The Palestine Chronology

With tensions on the Gaza border rising, Hamas secures the pledge of the major Palestinian factions, including Islamic Jihad, to observe the cease-fire Hamas declared in 1/2009 in the wake of OCL. Late in the evening, however, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. An Israeli court hands down a 9-yr. jail sentence to Israeli Palestinian Ameer Makhoul, who pled guilty in 10/2010 to spying on behalf of Hizballah as part of a plea deal. (JP, WP 12/31; PCHR 1/6; OCHA 1/7)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border (deploying tanks and helicopters) exchange fire with Islamic Jihad gunmen in the border area e. of Khan Yunis for several hrs., killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 Palestinian fisherman. Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized afternoon patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin; later patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Ramallah; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists demonstrate against Jewish settlement construction in Hebron, marching to Beit Romano and Avraham Avino settlements; IDF soldiers beat 2 Palestinian demonstrators and arrest 2 internationals and 1 Israeli. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops fence off 600 d. of Palestinian land nr. Missa Ya’ir settlement nr. Hebron. (AFP 12/25; WP, WT 12/27; 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)

AOI mbrs. fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel that lands nr. an empty school nr. Ashqelon, causing light damage and injuring 1 Israeli. In the afternoon, an IDF drone makes a missile strike on a Hamas building in Rafah, injuring 2 IQB mbrs.; an hr. later, Israeli war planes make 3 air strikes on the same site, destroying it but causing no further injuries. IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi warns that the tension along the Gaza border is “fragile and explosive,” adding that while small Palestinian groups seem to be behind the recent rocket fire, Israel will hold Hamas responsible. Meanwhile, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Nu‘man village nr. East Jerusalem’s Har Homa settlement (Jabal Abu Ghunaym), firing tear gas and beating Palestinians who attempt to stop the demolition, moderately injuring 1; the family had already been fined more than $13,500 for building without a permit. IDF troops also patrol in Silat al-Harithiyya nr. Jenin in the afternoon, firing tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them and then raiding several Palestinian homes, summoning 1 Palestinian for questioning. The IDF also conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm and nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian to demolish his own home in Ras al-Amud or pay the government nearly $5,500 for doing the job. Israeli authorities demolish a 2d Palestinian home in Sur Bahir, southeast of Jerusalem; the family had already paid nearly $1,750 for building without a permit. (JP, REU, UPI, YA 12/21; NYT 12/22; OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of al-Bureij r.c. fire artillery shells at 2 Palestinians who stray nr. the border fence, killing them; the IDF prevents the Palestinian Red Crescent Society fr. retrieving their bodies for 2 days. In 2 separate incidents, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, wounding 1. IDF troops also fire at Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tayasir village nr. Tubas. (JP 12/11; PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

Argentina and Uruguay recognize Palestine as “a free and independent state” within the 1967 borders. The Israeli FMin. calls the moves “disappointing” and “regrettable.” (JAZ, YA 12/7)

To mark the anniversary of the founding of their movement, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mbrs. fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires warning shots at an unidentified Palestinian nr. the Qarni crossing into Gaza, causing no reported injures; restricts animal fodder and wheat imports through the crossing for the rest of the week as punishment. The IDF makes an incursion into s. Gaza to level lands along the border fence e. of Khan Yunis, firing on surrounding areas, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 10 residential structures belonging to 15 Palestinian families (101 persons, including 42 children), a school, and 2 other small classroom structures, and at least 17 animal shelters in Khirbat Tana nr. Nablus. The IDF also conducts daytime patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya and 2 e. of Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in Bayt Liqya, firing live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades on stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. In Gaza, a Hamas-affiliated military court sentences 4 Palestinians to death (3 for a 2007 kidnapping and murder; 1 for collaborating with Israel). (JP, MNA 12/6; OCHA 12/8; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10)

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)

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)

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 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)

Israel carries out 2 air strikes on armed Islamic Jihad mbrs. preparing to fire rockets fr. the n. Gaza border area, killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF beats and fires rubber-coated steel bullets at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists conducting a nonviolent march from Bayt Umar village to Karme Tzur settlement outside Hebron to protest land confiscations and settlement expansion, moderately injuring 1 American activist. Jewish settlers fr. Brakha settlement nr. Nablus attack, drive off Palestinians harvesting olives nearby. (WP 10/18; PCHR 10/21; OCHA 10/22)

In a bid to secure the backing of rightwing coalition partners for a package of U.S. guarantees for a short extension of the settlement freeze, Netanyahu proposes legislation that would require those becoming Israeli citizens to pledge a loyalty oath to “the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” as opposed to simply “the State of Israel” as it is now worded. (NYT 10/7, 10/8; WP 10/11)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF retaliates with a late-night air strike on an IQB training site in the Shaykh Ridwan area of Gaza City, destroying a building, damaging 30 surrounding buildings and 3 cars, and injuring 6 Palestinian civilians. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a brief incursion into Tulkarm early in the morning to photograph the entrances of a police station, the local PASF and PA General Intelligence headquarters, and a PASF medical services building, withdrawing without incident; blocks Palestinians from joining a solidarity rally with Jewish settlers outside Bayt Fajjar village (site of a mosque arson on 10/4), sparking clashes between stonethrowing Palestinian youths and soldiers (no serious injuries reported); patrols late at night, without incident in 2 villages n. of Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c. and Zawata village, both nr. Nablus. The Israeli daily Ha’Aretz reports that nearly 350 housing units are currently under construction in West Bank settlements, including 56 in Keddumim nr. Qalqilya, 54 in Ariel n. of Salfit, 56 in Karme Tzur; 24 within Ma’ate Binyamin regional council area (nr. Jerusalem and Ramallah), 34 in Kiryat Arba, and 1 each in Barqan, Dolev, Kefar Adumim, Kochav HaShachar, Oranit, Revava, Sha’are Tikva, Tekoa, and Yakir. (HA, JP 10/6; NYT, PCHR, REU, YA 10/7; PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15)

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)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza toward Israel, but it lands inside the Strip, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in al‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron (detaining 1 Palestinian teenager on charges of throwing stones, releasing him later in the day after his family pays a $400 fine), and nr. Jenin. OCHA reports that 13 Palestinians have been injured in tunnel collapses along the Gaza border since 9/15, not including those injured in Israeli air strikes on 9/15. (YA 9/21; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Israeli DM Ehud Barak comes to the U.S. with a backchannel proposal for Israel to extend its temporary settlement freeze (set to expire on 9/26) for a short period in exchange for rewards and guarantees from the U.S. He shuttles between New York and Washington discussing the proposal with various senior U.S. officials. Separately, Israel’s chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho, Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat arrive in the U.S. for their own meetings with U.S. officials regarding the upcoming expiration of the settlement freeze and the consequences for peace talks. (NYT 9/21; WT 9/22; JPI 10/1)

Israel for the 1st time since 6/07 allows 20 used cars to be imported to Gaza. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, randomly checking Palestinian IDs, but making no arrests; late-night patrols in a village nr. Tulkarm, making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Gilad settlement nr. Qalqilya begin working a Palestinian olive grove near the settlement, telling local Palestinians who challenge them that they purchased the land; they leave when the Palestinian owner arrives. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities stage a predawn raid on several houses in Silwan village, arresting 4 Palestinians. In addition, Jewish settlers seize a Palestinian house in the suburb of Bayt Safafa (home to 20 people), sparking fights between settlers and the Palestinian owners. Israeli police and municipal officials intervene, arresting 2 Palestinians, and issuing an order to demolish the house (not immediately implemented). (JP 9/20; NYT 9/21; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Abbas, Netanyahu, Clinton, and Mitchell continue direct talks at Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, meeting for 2 hrs. They allow a joint photo opportunity but do not address the press. (WP 9/15; NYT, WP, WT 9/16; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Just as the Jerusalem talks begin, Gaza’s PRCs fire 1 rocket and 9 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel (the highest 1-day total since 3/09), causing no damage or injuries. Israeli police claim 2 of the mortars contained white phosphorous and that the rocket, which landed in Ashkelon, appeared to be a manufactured Grad type, rather than a homemade Qassam; the IDF, however, calls the rocket a Qassam. (Ashkelon is in range of both Qassams and Grads.) The Israeli daily Yedi’ot Aharonot (9/16) cites an unidentified mbr. of an unnamed Gaza militant group as confirming that 2 mortars contained white phosphorous taken from unexploded IDF ordnance (UXO) from Operation Cast Lead, saying the Gaza factions are experimenting with modifying Israeli UXO for use against Israel. The IDF retaliates with air strikes on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border (killing 1 Palestinian civilian, wounding 3), a factory n. of Khan Yunis (destroying it and damaging several surrounding homes, greenhouses, and businesses, but causing no reported injuries), and a vacant home southwest of Khan Yunis (destroying it). IDF troops also make a brief morning incursion 400 m. into s. Gaza e. of Khan Yunis to level land to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts separate synchronized late-night patrols in 2 villages e. of Qalqilya and 2 villages nr. Ramallah, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Jenin. (HA, JP, YA 9/15; CNN, JP, PCHR, WT, YA 9/16)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire 5 tank shells at Palestinian shepherds tending a flock 600 m. fr. the border fence, killing 3 Palestinian civilians (a 91-yr.-old man, his teenage grandson, and another teenager) and their 30 sheep. In response, the PRCs fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Marda nr. Salfit late at night, without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and nr. Qalqilya. (YA 9/12; AFP, WP, YA 9/13; PCHR 9/16; OCHA 9/17; JPI 9/24)

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)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. (JP 9/9; PCHR 9/16; OCHA 9/17)

Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. (JTA 9/7; PCHR, YA 9/8, 9/16; OCHA 9/17)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a homemade Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response to this attack and the 8/31–9/2 Hamas shootings in the West Bank, the IDF carries out 2 air strikes on Rafah tunnels (killing 2 Palestinians, injuring 2) and 1 on a tunnel on the Gaza-Israel border e. of Abassan in s. Gaza (causing no reported injuries). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm in the morning, making no arrests; occupies a Palestinian home in Hebron as an observation post; conducts evening and late-night patrols in villages nr. Nablus, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm, making no arrests. For a second day, Jewish settlers gather at the evacuated Homesh settlement site nr. Nablus and stone passing Palestinian vehicles. (CNN, JP 9/5; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

As the quarter opens, Israel has eased (as of 6/2010) its blockade on Gaza, replacing the blanket ban on imports with two lists of prohibited and regulated items, allowing in more (and more varied) food items, construction materials, and commercial goods, but keeping imports only slightly above subsistence and continuing to bar exports. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforces 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—placing 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, Israel’s easing of restrictions on Palestinian movement between major population centers (which began in summer 2009) continues, and IDF operations are relatively few. Today, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. burying explosive devices nr. the border fence, killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr.; the Palestinians return fire, lightly wounding 1 IDF soldier. Hrs. later, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.) and 2 villages nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Shvut Rachel nr. Nablus uproot 100 nearby Palestinian olive trees. Israel’s Housing Min. approves construction of a new settler-only bypass road to link Ma’ale Adumim settlement e. of Jerusalem with the new E1 settlement area in East Jerusalem; explaining the decision, the Housing Min. states that “the decision to freeze construction in [West Bank settlements] does not include services for existing structures.” (JP, YA 8/16; NYT 8/17; PCHR 8/19; OCHA 8/20)

In continued retaliation for the 7/30 Grad strike, the IDF carries out a predawn air strike on c. Gaza assassinating senior Hamas military cmdr. and rocket maker Issa Batran, marking the 1st Israeli assassination in Gaza since Operation Cast Lead (OCL) ended in 1/09. (Israel attempted to assassinate Batran during OCL, making an air strike on his home, killing his wife and 5 of his children.) Later in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging a vacant daycare facility. The IDF responds with 2 additional air strikes on a smuggling tunnel and an open area in s. Gaza. 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 Erez industrial zone, wounding 3 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night house searches in and around Hebron, summoning several Palestinians for interrogation; fires tear gas and stun grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against land confiscation and settlement expansion nr. Karme Tzur settlement nr. Hebron. (HA, IDF, YA 7/31; MEZ, NYT, WP 8/1; PCHR 8/5; OCHA 8/13)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 5 rockets (possibly including 1 manufactured rocket), 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Salfit and 2 villages n. of Tulkarm during the day, making no arrests; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in 6 villages nr. Hebron, withdrawing without incident. Palestinians and international activists take part in weekly nonviolent demonstrations against land confiscation and settlement expansion nr. Karme Tzur settlement nr. Hebron and outside Beit Romano settlement in Hebron; the IDF fires tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 2 Palestinians (including a Reuters cameraman) and 2 international activists injured, and 1 Palestinian under arrest. (YA 7/24; PCHR 7/29; OCHA 7/30)

Overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, heavily damaging a factory in Sederot, but causing no injuries; the IDF retaliates with air strikes on at least 1 smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, 1 suspected weapons factory in al-Zaytun, causing no reported injuries. During the day, IDF troops reenter (see 6/29) the fmr. n. Gaza settlement sites n. of Bayt Lahiya, firing warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials and forcing them to flee, causing no injuries. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, causing no injuries. IDF senior officers take U.S. special envoy Mitchell to Kerem Shalom crossing to witness Israel’s easing of restrictions on imports to Gaza (up 30% since 6/20), including the transfer of the 1st load of goods fr. the FGM-IHH flotilla. Gaza’s electricity plant receives a shipment of industrial fuel allowing it to resume operations after a 4-day halt (the longest complete stoppage of the facility since the beginning of 2010). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron. In Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest PC mbr. Abu Tir for being in the city illegally; he was ordered (see 5/21) to leave voluntarily or face expulsion to Gaza. Israeli sources reveal that Israel’s Jerusalem Planning Committee recently approved construction of 1,400 new hotel rooms in Jabal Mukabir in East Jerusalem. Israel begins barring all West Bank Palestinian-made products fr. entering East Jerusalem as of 7/1 on the grounds that they did not meet Israeli standards, though the move is widely seen as retaliation for the PA’s boycott on settlement-made good enacted in 4/2010. (IFM, JP, NYT, PCHR, WP, YA 7/1; PCHR 7/7; OCHA 7/9)

During the day, IDF troops make brief incursion 400 m into Gaza n. of Bayt Hanun and 300 m into s. Gaza nr. Abasan to level land to clear lines of sight. Between midday and evening, unidentified Palestinians fire 13 mortars and 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza toward Israel in 4 barrages (6 mortars land inside Gaza), causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, the IDF retaliates with air strikes on 2 tunnels on the Rafah border and a suspected weapons depot in n. Gaza, killing 2 Palestinians (both in the tunnels). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Surda village n. of Ramallah in the evening without incident; conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in villages s. of Nablus; makes similar late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm, nr. Nablus. (YA 6/24; JP 6/25; WP, WT 6/26; PCHR 7/1; OCHA 7/2)

In the West Bank, Palestinian gunmen open fire on an IDF border police vehicle nr. Hebron, killing 1 Israeli border police officer and wounding 3 in the first fatal shooting attack against Israelis in the West Bank in over 1 yr.; a claim of responsibility and threat of more attacks are issued by a group calling itself the Freedom Flotilla Martyrs. Also in the West Bank, the IDF conducts 3 separate synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and neighboring Dahaysha r.c., al-Far‘a r.c. and Tammun village nr. Tubas, Jenin town and r.c. and 2 nearby villages; additional late-night arrest raids, house searches are carried out nr. Salfit, Tubas. In Gaza, unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. the s. Gaza border area into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF fires 5 artillery shells at the launch site, causing no damage or injuries. Separately, the IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire on Palestinian scavenging for construction materials in the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians staging a nonviolent march to the border fence e. of Khan Yunis to protest Israel’s no-go zone; no injuries are reported. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. (NYT, YA 6/15; PCHR, WJW 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. Late in the evening, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian teenager is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (WP 6/15; PCHR, WJW 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

In addition to the IDF internal investigation announced on 6/8, Israel names a government-appointed “independent public commission” with foreign participation to examine a narrow set of circumstances surrounding the Gaza flotilla incident. (IFM 6/13; JTA, NYT 6/14; NYT, WP 6/15)

Overnight, the Israeli navy acting on “prior intelligence” fatally shoots 5 al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (AMB) mbrs. diving off the Gaza coast and the Palestinian fisherman manning their boat, wounding and capturing 2 other AMB divers. The AMB claims the men were unarmed and on a training mission; Israel claims they were en route to Israel to stage an attack. Later in the day, the IDF carries out an air strike on the n. Gaza border area, seriously wounding 1 Hamas mbr. preparing to launch a Qassam rocket. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. (NYT, WP, WT 6/8; PCHR 6/10; OCHA 6/11; JPI 6/18)