The Palestine Chronology

In 4 separate instances, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, wounding 5. In the West Bank, IDF troops and intelligence units raid the homes of 3 local Islamic Jihad leaders in Jenin to “discuss the current political situation” and to question them on their recent detention by PA security forces (PASF); also raid and search the Dura home of elected Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Shaykh Nayif Mahmud al-Rajub; conducts late-night house searches nr. Bethlehem. The IDF also demolishes a printing press in Issawiyya nr. Jerusalem, firing rubbercoated steel bullets and tear gas and beating stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, seriously injuring 1, lightly injuring 8. (PCHR 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authorities approve zoning of land in East Jerusalem to accommodate construction of 130 new housing units in Gilo settlement. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians and international activists staging a nonviolent march to the Erez crossing to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone inside the Gaza border; no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF releases Palestinians arrested on 11/24 for organizing weekly demonstrations outside Karme Tzur, forcing them to sign pledges that they will stay away fr. the settlement; conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 2 nr. Tulkarm. (WP 11/30; PCHR, WJW 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

Israel allows Gazans to export 2.4 tons of strawberries and 25,000 cut flowers, marking Gaza’s first exports since 4/2010; exports of these commodities are permitted through the end of the quarter. In 3 separate incidents, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in fmr. settlement sites and the demolished Erez industrial zone, wounding 3. Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in and around Salfit and in 4 villages nr. Jenin, 3 nr. Qalqilya, and 2 nr. Tulkarm during the day; conducts late-night patrols in Qalqilya; and conducts late-night arrest raids and house searches nr. Bethlehem and Salfit. (AFP, JP 11/28; WP 11/29; PCHR 12/2; OCHA 12/3; NYT 12/17)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites and in the demolished Erez industrial zone, wounding 2. IDF troops on the Bayt Lahiya coast fire on Palestinian fishing boats off shore, wounding 1 fisherman. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Tulkarm, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them in 1 incident, causing no reported casualties; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. (PCHR 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire 3 Qassam rockets and 1 manufactured Grad rocket fr. Gaza into Israel; the Qassams land harmlessly (1 inside Gaza, 2 in Israel), while the Grad strikes nr. a cattle farm, causing damage and injuring some livestock. In the afternoon, unidentified Palestinians fire 3 mortars into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Later in the afternoon, the Popular Resistance Comms. (PRCs; an umbrella group comprising all Gaza factions) fire another 4 mortars into Israel containing white phosphorous scavenged fr. unexploded IDF ordnance (UXO), causing no damage or injuries. Israel files an official complaint with the UN over the serious escalation and retaliates in the evening with 4 air strikes in and around Bani Suhayla village s. of Khan Yunis, targeting and destroying an Islamic Jihad training site, 1 Palestinian home, and an agricultural storehouse, causing heavy collateral damage to another 2d home, and injuring 6 Palestinian civilians (including children ages 2 and 14). Late at night, 2 more air strikes destroy a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. Meanwhile, in the morning, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the abandoned settlement sites nr. the border, wounding 1. Late at night, IDF troops make an incursion 1,500 m into al-Shuka in s. Gaza, firing on residential areas to keep Palestinians in their homes, monitoring the area, and withdrawing after 3 hrs.; IDF troops on the s. Gaza border open heavy fire on the demolished Dahaniyya airport site, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam nr. Ramallah. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 5 Palestinians lightly injured (3 by tear gas canisters, 1 by a rubber-coated steel bullet) and 10s suffering tear gas inhalation. (JP, REU, YA 11/19; WP, YA 11/20; PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. operating 700 m fr. the border (well beyond Israel’s self-declared 300-m deep no-go zone), wounding 1. Palestinians (possibly AOI mbrs.) fire 3 mortars and 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Jinsafut village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon. (JP, MNA, YA 11/18; PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu briefs his security cabinet on the latest incentives package offered by the U.S. in exchange for a 90-day settlement construction freeze aimed at jumpstarting the peace process, which has been stalled since 9/2010. (WP, NYT, WT 11/18)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car driving in Gaza City, assassinating Army of Islam (AOI) cmdr. Islam Yasin and killing his brother Muhammad Yasin (also a mbr. of AOI—a radical Islamist group at odds with Hamas). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya in the morning and in Tulkarm late at night; conducts synchronized incursions into 2 villages nr. Nablus, searching homes but making no arrests. (NYT 11/18; PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

As the quarter opens, Israel maintains a tight siege of Gaza aimed at unseating the governing Hamas authority, in control since 6/2007. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforce a 300-meter-deep no-go zone inside the full length of the Gaza border and limits the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m off the immediate Bayt Lahiya (northern) and Rafah (southern) coasts, and 3 nautical miles elsewhere—restrictions that placed 17% of Gaza’s total landmass, including 35% of its viable agricultural areas, and 85% of the maritime areas allocated under the Oslo accords off limits to Palestinians. In the West Bank, governed by the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA), Israel’s easing of restrictions on Palestinian movement between major population centers (which began in summer 2009) continues, and IDF operations are relatively low. Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a homemade Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight patrols without incident in Imatim village nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad settlement burn 42 Palestinian olive trees nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Bet Ayn nr. Hebron set fire to 20 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of Palestinian olive and almond groves. (JP 11/16; PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-‘Araqa village nr. Jenin in the morning, questioning Palestinians on the street and summoning 4 for interrogation; conducts patrols without incident in 3 villages nr. Ramallah and Salfit during the day and in Qabatya nr. Jenin late at night; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. IDF soldiers also make a late-night incursion into Tulkarm where they raid a home and business, confiscating money, personal property, and business assets, saying they are implementing an Israeli court order to confiscate $650,000 that the father of the family (currently jailed in Israel) confessed to receiving from Hamas as compensation for his company, which was destroyed by arson in 6/2007 during rioting over Hamas’s takeover of Gaza. A Jewish settler fr. Einav settlement deliberately runs down a Palestinian roadside vendor nr. Tulkarm, moderately injuring him; the IDF detains the settler at a nearby checkpoint for questioning. (WP 11/15; OCHA 11/24; PCHR 11/25)

In New York, Secy. of State Clinton and Netanyahu meet for 7 hrs. (including at least 2 hrs. one-on-one) to finalize an incentives package and discuss other steps toward reviving peace talks. (NYT, WP 11/12)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border shell an open area and vacant home e. of Abasan village where a group of armed Palestinians were assembling, causing no reported casualties. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Jit village nr. Qalqilya to evacuate and close a secondary school where children were holding an assembly commemorating the 6th anniversary of Yasir Arafat’s death; sends undercover units into Jab‘a village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, raiding a home and detaining 1 Palestinian; patrols in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries; conducts late-night house searches in and around Hebron and in Bil‘in, making no arrests; conducts late night patrols without incident in Tulkarm town and r.c. Jewish settlers stone Palestinian vehicles on the Nablus–Ramallah road. (OCHA 11/24; PCHR 11/25)

Pres. Obama, asked during his trip to Indonesia about his reaction to Israel’s 11/8 construction announcement, states sharply that “this kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotations. I’m concerned that we’re not seeing each side make the extra effort . . . to get a breakthrough. Each of these incremental steps can end up breaking trust.” Hours later, Netanyahu’s office responds saying “Jerusalem is not a settlement. It is the capital of the State of Israel. . . . Israel sees no link between the peace process and its development plans in Jerusalem.” (IFM, Israel Radio News [Internet], MNA, REU 11/9; NYT, WT 11/10)

Israeli tax authorities and border police seal the entrances to the Jerusalem suburb of Issawiyya, checking Palestinians leaving and entering the village and raiding businesses in search of Palestinian tax evaders. Border police fire rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, injuring 19 Palestinian children (ages 10–15); 1 Israeli border policeman is also injured. Also in East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities raid, search 2 Palestinian homes in Silwan, arresting 2 Palestinians. Silwan residents report that in recent weeks, Israeli authorities have stepped up arrests of young Palestinian men in Issawiyya and Silwan, and that Jewish settlers and settlement guards in Silwan have been accosting local Palestinians more frequently, generating almost daily low-grade clashes. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Issawiyya later in the evening; and conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and nearby al-‘Arub r.c., in al-Bireh (searching the home of Palestinian Council secy. Mahmud al-Ramahi, but making no arrests; Ramahi was one of the Hamas-affiliated elected PC mbrs. that Israel arrested after the 2006 capture of Shalit to pressure Hamas but he was recently released; 7 Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. are still jailed by Israel), and nr. Tulkarm. Meanwhile, the IDF makes brief incursions into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Lahiya and c. Gaza e. of al-Maghazi r.c. to bulldoze Palestinian lands along the border fence to clear lines of sight. Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, 1 landing in Israel and 1 inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. OCHA (11/11) reports that in the previous wk., the IDF imposed at least 8 new barriers to Palestinian travel around Hebron. (YA 11/9; NYT 11/10; OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

In retaliation for Israel’s assassination of an AOI mbr. on 11/3, the PRCs fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF makes 2 air strikes destroying a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border (causing no injuries) and hitting a Hamas target in Khan Yunis (lightly injuring 1 Palestinian in a home nearby). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Jenin; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem and neighboring Dahaysha r.c. and nr. Hebron. (AFP, YA 11/6; OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

In the morning, Israeli drones make an air strike on a car driving w. of Gaza City, assassinating Army of Islam (AOI) senior mbr. Muhammad al-Nemnem, wounding 2 bystanders; Israel later accuses Nemnem of involvement in “attacks against Israeli and U.S. targets in the Sinai Peninsula.” The IDF makes a brief incursion into c. Gaza e. of al-Bureij r.c. to level land and clear lines of sight; an Israeli tank fires a shell at the surrounding area, but no damage or injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in al-Yamun village in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Nabi Salih. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces conduct early morning arrest raids, house searches in Silwan, detaining 5 Palestinians (including 4 children ages 13–16). Of note: Israel prevents fmr. PA PM and negotiations adviser Ahmed Qurai‘ from crossing into Jordan via the Allenby crossing, citing a previously unannounced decision by the government that from now on only Pres. Abbas and PM Fayyad would receive special treatment; Israeli security officials say the decision had to do with Qurai‘’s recent statements denouncing Israel’s settlement policy. The PASF for the 1st time arrests a Palestinian for selling goods made in a Jewish settlement, enforcing the PA’s 4/2010 law prohibiting the sale of settlement-produced products (see Quarterly Updates in JPS 156–57); the defendant is jailed in Bethlehem pending trial. (MNA, YA 11/3; NYT, PCHR, UNSCO 11/4; OCHA 11/5; OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinians scavenging for construction materials at a demolished garbage collection center, wounding 1. IDF troops on the s. Gaza border shoot, wound an unarmed Palestinian who strays nr. the border fence e. of Abasan. In the West Bank, the IDF enters Tulkarm in the morning, patrolling streets and photographing the Palestinian Technical College; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities demolish a Palestinian car wash, auto repair shop, and 2 other portable structures in Bayt Hanina. (OCHA reports that another 7 Palestinian structures were demolished in Issawiyya and al-Tur between 10/27 and 11/2.) Meanwhile, at a dedication ceremony in Dahiyat al-Barid (in East Jerusalem but on the Palestinian side of the separation wall), PA PM Fayyad announces that the PA has renovated 15 schools in East Jerusalem in defiance of Israel’s ban on PA activity in East Jerusalem, saying “we are translating steadfastness into facts on the ground.” Fayyad had planned to attend the inauguration of the new schools in Shaykh Jarrah and Shu‘fat as well, but decided not to after Netanyahu pointedly renewed (11/1) his ban on allowing Palestinian leaders to carry out official business in the city and ordered security services to halt the visit if Fayyad proceeded. The Court of First Instance in Gaza sentences a Palestinian man to death by hanging for kidnapping and killing a 9-yr.-old girl in 2004. (JTA, UNSCO 11/2; NYT 11/3; PCHR, WJW 11/4; OCHA 11/5; see also AFP, HA 11/1)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sets up a temporary checkpoint inside Tulkarm, stopping Palestinians to check their IDs, withdrawing without incident; makes a daytime raid on a carpentry shop nr. Salfit, arresting 1 Palestinian; enters Madama village nr. Nablus in the evening, imposing a curfew, ordering shops to close, searching several homes, but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron, escorted by IDF troops, level Palestinian agricultural land (grape vines, almond trees); 70 d. have been leveled in the past 3 wks. (PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)