The IDF undercover units raid Nablus, assassinate wanted AMB mbr. Wa’il Riyahi; fire on a Palestinian car driving nr. a Jewish settlement in Hebron, wounding 4 Palestinian civilians, evacuating 1...
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December 27, 2004
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December 26, 2004
Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Khan Yunis, imposes a curfew on the al-Satar al-Gharbiyya neighborhood facing nearby Jewish settlements, raids and searches homes (forcing residents to wait...
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December 25, 2004
The IDF raids Jenin, assassinates wanted AMB Jenin leader Tahir Abu Kamil (also reported as Tha’ir Husayn), demolishing the house in which he was hiding, crushing him to death; fires on...
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December 24, 2004
IDF undercover units ambush, assassinate AMB mbrs. Jamal ‘Azim,Utad Kanuh, Kamil Sabarini in Tulkarm r.c.; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah. Palestinians fire 11 mortars at Gaza...
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December 23, 2004
IDF operations continue in Khan Yunis, where 2 Palestinians are killed in an explosion at the home of a leading Hamas mbr.; Palestinians say IDF tanks shelled the house, whereas the IDF says the...
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December 22, 2004
Overnight, the IDF sends troops back into Khan Yunis, shelling residential areas, clashing with Palestinians, leaving 3 Palestinians (2 resistance mbrs., 1 civilian) dead, wounding 11, demolishing...
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December 16, 2004
Palestinians fire 4 mortars at an IDF post outside Atzmona settlement in s. Gaza, injuring 11 IDF soldiers; also fire 2 mortars at hot houses and an IDF post in Gush Katif, causing no damage or...
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December 14, 2004
The IDF demolishes areas of Bilin village nr. Ramallah for construction of the separation wall, firing on 10s of residents who attempt to block the demolition, wounding 5; raids Ramallah,...
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December 13, 2004
The Israeli DMin. approves a “series of pinpointed, intensive actions” in Rafah in response to the 12/11 Hamas–Fatah Hawks attack. Hamas Nablus cmdr. Ihsan Shawahna is killed, 3 IDF soldiers are...
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December 11, 2004
Hamas, the Fatah Hawks (Fatah’s armed wing, which has not staged an attack on an Israeli target since the 1st intifada) take joint responsibility for detonating a massive bomb underneath an IDF...
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December 10, 2004
Hamas mbrs. fire mortars at Neve Dekalim settlement in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis in response, killing an 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl...
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December 8, 2004
The IDF fires shells at a group of Palestinians that enters a closed military zone nr. the Gaza-Egypt border, killing 4 Palestinians, arresting 2 (1 of whom later dies in an Israeli hospital);...
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December 6, 2004
The IDF holds PA presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi at gunpoint at a Hebron checkpoint, denies him passage to a campaign stop in nearby Tal al-Armida village; imposes a daylong curfew on al...
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November 18, 2004
IDF fatally shoots 3 Egyptian border policemen on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border whom they assumed were armed Palestinians attempting to plant a bomb or infiltrate the border; Israeli PM...December 21, 2003
The IDF conducts an overnight raid of Nablus, detaining regional Hamas spokesman Adnan Asfur; continues house-to-house searches in Balata r.c. for the 6th day, during which a 5-yr.-old Palestinian...
December 18, 2003
The IDF makes a major raid into Nablus in a campaign against the “developing terrorist infrastructure” there, killing 4 Palestinians, including senior PFLP mbrs. Jibril Awwad and Firas Haneni,...
December 15, 2003
Overnight and early this morning, the IDF demolishes 22 Palestinian homes in Khan Yunis that allegedly provided cover for mortar attacks, leaving 178 Palestinians (25 families) homeless; another 6...
December 14, 2003
The IDF places a closure on al-Khadir village nr. Bethlehem; erects a new checkpoint outside Jenin; conducts arrest raids nr. Ramallah, fatally shooting wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Riyadh Fakhri...
December 13, 2003
The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement around Nablus, Tulkarm; shuts the only entry point to Qalqilya; opens fire on a taxi in Nablus that reportedly fails to stop for a checkpoint...
December 12, 2003
The IDF removes sand barriers blocking the main road linking Hebron to Bethlehem that have been in place since the start of the intifada in 9/00, replacing them with a single iron gate and...
December 11, 2003
The IDF sends 20 tanks, troops into Rafah to arrest senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Khalid Qadi, sparking a gun battle that leaves 6 Palestinians dead (including 2 Hamas mbrs., 3 bystanders, 1 medic...
December 9, 2003
The IDF captures an alleged Palestinian suicide bomber en route to stage an attack; fatally shoots a stone-throwing Palestinian youth in Qalandia; uncovers, destroys a smugglers’ tunnel to Egypt...
December 8, 2003
The IDF imposes curfews on Salfit, 6 surrounding villages; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her school; conducts arrest raids in Aida r.c.;...
December 4, 2003
The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Nablus, firing on Palestinian youths who gather to throw stones at the troops. The Israeli High Court approves the...
December 1, 2003
Before dawn, the IDF launches a major raid on al-Amari r.c. in Ramallah that lasts 16 hrs., sending in nearly 100 armored vehicles supported by helicopters to attack Hamas targets; the IDF warns...
November 30, 2003
The IDF conducts searches, arrest raids in Balata r.c., al-Bireh, Jenin, al-Amari r.c.; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Balata r.c., Jenin. An Islamic Jihad mbr. is killed when his car...
November 29, 2003
The IDF demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Rafah; bulldozes 200 Palestinian olive trees in East Jerusalem, clearing the land for Jewish settlement expansion; conducts arrest raids in Ramallah. (PR...
November 25, 2003
The IDF conducts house searches, arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin; bulldozes 14 dunams of land in al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in villages around Hebron, Qalqilya. Unidentified...
December 16, 2002
The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Hamas mbrs. attempting to cross the border fence into Israel; fatally shoots a Palestinian farmer who strays too close to Gush Katif settlement; fatally shoots a...
December 14, 2002
The IDF imposes a curfew on Nablus, closes local al-Najah University, sparking clashes with local students that leave 9 Palestinians injured; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Netzarim settlement...
The IDF undercover units raid Nablus, assassinate wanted AMB mbr. Wa’il Riyahi; fire on a Palestinian car driving nr. a Jewish settlement in Hebron, wounding 4 Palestinian civilians, evacuating 1 seriously wounded to an Israeli hospital by helicopter; occupies 2 Palestinian homes in Dayr al-Balah as military posts, holding the families inside; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, al-Qarara, Nablus, Rafah (seriously wounding a pregnant Palestinian woman with a bullet to the head); conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Ramallah. In Gaza, Hamas mbr. dies when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. Israel releases 159 Palestinian prisoners (those with only 2 yrs. or less left in their sentences, none of whom harmed Israelis, 10s of whom were arrested for working illegally in Israel). (AP 12/27; VOI, VOP 12/27 in WNC 12/29; AP, NYT, WP 12/28; VOP 12/28 in WNC 12/30; PR 12/29; PCHR 12/30)
Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Khan Yunis, imposes a curfew on the al-Satar al-Gharbiyya neighborhood facing nearby Jewish settlements, raids and searches homes (forcing residents to wait outside, unprotected in bad weather during the search), bulldozes 3 d. of agricultural land. The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Hamas mbrs. who approach the n. Gaza border fence; sends troops back into the Bayt Lahiya bedouin village raided on 12/25, damages property, rounds up all residents over age 16, taking several to nearby Nisanit settlement for interrogation, releasing them several hrs. later; sends a 3-jeep patrol into Beitunia nr. Ramallah, forces elementary school students to stand around the jeeps for 30 minutes to prevent stone-throwing at the troops, then withdraws; shells residential areas of Rafah; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Qarara, Tulkarm. A 7-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received in the IDF shelling of Mughraqa on 10/13/04. (HA 12/26; VOP 12/26 in WNC 12/28; NYT, WP 12/27; PM 12/28; PR 12/29; PCHR 12/30)
The IDF raids Jenin, assassinates wanted AMB Jenin leader Tahir Abu Kamil (also reported as Tha’ir Husayn), demolishing the house in which he was hiding, crushing him to death; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dura, severely beating a Palestinian woman, her 2 children. In Bayt Lahiya, the IDF surrounds and searches 35 bedouin homes, detains all males over age 16 for photographing and questioning, confiscates a computer, bulldozes 13 d. of surrounding land. Palestinians fire some 14 mortars at Gaza settlements, causing damage but no injuries. Some 70 armed Jewish settlers fr. Gaza’s Kefar Darom settlement seize, occupy, expel Palestinian families fr. 5 homes in Dayr al-Balah. (HA, JAZ, JP 12/25; NYT, WT 12/26; PR 12/29; PCHR 12/30)
IDF undercover units ambush, assassinate AMB mbrs. Jamal ‘Azim,Utad Kanuh, Kamil Sabarini in Tulkarm r.c.; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah. Palestinians fire 11 mortars at Gaza settlements, causing damage or injuries. (AP, HA, NYT 12/24; PR 12/29; PCHR 12/30)
IDF operations continue in Khan Yunis, where 2 Palestinians are killed in an explosion at the home of a leading Hamas mbr.; Palestinians say IDF tanks shelled the house, whereas the IDF says the men were preparing a bomb that exploded prematurely. The IDF withdraws fr. Khan Yunis late in the day, pledging to return as necessary to halt rocket fire, calling the open-ended operation Operation Violet Iron. The IDF turns over security control of Bethlehem to the PA security forces btwn. Christmas Eve and Armenian Christmas on 1/19; says it will give IDF soldiers manning checkpoints around Bethlehem special instructions on how to handle Christian tourists. The IDF tightens Palestinian movement around Nablus; fires on residential areas of Bayt Hanun (among the injured are children ages 2, 11, 14), Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron, Nablus, Tulkarm. Palestinians fire at least 12 mortars at Jewish settlements in s. Gaza, causing minor damage but no injuries. (AFP, HA 12/23; VOI 12/23 in WNC 12/25; NYT, WP 12/24; PCHR 12/30)
Palestinian municipal elections begin, with voting in 26 West Bank municipalities. Hamas wins 27% of the seats, Fatah 59%. (PM 12/23; JAZ 12/23 in WNC 12/25; AP, NYT, WP, WT 12/24; JAZ 12/25, JAZ, VOP 12/26 in WNC 12/28; PR 12/29; MEI 1/7)
Overnight, the IDF sends troops back into Khan Yunis, shelling residential areas, clashing with Palestinians, leaving 3 Palestinians (2 resistance mbrs., 1 civilian) dead, wounding 11, demolishing 9 Palestinian homes as well as walls around a hospital and elementary school. The IDF fatally shoots an unarmed Palestinian attempting to infiltrate the Israeli border in n. Gaza. AMB gunmen fatally shoot an Israeli security officer guarding civilian contractors working on the separation wall in Idna in the s. West Bank. Palestinians report that the curfew on Talluza, imposed on 12/11, is still in place. The IDF allows 1,000 PA policemen in the West Bank to patrol with arms through 12/23 to provide security during municipal elections. Israeli police arrest 5 teenage Jewish settler girls for robbing, stoning a Palestinian family walking in Jerusalem. (PR 12/22; VOI 12/22 in WNC 12/24; JP, JTA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 12/23)
Palestinians fire 4 mortars at an IDF post outside Atzmona settlement in s. Gaza, injuring 11 IDF soldiers; also fire 2 mortars at hot houses and an IDF post in Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF gunships destroy a carpentry workshop in Rafah that allegedly served as a Hamas weapons factory and cache. The IDF also fatally shoots an Islamic Jihad mbr. planting a roadside bomb outside a Gaza settlement; fires on residential areas of Rafah, seriously injuring a 3-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Dajan nr. Nablus, Bayt Omar nr. Hebron, al-Qarara, Zayta nr. Tulkarm. The Knesset approves $20 m. for construction of a Palestinian-only road btwn. Anata and Azariyya n. of Jerusalem as part of Israel’s West Bank separation plan. (HA 12/16; JAZ, VOI 12/16 in WNC 12/18; PR 12/22; PCHR 12/23)
The IDF demolishes areas of Bilin village nr. Ramallah for construction of the separation wall, firing on 10s of residents who attempt to block the demolition, wounding 5; raids Ramallah, assassinates AMB cmdr. Kamil Ghannam; fires on “suspicious figures” near the Rafah border, killing 1 PA security officer on patrol, wounding 2; sends troops, reinforced by helicopters, into Gaza City, shelling residential areas, bulldozing 40 d. of agricultural land; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Azun nr. Qalqilya, Rafat nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Silat alHarithiyya nr. Jenin. The IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron; begins bulldozing large areas of agricultural land in Dayr Ballut southwest of Nablus for construction of the separation wall. In retaliation for house demolitions in Khan Yunis on 12/13, Palestinians fire a mortar at nearby Neve Dekalim settlement, hitting a greenhouse, killing 1 Thai worker, injuring 2 Thais. Palestinians fire 12 more mortars during the day, causing no damage or injuries. (AFP, REU, XIN 12/14; HA, IDF Radio, VOI 12/14 in WNC 12/16; HA, NYT, PR 12/15; VOI 12/15 in WNC 12/17; PCHR 12/16)
The Israeli DMin. approves a “series of pinpointed, intensive actions” in Rafah in response to the 12/11 Hamas–Fatah Hawks attack. Hamas Nablus cmdr. Ihsan Shawahna is killed, 3 IDF soldiers are injured in an exchange of fire during an IDF arrest raid in Nablus. The IDF further tightens Palestinian movement around Bethlehem, Tulkarm (see 12/10); raids an Islamic charitable society in Dura, confiscates books fr. the library, seals the offices; conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Aida r.c., Bethlehem, Duha, Nablus. Late in the evening, the IDF sends bulldozers into Khan Yunis, demolishes 11 Palestinian homes. (HA, MA, VOP, YA 12/13 in WNC 12/15; PR 12/15; PCHR 12/16)
Hamas, the Fatah Hawks (Fatah’s armed wing, which has not staged an attack on an Israeli target since the 1st intifada) take joint responsibility for detonating a massive bomb underneath an IDF checkpoint on the Gaza-Egypt border, killing 5 IDF soldiers, wounding at least 10; armed Palestinians exchange fire with IDF soldiers attempting to remove the wounded, leaving 1 Palestinian attacker dead. The IDF imposes a curfew on Talluza nr. Nablus; shells an elementary school in Khan Yunis, injuring 7 children; fires on, detains crew mbrs. of 2 Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in al-Fara‘a r.c.; shells residential areas, bulldozes 24 d. of agricultural land and 8 greenhouses nr. Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c., Hebron. Palestinian shepherds herding nr. ‘Aqraba nr. Nablus severely beat a Jewish settler fr. Itamar settlement who attempts to steal their sheep; other Palestinians alert police, who intervene, detain several Palestinians. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron throw stones, bottles at Palestinian houses nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs (IMEMC, WP 12/12; JAZ, MENA, VOI 12/12 in WNC 12/14; MM 12/13; JAZ 12/13 in WNC 12/15; HA, MM, PR 12/15; AYM 12/15 in WNC 12/18; PCHR 12/16; PR 12/22)
Hamas mbrs. fire mortars at Neve Dekalim settlement in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis in response, killing an 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl eating lunch inside her home. The IDF also conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international demonstrators protesting against the separation wall nr. Hebron. The IDF bars PA presidential candidate Salhi fr. crossing a checkpoint outside Ramallah to go campaign in East Jerusalem; Salhi scuffles with soldiers, is handcuffed and taken for several hours of questioning. The IDF also tightens Palestinian access to Bethlehem, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids in Dahariyya, detaining 4 Hamas candidates in the upcoming 12/23 municipal elections there; Hamas denounces the arrests as an attempt to manipulate the outcome of municipal elections. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 9/12/04. (VOI, VOP 12/10 in WNC 12/14; JAZ, NYT, PRCS 12/11; WP 12/12; PR 12/15; PCHR 12/16; MEI 12/17)
The IDF fires shells at a group of Palestinians that enters a closed military zone nr. the Gaza-Egypt border, killing 4 Palestinians, arresting 2 (1 of whom later dies in an Israeli hospital); demolishes a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem; bulldozes several bedouin tents and shacks in Bir Nabala northwest of Jerusalem for construction of the separation wall; raids a PA Health Min. clinic in Bethlehem; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Rima, Burkin nr. Jenin, Qarawat Bani Zayd. The IDF detains and beats PA presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi and his bodyguards at a checkpoint into Jenin, preventing him fr. campaigning in the city; the IDF disputes the account, says Barghouthi refused to show ID, was never hit, was finally allowed to pass when he showed ID. Palestinians fire an antitank rocket into Gaza’s Nisanit settlement, causing no damage or injuries. (AP, PM 12/8; VOI, VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; PCHR, WP 12/9; JAZ, VOI, VOP, YA 12/9 in WNC 12/11; NYT 12/10; NYT 12/11; WP 12/12; PR 12/15)
Abbas, Qurai‘ meet with Lebanese pres. Emile Lahoud, PM Omar Karami, parliamentary speaker Nabih Birri in Beirut, marking the 1st visit by the Palestinian leadership to Lebanon since Arafat withdrew to Tunis in 1982. Abbas, Qurai‘ visit Shatila r.c., Sidon, and Rashidiyya r.c. (a Fatah stronghold) where they are greeted by 1,000s of refugees, pledge to uphold the right of return. They do not visit nearby ‘Ayn al-Hilwa r.c. (AFP, WT 12/8; VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; AP 12/9; al-Quds, VOP 12/9 in WNC 12/11; NYT 12/13; Daily Star, alNahar, al-Safir 12/13 in WNC 12/16; PR 12/15)
The IDF holds PA presidential candidate Mustafa Barghouthi at gunpoint at a Hebron checkpoint, denies him passage to a campaign stop in nearby Tal al-Armida village; imposes a daylong curfew on al-Khadir; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously injuring a 5-yr.-old Palestinian boy on the roof of his home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Sahur, Hebron and neighboring Bayt Kahil and Ithna, al-Khadir, Nablus, Taqu‘a nr. Bethlehem. (PM 12/8; PCHR 12/9)
In Damascus, Abbas, PA PM Ahmad Qurai‘ hold reconciliation talks with Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad, agree to resume high-level contacts, suspended by Syria in 1993 over the signing of the Oslo Accord. Abbas, Qurai‘ also hold talks with Hamas leader Khalid Mishal and the leadership of Islamic Jihad, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command to press them to support or take part in Palestinian presidential election, to keep a lid on violence in the run-up to elections in order to bolster national unity. (WT 12/6; MM 12/7; VOP, XIN 12/7 in WNC 12/9; MM, PR 12/8; VOP 12/9 in WNC 12/11; MM 12/10; WT 12/12)
The IDF conducts an overnight raid of Nablus, detaining regional Hamas spokesman Adnan Asfur; continues house-to-house searches in Balata r.c. for the 6th day, during which a 5-yr.-old Palestinian playing in his yard is killed by stray gunfire, a 53-yr.-old Palestinian dies fr. tear gas inhalation during a raid on his home; demolishes 7 Palestinian homes in Rafah, also firing on residential areas; begins implementing an order to raze 3,000 dunams of land in and around Tarqumiyya nr. Hebron for Jewish settlement infrastructure; bulldozes 14 dunams of land in Wadi al-Silqa nr. Dayr al-Balah. A Palestinian teen dies of injuries received on 12/16. 13 reservists of the IDF elite commando unit Sayaret Matkal sign an open letter to Sharon refusing to serve in the occupied territories, stating, “We have long ago crossed the line between fighting a just cause and oppressing another people.” (HA, REU 12/21; IDF Radio 12/21 in WNC 12/23; HA, MM, NYT, PM, PRCS, WP, WT 12/22; MM 12/23; PR 12/24; PCHR 12/25)
The IDF makes a major raid into Nablus in a campaign against the “developing terrorist infrastructure” there, killing 4 Palestinians, including senior PFLP mbrs. Jibril Awwad and Firas Haneni, Hamas mbr. Majdi Bahish in what appear to be assassinations, wounding 2. (VOI, VOP, YA 12/18 in WNC 12/20; WP 12/19; PR 12/24; PCHR 12/25)
In a major policy address given to the annual Herzliya Conference on Israeli strength and security, Sharon threatens that if Palestinians do not show progress on the road map soon, he would end negotiations and unilaterally define Israel’s “security lines,” taking large areas of the West Bank, keeping all of Jerusalem, and removing a number of Jewish settlements. He vows that such steps “will be fully coordinated with the United States.” (AP, HA, MM, NYT, REU 12/18; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 12/19; ITARTASS, MA, al-Quds, YA 12/19, al-Quds 12/20, HA, MA, YA 12/21 in WNC 12/23; NYT, WP 12/20; AYM 12/21 in WNC 12/24, 12/25; PR 12/24; Forward 12/26; MM 1/6; MEI 1/9)
Overnight and early this morning, the IDF demolishes 22 Palestinian homes in Khan Yunis that allegedly provided cover for mortar attacks, leaving 178 Palestinians (25 families) homeless; another 6 Palestinian homes housing 40 Palestinians (6 families) are heavily damaged. The IDF also erects several new roadblocks in the Jenin area; fires on residential areas of Brazil r.c., Hebron, Nablus. The IDF also removes 1 uninhabited unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Nablus, scuffling with Jewish settlers who attempt to block the move. (BBC, PCHR 12/15; NYT 12/16; PR 12/17; PCHR 12/18; MEI 12/19)
The IDF places a closure on al-Khadir village nr. Bethlehem; erects a new checkpoint outside Jenin; conducts arrest raids nr. Ramallah, fatally shooting wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Riyadh Fakhri Khalifa, wounding and arresting 2 other wanted men; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. Late in the evening, the IDF fires on 6 Palestinian laborers attempting to sneak across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 2, arresting 1. (PRCS 12/14; VOP 12/14 in WNC 12/16; PCHR 12/16; PR 12/17; PCHR 12/18)
The IDF tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement around Nablus, Tulkarm; shuts the only entry point to Qalqilya; opens fire on a taxi in Nablus that reportedly fails to stop for a checkpoint, killing 1 Palestinian student en route to al-Najah University in Nablus; shells, fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. The IDF reports that Palestinians have fired more than 20 mortars at Gush Katif since 12/12, causing light damage, no injuries. (AP 12/13; VOP 12/13 in WNC 12/16; NYT 12/16; PR 12/17; PCHR 12/18; HA 12/20)
The IDF removes sand barriers blocking the main road linking Hebron to Bethlehem that have been in place since the start of the intifada in 9/00, replacing them with a single iron gate and observation tower to control Palestinian traffic; fires on residential areas of Jenin (where a curfew is still in place), Wadi Gaza (on the e. border of the Strip). A group of Jewish settlers attempts to visit Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus but comes under fire fr. AMB, Islamic Jihad gunmen, who wound 7; the IDF arrests another 8 settlers for illegally entering a Palestinian area without its knowledge. Jewish settlers also fence off 1,750 dunams of Palestinian land outside Ramallah, belonging to Turmus ‘Ayya village, fire guns at Palestinians who attempt to reach their olive groves on the land. (AP, HA, BBC 12/12; VOI, YA 12/12 in WNC 12/16; PR 12/17; PCHR 12/18)
Bush signs the Syria Accountability Act, which recommends immediate sanctions on Syria. (WT 12/13; SANA, Syrian Arab Television Network 12/13, THWR 12/14 in WNC 1/16; JT, MENA 12/14 in WNC 12/16; al-Dustur 12/14 in WNC 12/17; THRW 12/14 in WNC 1/17; MM 12/16)
The IDF sends 20 tanks, troops into Rafah to arrest senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Khalid Qadi, sparking a gun battle that leaves 6 Palestinians dead (including 2 Hamas mbrs., 3 bystanders, 1 medic evacuating the wounded), 20 injured; the IDF captures Qadi, demolishes his plus 8 other Palestinian homes. The IDF also issues orders barring Israeli citizens fr. entering Palestinian villages in area B (technically, parts of the West Bank under PA civil and Israeli security control) as of 12/21; demolishes another Palestinian home nr. Hebron; places a curfew on Jenin, fires on residential areas. (MM, NYT, WP 12/11; VOP 12/11 in WNC 12/13; PRCS 12/12; VOP, YA 12/12 in WNC 12/16; PR 12/17; PCHR 12/18; MEI 12/19)
The IDF captures an alleged Palestinian suicide bomber en route to stage an attack; fatally shoots a stone-throwing Palestinian youth in Qalandia; uncovers, destroys a smugglers’ tunnel to Egypt in Rafah; fires on residential areas of Rafah. In Hebron, 3 Hamas mbrs. are killed in a mysterious explosion; the IDF claims they were preparing a bomb, Hamas claims they were assassinated. Palestinians toss grenades at an IDF patrol in Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Hagay settlement in Hebron seize 10 dunams of land belonging to the Palestinian village of Rihiyya. (JTA 12/9; VOI, VOP, YA 12/9 in WNC 12/11; HA 12/10; PR 12/10; VOP 12/10 in WNC 12/12; PCHR 12/11)
The IDF imposes curfews on Salfit, 6 surrounding villages; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her school; conducts arrest raids in Aida r.c.; seals a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. Palestinians fire a mortar at Gaza’s Gadid settlement, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian prisoner who suffered a stroke in Israel’s Megiddo prison on 12/4 dies; the PA says that he was healthy when he entered prison, that Israel was negligent in delaying his transportation to a hospital. (VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; VOI 12/9 in WNC 12/11; PR 12/10; PCHR 12/11)
Palestinian factions end a round of cease-fire talks in Cairo, with the factions refusing to adopt a unilateral cease-fire but expressing a “general readiness” for a comprehensive cease-fire involving Israel. (MENA, QA, VOP, al-Zaman [London] 12/8 in WNC 12/10; AYM 12/8, al-Quds 12/9 in WNC 12/11; MM, WP 12/9; MM 12/10; QA 12/11 in WNC 12/16; QA 12/12, AYM, SA 12/14 in WNC 12/16; al-Quds 12/18 in WNC 12/23; MEI 12/19)
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passes a nonbinding resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague to issue an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s separation wall. (HA 12/8; ITAR-TASS, VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; HA, MM, WP 12/9; JP 12/9 in WNC 12/10; PR 12/10; THWR 12/12 in WNC 1/16; MEI 12/19)
The IDF fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Nablus, firing on Palestinian youths who gather to throw stones at the troops. The Israeli High Court approves the transfer to Gaza of 12 West Bank Palestinian administrative detainees; a decision in the case against a 13th detainee is pending. (PCHR 12/4; PR 12/10; PCHR 12/11)
Palestinian factions reopen cease-fire talks in Cairo under Egyptian auspices. (MM 12/4; MENA, VOP, XIN 12/4 in WNC 12/6; WP, WT 12/6; MEI 12/19)
Before dawn, the IDF launches a major raid on al-Amari r.c. in Ramallah that lasts 16 hrs., sending in nearly 100 armored vehicles supported by helicopters to attack Hamas targets; the IDF warns the PA before entering Ramallah, promises that no operations will take place nr. PA head Yasir Arafat’s headquarters. During the raid 3 Hamas mbrs. and an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy are killed, 29 Hamas mbrs. are arrested, 9 youths who throw stones at troops are wounded, 2 Palestinian homes (1 in al-Amari r.c., 1 in Ramallah) are demolished. The IDF also conducts arrest raids in Jenin, Qalqilya, Rafah, Tulkarm town and r.c., and villages around Nablus. Israel begins construction of a new Jewish settlement neighborhood in East Jerusalem called Golden View. (AP, JP, MM, NYT 12/1; VOI, VOP, YA 12/1 in WNC 12/3; NYT, WP 12/2; LAW, PCHR 12/4; MEI 12/5)
In Geneva, some 150 Israelis and Palestinians involved in the drafting of the unofficial Geneva Accord hold a formal unveiling of their peace initiative at a ceremony attended by fmr. U.S. pres. Jimmy Carter and addressed byfmr. Polish pres. Lech Walesa, fmr. South African pres. Nelson Mandela. Arafat does not endorse the details of the plan, but issues a statement declaring it a “brave and courageous initiative.” Sharon continues to denounce it as “subversive.” (BBC, HA, MM, NYT 12/1; MENA, QA, VOP 12/1 in WNC 12/3; HA, JP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 12/2; ITAR-TASS, Le Monde, XIN 12/2 in WNC 12/4; PR 12/3; QA 12/3 in WNC 12/6; MM, WJW 12/4; MEI 12/5; PR 12/10; JPI 12/12)
In an extensive New York Times interview, Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad urges the U.S. to support the resumption of Israeli-Syrian peace talks. The U.S. brushes off the overture. (NYT 12/1; VOI, YA 12/1 in WNC 12/3; SANA 12/1, 12/2 in WNC 1/6; MM, WT 12/2; MM 12/3; MA 12/3 in WNC 12/4; MM 12/4; THWR 12/5, THWR, Tishrin 12/6 in WNC 1/9; MM 12/8, 12/10)
The IDF conducts searches, arrest raids in Balata r.c., al-Bireh, Jenin, al-Amari r.c.; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Balata r.c., Jenin. An Islamic Jihad mbr. is killed when his car mysteriously explodes in s. Gaza in what may be an assassination. A leaflet signed by the AMB denounces the Geneva Accord, threatening Palestinians who took part in its drafting. At the Rafah-Egypt border crossing, some 200 Palestinians harass some 50 Palestinian drafters of the Geneva Accord en route to the Geneva Accord unveiling in Switzerland, hitting and kicking several drafters, causing no serious injuries. (Daily Star, JP, NYT 12/1; LAW, PCHR 12/4; PR 12/10)
In Amman, King Abdallah of Jordan receives Qurai‘, agrees to transmit to Bush a series of PA ideas for restarting road map implementation when he visits Washington on 12/4. (VOP 11/30 in WNC 12/2; MEI 12/19)
The IDF demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Rafah; bulldozes 200 Palestinian olive trees in East Jerusalem, clearing the land for Jewish settlement expansion; conducts arrest raids in Ramallah. (PR 12/3; LAW, PCHR 12/4)
The IDF conducts house searches, arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin; bulldozes 14 dunams of land in al-Qarara nr. Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in villages around Hebron, Qalqilya. Unidentified gunmen believed to be Palestinian fire on the car of Nablus mayor and PC mbr. Ghassan al-Shak’a (Fatah) in an apparent attempt to assassinate him, leaving him unharmed but killing his brother. (al-Jazeera 11/25; PR 12/3; PCHR 12/4; PR 12/10; MEI 1/9)
In a mtg. in Washington with U.S. National Security Adviser (NSA) Condoleezza Rice, Sharon’s chief of staff Dov Weisglass reportedly lays out a 2- stage plan drafted by Sharon for U.S. Pres. George W. Bush’s approval that ultimately forsees the fall of PA PM Ahmad Qurai‘’s government, the end of the road map, and Israel’s unilateral declaration of borders, taking 60% of the West Bank. (MM 11/28, 12/1, 12/5)
The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Hamas mbrs. attempting to cross the border fence into Israel; fatally shoots a Palestinian farmer who strays too close to Gush Katif settlement; fatally shoots a mentally ill Palestinian who approaches an IDF patrol nr. the Egypt-Gaza border; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; sets up barricades, digs trenches around al-Naqura, occupies 1 Palestinian home as an outpost, further hindering travel btwn. Nablus and Jenin, Tulkarm; bulldozes 5 dunams of olive trees nr. Arrabe; conducts arrest raids in Arrabe, Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah. Israel announces that Palestinians may resume bus service btwn. West Bank towns for the first time since the start of the al-Aqsa intifada. Buses will operate fr. 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will only transport passengers to the crossing point outside the next city (e.g., a Palestinian would have to take 5 buses to travel the 40 mi. fr. Jenin to Ramallah). (NYT, WP 12/17; LAW, NYT, PCHR, PR 12/18; TJT 12/19; JT 1/1)
The IDF imposes a curfew on Nablus, closes local al-Najah University, sparking clashes with local students that leave 9 Palestinians injured; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Netzarim settlement; bulldozes 41 dunams of land in al-Mughraqa; uproots 150 trees at an al-`Arub agricultural center; conducts arrest raids in al-Bireh, Birzeit, Jenin, and Qarawat Bani Zaid, targeting the tanzim, arresting at least 14 Palestinians. (HA 12/14; LAW, PCHR, PR 12/18)