The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts random ID checks of Palestinians harvesting olives nr. Nablus, arresting 1; raids, imposes a curfew on Azun nr. Qalqilya, fires on residential areas, blocks a main road with sand and rocks, then withdraws; fires rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, percussion grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists taking part in a similar nonviolent demonstration in Ni‘lin (seriously injuring an 11-yr.-old girl); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fara‘a r.c. (firing live ammunition at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 3, 1 of them seriously) and nr. Bethlehem (occupying 1 Palestinian home as an observation post, evicting the family), Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar attack Palestinians harvesting olives nearby, burn 15 olive trees, march through Bidan village in a show of force. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba demand that a Palestinian mechanic near the settlement fix their car, beat him when he refuses. Jewish settlers temporarily reoccupy the evacuated Homesh settlement site, stone passing Palestinian vehicles. The WHO arranges an emergency shipment of 4 truckloads of medical items into Gaza, noting that the PA’s Ramallah-based central pharmacy has sent no medial supplies to Gaza since it took over that function from the WHO on 9/1; as a result, 94 essential drugs have been entirely depleted in Gaza. (OCHA 10/29; PCHR 10/30; AIC 11/9)

The UN reports that 1 Palestinian rocket was fired toward Israel between 9/21 and 9/27 but landed inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries; the last Palestinian rocket fired was on 9/14. In the West Bank, Palestinians throw stones at Jewish settler vehicles nr. Qalqilya, damaging 7 cars and lightly injuring 2 settlers. In response, the IDF imposes a curfew on and patrols in nearby Azun village, firing on residential areas and then on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no reported injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Ginot Shomron (part of Karnei Shomron) nr. Qalqilya vandalize Palestinian homes in Azun village, burn 12 d. of Palestinian olive groves. (OCHA 10/1, 10/8; PCHR 10/9; AIC 11/9)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinian farmers, preventing them fr. reaching their fields nr. the border fence but causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Ni‘lin villagers defy an IDF curfew to stage peaceful protest marches against the IDF blockade imposed on 7/5; the IDF fires tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets at the protesters, lightly injuring around 50. The IDF also bulldozes newly paved roads in Ni‘lin while the curfew is in place, damaging part of the municipal sewage system; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Tulkarm, and nr. Bethlehem, Jenin, Qalqilya, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Asfar settlement nr. Bethlehem beat 2 Palestinian shepherds grazing their flocks nearby. In Hebron, local Jewish settlers harass a French diplomatic delegation touring the city with Palestinian guides, arguing that settlers should lead the tour because the delegation was on “Israeli land.” A carload of Jewish settlers fires on a Palestinian taxi nr. Jenin, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian. (WT 7/7; OCHA 7/9; PCHR 7/10)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF blockades, imposes a round-theclock curfew on Ni‘lin nr. Ramallah in what the army calls an “open-ended effort to curb protests” against the separation wall (see 5/27); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in Jenin town and r.c. and Qabatya. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack, beat 4 Palestinian farmers; the IDF halts the attack only after international peace activists arrive. Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized outpost of Asael nr. Hebron burn 15 d. of Palestinian crop land and kidnap, severely beat a Palestinian, tying him to a telephone pole inside the outpost; the IDF bars an ambulance fr. reaching him for over 2 hrs. In Nussayrat r.c., rival wings of Islamic Jihad’s al-Quds Brigade exchange fire, causing no injuries; Hamas-affiliated police bring the situation under control, arresting several Islamic Jihad mbrs. In Rafah, 2 unidentified gunmen shoot, wound a fmr. PA police officer. A Palestinian teenager injured by IDF UXO nr. Shuka on 7/2 dies. (WP 7/6; OCHA 7/9; PCHR 7/10; Nation 7/19)

Overnight, the IDF sends troops into Khuza, imposing a curfew, firing on residential areas (killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2 inside their homes), exchanging gunfire with armed Palestinians (wounding 3), arresting 2 Palestinians, and bulldozing 106 d. of agricultural land, 1 Palestinian home, 4 greenhouses, 2 poultry farms before withdrawing late in the morning. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the Rafah coast, forcing them to return to shore but causing no reported damage or injuries. Palestinians fire at least 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries; fire 1 mortar at Nahal Oz crossing while an emergency fuel shipment to UNRWA is been transferred into Gaza, prompting the Israelis to close the terminal. In the West Bank, the IDF removes the tiny unauthorized settlement outpost of Hazon David nr. Kiryat Arba; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad Farm outpost nr. Qalqilya attack a Palestinian shepherd, steal a sheep. (NYT 5/5; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8)

The IDF makes an air strike assassinating DFLP military cmdr. Ibrahim Abu Olba as he walks in Bayt Lahiya, wounding 2 bystanders, including a child; bulldozes land on the Palestinian side of the Nahal Oz crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF blocks 4 buses transporting Palestinian children home from a school outing deep in the West Bank to Azun Atma village (located between the separation wall and the Green Line), firing on angry parents gathered on the village side of the wall awaiting their children’s return, wounding 4, arresting 2, and imposing a curfew on the village until the morning of 4/15, when the buses are allowed to pass. The IDF also demolishes a Palestinian home in Anata in East Jerusalem, displacing 10 Palestinians (including 4 children); conducts arrest raids, house searches during the day nr. Salfit and late at night in Hebron, nr. Jenin. Jewish settlers gather nr. the Hawara checkpoint s. of Nablus, stone Palestinian vehicles, causing no injuries; the IDF does not intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad uproot 30 Palestinian almond trees in nearby al-Til. (OCHA 3/16; PCHR 4/17)

In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on the Gaza City home of AMB cmdr. Muhammad Hijazi in what may be a failed assassination attempt, missing the building and hitting a neighboring home, injuring a Palestinian woman; bulldozes land along the border fence e. of Dayr al-Balah, Jabaliya r.c. Also in Jabaliya r.c., 2 Hamas mbrs. are seriously injured, 1 Palestinian teenager is killed when explosives they are handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a curfew on, patrols in Hawara nr. Nablus, withdrawing in the evening but not lifting the curfew. During the curfew, local Jewish settlers enter the village and vandalize Palestinian homes. The IDF also raids, searches the Hebron home of PC mbr. Nayif al-Rajub (among those Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. detained by Israel as well as the religious affairs minister in Haniyeh’s original cabinet); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., and in Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad nr. Qalqilya stone Palestinian cars driving past the settlement, causing damage to several but no injuries. (OCHA 3/16; PCHR 4/17)

In Gaza, the IDF bulldozes 24 d. of olive groves and a small Gaza police outpost nr. al-Maghazi r.c. Egyptian border police discover, demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Anata nr. Jerusalem; occupies a Palestinian home nr. Jenin as a military outpost; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm and in al-Bireh (raiding and searching the municipal building, rounding up 2 municipal employees fr. their homes and bringing them to the offices to log onto password-protected computers), Ramallah (raiding the chamber of commerce offices), Jericho. The Israeli Housing Min. presents Olmert with a proposal for construction of 1,900 new Jewish settler housing units across the West Bank in 2008: 682 units in Beitar Ilit nr. Bethlehem, 510 units in Givat Ze’ev n. of Jerusalem, 302 units in Ma’ale Adumim e. of Jerusalem, 160 units in Binyamin settlement n. of Jerusalem, 158 units in Efrat nr. Bethlehem, and 48 units each in Ariel nr. Salfit and Kiryat Arba in Hebron. Palestinians throw stones at Jewish settler vehicles nr. Nablus; the settlers respond by shooting, killing 3 Palestinian sheep nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya stone Palestinian vehicles driving nearby, causing no reported injuries. PA security forces impose a night curfew on Kafr Thuluth nr. Qalqilya to prevent clashes btwn. feuding families (the curfew is still in place as of 4/8). (PCHR 4/3; OCHA, PCHR 4/9)

In the West Bank, the IDF enters Azun nr. Qalqilya, imposes a curfew, fires on residential areas (wounding 1 Palestinian), searching several homes but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. (breaking into the offices of an Islamic charity, confiscating a computer, documents), nr. Nablus. For a 2d day, Jewish settlers in Hebron vandalize Palestinian property and attack local Palestinians; the IDF observes but does not intervene. (OCHA 3/26; PCHR 3/27)

IDF troops on the Gaza border fire on agricultural areas along the border nr. alQarara, killing a Palestinian farmer; bulldoze land on the Palestinian side of the Qarni crossing. On the Rafah border, 2 smuggling tunnels collapse, killing 1 Palestinian, injuring 3. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in 3 villages s. of Hebron to build a settlers-only bypass road and possibly to expand Susia settlement; patrols in al-Bireh and Ramallah, spot-checking Palestinian IDs; enters Beita nr. Nablus, imposes a curfew, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding and arresting 1 Palestinian, arresting a 2d; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, Jenin town and r.c., Nablus. (OCHA 3/26; PCHR 3/27)