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)

Responding to an appeal made by PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas in 11/2010, Brazil recognizes Palestine as a state based on 1967 borders. The Israeli FMin. opens low-profiles talks with other Latin American leaders to prevent them fr. following suit. (WP 12/4; WJW 12/16; JPI 12/17)

Israeli municipal authorities in East Jerusalem demolish 1 Palestinian home in al-Tur neighborhood. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Jabaliya direct at least 17 artillery shells and gunfire at armed Palestinians planting explosive devices along the border fence, killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs.; later makes a brief incursion into the area to level land in the area to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Zayta nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (PCHR 12/2; NYT 12/3; PCHR 12/9; OCHA 12/10)

IDF troops on the e. Gaza border fire on Islamic Jihad mbrs. planting roadside bombs nr. the border fence e. of Jabaliya r.c., killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. and damaging a nearby Palestinian home. Earlier in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in demolished buildings nr. the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1. In the West Bank, IDF troops and intelligence units raid the homes of 2 local Hamas leaders and 1 local Islamic Jihad leader in Jenin, stating they had not come to arrest the men but to speak with them; the intelligence officers’ questions focus on relations between the PA and Hamas, the prospects for national reconciliation, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and prospects for peace, the PA dismissal of Hamas mbrs. fr. public jobs, and the financial and political bans on Hamas. The IDF also bulldozes 18 d. of Palestinian agricultural land in Issawiyya nr. Jerusalem; patrols in Bayt Liqya late at night without incident; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin; conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm, stopping Palestinian drivers to search their vehicles and check their IDs. Palestinians in Dayr al-Khattab village nr. Nablus report that in the previous wk. settlers fr. nearby Elon Moreh settlement pumped wastewater onto the villages agricultural lands, damaging 220 olive trees. Inside Israel, 100s of Israeli police escort 10s of right-wing Jewish extremists chanting “death to terrorists” on a march through the Israeli-Palestinian town of Umm al-Fahm in a show of force, sparking stone-throwing clashes with Palestinian residents; Israeli police respond with tear gas, stun grenades, and batons; 10 people are arrested, and around 24 injured (including 2 Israeli Arab MKs). (Financial Times, YA 10/27; NYT, PCHR 10/28; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

The IDF makes another (see 10/17) brief incursion into s. Gaza nr. Abasan to level land to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized daytime patrols in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in 2 villages southeast of Jenin, making no arrests; conducts similar late-night patrols in Bal‘a village nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Of note: Islamic Jihad in Gaza issues a statement that “the leadership has taken a crucial decision to disown all members who go out on impromptu missions or under the banner of other organizations, such as those who refer to themselves as Salafists.” The statement notably does not explicitly bar mbrs. participation in the PRCs, an umbrella group comprising mbrs. of all Palestinian factions, suggesting that Islamic Jihad, like Hamas, is increasingly worried about radical Islamist groups in Gaza. (AFP 10/18; PCHR 10/21; OCHA 10/22)

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)

Israeli naval vessels intercept a catamaran of Jewish activists off the Gaza coast, escorting it to Ashdod port without incident (see 9/26). The IDF carries out air strikes on a group of armed Palestinians preparing to fire a rocket into Israel from an area nr. al-Bureij r.c. in c. Gaza (killing 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs.) and on the Nussayrat r.c. home of a Gaza Education Min. employee, causing heavy damage but no injuries. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the evacuated settlement sites near the border, wounding 1 deaf Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols late at night, without incident in Qiffin village nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (CNN, JP, MNA, NYT 9/28; NYT, WT 9/29; PCHR 9/30; OCHA 10/1)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites nr. the border, wounding 2 Palestinians and 2 donkeys. Late at night, the IDF sends troops into the no-go zone e. of Bureij r.c. in c. Gaza in pursuit of Islamic Jihad mbrs. operating near the border; the sides exchange fire and the IDF calls reinforcements and shells the area, lightly injuring 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Haris village nr. Salfit in the afternoon, conducting no searches and making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya, Ramallah, and nr. Hebron. (PCHR 9/2; OCHA 9/3)

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)

IDF troops make a brief incursion 200 m into n. Gaza n. of Bayt Hanun, firing 5 flechette rounds at a group of Palestinians preparing to fire a rocket, killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., wounding 8 Palestinian bystanders (including 5 children between the ages of 4 and 9), and damaging 5 Palestinian homes. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn incursion into Khirbat Qays village nr. Salfit, patrolling streets but making no arrests; makes a morning incursion into Qalqilya, raiding a workshop and arresting 1 Palestinian; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes under construction, 3 shops, and 1 barn nr. Ramallah and 1 house and barn nr. Hebron; conducts latenight patrols in al-Mazra‘a al-Gharbiyya nr. Ramallah, making no arrests. (NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP 7/22; PCHR 7/29; OCHA 7/30)

IDF tanks and helicopters on the c. Gaza border fire into the Strip at a group of armed Palestinians laying explosive devices along the border, killing 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and wounding 3; troops then send bulldozers 400 m into the area to level land and clear lines of sight. Late in the evening, Hamas-affiliated police move into the Rafah border area and order Palestinians to shut smuggling tunnel operations until further notice, allowing operators to retrieve food and other perishable goods from the tunnels before cordoning off the area. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 1 Palestinian home nr. Salfit; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin, Ramallah, Tulkarm. Armed Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron assault a Palestinian family working the land nearby, firing in the air to scare them off the land. (WP, WT 4/14; OCHA, PCHR, WP 4/15)

In Gaza, Islamic Jihad says that Hamas-affiliated police have recently detained several of its fighters as well as mbrs. of other factions and made them sign pledges that they would not stage cross-border attacks on Israel. In the West Bank, an IDF military order goes into effect under which anyone living in the West Bank without a proper Israeli permit (not clarified) could face expulsion within as little as 3 days or face 7 yrs. in prison. The IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah. (AP, HA 4/11; NYT, WP 4/12; WT 4/14; OCHA, PCHR 4/15; OCHA 4/19)

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)

Netanyahu and his cabinet approve plans to build 2 barriers rigged with surveillance equipment along approximately half of Israel’s 150-mi. border with Egypt to prevent illegal border crossings; 1 segment will be nr. the Rafah border with Gaza, the other will be nr. Elat; construction is expected to take several years and cost NIS $1 b. In the afternoon, unidentified Palestinians fire 4 mortars toward Israel, but all land inside Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In the evening, the IDF carries out an air strike on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. nr. the c. Gaza border e. of Dayr al-Balah as they are preparing to fire a rocket into Israel, killing 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. (including senior field cmdr. Awad Abu Nasir). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes the only elementary school, 11 Palestinian homes, 10 animal pens, and a greenhouse in Khirbat Tana, displacing at least 120 Palestinians (mostly children) and marking the apparent first stage of Israel’s implementation of a 2/09 court order to raze the village (see 12/10/09); demolishes another Palestinian home in al-Tur nr. East Jerusalem; conducts late-night house searches in several villages around Jenin and nr. Hebron and Tubas, making no arrests; conducts similar late-night searches in the al-Bustan quarter of Silwan in East Jerusalem, beating and detaining 4 Palestinian children (ages 11–13) for 11 hrs. of questioning before releasing them. (HA, IFM, JP, Reuters, YA 1/10; NYT, WP, WT 1/11; NYT, WT 1/12; OCHA 1/13; PCHR, WJW 1/14; JPI 1/29)