The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers raided at-Tuba and Wadi Ijheish in the Masafer Yatta area, assaulting Palestinians and stealing 6 sheep and agricultural equipment. Israeli settlers also raided Qaryut, vandalizing property. Israeli forces shot and killed 5 Palestinians during raids in Askar refugee camp, Dheisheh refugee camp, Bayt Rima, Balata refugee camp, and Tammun. Israeli forces also shot and injured 38 people, including at least 3 children, during raids in Tammun, Dheisheh refugee camp, Balata refugee camp, ‘Urif, Askar refugee camp, Nablus, and Bayt Rima. Meanwhile, Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in Askar refugee camp of a Palestinian man killed by Israeli forces in Nablus in May; the man was accused of taking part in the killing of 3 Israeli settlers in April. Israeli forces also punitively demolished the family home of a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces in Burqa and delivered a punitive demolition notice to the family of a Palestinian killed in Rumana. Elsewhere, Israeli forces razed land near Abu Basal to expand a nearby settlement. Israeli forces also closed the Dream Radio station in Hebron, threating to destroy its contents if it did not stop broadcasting. 35 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Jenin, Hebron, Qalqilya, Tubas, Salfit, and Tulkarm. The PA Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs said more than 1,590 Palestinian have been arrested in the West Bank since 10/7. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinians in Silwan, igniting a fire and causing injuries. In Gaza, some communications were restored after being cut off by Israel on 10/27. At least 302 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks. Islamic Jihad said Israel has assassinated 1 of its senior political officials, Taysir Alghouti, and killed several members of his family in Rafah. Islamic Jihad also said it attacked some Israeli military vehicles in Gaza. 2 Israeli soldiers were injured by a mortar shell in Gaza. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage. In Hanita, Islamic Jihad said 2 al-Quds Brigades fighters had been killed during an operation near the Blue Line. In Lebanon, Hezbollah said it had downed an Israeli drone. (AJ, HA 10/28; AJ, AJ, AP, AP, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/29; AP, AJ 10/30)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said at least 8,005 Palestinians have been killed, including around 5,000 women and children, and 20,242 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. 1,800 Palestinians, including 940 children, have been reported missing. In addition, media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 115 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 33 children. More than 2,150 have been injured. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. As of 10/23, at least 27,781 housing units had been destroyed and 150,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 45% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. The bodies of 62 unidentified Palestinians were buried in a mass grave near al-Shifa Hospital. It was the third time Palestinians in Gaza had to resort to burying Palestinians killed by Israel in a mass grave since 10/7. 33 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. Israel opened a second water pipe to Gaza. The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Israel has ordered it to evacuate al-Quds Hospital; airstrikes later damaged the hospital as well as the al-Shifa and Indonesian hospitals. UNRWA said the slow flow of aid has prompted thousands of Palestinians in Gaza to take food supplies from its warehouses. The UN said nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been displaced from their homes in the West Bank since 10/7 due to Israeli settler attacks and Israeli military demolitions. (AJ 10/28; AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/29; AJ, AJ, AP, WAFA 10/30)

Save the Children said more children have been killed in Gaza in the past 3 weeks than the total number of children killed in conflicts around the world since 2019, saying so far 3,324 have been killed in Gaza and 36 in the West Bank. (AJ 10/29; AJ 10/30)

A Palestinian citizen of Israel, actress Maisa Abd Elhadi, was charged by Israel with incitement to terrorism and expressing solidarity with a terrorist organization for an Instagram post. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel directed the Population and Immigration Authority to determine if he could revoke her citizenship. Elhadi was arrested on 10/12. (HA 10/30)

Reporters Without Borders said their investigation into the Israeli killing of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah on 10/13 in Lebanon concluded that Israel intentionally targeted him and other journalists. (AJ 10/28; REU 10/29; AJ 10/30; AP 10/31)

Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant signed an order to place the settler activist Ariel Danino on administrative detention for 4 months for his involvement in settler attacks on Palestinians. (HA 10/29)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with Bahraini foreign inister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Ramallah. PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki spoke with UK foreign secretary James Cleverly. (WAFA, WAFA 10/29)

A leaked internal U.S. State Department memo recommended that President Joe Biden pressure Israel to allow more aid to enter Gaza, estimating that 52,000 pregnant women and 30,000 babies were drinking brackish or contaminated water due to the lack of water in Gaza. (HA 10/29; AJ 10/30)

The Washington Post reported that the U.S. pressured Israel to turn communications back on in Gaza. (AJ 10/30)

International Committee of the Red Cross president Mirjana Spoljaric said “[i]t is unacceptable that civilians have no safe place to go in Gaza amid the massive bombardments, and with a military siege in place there is also no adequate humanitarian response currently possible. This is a catastrophic failing that the world must not tolerate.” (HA 10/28)

30 Israeli human rights and civil society organizations urged the international community to “act urgently to stop the state-backed wave of settler violence which has led, and is leading to, the forcible transfer of Palestinian communities in the West Bank.” The French foreign ministry called on Israel to take action to protect Palestinians in the West Bank. (AJ 10/28; HA, WAFA 10/29)

President Biden told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that more humanitarian aid has to enter Gaza immediately. Before the 2 spoke, U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan said Israel “has a responsibility to rein in the settlers.” Sullivan also said Israel must distinguish between “terrorist targets” and civilians and claimed Hamas was using human shields. Biden also spoke with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. (AJ 10/28; AJ, HA, REU, REU, WAFA 10/29)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said, “the world is witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe taking place before our eyes,” in reference to the situation in Gaza. (AJ 10/28; HA 10/29)

Pope Francis called for a ceasefire and the release of the Hamas-held captives. (HA, REU 10/29)

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan visited the Rafah crossing, saying the ICC has ongoing investigations into potential war crimes committed by Hamas and Israel. Khan said impeding aid to Gaza could constitute a war crime. (AJ 10/28; AJ, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 10/29; AJ 10/30)

Jordan said it has asked the U.S. to deploy the Patriot air defense system in Jordan. (AJ 10/28; REU 10/29)

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held in many cities across the world, including in Islamabad, Beirut, Berlin, Madrid, Athens, and Ottawa. (AJ 10/28; AJ, REU, WAFA 10/29)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian during a late-night raid in Nur Shams refugee camp. Israeli bulldozers caused extensive damage during the raid, including to the main road leading to Tulkarm. Later in the day, PA forces opened fire at Islamic Jihad members in the camp; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor near az-Zubaidat, claiming he had shot and injured 1 Israeli soldier. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during a raid in Bayt Umar; the soldiers also fired tear gas near a school, causing tear-gas related injuries among students and staff. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 tractor near Yatta and 1 road roller in al-Zawiya. 17 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Halhul, al-Arroub refugee camp, Ya’bad, al-Am’ari refugee camp, Birzeit, Kafr ‘Aqab, and ‘Anata. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian school in Kafr ‘Aqab was set on fire after it was forced to teach the Israeli curriculum instead of the PA curriculum. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE, QDS, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/5; MDW, PCHR 9/7; UNOCHA 9/11; UNOCHA 9/26)

Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said the Israeli decision on 9/4 to close the Karim Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossing would lead to an increase in tensions between Palestinians in Gaza and Israel. PA economy minister Khaled Assaili demanded that Israel reopen the crossing immediately. (HA, REU, WAFA 9/5; AJ 9/7; AP 9/8)

The High Follow-Up Committee for the Arab citizens of Israel declared a general strike in Israel over Israeli inaction in preventing and solving violent crime. (WAFA 9/3; ALM, QDS, WAFA 9/5)

Israeli military chief of central command Yehuda Fuchs said he will issue an administrative restriction order for Elisha Yered, a settler who took part in the raid on Burqa on 8/4 where 1 Palestinian man was killed. The order would prevent Yered from leaving the northern part of the Jordan Valley. (HA 9/5)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said the Israeli government will start deducting additional funds from the PA taxes Israel collects to pay for the PA’s debt to the Israel Electric Corp (IEC). A spokesperson for Smotrich said the amount would be $5.2 million to $7.8 million per month depending on how much energy the PA purchases from the IEC. PA prime minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called the decision systematic piracy and theft. (REU, WAFA 9/5; MEMO 9/7)

PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh, head of PA intelligence Majed Faraj, and PA president Mahmoud Abbas’ foreign policy advisor Majdi Khaldi arrived in Riyadh for meetings with Saudi and U.S. officials, including National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, to discuss the Palestinian aspect of the potential Saudi-Israeli normalization deal. Khaldi told the New York Times that the PA demand is the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative. See 8/30 for Axios’ reporting on the PA demands for support of the normalization deal.  (AX 9/3; MEE, QDS, TOI 9/4; HA, NYT 9/5; BBC, HA 9/7)

U.S. president Joe Biden nominated former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. Lew will have to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be instated. Lew sits on the U.S. board of directors for the National Library of Israel, a partly Israeli state-owned institution. If confirmed, Lew will replace Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Stephanie Hallett who has led the embassy since Tom Nides resigned in July. (AJ, ALM, AX, HA, MEE, NYT, REU 9/5)

Haaretz reported that Israel continued to sell weapons to Myanmar after a U.S. and EU arms embargo was placed on the country and despite the Israeli government claiming it had ended arms sales to the country in 2018. (HA, MEE 9/5)

Papua New Guinean prime minister James Marape and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu inaugurated the Papua New Guinean embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. Marape cited his Christian beliefs in making the decision to open the embassy in Jerusalem, which Israel will fund for the first 2 years. PLO Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yousef said that Israel was “looking for any country – even if that country can only be seen under a microscope – so it can claim there are countries opening embassies in Jerusalem.” A picture circulating on social media showed the embassy completely empty, except for the embassy plague, the day after the inauguration. The PA, Jordan, and the OIC condemned the opening of the embassy. (AJ, REU, TOI 9/5; WAFA 9/6; WAFA, WAFA 9/7)

In the West Bank, Palestinian militants shot and killed 1 Israeli settler and wounded 1 other during a drive-by shooting near Hebron; 2 Palestinians were arrested on 8/22 in relation to the killing. Israeli settlers threw stones and Molotov cocktails at a Palestinian home in Burin and set fire to nearby beehives. Israeli forces shot and wounded 8 Palestinians with live ammunition during a raid in Beita, including 1 man who was filmed walking away from the Israeli soldiers unarmed when he was shot in the back. Israeli forces also closed all entrances to Hebron and some of the surrounding villages and raided Hebron, causing tear-gas related injuries. Elsewhere, Israeli forces demolished 1 house and 1 brick factory in Biddu. Israeli forces also demolished 4 homes in al-Diyouk al-Tahta and issued demolition notices for 5 others. 12 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Kafr ‘Aqab, Marah Rabah, Beit Fajjar, Hebron, and Tulkarm. In Gaza, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters near the Gaza fence, injuring 15, including 1 with live ammunition. In Jerusalem, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian citizens of Israel protesting at the Foreign Ministry against the withholding of funds allocated for Palestinian communities in Israel. Hadash-Ta’al leader Ayman Odeh was photographed being grabbed by his throat by a police officer. The protest coincided with a 2-hour strike called by the National Council of Arab Mayors in Israel. (HA 8/20; AP, BBC, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, MDW, MEE, MEE, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/21; ALM, ALM, HA, MEMO, NYT 8/22; HA 8/23; PCHR 8/24; UNOCHA 8/28; BBC 9/2)

In response to the attack that killed 1 Israeli settler (see above), Otzma Yehudit party MK Yitzhak Kroizer wrote on social media, “We want revenge!” Otzma Yehudit leader and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to place checkpoints, enforce blockades, deny work permits, and conduct assassinations in the West Bank. Netanyahu claimed that Iran was encouraging, guiding, and funding the Palestinian assailants. (AJ, HA, REU, TOI 8/21)

The PA foreign ministry issued a statement saying that President Mahmoud Abbas had informed a number of Palestinian ambassadors that they will have to retire. The statement did not specify which ambassadors would be forced to retire. (MEMO, WAFA 8/21)

In Syria, Israeli forces carried out airstrikes, injuring 1 soldier and causing damage near Damascus. (AJ, AP, HA 8/21; ALM 8/22)

UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland told the UN Security Council that Israel had killed more than 200 Palestinians this year while nearly 30 Israelis had been killed by Palestinians, saying the number of Palestinians killed was the highest since 2005. Wennesland said the rise in violence was related to the lack of a political horizon to end the conflict. Wennesland also criticized Israeli settlement expansion and demolitions of Palestinian homes. (AP, UN 8/21; AJ, AN 8/22)

Axios reported that U.S. president Joe Biden is considering meeting Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman on the sidelines of the upcoming G20 summit in New York to discuss the potential Saudi-Israel normalization deal. (AX 8/21)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man at the Rantis checkpoint, claiming he had tried to take a weapon from an Israeli soldier after his car was stopped at the checkpoint. Israeli forces also tased and injured 1 Palestinian woman near Huwwara, claiming that she had tried to stab an Israeli soldier. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed a funeral procession in Beit Umar, injuring 2 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 3 with baton rounds and others with tear gas. Meanwhile, Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bayt Dajan, injuring 15 with tear gas. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Nabi Salih, Beita, and Zweidin. (AJ, AP, HA, QDS, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/9; PCHR 6/15; UNOCHA 6/18)

The Higher Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel called for a general strike on 6/9 and 6/10 over the continuing rise in homicide rates among Palestinian citizens of Israel, blaming Israeli police inaction. (QDS, WAFA 6/9)

Axios reported that the Israeli government had decided to postpone discussions on settlement construction in the E1 area of the West Bank. Discussions were scheduled to take place next week. According to the reporting, both the U.S. and European countries have expressed concern about the plans to the Israeli government. (AX 6/9; MEE 6/10; JP 6/12)

In South Lebanon, Israeli forces violently dispersed Lebanese protesters demonstrating against Israeli constructing of a barrier near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Lebanon south of Kfar Chouba. UNIFIL soldiers later intervened to help remove the Lebanese protesters. (AP, HA 6/9)

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that PA president Mahmoud Abbas will meet President Xi Jinping during a state visit on 6/13-6/16. (AJ, WAFA, WAFA 6/9; JP 6/10; GDN, WAFA 6/11)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians harvesting olives in Qaryut. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the siege of Nablus at the Huwwara checkpoint, causing tear-gas related injuries. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces arrested 4 Palestinian fishermen and seized their boat within 6 nautical miles off the coast. (MEMO, PCHR, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/1; PCHR 11/3; UNOCHA 11/13)

An Israeli court approved the demolition of a school in al-Samiya. The school was inaugurated in January and built with EU funding. (WAFA 11/1; MEMO 11/2)

Israel held general elections for the 5th time since 2019. The right-wing bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu won a majority of the seats and is expected to form a government in the coming weeks. The Likud Party won the most seats with 32. Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid gained 24 seats while the third largest party was the Religious Zionism alliance, made up of the Zionist National Union-Tkuma and the Otzma Yehudit party and led by Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, which won 14 seats. The Palestinian parties Hadash-Ta‘al and the United Arab List each gained 5 seats. Balad, Meretz and the Ayelet Shaked-led Habayit Hayehudi did not make the electoral threshold. It was reported that the U.S. was considering a “no-contact” policy in dealing with a potential minister Ben-Gvir given his extremist ideology and actions. The voter turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel was 55%. (AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, AX, MEE, NYT, NYT 11/1; AJ, AJ, ALM, ALM, AX, AX, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, REU 11/2; AJ, AJ, AJ, AJ, ALM, ALM, AP, AP, AX, BBC, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, MEE, MEMO, NYT, NYT, NYT, REU, REU 11/3; AJ, ALM, GDN, HA, HA, HA, HA, MEE, TOI 11/4; HA, HA, MDW 11/6)

Algeria hosted the 1st summit of the Arab League since 2019. The leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Morocco did not attend the summit. PA president Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting with acting U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lambert on the sidelines of the summit. (WAFA 10/31; AJ, MEMO, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/1)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian minor and injured 3 others during a late-night raid in Kafr Dan, where Israeli forces took measurements to punitively demolish the family home of 2 Palestinians killed in an exchange of fire at the Jalamah checkpoint on 9/14. The PA called on the U.S. to pressure Israel into ending its deadly nightly raids and condemned the killing. Israeli forces also fired tear gas near a school in Burin, prompting an evacuation of the students. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered stop-work notices for 5 industrial structures in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Israeli forces also raided al-Twana to pray and attend a lecture in the middle of a populated street in the early hours of the night; Israeli settlers claim that a synagogue once stood in the village. 1 Israeli settler was shot and injured at the Carmel settlement; there was no information about the suspect. 15 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Sa‘ir, Yatta, Surif, Hebron, Kafr Ra‘i, Jaba‘, and Kafr Dan. In East Jerusalem, former MK Yehuda Glick toured the Bab al-Rahma area of the Haram al-Sharif compound, raising an Israeli flag and blowing a shofar. Israeli forces fired tear gas into the schoolyard of Isawiya high school for boys, injuring 5 students with tear gas. 3 Palestinian minors were arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound. (AJ, AP, HA, HA, JP, MDW, MEE, PCHR, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/15; MEMO 9/16; HA 9/21; PCHR 9/22; HA 9/23; UNOCHA 9/30)

The Israeli state attorney’s office closed an investigation into the killing of a 17-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel by an Israeli police officer in May 2021 in Umm al-Fahm, saying it found no evidence of wrongdoing. The family of the Palestinian minor said the process relating to the long investigation had been abusive and that they believe the killing was unjustified. (HA 9/15)

Hamas announced that it had fully restored ties with Syria after severing ties in 2012 due to the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. (MEMO, MEMO 9/16; MEE 9/18; ALM 9/22; ALM 9/24; AJ 9/25)

The PLO executive committee confirmed that it supports PA president Mahmoud Abbas’s bid to have Palestine become a full member of the UN. President Abbas is expected to give a speech on 9/23 at the UN general assembly seeking recognition for the state of Palestine. (WAFA 9/15)

The Balad party announced that it is not running as part of the Joint Arab List at the next Israeli elections. The Joint Arab List now consists of the Hadash and Ta‘al parties. (HA 9/15; AP, JP, TOI 9/16)

U.S. senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said in a statement that the Leahy Law, prohibiting military aid to countries that violate human rights, should apply to Israel if Shireen Abu Akleh was killed intentionally. In the statement, he questioned Israel’s probe, which found that Abu Akleh was not killed intentionally, saying, “[i]f, as the Israeli authorities appear to be saying, the soldier missed who he was aiming at and hit Ms. Abu Akleh by mistake, who was he aiming at? What evidence is there, if any, that anyone in the immediate vicinity of where Ms. Abu Akleh was shot was firing at the [Israeli] soldier who killed her?” Senator Leahy’s statement comes 1 day after the senate foreign relations committee demanded a report from the state department regarding the killing of Abu Akleh. (AJ 9/15; MEE 9/16; GDN 9/26)

Chilean president Gabriel Boric postponed the acceptance of the Israeli ambassador’s credentials due to Israel’s killing of a 17-year-old Palestinian in the West Bank (see above). Israel said that the Chilean foreign ministry had apologized to the Israeli government for the situation. The Israeli ambassador had reportedly arrived at the president’s residence when he was told about the postponement. (HA, TOI 9/15; AP, HA, JP, MEE, NA, REU, WAFA 9/16; AJ, REU 9/17; HA 9/18)

A delegation of officials from the UAE, led by foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Israel for meetings with Israeli president Isaac Herzog and other officials to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of the 2 countries’ normalization deal. (MEMO, REU 9/14; ALM, HA 9/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 200 olive trees and saplings and 250 almond, plum, peach, and grape trees in Turmus ‘Ayya and al-Mughayyir. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Bani Na‘im, assaulting several and firing tear gas. Israeli forces also confiscated 1 tractor in Deir Balut. 3 Palestinians were arrested, including 2 during a late-night raid in Silwad and 1 near the separation wall. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/11; PCHR 7/21; UNOCHA 7/22)

An Israeli court sentenced 1 Israeli man to 2.5 years in prison for the assault on 1 Palestinian citizen of Israel in May 2021. The Israeli man entered a plea deal to have charges related to terrorism removed, which would have doubled his sentence. (HA 7/11)

U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan confirmed that president Joe Biden will seek to facilitate a normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel during his trip to both countries this week and that President Biden will partake in a virtual summit with India, Israel, and the UAE during his Middle East trip. (REU, REU 7/11)

Axios reported that the U.S. had rejected Israeli requests for Israeli officials to join Biden on his planned visit to the Augusta Victoria hospital in East Jerusalem. Biden is expected to visit the East Jerusalem hospital on 7/15 before heading to the West Bank for a meeting with PA president Mahmoud Abbas. According to Axios, the Biden administration told Israel that his visit to the hospital is private and not political. (AX 7/11)

Pew Research Center released a poll finding that 56% of Americans between the age of 18-29 hold unfavorable views of Israel, while the overall number among the people polled was 41%. The poll also found that 71% of Republicans hold favorable views of Israel while 44% of Democrats do. The Pew polling also found that 84% of Americans had little to no knowledge about the BDS movement. (AX, PEW 7/11)

In its annual report “Children and Armed Conflict,” the UN found that Israel killed 78 Palestinian children during 2021, injured 982, and detained 637. In response, UN secretary-general António Guterres said that if Israel repeats the high number of killings of Palestinian children in 2022, it should be added to the list of parties committing grave violations against children in situations of armed conflict. (UN 6/23; AJ, REU, UN 7/11; WAFA 7/12; WAFA 7/13)

In the West Bank, PA forces arrested 9 Palestinian protesters during a general strike in Hebron over rising food prices. Food prices have been rising throughout the world due to Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian wheat and global supply chain issues. In Palestine, prices on flour, sugar, and cooking oil have risen up to 30% in the last quarter. 1 Israeli settler opened fire at Palestinians, claiming they had thrown stones at him; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces delivered a demolition notice for part of a Palestinian home in al-Rakiz in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli forces also raided Nabi Salih, firing tear gas at Palestinians protesting the incursion; no injuries were reported. Elsewhere, Israeli forces violently dispersed a Palestinian protest in Tubas, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also delivered notices to Palestinians in Tarqumiyah informing them that 600 dunams (148 acres) of agricultural land will be seized by Israel to expand the settlements of Telem and Adora. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raided Silwan, firing tear gas at Palestinians and causing injuries. In Jerusalem, Israeli right-wing activists raided the Greek Garden and the Church of Holy Trinity on Mount Zion, damaging property of the Greek Orthodox church. The Greek foreign ministry called on Israel to take “appropriate action” against the perpetrators. (AN, HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 6/6; WAFA 6/7; HA, MDW, PCHR 6/9; UNOCHA 6/17)

The Israeli Knesset failed to pass the 1st vote on extending the Emergency Regulations – Judea and Samaria, Jurisdiction and Legal Aid, extending Israeli law to Israeli settlers living in the West Bank. 58 voted against and 52 voted for, as the Israeli right-wing opposition voted against the measure to trigger the dissolution of the coalition government. The emergency regulation expires at the end of June. 2 party members in the Israeli coalition, Mazen Ghanaim from the United Arab List and Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi from Meretz, voted against the bill, as did the members of the Joint Arab List. (AJ, AJ, AP, GDN, NYT, POL, TOI 6/6; ALM, HA, HA, JP, MDW, TOI 6/7; AP 6/8; AP, TOI 6/10)

The Palestinian Prisoner Society reported that 1 Palestinian prisoner who has been hunger-striking for 96 days in protest over his administrative detention was in critical condition. (WAFA 6/6)

Amnesty International (AI) called on Israel to “immediately release” Salah Hammouri, a Palestinian-French human rights lawyer who works for Addameer and who has been held in administrative detention since 3/7. AI also demanded that Israel ensure that Hammouri’s East Jerusalem residency status will not be revoked. (AI 6/6)

A survey conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute found that 60% of Israeli Jews favored segregation from the country’s Palestinian community, up from 45% in last year’s survey. In comparison, about 20% of Palestinian citizens of Israel favored segregation. (HA 6/6)

In Syria, Syrian media reported that the Syrian military had intercepted Israeli missiles targeting Damascus. (HA, REU 6/6; JP, TOI 6/7)

U.S. senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) sent a letter to U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken, urging the Biden administration to ensure a “full and transparent investigation” into the killing of Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on 5/11 in Jenin refugee camp. The 2 senators gave the Biden administration 30 days to report on progress related to the investigation. (AJ, HA, MDW, MEE, TOI, WP 6/7)

Haaretz reported on recently released documents at the Israeli State Archive, which details conversations between Israeli and U.S. officials during the 1st Israeli Invasion of Lebanon. In the trove of released documents are conversations between then Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin and U.S. president Ronald Reagan, where President Reagan suggests that Palestinian refugees in Lebanon become Lebanese citizens. Prime Minister Begin responds by suggesting that Palestinians in Lebanon be deported to Libya, Iraq, Syria, or Saudi Arabia. (HA 6/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers uprooted 50 olive trees in Tarqumiyah as part of an effort to make a road to the Telem settlement. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man near a checkpoint in the Nablus area; Israel claimed that the man had attempted ramming soldiers with his car; no soldier was injured. Israeli forces demolished a 2-story house in Nahalin; Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians protesting the demolition, causing tear-gas related injuries. 1 Palestinian was arrested during a house raid in Jericho. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian family demolished their own home in Jabel Mukaber, displacing 5. Israeli forces detained 3 Palestinian minors and seized their Palestinian flags after they had raised the flags on the Haram al-Sharif compound. 4 others were arrested in the Old City. In Israel, the Israeli member of the Knesset from the Religious Zionist party Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened 2 Palestinian Israeli parking garage employees with a gun when the 2 told Ben-Gvir not to park in a prohibited zone. (AP, HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/21; MEE, MEMO, WAFA, WAFA 12/22; MEMO, PCHR 12/23)

Israeli media reported that Israel had handed over 2 Palestinians to the PA. The 2 were allegedly wanted by the PA when they were arrested in Israel. (MEMO 12/23)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas met with U.S. acting assistant secretary of state for Near East Affairs Yael Lambert in Ramallah. (WAFA 12/21)

The Fatah central committee convened without making any significant announcements. (WAFA 12/21)

Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri said Hamas supports reconciliation talks with Fatah sponsored by Algeria. The talks were 1st announced by Algeria during a meeting between president Abdelmadjid Tebboune and PA president Mahmoud Abbas in Algiers on 12/6. (MEMO 12/22)

United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas said during a conference hosted by the Hebrew newspaper Globes that “Israel was born as a Jewish state. And that was the decision of the Jewish people, to establish a Jewish state. The question is not ‘what is the identity of the state?’ That’s how the state was born, and so it will remain.” Leader of the Joint List coalition Ayman Odeh criticized Abbas’s remarks, saying that “the state’s identity should interest every citizen.” PA president Mahmoud Abbas also criticized Mansour Abbas for his comments, saying that he has abandoned his own people to side with the “Zionist colonial project.” (JP, TOI 12/21; ALM, WAFA, WAFA 12/22; HA, MEMO 12/23; HA 12/25)

U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan met with Israeli president Isaac Herzog. President Herzog had said before the meeting he would raise with Security Advisor Sullivan his desire to have the yeshiva in the evacuated settlement outpost Homesh remain. 1 Israeli settler was killed at the Homesh outpost on 12/16. Meanwhile, Israeli Channel 13 reported that U.S. president Joe Biden ignored a request from Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett for a phone meeting. (TOI 12/22; ALM 12/28)

AP reported that former head of the Israeli military intelligence directorate Tamir Heyman acknowledged that Israel took part in the U.S. assassination of Iranian general Qassim Soleimani on 1/2/2020. (ABC, HILL, MEMO 12/21)

The Washington Post reported that the UAE had planted NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware on Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s then-fiancée’s phone prior to the killing of Khashoggi. The Post reported that Hanan Elatr’s devices were hacked while she was in Dubai airport due to her job as a flight attendant. While in Dubai airport, Elatr was detained and questioned as agents planted the Pegasus spyware on her devices. The Citizen Lab research group confirmed that the Pegasus spyware had been planted on her phone prior to the killing of Khashoggi. AP also reported that Citizen Lab had found Pegasus spyware on phones belonging to a Polish lawyer and a Polish prosecutor known to publicly oppose the right-wing Polish government’s attempts to undermine the judicial branch of government. (AJ, AP, HA, WP 12/21)

UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process Tor Wennesland called on Israel to cease settlement activities and displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem during a UN security council meeting. Special Coordinator Wennesland also warned that an increase in settler violence in the West Bank could ignite tensions between Hamas and Israel. (MEMO, MEMO 12/22)