The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assaulted 2 Palestinians with pepper spray in Hebron. 1 Israeli settler also shot and injured 1 Palestinian man near the Adora settlement. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers blocked roads near al-Twana. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinian vehicles traveling near Huwwara, injuring 1 Palestinian and causing damage. Israeli forces delivered a demolition notice for a school under construction in the al-Saffi community in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also demolished 1 car repair shop in Nabi Ilyas. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Qalqilya, Jalbun, Nazlet Zeid, Tulkarm, Yatta, and Asira ash-Shamaliya. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen west of al-Waha and al-Sudaniyya; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, 22 Palestinians were killed in a fire in the Jabalia refugee camp. The PA called on Israel to open its crossings to Gaza to allow the injured to receive treatment in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which Israel subsequently said it had done. The preliminary investigation suggested that the fire escalated quickly due to a large amount of gasoline stored in the house. (AJ, GDN, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/17; AJ, MEMO, MEMO, REU 11/18; MDW, MEE 11/19; AP 11/20; PCHR 11/24; UNOCHA 11/25)

U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides visited the Kiryat Netafim settlement. Ambassador Nides said he visited the settlement to offer condolences to the family of an Israeli settler who was stabbed to death on 11/15 in the Ariel settlement, allegedly by a Palestinian. Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who accompanied Nides, told Nides that “we will build Samaria [the West Bank]. We are believers, and we know that this is our land.” (HA 11/17)

PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh met with U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for Palestinian-Israeli affairs Hady Amr in Ramallah. (WAFA 11/17)

Israel and Jordan signed an agreement to rehabilitate the southern part of the Jordan River. (HA, MEMO 11/17; ALM 11/18)

The UN social, humanitarian, and cultural issues committee adopted a draft resolution affirming the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. 167 counties voted in favor, 5 against, and 7 abstained. (WAFA, WAFA 11/17)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces blocked a road between Hebron and Qalqas. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Jabel Mukaber, displacing 7 people. In Gaza, Israeli forces attacked 2 targets near Jabalia refugee camp, claiming it was responding to incendiary balloons sent from Gaza to Israel. Israeli forces also later violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza fence, injuring 1 with live ammunition; 17 others were also injured by rubber-coated bullets and tear gas. (AA, AJ, AP, HA, HILL, JP, MEE, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 8/29; MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 8/30; PCHR 9/2)

Egypt reopened the Rafah crossing in both directions. (MEMO 8/29)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz in Ramallah. According to the Israeli defense ministry, the 2 talked about security policy, civilian and economic issues, and measures Israel will take to strengthen the PA economy. According to Gantz’s office, among the agreements made were granting residency rights to Palestinians living in the West Bank without legal status and Israel’s providing the PA with an advance of its tax income of $155 million. Gantz also said after the meeting, “the stronger the Palestinian Authority is, the weaker Hamas will be.” Sources close to Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett said that there was no diplomatic process between Israel and the PA and that there would not be 1 during his time as prime minister. A Palestinian official said that Abbas asked Israel to stop conducting operations in Area A and allow family reunifications as part of efforts to improve the PA-Israel relations. Later at a PLO executive committee meeting, President Abbas said that he had told Defense Minister Gantz that the PA position on peace is based on the Arab peace initiative, and that PA wants Israel to release long-term Palestinian prisoners, return the bodies of Palestinians killed by Israel, end settlement construction, and curb settler attacks. Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri called the meeting dangerous and disrespectful. Islamic Jihad also condemned the meeting. The meeting was the 1st between President Abbas and an Israeli government official since 2010. (MEE, REU 8/29; AJ, ALM, AP, F24, HA, HA, HA, JP, NBC, REU, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 8/30; ALM, MEMO, MEMO, MEMO 8/31; MEMO 9/1; ALM, HA 9/2)

Axios reported that former U.S. ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro had joined the U.S. state department as a liaison between U.S. envoy on Iran Robert Malley and Israel. (AX 8/29; JP 8/30; ALM, MEMO 8/31)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked 1 Palestinian woman in Hebron, causing injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces assaulted 1 Palestinian in the Old City. 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Silwan, displacing 7. 1 Palestinian family also demolished their own home in Jabel Mukaber, displacing 5. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Jabalia refugee camp; no injuries were reported. (WAFA 8/14; PCHR 8/19)

Israel recalled its ambassador to Poland in response to the Polish president Andrzej Duda approving a law that will restrict restitution claims by Jewish people who had property stolen during World War II. (MEMO 8/12; MEMO 8/13; AJ, HA, HA 8/14; AP, HA, HA 8/15; AP, ALM, BBC, HA, MEMO, MEMO 8/16; MEMO 8/17)

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Iran had produced 200 grams of uranium metals enriched to 20%, drawing criticism from the UK, France, Germany, and the U.S. (MEMO, REU 8/16; AJ, AP, MEMO 8/17; AP, REU 8/19)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers installed caravans and started building structures in an evacuated settlement outpost near Yatta. Israeli forces opened fire at a Palestinian vehicle traveling near Ya‘bad, injuring 1 and arresting 2; the 3 were allegedly trying to enter Israel for work. Israeli forces also seized cables and other equipment funded by Denmark to rehabilitate the power grid in the Simya area south of Hebron. 8 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during late-night raids in Hebron and Beit Fajjar, and 6 at checkpoints in and around Tayasir, Deir Balut, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family started demolishing their own home in Jabal Mukaber, displacing 2. Israeli forces also delivered orders that they would seize 2 tents used by protesters for an ongoing sit-in protest against evictions in Sheikh Jarrah. 1 Palestinian was arrested in Silwan. In Gaza, Israel halved the Gaza fishing zone, from 12 to 6 nautical miles at its largest width, prevented 25 fuel trucks from entering Gaza, and later conducted 1 drone strike in agricultural lands near Jabalia refugee camp and later 2 air strikes in the same area, causing damage to trees and crops. Israel cited incendiary balloons sent from Gaza to Israel as the reason for its attacks. (AJ, AP, HA, MEMO, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/25; ALM, FOX, JP, MEE, MEMO, MEMO, WAFA 7/26; MEMO 7/27; PCHR 7/29)

Haaretz reported that Israel banned all Palestinian truck drivers with Israeli citizenship from delivering to Israeli military bases during the Israeli attacks on Gaza in May, dubbed Operation Guardian of the Walls. The Israeli military said that the drivers had refused to work during the operation, but that was refuted by the truck drivers themselves and sources in the Israeli military. (HA 7/25; HA 7/26)

The Israeli government said it would delay implementing an oil transportation deal with the UAE, citing environmental concerns. The oil transportation deal was made after the normalization deal between the 2 countries. (AJ 7/25; MEMO 7/26; ALM, JP 7/27)

2 Israeli airlines started commercial flights from Tel Aviv to Marrakesh and Casablanca in Morocco, the 1st direct flights between the 2 countries since they normalized relations in 2020. (AP, MEE, MEMO, REU 7/25)