The Palestine Chronology

Israeli mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat unveils a plan to demolish 10s of Palestinian homes built without permits in al-Bustan in the Silwan area of East Jerusalem to make way for a tourist center (offering the Palestinians new apartments over retail space to be constructed, which they reject) but delays the plan at the last minute at the request of PM Netanyahu, who tells Barkat to continue efforts to negotiate an amicable deal with Palestinian residents. In the West Bank, the IDF sends troops covered by helicopters into several villages w. of Jenin in search of 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., surrounding and searching relatives’ homes, making no arrests; resumes work on a segment of the separation wall in Bayt Jala nr. Bethlehem (suspended for 3 yrs.) where 300 d. of agricultural land and 2,000 olive trees are slated to be razed; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tulkarm, nr. Ramallah. (WT 3/3; OCHA, PCHR 3/4; JPI 3/19)

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)