old Palestinian grazing animals on his family property nearby. 10s of Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba rampage through Palestinian areas of Hebron, throwing stones at houses, beating 8 Palestinians. In Rafah, 1 PA security officer is killed, 1 is wounded trying to demolish a smugglers’ tunnel. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in Nablus on 10/27/04. (IMEMC, JP, MENA, VOP 2/20; HA, NYT 2/21; PR 2/23; PCHR 2/24; MM 2/25)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah; sends troops into al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem, forces 4 shops to close; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Silwad. A Palestinian dies fr. injuries received on 11/19/04 in Nablus. (PR 2/23; PCHR 2/24)

The IDF beats, fatally shoots a 16-yr.- old Palestinian allegedly wielding a knife in Hebron (Palestinian witnesses deny he was armed); conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, Qalqilya, and in Dura, Nablus, Yatta; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina; orders 3 Palestinian families to leave their Yatta homes and property or be expelled; begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in Hazma, Anata villages northeast of Jerusalem. A Jewish settler fr. Keddumim verbally abuses, attempts to attack several Palestinians waiting to be allowed to cross an IDF gate into nearby Kafr Qadim; Palestinians fend him off, the IDF does not intervene. Unidentified gunmen fire on the Gaza City home of Fatah Revolutionary Council mbr. Sakhr Bseiso, causing damage but no injuries; Bseiso is head of the Fatah comm. charged with investigating corruption. (WP 2/15; NYT, OCHA, PR 2/16; PCHR, PM 2/17)

Fmr. Lebanese PM Rafiq Hariri is assassinated in a major car bombing in Beirut; 7 bodyguards, 6 passers-by are also killed, more than 100 are wounded (3 of whom later die). A previously unknown group called Victory and Jihad in Greater Syria claims responsibility. (BBC, al-Hayat, JAZ, MM 2/14; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/15; Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, al-Quds, VOI, XIN 2/15, JAZ, QA 2/16, AFP, Le Monde 2/17 in WNC 2/18; MEI 2/18)

The IDF confiscates 301 d. of land on both sides of the separation wall w. of Jenin. PA security services summon several Hamas mbrs. for questioning in various locations. Hamas complains that mbrs. are harshly, though not violently, treated. Late in the evening, Jewish settlers fr. Neve Dekalim fire percussion grenades at residential areas of Khan Yunis. (PR 2/16; PCHR 2/17)

The IDF raids, searches a PA security office in Salfit; detains 60 officers for ID checks, claiming to look for wanted men; makes no arrests. A Jewish settler fr. Keddumim beats, chases away 2 Palestinian women (ages 45, 50) fr. a bus stop outside Nablus nr. the settlement. (PCHR 2/17)

In Mughar in the Galilee, Christians hold a protest against the Israeli police for failing to intervene in the 2/11 riots. Christians clash with Druze, leaving 10 people injured. (PR 2/16)

The IDF expels Palestinian families fr. 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron allegedly to protect Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba who pass by the area. (PCHR 2/17)

In the Galilee village of Mughar, Druze residents demonstrate, loot Christian-owned stores, destroy several cars; Israeli police do not intervene. (PR 2/16)

Abbas, Sharon hold their 1st talks in Sharm al-Shaykh, then each meets separately with Mubarak, King Abdallah of Jordan. Afterward, Abbas announces that “Palestinian will stop all acts of violence against all Israelis everywhere,” Sharon vows to “cease all military activity against all Palestinians anywhere,” including assassinations, to the extent that the Palestinians halt violence. Sharon announces a package of gestures to be implemented if quiet is maintained, including Israel’s turnover of security control for 5 West Bank cities, a prisoner release, easing restriction on Palestinian movement. Hamas, Islamic Jihad say that they will not officially sign onto the cease-fire, but will not abrogate it. (BBC, HA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 2/8; AFP, ATL, AYM, HJ, ITAR-TASS, JAZ, MENA, QA, VOI, VOP 2/8, XIN 2/9 in WNC 2/9; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/9; al-Quds 2/12 in WNC 2/13; PR 2/16; MEI 2/18)

The IDF reopens Qarni commercial crossing after a 4-wk. closure, allowing only about one-third of normal traffic through, limiting imports to basic goods and exports to flowers, tomatoes; raids, searches a secondary school in al-Khadir; conducts arrest raids in al-Mawasi; confiscates a strip of land 2 d. long and 350 m. wide to create a corridor linking Hebron’s Tal Rumayda settlement with Shuhada Street. Late in the evening, after the Sharm al-Shaykh summit, AMB gunmen fire on a Jewish settler vehicle in the West Bank, throw Molotov cocktails at IDF jeeps that arrive on the scene, causing no injuries. PA security forces find, seal 2 smugglers’ tunnels in Rafah. The NIHC protests the PA security forces’ arrest of 3 DFLP central comm. mbrs. on 2/5; demands the immediate release of Issam Abu Duqqah, who is still in custody. (HJ, VOI, YA 2/8 in WNC 2/9; WT 2/9; PCHR 2/10; PR 2/16)

The IDF reopens the Rafah crossing to Palestinians traveling to Egypt for the 1st time since 12/12; conducts arrest raids in Nablus. PA police say they have discovered and destroyed a smugglers’ tunnel btwn. Gaza and Egypt, filling it will sand and water. The IDF fires tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international demonstrators protesting construction of a settler bypass road nr. Hebron; 1 soldier beats a Canadian protester. (PR 2/2; NYT, PCHR 2/3; PCHR 2/10)

An 11-yr.-old Palestinian girl is fatally shot in a Rafah school yard. Palestinians say the gunfire came fr. an IDF post outside a nearby Jewish settlement, but the IDF denies this, claming that the girl was hit by gunfire fr. local Palestinians who were celebrating their return fr. the Hajj; residents say no such celebrations were taking place. In retaliation, Hamas fires 6 mortars, 6 Qassam rockets at Jewish settlements in Gaza, causing damage but no injuries. Islamic Jihad fires 3 rockets at Netzarim, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF bulldozes at least 800 d. of agricultural land outside Yatta, apparently to turn the land over for Jewish settlers’ use; begins bulldozing Palestinian land in al-Ram northwest of Jerusalem on a settler bypass road. (VOI 1/31 in WNC 2/1; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/1; PR 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

The IDF fatally shoots a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays onto a settlers-only bypass road nr. Gaza’s Netzarim settlement; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus, Husan, al-Mawasi. A Palestinian farmer working his land nr. Jenin is killed when he accidentally detonates an unexploded piece of IDF ordnance. A 13-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries caused by unexploded IDF ordnance on 1/25/05. (IMEMC 1/27; NYT 1/28; PR 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

Israeli atty. gen. Mazuz rules that the Jewish National Fund, which owns 10,000s of acres of land in Israel, may not restrict land sales to Jews, must also allow Arabs and non-Jews to buy property. (HA 1/27; NYT 1/28; HA 1/31; Forward 2/4)

The IDF shells residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, killing a 3-yr.-old Palestinian girl outside her home; assassinates Hamas mbr. Mahir Abu Sunayna, firing on his car as he drives in Qalqilya, wounding and arresting 2 AMB mbrs. riding with him, wounding a 15-yr.-old bystander; fires on residential areas of Rafah. Nr. Khan Yunis; 100 Jewish settlers protesting the deployment of PA security forces clash with PA officers, IDF soldiers, and Israeli police; slash PA and IDF jeep tires; 5 settlers are arrested. Palestinians fire 2 mortars at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. (JAZ 1/26; PCHR, WP, WT 1/27; OCHA, PR 2/2; PCHR 2/3)

Sharon adviser Dov Weisglass, PA Negotiation Affairs M Saeb Erakat,Abbas security adviser Muhammad Dahlan hold the 1st high-level public political talks since Israel suspended contacts on 1/13 to begin planning for an Abbas-Sharon mtg. (BBC 1/26; HA, NYT, WP, WT, XIN 1/27; NYT 1/29; al-Ra’i, VOP 1/30 in WNC 1/31; PR 2/2)

The IDF reports that Palestinian violence has diminished significantly in recent days, with no mortar fire since 1/19, no Qassam fire in more than a wk. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian who approaches Qarni crossing; sends troops into Askar r.c., fires on residential areas, then fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 2 boys (ages 10 and 12); imposes a 24-hr. curfew on Saida (in place until at least 2/2); conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Abud nr. Ramallah, Nablus, Sa’ir nr. Hebron, Silat al-Dahir nr. Jenin, Tulkarm. Israeli police arrest a 19-yr.-old Palestinian girl who attempts to stab an Israeli policeman outside al-Aqsa Mosque. In a move apparently targeting PA corruption, PA security forces begin bulldozing wooden waterfront structures housing unlicensed shops along the beach in Gaza City; the shops sprang up after the Oslo agmt. and are rumored to be “protected by prominent personalities with influence inside the PA.” Several Jewish settlers in Hebron throw stones at local Palestinians, vandalize several Palestinian homes. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 12/27/04. (VOI 1/24 in WNC 1/25; JAZ, WP, WT 1/25; OCHA 1/26; PCHR 1/27; VOP 1/30 in WNC 1/31; PR 2/2)

Palestinian militant groups agree to an informal 1-mo. truce while Abbas appeals to Israel to stop targeting their mbrs. If Israel agrees, the groups say they are prepared to enter a formal cease-fire agmt. (VOI 1/24 in WNC 1/24; WP, WT 1/25)