The Palestine Chronology

Nr. the Rafah border in Egypt, Egyptian border police find a major smuggling tunnel stocked with 95 televisions, 7 washing machines, computer equipment, and large quantities of clothes for import to Gaza. In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a curfew on Nahalin village nr. Bethlehem, raids and searches several homes, but makes no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c., nr. Bethlehem. In Gaza City, an Army of Islam mbr. fatally shoots a Hamas-affiliated police officer while resisting arrest. (NYT, OCHA 9/17; PCHR 9/18)

Israel delivers fuel to UNRWA in Gaza to keep UN operations going (see 5/4). The IDF sends troops, bulldozers into Abasan, imposing a curfew, firing on residential areas (causing damage but no injuries), bulldozing 3 d. of land before withdrawing in the afternoon; makes a late-night incursion into Bayt Lahiya to raid and search several homes, arresting 3 Palestinians and remanding them to Israel. Also late at night, IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Bayt Lahiya fire on a group of armed Palestinians nr. the border, killing 1 Hamas mbr., wounding 1. A smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border collapses, killing 1 Palestinian, injuring 4. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron. (WP 5/6; OCHA 5/7; PCHR 5/8)

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)

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)