The Palestine Chronology

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the c. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF raids 2 school yards nr. Hebron and Jenin in the morning, detaining 2 Palestinian teenagers for throwing stones at passing soldiers; conducts latenight patrols in Jayyus village nr. Qalqilya and in Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. and nr. Bethlehem and Hebron. Palestinian, Israeli, and French activists demonstrate against the separation wall nr. Bil‘in village and the Qalandia checkpoint into Jerusalem; the IDF fires tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and stun grenades at the protesters (causing no serious injuries) and arrests 9 French activists and a Palestinian press photographer. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad settlement nr. Qalqilya vandalize a Palestinian water well and agricultural plot nearby. (PCHR 12/30; OCHA 12/31)

Ecuador recognizes Palestine as a state based on 1967 borders. (YA 12/25)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket, 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF makes at least 5 air strikes on central and s. Gaza, hitting 3 smuggling tunnels and an IQB target, injuring 3 IQB mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF sets up a checkpoint outside Nabi Salih village nr. Ramallah, searching Palestinian vehicles and firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, moderately wounding 1 Palestinian teenager; conducts afternoon patrols in villages nr. Jenin, Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm and a village nr. Jenin. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some areas) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 4 Palestinians and 1 Israeli journalist were injured, and 1 Palestinian and 3 Israelis are arrested. (JP 12/24; AP, AFP, JP 12/25; IDFS 12/26; PCHR 12/30; OCHA 12/31)

In a major speech to the Saban Center in Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Clinton says the admin. has concluded that talks on extending the Israeli settlement freeze would come to nothing and opted to revive shuttle missions between the Israeli and Palestinian sides, trying to get them to discuss all core issues simultaneously and offering U.S. bridging proposals when appropriate. She says U.S. special envoy George Mitchell will return to the region within days to begin work. (NYT 12/11; HA 12/14)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials, wounding 3 in 3 separate instances (1 in the demolished Erez industrial zone and 2 in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites). IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on agricultural areas nr. Khuza‘a village, wounding a Palestinian teenager 800 m fr. the border. In Gaza City’s Shuja‘iya neighborhood, 2 Palestinian teenagers are killed when they accidentally trigger unexploded IDF UXO. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts early morning arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron; conducts patrols in al-Naqura village twice during the day (mid-morning and late at night) and in 5 villages nr. Qalqilya (late at night). Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some areas) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Bayt Umar, and Dayr Nizam/Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 2 Palestinians are injured and 1 Israeli, 1 American, and 1 German are arrested. (PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

As the Mount Carmel fire spreads, Netanyahu accepts assistance fr. the PA, which sends 13 firefighters and several fire trucks to help extinguish blazes nr. the Israeli Palestinian towns of Taibeh and Barta‘a; many other countries also send firefighters and equipment. Meanwhile, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the demolished fmr. settlement sites nr. the northern border, injuring 1. Late in the evening, IDF troops on the c. Gaza border e. of Dayr al-Balah fire on armed Palestinians operating nr. the border fence, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages n. and e. of Qalqilya during the day; conducts late-night patrols in Bayt Liqia nr. Ramallah (without incident) and Jenin r.c. (firing stun grenades, causing no injuries); conducts late-night house searches nr. Jenin. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some areas) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 2 Palestinians are moderately injured, several are beaten, and 10s suffer tear gas inhalation. (YA 12/3; NYT 12/4; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10)

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)

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)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the former settlement sites, wounding 1. Also in Gaza, 10,000s of Palestinians turn out for a rally commemorating Islamic Jihad’s 23d anniversary. Addressing the crowd by telephone from Damascus, the movement’s head, Abdallah Shallah, denounces the PA for having resumed direct talks with Israel, calls any formal agreement with Israel “forbidden religiously and politically,” and says the duty of all Palestinians should be to “eliminate” Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in and around Tulkarm twice during the day, making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 7 Palestinians are moderately injured. Jewish settlers from Shvut Rachel settlement nr. Ramallah, who have leveled 280 d. of adjacent Palestinian agricultural land since 10/24, place 9 new mobile homes on the cleared plot, effectively expanding the settlement. (NYT 10/30; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

Gaza municipal officials are forced to shut down 1 of 2 turbines at Gaza’s power plant; rolling blackouts spike from 4–6 hrs./day to 16 hrs./day. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the demolished industrial zone, wounding 1. In the West Bank, Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, al-Ma‘sara nr. Bethlehem, and Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters and occupy 1 Palestinian home in Nabi Salih as an observation post; 10s of demonstrators suffer tear gas inhalation, 2 Palestinians and 3 international activists are arrested (the internationals are quickly released), and a Palestinian home in Nabi Salih is set on fire by a tear gas canister. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim settlement nr. Qalqilya vandalize nearby Palestinian homes and a cemetery, spraying graffitti on buildings threatening Palestinians to leave the area or face attack and on gravestones saying: “Here lies the Palestinian state.” (PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

In his first statement since the 10/8 Arab League decision, Netanyahu, at the opening of the fall session of the Knesset, publicly offers a “limited” extension of its partial settlement freeze if the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. Abbas rejects this as a key concession that Israel seeks as a basis to reject Palestinian refugees’ right of return to their homes in Israel, noting that the PLO formally recognized the State of Israel in an exchange of letters before signing the 1993 Oslo Accord. The State Dept. suggests that Abbas make a counter offer to keep the process going. (AFP, NYT, WP 10/11; AFP, HA 10/12)

Meanwhile, Israel’s ministerial comm. on legislation sends a bill to the Knesset for a second reading that would require a national referendum before any territory could be ceded in a peace agreement. (JTA, NYT 10/11)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, IDF undercover units make an incursion into Silwan in East Jerusalem, arresting 4 Palestinian boys (ages 12–13), firing rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, seriously wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy; all 4 boys arrested are released on 10/12. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. An Israeli military court sentences Abdullah Abu Rahma, head of the Popular Committee Against the Wall in the West Bank village of Bil‘in who organizes the weekly demonstrations against the separation wall, to 1 year in jail (including time served) and a $1,250 fine; Abu Rahma was arrested in 12/09 and convicted in 8/2010 of incitement and participating in illegal demonstrations. PA PM Salam Fayyad holds a groundbreaking ceremony to inaugurate a new agroindustrial park in the Jordan Valley, which is expected to create 10,000 new Palestinian jobs. (JTA 10/12; Israel National News, WT 10/13; PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15; Irish Times 10/21; UNSCO 10/22)

Mitchell ends a 2-day shuttle mission between Netanyahu and Abbas in a failed effort to secure an understanding on settlements and the future of direct talks. He leaves to tour the Arab states to urge them to endorse a continuation of direct talks at the upcoming Arab League session, now set for 10/8. (NYT, WP 10/2; AP 10/3)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the evacuated settlement sites nr. Bayt Hanun and briefly make an incursion into the area, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and a 13-yr.-old Palestinian is lightly injured. (PCHR 10/7; OCHA 10/8)

On the evening of the settlement freeze expiration on 9/26, Clinton meets with Abbas in Washington to brief him for the first time on the Israeli-U.S. negotiations over a U.S. incentives package (see 9/20) and urges him not to walk away from direct talks immediately if Netanyahu allows the freeze to expire before a deal can be reached. (NYT 9/26) (see Quarterly Update for details) Clashes in and around Issawiyya between Israeli security forces and stonethrowing Palestinian youths continue for a 3d day. Off Gaza’s n. coast, Israeli naval vessels fire on a Palestinian fishing boat, killing 1 Palestinian fisherman. Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. n. Gaza toward Israel but it lands inside the Strip, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in ‘Anin village nr. Jenin in the afternoon without incident. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 4 Palestinians are moderately injured (including 1 hit in the leg by live ammunition). (YA 9/21; JP 9/24; WP 9/25; PCHR 9/30; OCHA 10/1)

Overnight, the IDF carries out 7 air strikes on Gaza (3 on Rafah tunnels and 4 on Hamas targets: 2 in Gaza City, 1 each on Bayt Hanun and Dayr al-Balah) and fires 6 tank shells across the border at Bayt Hanun in retaliation for recent Palestinian rocket and mortar fire, injuring 2 Hamas mbrs. In response, unidentified Palestinians fire another Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in villages nr. Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm, checking Palestinian IDs but making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation, 1 Palestinian is moderately injured. (JP, YA 9/10; AFP 9/12; PCHR 9/16; OCHA 9/17)

The Israeli human rights group Peace Now issues an 8-mo. assessment of Israel’s temporary settlement construction freeze documenting that: (1) construction of at least 600 housing units in over 60 different settlements has begun during the freeze, with at least 492 of those units being constructed in direct violation of the freeze; (2) some 2,000 housing units started before the freeze was implemented on 11/26/09 are currently under construction; and (3) new construction starts during the freeze constitute approximately half of the normal settlement construction pace. (Peace Now press release 8/2)

Unidentified assailants fire 5–7 modified Grad-type rockets apparently fr. the Egyptian desert toward the Aqaba-Elat resort; 1 rocket lands harmlessly nr. the entrance to the Israeli resort town, 2 land inside Jordan (1 harmlessly, the other striking a taxi outside the InterContinental hotel in Aqaba, killing 1 Jordanian and wounding 3), 2 land in the Red Sea. Israel believes the rockets were all intended to strike Elat and calls Hamas “responsible” for the rocket fire; Hamas denies involvement. (JP 8/2; YT 8/3; WT 8/4; KUNA 8/5; HA 8/6; JPI, OCHA 8/13)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authority approves construction of 40 settlement housing units in Pisgat Ze’ev settlement in East Jerusalem. In the West Bank, the IDF dismantles and confiscates a Palestinian irrigation network nr. Hebron; patrols in 2 villages nr. Salfit at midday, making no arrests; arrests 3 Palestinian children (ages 13–14) nr. the separation wall nr. Bil‘in; sends undercover units in Jafna village nr. Ramallah late in the evening, raiding 2 Internet cafes and arresting 1 Palestinian; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Qalqilya. In Gaza, unidentified Palestinians apparently mishandle explosives in a home in Dayr al-Balah, triggering an explosion that injures 58 Palestinians (including 13 children, 9 women) and damages several surrounding homes. (AP 8/3; PCHR 8/5)

IQB mbrs. fire 1 manufactured Grad rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, striking nr. Ashqelon, causing damage but no injuries, marking a serious escalation; the last time Ashqelon was hit by Palestinian rocket fire was in 2/09. Several hrs. later, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF carries out 3 air strikes targeting a training camp for the Hamas-affiliated police in Gaza City (wounding 5 policemen and 16 bystanders, damaging 30 surrounding buildings) and smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border (causing no reported injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Liqya village nr. Ramallah at midday without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in (a 45- mbr. Spanish delegation and a 30-mbr. German delegation take part), Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation and arresting 1 Palestinian and 1 international activist. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha nr. Nablus set fire to 100 olive trees and large tracks of agricultural land; IDF soldiers initially fire tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian civil defense workers who attempt to put out the fire, but finally let the firefighters pass more than half an hour later, after the PA liaison dept. intervenes. (HA, JP, YA 7/30; HA, NYT, WP 7/31; IFM, MEZ 8/1; PCHR 8/5; OCHA 8/13)

Obama phones Abbas to urge him to agree to begin direct negotiations with Israel. Abbas reiterates demands for a comprehensive settlement freeze including East Jerusalem and assurances that all final status issues will be discussed. (White House press release 7/9; WJW 7/15)

In Gaza, unidentified assailants break into the Palestinian Liaison Office on the Gaza side of the Erez crossing, stealing copies of medical referral documents and communications equipment used to coordinate transit through the crossing with the Israeli Liaison Office on the Israeli side. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized evening patrols in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm, making no arrests; patrols in a 4th village nr. Tulkarm late at night, making no arrests. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 2 Palestinians, and arresting 1 Palestinian, 1 Israeli, 1 international activist. (PCHR 7/15; OCHA 7/16)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction goods in the fmr. settlement sites nr. the border, causing no injuries. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, 3 Palestinians injured, 6 Palestinians (including 1 journalist) and 3 Israelis under arrest (all are released by 6/20). A Jewish settler driving nr. Hebron stops his car and beats a Palestinian teenager unconscious with an iron bar, leaving him on the side of the road, where he is found and transported to a hospital by a passing Palestinian. (PCHR 6/24; OCHA 6/25)

Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. The IDF retaliates with 5 air strikes on the Dahaniyya airport site (hitting previously destroyed buildings, causing no injuries) and on a suspected weapons factory in the al-Zaytun neighborhood of Gaza City (destroying it but causing no injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF partly opens Route 443 between Jerusalem and Ramallah to Palestinian traffic for the 1st time in 8 yrs., but Palestinians will still have to go through several checkpoints and will not be allowed to take the road all the way into Ramallah (see Quarterly Update in JPS 155 for background). Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring at least 2 Palestinians, and arresting 4 Israelis. Jewish settlers fr. the unauthorized outpost of Beit Yonatan nr. Silwan retaliating for the 5/25 Jerusalem District Court decision harass a group of Palestinian women, sparking a stone throwing clash between the settlers and local Palestinians; the IDF intervenes, firing tear gas and beating back the Palestinians, including a pregnant Palestinian woman who miscarries as a result. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron nr. Qalqilya stone Palestinian vehicles on the Qalqilya–Nablus road, breaking the windows of 1 car, injuring 4 Palestinians. (YA 5/28; NYT, WP 5/29; JP 5/30; PCHR 6/3; OCHA 6/4)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fatally shoot 2 armed Palestinian teenagers who infiltrate the border fence nr. Abasan; the IDF claims they are mbrs. of Hamas’s armed-wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB). The IDF sends troops 800 m into Abasan to raze a Palestinian house under construction, a poultry farm, and 2 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of agricultural land planted with olive and palm trees to clear lines of site. Later, IDF troops and armed Palestinians exchange fire across the Gaza border, leaving 1 IDF soldier wounded. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall and land confiscations in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin nr. Ramallah, Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih in the north central West Bank, and Bayt Jala and al-Ma‘sara nr. Bethlehem. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving scores suffering tear gas inhalation, injuring 5 Palestinians, and arresting 11 Israelis and internationals (including an Israeli journalist). (NYT 5/22; OCHA, PCHR 5/27)

In Jerusalem, Israeli police inform 4 PC mbrs. fr. the Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform party—Khalid Abu ‘Arafa, Muhammad Abu Tir, Ahmad Atwan, and Muhammad Totah (all arrested in 6/06 as part of Israel’s round-up of Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs. and recently released after completing their sentences)— that Israel’s High Court has upheld a 9/09 ruling revoking their permanent Jerusalem residency status because their participation in 1/06 Palestinian elections constituted disloyalty to the state, warning that they will be deported to Gaza if they do not leave Jerusalem voluntarily (Abu Tir by 6/19, the others by 7/3). (NYT 5/22; PCHR 5/27; PCHR 6/7)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Jabaliya fatally shoot an unarmed 76-yr.- old Palestinian man fr. Bayt Lahiya as he deliberately walks toward the border fence; family mbrs. cannot explain his actions but say he did not have mental problems. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 1 Palestinian journalist is arrested); fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at Palestinian, international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in weekly protests against the wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation). (WP 5/15; OCHA, PCHR 5/20)

Egyptian naval forces fire on a Palestinian fishing boat fr. Gaza that strays nr. Egyptian territorial waters, killing 1 Palestinian fisherman, wounding 3. The UN reports that 1 Palestinian has been killed in a tunnel collapse on the Rafah border since 5/4. Israel’s Peace Now reports that construction has begun of 14 new Jewish homes in Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem. The PA informs the U.S., calling the construction a violation of Israel’s pledges at the start of proximity talks. Israel says the homes are being built privately and the government has no authority to stop it. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bayt Umar village in the afternoon, firing live ammunition at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, wounding 1; makes a late-night raid on a Palestinian home in Bil‘in, summoning 1 resident for interrogation; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit, arresting 11 Palestinian teenagers. Israel’s Jerusalem municipality orders Palestinian business owners to evacuate a 3 d. plot of land nr. the U.S. consulate, saying it is state-owned land; the order is not immediately enforced. (OCHA, PCHR, WJW 5/13)

IDF troops make an incursion into the no-go zone e. of Gaza City and are immediately fired upon by armed Palestinians, sparking an exchange in which 1 armed Palestinian is killed. In the West Bank, the IDF raids, searches a Palestinian home in al-Walajah village nr. Bethlehem at midday, arresting 3 Palestinians; fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in and against settlement expansion in Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (10s suffer tear gas inhalation at both locations); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, protesting the separation wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation). Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Nablus set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Jinsafut village. (OCHA, PCHR 4/22)

In response to recent escalating rocket and mortar fire, IDF warplanes and helicopters carry out 7 early morning air strikes on 2 caravans nr. Khan Yunis (no injuries), a cheese factory in Gaza City (injuring 3 Palestinian children nearby), and a metal foundry in Nussayrat r.c. (no injuries) that Israel claims were weapons factories and arms depots, warning of broader retaliation if rocket attacks continue. The U.S. urges both sides to display restraint. Hrs. later, Hamas issues a statement saying it is working with Gaza factions to reimpose the cease-fire with Israel before it escalates out of control, but also condemns the Israeli air strikes for aggravating the situation and calls on the international community to press Israel to keep retaliation in check. (Salafist groups opposed to Hamas refuse to participate in the ceasefire.) In the West Bank, Palestinians stone a settler vehicle outside Hawara village nr. Nablus, causing it to crash (no word on injuries); the IDF sends troops into Hawara in pursuit of the stone throwers, arresting 1 Palestinian. The IDF also fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in nonviolent weekly demonstrations against the separation wall and settlement expansion in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 1 Israeli is arrested), Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (3 Palestinians injured), al-Ma‘sara (where only Palestinians demonstrated; 4 injured), and Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. (AFP, JAZ, NYT, YA 4/2; NYT, WP 4/3; YA 4/7; PCHR 4/8; OCHA 4/15)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on armed Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. the border fence e. of Khan Yunis. When Palestinians return fire, the troops enter the Strip in pursuit, triggering at least 1 buried device and drawing Palestinian mortar fire, which prompts the IDF to move several tanks and armed bulldozers into Gaza, shelling areas outside Khan Yunis. The exchange leaves 2 armed Palestinians, 1 Palestinian bystander, and 2 IDF soldiers dead and 3 IDF soldiers and 6 Palestinians (including at least 2 civilians, one a 13-yr.-old boy) wounded, marking the 1st deadly exchange of fire in Gaza since OCL ended on 1/18/09. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Islamic Jihad, and a group calling itself Palestinian Taliban (believed to be a radical Salafist splinter group opposed to Hamas) claim their fighters were involved in the initial border incident; the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades claims responsibility for ambushing and firing mortars at IDF troops once they entered Gaza, causing the IDF casualties. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly demonstrations against the separation wall and settlement expansion in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 1 Israeli is arrested), Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (2 Palestinians injured), and Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation). (JP 3/27; WP 3/28; OCHA, PCHR 4/1; PCHR 4/8)

Overnight, the IDF carries out 6 air strikes on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, 2 open areas nr. Khan Yunis, and a metal workshop in Gaza City in retaliation for the fatal 3/18 rocket strike; 2 Palestinian civilians are wounded in Rafah. After unidentified Palestinians fire another Qassam rocket into Israel during the day (causing no damage or injuries), the IDF carries out air strikes on a Hamas facility nr. Dahaniyya airport (11 Palestinians injured) and on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border (injuring 14). In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists staging nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation), Budrus village nr. Ramallah (1 Palestinian injured; 3 Palestinians, including 2 journalists arrested), Dayr Nizam/ al-Nabi Salih (11 Palestinians injured), and Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); protesters in Ni‘lin throw stones at IDF troops, but the other demonstrations are nonviolent. Palestinians also demonstrate against the separation wall at the Qalandia checkpoint, setting fire to tires and throwing stones and bottles at IDF troops, who respond with rubber-coated steel-bullets, injuring 3 and arresting 1. The IDF also carries out late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalandia r.c. nr. Ramallah. Jewish settlers burn a wooded area of Palestinian land nr. Bet Ayn settlement nr. Hebron. (JP, NYT, YA 3/19; HA, WP 3/20; OCHA, PCHR 3/25)

At a meeting in Moscow, the Quartet issues a strong statement “condemning” Israel’s Ramat Shlomo construction plan, “recalling that the annexation of East Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community,” and reiterating that Israel was obligated irrespective of Palestinian reciprocity to “freeze all settlement activity, including natural growth, dismantle outposts erected since March 2001; and to refrain from demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem.” (WP 3/19, 3/20; NYT 3/21)

In a 45-min. phone conversation, U.S. secy. of state Hillary Clinton sharply rebukes Netanyahu for the 3/9 Ramat Shlomo construction approval, demanding that Israel prove its desire to seek peace by revoking the plans, stating that the U.S. viewed his apology for the timing of the announcement alone as inadequate. She lists several additional steps the U.S. expects Israel to take to support the peace process and warns of consequences if Israel does not comply; no details are made public (State Dept. press release 3/12; WP 3/13; HA 3/15)

The IDF makes a day-long incursion 200 m into Gaza e. of Jabaliya, later moving s. toward Gaza City, to level land along the border fence to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire on Palestinians scavenging construction materials from destroyed buildings, forcing them to flee, causing no injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF makes air strikes on a suspected weapons lab in Khan Yunis in retaliation for Palestinian rocket fire on 3/11, causing no reported injuries; Israeli naval vessels fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the Bayt Lahiya coast, forcing it to return to shore. Israel, fearing serious Palestinian protests after Friday prayers over the 3/9 Ramat Shlomo construction approval, imposes a general closure on the West Bank through 3/16 and deploys extra units of riot police around Jerusalem; no violence is reported. In an effort to halt weekly Palestinian protests against the separation wall, the IDF issues a military order declaring Bil‘in and Ni‘lin closed military zones on Fridays until 8/17. Today the order is ignored: Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists stage a nonviolent march to the separation wall in Bil‘in and a protest against the wall in Ni‘lin, where some of them throw stones at IDF troops. In both cases, IDF troops fire rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas (injuring 2 Palestinians in Bil‘in; arresting 1 Palestinian, 1 Israeli in Ni‘lin). The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists staging a nonviolent protest against settlement expansion nr. Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (injuring 18); fires stun grenades and beats Palestinian and international activists demonstrating against the separation wall in al-Ma‘sara village s. of Bethlehem (injuring 2 Palestinians). Jewish settlers fr. Eli nr. Nablus uproot 40 Palestinian olive trees in nearby Qaryut village. (YA 3/12; OCHA, PCHR 3/18)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists (including Palestinian Authority [PA] PM Salam Fayyad, PA communications advisor Sabri Saydam, Fatah Central Comm. mbr. Nabil Shaath, PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Taysir Khalid, Palestinian National Initiative party head Mustafa Barghouti, and the mayor of Geneva), some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in a nonviolent march to the separation wall in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian and international activists, some of whom throw stones at IDF troops, taking part in protests against the separation wall in Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades at Palestinians staging a nonviolent march to land located between Dayr Nizam and al-Nabi Salih recently confiscated for the expansion of Halamish settlement (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts late-night patrols in Rumana village w. of Jenin. Hamas accuses Fatah of links to the 1/20/10 assassination of Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades founder Mahmud al-Mabhuh, saying that 2 Palestinian suspects in custody in Dubai in connection with the assassination, Anwar Shhaybar and Ahmad Hassanayn, were former Fatah security officers and current employees of a senior Fatah official. Fatah denies the accusation. (NYT 2/20; PCHR 2/24; OCHA 2/25)

Early in the morning, IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City open fire and direct artillery strikes on armed Palestinians operating nr. Juhur al-Dik village, killing 1 armed Palestinian and hitting a Palestinian home and lightly injuring 3 girls (ages 5–12), then making a brief incursion 400 m into the area. Around the same time, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya make a brief incursion to arrest 6 Palestinians collecting scrap material fr. destroyed homes and a brick factory nr. the border (they are released after 12 hrs. of questioning). Several hrs. later, the IDF makes an air strike on Gaza killing Islamic Jihad mbr. Faris Jabir, who Israel claims was part of a squad preparing an attack on the Qarni border crossing. (Palestinians notably do not claim his death as an assassination.) In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 6 wells and 5 agricultural storehouses nr. the separation wall northwest of Hebron, confiscating electrical generators and irrigation equipment. Two yrs. after Israel’s High Court ruled that a section of the separation wall in Bil‘in must be rerouted, the IDF begins work to move the barrier; residents welcome the change but stress that it falls far short of their demands that the wall be removed altogether. (NYT, WT 2/12; NYT 2/13; OCHA, PCHR 2/18)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, the IDF carries out 6 air strikes on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border and abandoned buildings at the destroyed Dahaniyya airport site, causing no reported injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the s. Gaza coast, then deploy small Zodiac boats to chase some fishermen, destroying or confiscating their nets. A smuggling tunnel collapses on the Rafah border killing 1 Palestinian civilian, injuring 3. The UN reports that since 1/27, another 2 Palestinians have been killed in tunnel incidents (1 in a collapse, 1 by electrocution). In the West Bank, the IDF enters Khirbat Jabara village s. of Tulkarm in the morning, sealing the village, checking IDs, and stopping 10s of vehicles; troops withdraw in the evening, without making any arrests; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in (targeting individuals involved in demonstrations against the separation wall) and Nablus. The UN reports that since 1/27, the IDF has removed 24 obstacles to Palestinian travel in Hebron district (21 earthen mounds, 2 road blocks, 1 locked gate), noticeably improving Palestinian movement along Route 60 (550 manned and unmanned barriers are still in place across the West Bank). (HA, NYT, WP, YA 2/3; OCHA, PCHR 2/4)

PA PM Fayyad gives a major address at Israel’s annual Herzliya policy conference. Fayyad’s 30-min. speech aims to explain the Palestinian historical narrative and stresses the need for a “political horizon” for Palestinian statehood. Israeli DM Barak addresses the same panel, focusing his comments on regional security threats. Both stress the importance of a 2-state solution, with Barak stating that Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state par excellence” if it does not accept Palestinian statehood. (WP 2/3; Ma’ariv 2/5)

In Gaza, Hamas officials confirm that 1 Hamas mbr. was killed and 3 injured in an explosion in n. Gaza caused by mishandled explosives. In the West Bank, the IDF raids an elementary school in Bayt Za‘ta and several homes in al-‘Arub r.c., both n. of Hebron, questioning children regarding stone-throwing at IDF jeeps operating in the area, arresting 2 children (ages 14 and 17) in al-‘Arub r.c.; makes an incursion into al-Bireh in the evening, surrounding a mosque and checking the IDs of worshipers, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin (arresting Palestinian organizers of the weekly demonstrations against the separation wall) and nr. Hebron, Tubas. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad attack Palestinian farmers working their nearby land. (NYT 1/12; OCHA 1/13; PCHR 1/14)

Overnight, in retaliation for the 1/7 Grad strike nr. Ashqelon, the IDF makes air strikes on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border (killing 3 Palestinians, including a 15-yr.-old boy, and wounding 2), suspected weapons factories in the Shaykh Ajlin and al-Zaytun neighborhoods of Gaza City (causing no injuries but marking the 1st Israeli air strikes on Gaza City since OCL), and sites in al-Qarara in s. Gaza (initially hitting an open area, damaging a house; then targeting and destroying 2 other Palestinian homes, whose residents had fled after the initial strike close by; no injuries reported). During the day, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 more rockets toward Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at stonethrowing Palestinians and nonviolent international (and, in the case of Bil‘in, Israeli) activists taking part in protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 2 Palestinians) and Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts latenight house searches in al-Fara‘a r.c. and nr. Jenin, making no arrests. (JP 1/8; NYT 1/9; OCHA 1/13; PCHR 1/14)