January 23, 2010

Israeli naval vessels off the n. Gaza coast fire on Palestinian fishing boats, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Ni‘lin. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha s. of Nablus attempt to raid nearby Iraq Burin village but are fended off by Palestinian residents; IDF troops intervene, firing rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinians to disperse them (injuring 1 Palestinian). Jewish settlers fr. Halamish nr. Ramallah uproot 15 nearby Palestinian olive trees. (OCHA 1/27; PCHR 1/28)