The Palestine Chronology

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu begins a 2-day visit to Washington to discuss the peace process, Iran, bilateral relations, and Middle East regional affairs, holding his 1st mtg. with U.S. pres. Barack Obama at the White House. Obama privately presses for a total Israeli settlement freeze and endorsement of a 2-state solution, with Netanyahu demurring. The leaders emerge showing no signs of tensions, instead stressing shared goals of preventing Iran fr. developing nuclear weapons and achieving peace btwn. Israel and the Palestinians. (HA, IFM, WP, WT 5/18; NYT, WP, WT 5/19; NYT, WJW 5/21; WP 5/24; NYT 5/29; JPI 6/4; HA 6/11; see also NYT, WP 5/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF makes a rare daytime incursion into al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem, raiding 2 secondary schools while classes are in session, holding the students for several hours while searching for a wanted person; no arrests are made. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.) and 3 villages nr. Hebron. (OCHA 5/20; PCHR 5/21)

A 5th round of Palestinian national unity talks (5/16–18) ends in Cairo without any progress. (Xinhua–New China News Agency 5/18; NYT 5/20)

No incidents of Israeli-Palestinian violence are reported. (OCHA 5/20; PCHR 5/21)

Netanyahu meets with King Abdallah in Amman to promote building a regional coalition against Iran, as well as his idea for economic peace with the Palestinians. (WT 5/15)

In the morning, the IDF raids the Ambassador Hotel in Shaykh Jarrah in East Jerusalem, shuts down a temporary news bureau set up by the Palestinian Media Center to cover the pope’s visit, confiscates documents fr. the news team, and threatens to close the hotel if it allows Palestinian media to work fr. the site again. Late in the evening, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. A PA court in Nablus sentences Hamas mbr. Muhammad Silman Qatanani, arrested by the PA 10 mos. ago on suspicion of illegal possession of weapons and explosives, to 18 mos. in prison for establishing clandestine Hamas cells with the aim of staging a coup against the Abbas government. (OCHA 5/13; PCHR, WJW 5/14)

Netanyahu meets with Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak in Sharm al-Shaykh to promote building a regional coalition against Iran, as well as his idea for economic (as opposed to comprehensive) peace with the Palestinians. (WT 5/11; WP 5/12)