Monday, March 6, 2017

IDF troops conduct a raid on a house in al-Bireh nr. Ramallah in which they shoot and kill Basel al-Araj, a prominent Palestinian activist. Two other Palestinians are injured in confrontations with Israeli forces following the raid. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops shut down a workshop nr. Nablus, arrest 7 Palestinians during late-night raids nr. Jenin, and patrol nr. Salfit and Hebron. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home under construction in s. Hebron. Israeli settlers assault Palestinian farmers nr. Nablus, injuring 2. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces conduct overnight raids in Issawiyya, sparking minor clashes with stone-throwing youths; 5 Palestinians are arrested and 3 are issued arrest summons. Meanwhile, Palestinian youths gather outside the Jerusalem Municipality complex nr. the Old City to protest the Israeli authorities’ closure of their school in Sur al-Bahir on 2/23. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmers working nr. Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land nearby. (EI, HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 3/6; PCHR 3/9)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for the first of 3 planned days, allowing Palestinians to enter and exit Gaza. (MNA 3/6)

Israel’s Knesset passes a law barring foreign nationals who call for economic, cultural, or academic boycotts of Israel or “area under its control,” such as Israel’s settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), from receiving entry visas or residency rights. The interior minister is granted the right to make exceptions on a case-by-case basis. (HA, JP, NYT 3/7)