The Palestine Chronology

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)

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)

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)

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

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material inside the demolished industrial zone, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night incursions into Salfit and 2 nearby villages, searching several homes and summoning 4 Palestinians for interrogation. 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; 2 Palestinians are lightly injured by tear gas canisters and 10s suffer tear gas inhalation. (OCHA 11/24; PCHR 11/25)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1. Hamas’s acting FM Mahmud Zahhar warns that Gazans who fire rockets at Israel violate an agreement among Palestinian factions not to initiate strikes on Israeli targets and face possible arrest. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho and Jenin in the morning, making no arrests; makes a late-night raid into Mazra‘a village nr. Ramallah, patrolling streets and firing rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries; makes a late-night raid on a Palestinian apartment building in Ya‘bad village nr. Jenin, photographing it and questioning the owner; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Askar r.c. and nearby Nablus, in Hebron, and nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo settlement throw stones at Palestinians driving on the nearby Nablus– Ramallah road, causing no injuries. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces raid and search a Palestinian home in the alBustan area of Silwan early in the morning, arresting 2 Palestinians. (al-Hayat 10/31; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in villages nr. Jenin and Tulkarm during the day, Nablus and Qalqilya late at night; prevents Palestinians fr. reaching their land nr. Salfit to cultivate olives; conducts arrest raids, house searches in villages nr. Jenin during the day, nr. Jenin and Nablus late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur, escorted by IDF troops, level at least 10 d. of adjacent Palestinian land to expand the settlement. (PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15)

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 conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, Salfit. Jewish settlers level 7 d. of land nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad settlement nr. Qalqilya harvest and steal the olives fr. a nearby Palestinian grove. (PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15)

The Israeli cabinet approves (22-8) submission of a bill to the Knesset that would require a loyalty oath as Netanyahu proposed on 10/6, but clarifying that Israeli Palestinians would not be required to make the pledge to maintain citizenship. (NYT, WP 10/11; NYT 10/19; JPI 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)

U.S. officials spend the day trying to broker a compromise with Israel that will guarantee that direct talks will continue. Despite U.S. appeals, Netanyahu allows the freeze to expire at midnight local time (6:00 p.m. EDT). Abbas agrees not to follow through on threats to halt direct talks immediately to give U.S. diplomacy more time to work, but says he plans to consult with Fatah and PLO leaders, as well as the Arab League regarding how to move forward. (At his request, an Arab League session is set for 10/4, essentially leaving a week to resolve the freeze issue; the date is later changed to 10/6.) Even before the freeze ends, Israel’s Dep. PM Silvan Shalom lays the cornerstone for construction of a new yeshiva at a ceremony in Beit Romano settlement in Hebron attended by settlement leaders and right-wing Knesset members. Likud party mbrs. and 1,000s of settlers bussed in from around the West Bank attend a rally in neighboring Revava settlement to count down the end of the moratorium. In nearby Kiryat Netafim settlement, Jewish settlers hold a groundbreaking ceremony for construction of a new day-care center. Dozens of armed Jewish settlers from Ma’on settlement nr. Hebron guarded by IDF soldiers escort bulldozers to a nearby site where they begin laying the foundations for new homes at nearby Havat Maon outpost. After midnight, construction begins at several settlements across the West Bank. (NYT, WP, WT 9/27; NYT, WP 9/28; PCHR 9/30)

Meanwhile, timed with the lifting of the settlement freeze, 9 Jewish activists depart Cyprus on a catamaran, hoping to break the blockade of Gaza to deliver a token shipment of medicine and water purification equipment. In the West Bank, unidentified Palestinian gunmen fire on 2 Jewish settler vehicles driving nr. Hebron, moderately wounding 1 Jewish settler; no group takes responsibility. The IDF sends troops into Azun village nr. Qalqilya to patrol streets, set up checkpoints, and check Palestinian IDs, arresting 1 Palestinian; seals an entrance to Marda village nr. Salfit; conducts late-night patrols in Jenin town and r.c., making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and Nablus. In Gaza, IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire warning shots at Palestinians conducting a nonviolent protest march to the border fence to protest Israel’s imposition of a buffer zone, seriously wounding 1. (NYT 9/27; WT 9/28; PCHR 9/30; OCHA 10/1)

Secy. of State Clinton races to broker a deal with Israeli officials to extend the settlement freeze 1 day before it is scheduled to expire, while Mitchell meets with Abbas in New York to urge him not to walk away from peace talks immediately if Netanyahu allows the freeze to expire. On the ground Jewish settlers begin positioning construction equipment in some settlements. In addition, Jewish settlers in Revava settlement nr. Salfit seize 30 d. of Palestinian agricultural land, raze crops, and install 2 mobile homes as a “new quarter” of the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Nokdim settlement nr. Bethlehem place 3 mobile homes on nearby Palestinian land. Jewish settlers fr. Barqan settlement nr. Salfit raze adjacent Palestinian land to expand the settlement’s industrial zone. Jewish settlers fr. Givat Ze’ev settlement enter Beitunia town nr. Ramallah and make preparations to celebrate the Sukkoth holiday; the IDF removes them. (NYT, WP 9/26)

Meanwhile, Israeli-Palestinian clashes in Issawiyya, which began on 9/22, taper off by the end of the day, leaving a total of 99 Palestinians (including 17 children) and 9 Israelis injured (7 lightly, 2 moderately), and 70 Palestinians under arrest; during the rioting, Palestinians set fire to or damage 8 Israeli cars and vandalize an Israeli tourist information center. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Iraq Burin village nr. Nablus in the afternoon, firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades 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; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 2 Palestinians and 3 Americans are injured. An Egyptian hospital reports that an armed Palestinian transported to Egypt for treatment has died of injures sustained in the 9/14 IDF shelling nr. Gaza Valley village. (NYT, WP 9/26; PCHR 9/30; OCHA 10/1)

Delegations headed by Hamas Political Bureau chief Khalid Mishal and senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad meet for 3 hours in Damascus, afterward issuing a statement confirming a restart of national unity talks. (AP 9/24; AP, REU 9/25; JP 9/27; MNA 11/1) 

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm town and r.c. and in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya, 2 nr. Ramallah, 2 nr. Salfit, facing stone-throwing youths in 1 instance (firing rubber-coated steel bullets at them, causing no injuries) and making no arrests; conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c. and 3 neighboring villages; conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Harsina settlement nr. Hebron uproot 70 grapevines from nearby Palestinian land. In Gaza, 25 unidentified gunmen (suspected Salafists) set fire to a popular water park, completely destroying it, and beat the 2 night watchmen. (PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24; JPI 10/1)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire on Palestinians inside the Strip conducting a nonviolent protest march to the border to denounce Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm and neighboring Nur Shams r.c.; conducts late-night patrols in 7 villages e. of Qalqilya, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c.; conducts synchronized late-night incursions into 4 villages northwest of Salfit, searching a home and summoning 1 Palestinian for questioning in 1 case, patrolling without incident in 3 cases. Jewish settlers fr. Shvut Rachel nr. Ramallah seize and raze 15 d. of Palestinian agricultural land for expansion of the settlement. (JP, UPI, YA 9/13; JP, NYT 9/14; PCHR 9/16; OCHA 9/17)

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)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the evacuated settlement sites nr. the n. border, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF patrol in and around Qalqilya and in villages nr. Salfit late at night, making no arrests. (PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF occupies 2 Palestinian homes nr. a settler-only bypass road in Hebron as observation posts; conducts evening and late-night patrols in villages nr. Nablus, Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. 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, and Dayr Nizam/ Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 1 Palestinian and 9 internationals are arrested. Jewish settlers gather at the evacuated Homesh settlement site nr. Nablus, stone passing Palestinian vehicles. (PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

Direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are formally relaunched at a ceremony at the State Dept. in Washington, with Abbas and Netanyahu pledging to meet again on 9/13–14 in Egypt and then every 2 weeks thereafter to “keep momentum going.” Clinton, Abbas, Netanyahu, and U.S. special envoy George Mitchell meet, after which Abbas and Netanyahu meet privately for 90 mins. Mitchell then announces that the leaders have decided to work toward a “framework agreement” within a year that would outline “the compromises each side must be ready to make” to achieve peace as a 1st step before attempting to iron out a comprehensive peace treaty. (NYT, WP, WT 9/3)

For a 3d day in a row, IQB gunmen fire on a Jewish settler vehicle driving in West Bank area C, causing no injuries. Asked if Hamas’s political leadership approved the recent string of shootings, West Bank IQB spokesman Abu Ubaidah says the operations are “in harmony with the attitude of the political wing.” The PASF says that since the 1st shooting on 8/31, they have detained 300 Hamas mbrs. Late in the evening, the IDF patrol in villages nr. Jericho, Nablus, Qalqilya, and Salfit, making no arrests; conducts arrest raids in Hebron (shooting and wounding 1 Palestinian, releasing him to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society) and neighboring al-‘Arub r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah stone Palestinian vehicles driving by the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo settlement nr. Ramallah stone Palestinian cars on the Ramallah–Nablus road. Unidentified Jewish settlers stone Palestinian vehicles driving nr. Nablus. PCHR reports that Israel’s Gihon Water Company recently sent letters to churches and nunneries in the Old City of Jerusalem warning that their water service will be cut off if they do not immediately pay water consumption fees accumulated since 1967; historically, religious establishments in Jerusalem have been exempt from such fees. (PCHR 9/2; WP 9/4; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

On the eve of ceremonies reopening direct Israeli-Palestinian talks, U.S. Pres. Barack Obama holds separate meetings with Abbas, Netanyahu, Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak, and Jordan’s King Abdullah. In the evening, Obama hosts the leaders for a working dinner at the White House. (WP 9/1; NYT 9/2)

In the West Bank, the IDF continues to impose a curfew on Palestinian areas nr. the site of the 8/31 attack nr. Hebron and carries out house-to-house searches for the Hamas mbrs. involved, rounding up scores of Palestinians with suspected ties to the organization. In the evening, IQB gunmen shoot at another Jewish settler vehicle nr. Ramallah, in area C, wounding 2 settlers (1 seriously). The IDF also conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers retaliating for the 8/31 Hamas attack stake out a 15-d. plot of Palestinian land (exact location not reported) for a new settlement outpost but leave the area by nightfall, stone Palestinian vehicles on the Nablus–Qalqilya road, and vandalize a Palestinian home and set fire to adjacent grass land in Hebron. Meanwhile, in Gaza, IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the demolished Erez industrial zone, causing no injuries. The IDF also makes an incursion into the s. Gaza border areas e. of al-Shuka, accompanied by drones and helicopters, but withdraws 6 hrs. later without incident. (NYT, PCHR 9/2; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

Hamas’s military wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), takes responsibility for shooting at a Jewish settler vehicle driving nr. Hebron (in area C, under full Israeli control, where the PASF is not allowed to operate), killing 4 Jewish settlers, including a pregnant woman, marking the deadliest West Bank attack on Israelis in more than 2 yrs. and the first staged by Hamas since before the 1/2006 elections. Both Abbas and Netanyahu say the attack should not derail peace talks. The YESHA settlement council vows to renew construction in West Bank settlements immediately, before the temporary freeze ends, to demonstrate Israelis’ “resolve against terrorism.” Following the attack and throughout the night, the IDF seals the entrances to Hebron, Halhul, and al-Fawar r.c. and imposes a curfew on nearby Bani Na‘im village, raiding and searching homes and detaining Palestinians with suspected connections to Hamas. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers implementing their “price-tag” doctrine to punish Palestinians for any state acts against settlers, beat Palestinian farmers working their land nr. Emanuel settlement nr. Salfit and stone Palestinian vehicles traveling on the Nablus–Qalqilya road (2 separate incidents) as well as on a road bypassing Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba in Hebron attempt to break into a nearby Palestinian home but are prevented by the IDF. Late at night, the IDF patrols 2 villages nr. Salfit; no incidents are reported. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that in the previous wk. 3 Palestinians were killed in 2 separate tunnel collapses on the Rafah border. (NYT, WP, WT 9/1; PCHR 9/2; OCHA 9/3)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts patrols without incident in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm and 1 nr. Jericho during the day, and in 2 villages nr. Salfit and 1 nr. Qalqilya late at night. Jewish settlers attempt to break into al-‘Ayn Mosque in Silwan in East Jerusalem but are confronted by Palestinians and removed by Israeli security forces. (PCHR 9/2; OCHA 9/3)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Bidya village nr. Salfit at midday and in Qalqilya and Rafat w. of Salfit in the evening without making any arrests; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya in the evening, nr. Ramallah late at night. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops enter Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb. (PCHR 8/26; OCHA 8/27)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. the fmr. Jewish settlement sites nr. the border, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Kafr Haris village nr. Salfit in the early morning and late evening, making no arrests; raids Marda village nr. Salfit in the evening, searching 1 home and arresting a 14-yr.-old boy; conducts late-night patrols in 3 villages e. of Tulkarm, 1 village northwest of Salfit, making no arrests. A Jewish settler throws a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian vehicle driving on the Nablus– Qalqilya road, damaging it but causing no injuries. (PCHR 8/19; OCHA 8/20)

Lebanese security forces kill ‘Abd al-Rahman Awad, a Palestinian leader of the radical Islamist group Fatah al-Islam, and his aide Gazi Faysal Abdullah in a shootout in the Biqa‘ Valley. Awad had been on Lebanon’s most wanted list since the summer 2007 battle between Fatah al-Islam and the army that destroyed Nahr al-Barid r.c. (see Quarterly Updates in JPS 145–46). (WP 8/15)

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)

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)

Mitchell returns to the region for 3 days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian peace teams, Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak, and the crown prince of Abu Dhabi Shaykh Muhammad bin Zayid al-Nahayan to press Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct talks. After their meeting, Abbas says he will begin direct talks with Israel if it accepts the 1967 borders as the baseline for negotiations and accepts deployment of international forces to guard them. (UPI 7/17; WP 7/18; AFP 7/19)

IDF troops on the northeastern Gaza border fire 3 artillery shells into an open area e. of Jabaliya, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF escorts Jewish settlers into Kafr Haris village nr. Salfit late at night to conduct religious ceremonies; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; conducts latenight patrols in Tulkarm 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 rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, leaving 5 Palestinian injured (including 3 journalists), 10s suffering tear gas inhalation, 1 Palestinian cameraman under arrest, 1 international activist detained for questioning (later released). At least 10 Jewish settlers attack a Palestinian nr. the al-Ibrahimi Mosque/ Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, moderately injuring him; IDF troops observe but only intervene to defend the settlers when Palestinians try to protect the injured man. In Gaza, Hamas authorities attempting to boost their Muslim credentials, begin enforcing a ban (announced 1 yr. ago) on women smoking water pipes in public. (NYT 7/18; WP, WT 7/19; OCHA, PCHR 7/22)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, wounding 1 Palestinian. The IDF sends troops into the former settlement sites inside the n. Gaza border to patrol the area to keep scavengers away; troops fire on the area but no injuries are reported. IDF troops make a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land along the border e. of al-Qarara to clear lines of sight, shooting and wounding a farmer working his land 700 m fr. the border. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops into Bidya village nr. Salfit at midday to search several stores, making no arrests; makes an incursion in Hijja village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon, patrolling streets and photographing homes before withdrawing without incident; patrols in Shaqba village nr. Ramallah in the evening, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Ramallah, Salfit, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF troops enter Awarta village nr. Nablus to hold religious ceremonies. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba nr. Hebron severely beat a 65-yr.-old Palestinian man. (PCHR 7/15; OCHA 7/16)

IDF Maj. Gen. (ret.) Giora Eiland, who headed the Israeli military’s internal inquiry into the 5/31 Gaza flotilla incident, releases brief excerpts of his classified 100-page final report to the IDF chief of staff concluding that overall the “the entire operation is estimable,” praising soldiers for their “professionalism, bravery, and resourcefulness.” While the report faults planning for the operation as inadequate (relying “excessively on a single course of action . . . while no alternative courses of action were prepared”), it deems the use of live fire on the passengers “justified.” (IFM 7/12; NYT, WP 7/13; JPI 7/23)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar escorted by IDF troops enter Hawara, vandalize 3 Palestinian homes. (OCHA, PCHR 5/6)

IDF troops make 2 brief incursions into the s. Gaza no-go area nr. al-Qarara and Abasan, leveling lands to clear lines of sight, firing on residential areas during the operations to keep Palestinians indoors (no injuries reported). IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire on Palestinians scavenging construction materials in the destroyed Erez industrial zone, forcing them to flee but causing no injuries. Israeli intelligence officers arrest an ailing Palestinian given permission to enter Israel through the Erez crossing for medical treatment; his family believes the permission to travel was granted as a ploy to capture him. In the West Bank, the IDF occupies a Palestinian home nr. Jenin as a military barrack; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit. With Israeli police approval and under police protection, Jewish settlers stage a march through Silwan in East Jerusalem to protest “illegal” Palestinian construction (i.e., without permits); police fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the settlers; at least 29 Palestinians, 2 Israeli policemen are injured. (OCHA, PCHR 4/29)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. Palestinians of Bil‘in host an international conference calling for peaceful popular resistance against the separation wall. Afterward, participants (including EU special envoy Marc Otte and more than 20 other Arab and foreign diplomats) march peacefully toward the wall; IDF troops fire rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at demonstrators injuring 7 (5 Palestinians, including 2 journalists; 1 Israeli; 1 international) and arresting 5 (3 Israelis, including 1 journalist; 1 American; 1 Palestinian). The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, 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 (4 Palestinians injured); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas, and skunk (a foulsmelling liquid) at peaceful Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in weekly demonstrations against settlement expansion in Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih. Jewish settlers uproot 20 olive trees nr. Salfit. (OCHA, PCHR 4/29)