The Palestine Chronology

West Bank 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. PA PM Salam Fayyad, several PC mbrs., and senior mbrs. of Fatah, the DFLP, and Palestine Liberation Front take part in the Bil‘in demonstration. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 6 Palestinians are injured, 1 seriously. (PCHR 1/6; OCHA 1/7)

IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Jabaliya fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a late-night raid on the home of Hamas-affiliated PC mbr. Khalil Rab‘ie nr. Hebron, arresting him. The IDF also patrols in Rummana village nr. Jenin, confiscating an unlicensed tractor; makes a late-night raid on a Palestinian store nr. Jenin, confiscating fireworks; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Suissa settlement nr. Hebron set fire to 3 Palestinian tents nearby. Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authorities level several rooms of homes, stores, and poultry farms and swaths of agricultural land in al-Tur village in the East Jerusalem environs. (PCHR 12/30; OCHA 12/31; PCHR 1/6; OCHA 1/7)

Tunisian pres. Zine El Abidine Ben Ali reshuffles his cabinet in response to 11 days of nationwide popular demonstrations against his government. The protests denouncing rising unemployment and the lack of job opportunities for youths began on 12/17, sparked by the attempted suicide of a 26-yr.-old, college-educated street vendor in the southern town of Sidi Bouzid who set himself on fire in despair after police seized produce he was selling without a license. (WT 12/30)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm and in 5 villages nr. Qalqilya, 2 each nr. Jenin and Salfit, and 1 each nr. Jericho, Nablus, Ramallah, and Tulkarm; conducts a late-night raid on the Hebron home of Hamas-affiliated PC mbr. Muhammad al-Tal, arresting him. Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists march to the IDF’s Beit El checkpoint outside Ramallah and demand its removal; IDF soldiers fire tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets, and stun grenades at the protesters, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus burn and uproot at least 20 Palestinian olive trees nr. Madama village. (PCHR 12/30; OCHA 12/31)

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)

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)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, wounding 1. During the day, the PRCs fire 10 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, with at least 9 landing inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, in response to the recent increase in Palestinian rocket fire, the IDF makes an air strike on a manned Hamas facility in Khan Yunis, injuring 2 IQB mbrs., marking Israel’s 1st targeting of an occupied Hamas facility since OCL ended in 1/2009. Hrs. later, the IDF carries out 6 more air strikes targeting 2 suspected tunnels nr. the border. Targets include Bayt Lahiya and Jabaliya in n. Gaza (hitting a poultry farm, killing 1,800 chickens), 3 smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, and 2 alleged Hamas military sites in s. Gaza (an empty house in Shuka, also destroying a grocery store next door and damaging 2 nearby homes; and an abandoned dairy factory); no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 4 Palestinian agricultural storehouses nr. Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron; conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 2 nr. Tulkarm; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin. (AFP, JP, MNA 12/20; AFP, UPI 12/21; NYT 12/22; OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

In retaliation for Israeli air strikes on 12/18, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and the PRCs claim responsibility for firing 4–9 mortars fr. Gaza toward IDF targets just inside the Israeli border, with at least 4 landing inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinian shepherds who stray nr. the border fence, wounding 1. In the West Bank, IDF troops raid and search homes in Bayt Umar, searching for Palestinians who threw stones at an IDF checkpoint into the village, arresting 1 Palestinian man; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and nr. Nablus. Palestinians accompanied by Israeli and international activists hold a nonviolent demonstration against settlement expansion in Bayt Umar. IDF soldiers fire tear gas and stun grenades at the protesters (causing no injuries) and arrest 3 Israelis. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities force a Palestinian to demolish his own home or pay the government nearly $5,500 for doing the job; the owner had already been fined more than $26,000 for building without a permit. Inside Israel, Israeli police find the body of American tourist Kristine Luken stabbed to death in a nature area southwest of Jerusalem, inside Israel, nr. the West Bank border. The woman’s friend, American Kaye Susan Wilson, escaped, telling police that she and Luken were ambushed by 2 knife-wielding Arabs who bound and stabbed them. Police say they are classifying the attack as political but have not ruled out criminal motives. (JP 12/19; MNA, NYT, WP, WT 12/20; OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

The IDF makes an air strike on a group of Islamic Jihad and PRC mbrs. preparing to fire a Qassam rocket into Israel, killing 5 armed Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages (2 nr. Jenin, 1 nr. Qalqilya, 1 nr. Tubas), fences off a plot of Palestinian agricultural land nr. ‘Azun village nr. Qalqilya, denying access to farmers. Jewish settlers fr. Itamar settlement nr. Nablus beat a Palestinian shepherd grazing his flock nr. the settlement, forcing him to flee; the settlers gather the sheep and set fire to them, killing 12 and maiming 7. (HA, REU 12/18; JP, NYT, WP 12/19; OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF confiscates 50 d. of Palestinian land in Bayt Iksa, northwest of Jerusalem, for construction of a railway linking Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; closing the 50 d. area also cuts off Palestinian access to 2,000 d. of olive groves. The IDF also patrols in several villages nr. Qalqilya and Salfit; conducts house searches in Zabbuba village nr. Jenin, searching for Palestinian youths who threw stones at the separation wall nearby, making no arrests. 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; 5 Palestinians are injured, 1 German and 1 Israeli are arrested. Jewish settlers beat 2 Palestinian teenagers nr. Jenin; the IDF intervenes, ordering the settlers to leave and detaining the teenagers for questioning, releasing them later in the evening. (OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin, Qalqilya, and Salfit and late-night patrols in Nabi Salih nr. Ramallah. The IDF also escorts Jewish settlers into Kifl Haris village nr. Salfit to pray at Joseph’s Tomb, withdrawing late at night; during the day the settlers, angry over vandalism at the site on 12/15, vandalize 5 Palestinian tombs and several Palestinian cars. (OCHA, PCHR 12/23)

U.S. special envoy Mitchell returns to the region for a 2-day visit aimed at reviving indirect talks. He says he will urge the Israeli and Palestinian sides to present their final status positions separately to the U.S. in writing so that the U.S. can recommend bridging proposals. (HA 12/13; NYT, WP 12/14)

EU FMs meeting in Brussels say the EU will not recognize a unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood until “an appropriate time.” (WJW 12/14)

In the afternoon, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire a flechette round on a group of armed IQB mbrs. operating nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding 2. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Susia settlement nr. Hebron attack 4 nearby Palestinian homes, beating several Palestinians. (PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

Abbas convenes the PLO Exec. Comm. and Fatah Central Comm. to discuss Clinton’s 12/10 statements. The leadership says it opposes any negotiations with Israel, direct or indirect, in the absence of a settlement freeze and that any further talks would have to be based on clear, explicit terms of reference, namely a 2-state solution based on 1967 lines. (NYT 12/14)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, seriously wounding 1 Palestinian, who is evacuated to an Israeli hospital. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Qalqilya and 2 neighboring villages in the morning. (PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

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)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, wounding 2. Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 1 Israeli private security guard. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts early-morning arrest raids, house searches in Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm; patrols in Salfit (late evening) and in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya (1 early morning, 2 late night) and 1 nr. Ramallah (late night). Jewish settlers fr. Sha’are Tikva settlement nr. Qalqilya dump waste water onto the playgrounds and land surrounding a secondary school in nearby ‘Azzun ‘Atma village. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF soldiers enter Kifl Haris village nr. Salfit to pray at Joshua’s Tomb, vandalizing a Palestinian car en route. (PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

The Mount Carmel forest fire (which started on 12/2) is put out, and Palestinian fire fighters return to the West Bank; the fire, which destroyed an estimated 40,000 d. of land and left 44 Israelis dead, is the largest in Israeli history. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in 5 villages nr. Jenin and 4 villages nr. Tulkarm in the evening (firing stun grenades in 1 instance). Twice during the day, 50 Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim settlement nr. Qalqilya attempt to seize a plot of Palestinian agricultural land and drive off the owner, but the IDF intervenes and sends them away. (YA 12/5; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10; JTA 12/14; WJW 12/15; YA 12/16; WP 12/27)

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)

Israel’s Interior Min. reports for the first time that preliminary approval for construction of 625 housing units in East Jerusalem’s Pisgat Ze’ev was quietly granted in 11/2010. During the day, the IDF makes another incursion into the Gaza area e. of Jabaliya that was shelled on 12/1, firing on the surrounding area but causing no reported injuries. A Palestinian is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel accident on the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Izbal Jaloud village nr. Qalqilya during the day; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah attempt to storm Nabi Salih village but are removed by IDF troops; later in the day, Palestinian youths throw stones at IDF troops patrolling the area, who respond with tear gas and stun grenades, causing no serious injuries. In n. Israel, 1,000s of Israelis flee their homes as a major forest fire brought on by drought tears through the Mount Carmel forest; at least 36 Israelis are left dead, most of them prison guards racing to evacuate inmates fr. a jail. (NYT, WP 12/3; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10)