The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces violently dispersed sit-in protests in Bethlehem and Tulkarm against the shooting of a photojournalist who lost his eye on 11/16; in Tulkarm, 1 Palestinian was hit by a tear gas canister to the head, 2 others were injured by live ammunition, and others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces shot and injured a Palestinian man at a checkpoint near Tulkarm. Meanwhile, Israeli forces raided Jalazun refugee camp, leading to clashes with Palestinian students leaving an UNRWA school. 2 students were transferred to a hospital with life-threatening injuries after being hit by live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli forces delivered demolition notices for 1 house east of Yatta. 4 Palestinians were arrested in Silwad and al-‘Arub refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians in Silwan; no injuries were reported. Israeli forces also violently dispersed a sit-in protest by Hebrew University against Israeli airstrikes on Gaza; 3 people were arrested. 1 Palestinian was killed and 3 others arrested after a car chase; Israeli police alleged that the 4 had stolen cars and were heading for Bethlehem. Israeli police first said that the man they killed was shot while in the car; later the Israeli ministry of justice said he was shot after exiting the car. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/17; HA, MEMO 11/18; PCHR 11/21)

In the West Bank, Israeli authorities seized some 1,500 dunams (370 acres) of Palestinian-owned residential and agricultural land in Dura. 9 Palestinians were arrested, including 8 during late-night raids in and around Abu Dis, Qalqilya, Tulkarm, Hebron, Nablus, and Ramallah; 1 was arrested during a daytime raid. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were arrested, including 1 during a late-night raid in Silwan; 1 Palestinian child was arrested at the al-Aqsa mosque after he allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli police officer, he was reportedly heavily beaten. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen; no injuries were reported. (HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/26; PCHR 10/3)

Palestinian women in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and Israel marched to protest violence against women. The protesters adopted the slogan “Free homeland, free women.” The protests were sparked by a number of murders of Palestinian women by members of their families. The most recent was in late August, where a 21-year-old was killed allegedly by members of her family. (HA 9/27)

Around 100 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails ended a 15-day-long hunger strike after the Israel Prison Service agreed to limit the jamming devices installed in the prisons and to install public phones. (WAFA 9/26)

PA president Mahmoud Abbas announced at the UN general assembly that he will set a date for general elections in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. President Abbas asked the UN to help aid and monitor the process. (HA 9/26)

The Saudi Arabian foreign minister announced that the country will contribute $50 million to UNRWA’s core program budget. (WAFA 9/28)

In the West Bank, Israeli force seized a vehicle near Tubas and demolished a house under construction near Nablus. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided the office of the Union of Palestinian Women’s Committees in Hebron and seized computer hard drives. 16 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolished a Palestinian-owned barn in Silwan and a house under construction in al-Tur; during the latter demolition, 2 Palestinians were arrested and video shows family members who owned the property were assaulted by Israeli police. In Gaza, Israeli forces fired tear gas at Palestinian farmers east of Rafah. Separately, Israeli forces made incursions to level land east of Dayr al-Balah. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/24; HA 9/25; PCHR 9/26)

Broward County in Florida unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. The resolution argued that the demand for Right of Return effectively would destroy the State of Israel as a homeland of the Jewish people. (MDW 9/27)

Mercy USA for Aid and Development donated $300,000 to UNRWA for visually impaired children in Gaza. (WAFA 9/24)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 8 Palestinians, including 7 during late-night raids in and around Qalqilya, Ramallah, Halhul, and Salfit, and 1 at a flying checkpoint in Hebron; among the arrested at a late-night raid in Ramallah was 1 Palestinian instructor from Birzeit University in Ramallah. Israeli forces also conducted house raids in Zabbuba near Jenin; no arrests were reported. Israeli settlers threw stones at Palestinian-owned vehicles travelling on a road northeast of Ramallah, causing damage. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian was arrested during a late-night raid in Issawiyya. 1 Palestinian demolished his store in Silwan after receiving a demolition order by Israeli authorities. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1; PCHR 9/5)

After more than 340 Palestinians had been arrested in Issawiyya in East Jerusalem during the summer, it was reported that the Israeli police, the Jerusalem Municipality, and residents of Issawiyya had come to an agreement on limiting Israeli operations in Issawiyya. The agreement includes that residents of Issawiyya cancel a school strike on 9/2, the 1st day of the school year. (HA 9/1)

According to the Palestinian Energy Authority, Qatar will be cutting the amount of fuel it funds for Gaza by 50 percent, causing the hours of electricity available in Gaza to drop from 8 hours per day to 5 or 6. (HA 9/1)

At a visit to the Israeli settlement of Elkana, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that that he aspires to apply Israeli sovereignty to all Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Netanyahu’s announcement comes 2 weeks before the Israeli general election. (AJ, HA, WAFA, WAFA 9/1)

The al-Kasom Regional Council in the Negev, which presides over a large Bedouin community, announced that 17,000 students would not start the school year as planned on 9/2 as the Israeli education ministry had not given it enough money to begin the school year as planned. (HA 9/1)

Israeli forces and Hezbollah operatives exchanged missiles near the border of Israel and Lebanon. According to Hezbollah, it fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli military vehicles. The Israeli military and Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that it had hit the Hezbollah cell that fired the anti-tank missiles with “100 shells, aerial fire and various measures.” (HA 9/1; AJ, AJ, HA 9/2; HA 9/4)

In the West Bank, 4 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces firing rubber-coated bullets at protesters in Kafr Qaddum during the weekly anti-settlement protests. In East Jerusalem, a Palestinian family of 4 was arrested by Israeli police during a late-night raid in Silwan; all 4 were reportedly beaten by Israeli police. In Gaza, 41 Palestinians were injured during the Great March of Return protest. 22 of the protestors were injured by Israeli-fired live bullets, 19 others were injured by rubber-coated bullets. In Israel, Israeli right-wing activists sprayed anti-Arab graffiti on the Arab students’ dormitory in Tel Aviv University. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/5; WAFA 7/6)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces fired tear gas near a Hebron elementary school, causing tear gas inhalation injuries among students and teachers. Israeli forces raided Sabastiyya near Nablus and set up roadblocks on 3 entrances to the village. 10 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Bethlehem, Shu‘fat, Ramallah, Jenin, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, 4 Palestinians were released after 2 weeks of detention but were banned from returning to their homes in Silwan for 7 days. Hundreds of Christians from Gaza were denied permits by Israel to visit Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem and Bethlehem for Easter holidays. In Israel, 1 Palestinian construction worker from the West Bank died while being arrested by Israeli police for working illegally in Israel. The PA claims that he died from a fall during the arrest; Israeli police denied the claim. (MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/21; MNA 4/22; HA 4/23)

In Egypt at an Arab League meeting, PA president Mahmoud Abbas called on Arab League members to reject the Trump administration’s “peace plan.” The Arab League pledged $100 million a month to help the PA economy as Israel continued to withhold PA tax revenue. (HA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/21; AJ, MNA 4/22)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces gave evacuation notices for land seizure to several Palestinians in Bittir near Bethlehem and Halhul and Bayt Umar near Hebron. Israeli forces also gave notice to Palestinians in 7 villages in the Nablus area that 406 dunams (100 acres) will be seized by Israel for a settler-only road and 384 dunams (94 acres) for a military road in the northern Jordan Valley. In Hebron, several Palestinian students, a teacher, and a janitor suffered from tear gas inhalation when Israeli forces fired tear gas into the school yard. The teacher and janitor were taken to a hospital for treatment. Israeli forces also halted construction of a road west of Yatta near Hebron. South of Bethlehem, a Palestinian was hospitalized after an Israeli settler rammed his car. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians were injured and 3 arrested by Israeli police after a confrontation with Israeli settlers. Israeli settlers also sealed the door to the Shaykh Makki Mosque in the Old City for a 3d time (2 previous sealings happened in March). An Israeli court released 5 Palestinians who had been detained since March but banned them from returning to their homes in Silwan for 30 days. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces fired at Palestinian fishermen 3 nautical miles offshore from al-Sudaniyya. Israeli forces also razed farmland and fired at Palestinians near Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/8)

After the postponement of the Palestinian prisoners’ hunger strike reported on 4/7, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails started an open-ended hunger strike to protest their treatment by the Israelis. (HA, WAFA 4/8)

A French employee at the French consulate in Jerusalem was sentenced to 7 years in prison by an Israeli court for smuggling arms from Gaza to the West Bank. He confessed to having smuggled 30 guns, receiving $7,200 for his services. (HA 4/8; MEMO 4/9)

Russian president Vladimir Putin said weeks after U.S. president Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty of the Golan Heights that the U.S. change of policy is “a violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.” (MNA 4/9)

In response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comment on 4/6 that he would extend Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank, the Arab League’s assistant secretary-general Saeed Abu Ali said that such actions would lead to “dangerous repercussions” and called for an “immediate official investigation” by the International Criminal Court of “the ongoing settlement crimes in the Palestinian territories.” (MEMO 4/9)

In a White House statement, President Trump announced that the U.S had decided to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. Prime Minister Netanyahu later tweeted on his Hebrew language account, “Thank you for the answer to another important request that serves the interests of our country and the region,” implying that the terror designation was made upon request by Netanyahu. On Netanyahu’s English language Twitter account, the word “request” was omitted. (NPR 4/8; HILL 4/9; HA 4/10)

Led by Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel, dozens of right-wing Jewish activists tour Haram al-Sharif. Elsewhere in East Jerusalem, an Israeli settler sprays anti-Palestinian graffiti on walls outside the Old City. Israeli forces arrest Adnan Ghaith, the PA’s governor of Jerusalem, during a raid in Silwan (Ghaith has been arrested several times in the past few months on allegations related to Palestinian land sales to Israelis in East Jerusalem). The Israeli police say that Ghaith’s arrest today is related to “fraud and forgery.” Israeli forces also arrest 2 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya. In the West Bank, Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to Palestinians building a new agricultural road near Hebron. IDF troops arrest 6 Palestinians and confiscate 1 vehicle during raids in and around Ramallah, Jenin, and Hebron; and patrol near Hebron. Along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion to level land near Bayt Hanun and open fire on Palestinian farmland near Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. In the evening, hundreds of Palestinians gather along the border fence near Gaza City to continue the Great March of Return. IDF troops violently disperse them, injuring 4 protesters. (HA, MNA, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA 2/26; MNA, MNA, TOI 2/27; PCHR 2/28)

A member of Hamas’s military wing dies in a “resistance tunnel” accident near Khan Yunis, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza. (MNA 2/27)

A senior Japanese official announces a grant of $83,651 to install a solar panel system at a hospital in Gaza. (WAFA 2/26)

Hundreds of Palestinians gather along Gaza’s border fence near Gaza City to continue the Great March of Return in the evening. IDF troops violently disperse them, injuring at least 5. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Gaza City and Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 5 Palestinians during late-night raids near Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, and Jenin; and patrol near Tulkarm and Qalqilya. In East Jerusalem, Palestinian activists gather at Haram al-Sharif to protest the Israeli police’s sealing of al-Rahma Gate into the sanctuary on 2/17. After several protesters damage the locks in an effort to break through the gate, the Israeli police assault them, arrest 7, and seal all entrances to the sanctuary. Separately, Israeli forces raid a mosque in Issawiyya, assault a number of worshippers inside, and take down a Palestinian flag from the wall. They also arrest 4 Palestinians during late-night raids in Silwan and Issawiyya. (MNA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 2/18; MNA, MNA 2/19; PCHR 2/21)

In a statement, PA president Mahmoud Abbas condemns the Israeli decision to seal an entrance to Haram al-Sharif on 2/17. A Jordanian spokesperson also condemns the move “in the strongest possible terms.” Meanwhile, Haaretz reports that Jordan has expanded the Islamic Waqf’s council to 18 seats, from 11, to include several PA and Palestinian religious leaders. The newly expanded council reportedly met for the first time on 2/14.  (HA, WAFA, WAFA 2/18)

One Palestinian is shot and killed and at least 9 others are injured during clashes with Israeli settlers and IDF troops in al-Mughayyir village near Ramallah (1 settler is lightly injured as well). The clashes reportedly stemmed from a dispute at a Palestinian olive grove outside the village. The nature of the dispute is unclear. Later in the day, there are conflicting reports about the perpetrator of the killing. All agree that the settlers used live ammunition. Some witnesses say that the IDF did too, despite the IDF’s claim to have only used “riot dispersal” methods. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 8 Palestinians during late-night raids near Ramallah and Bethlehem; and patrol near Jenin and Nablus. An Israeli settler attacks 2 Palestinians with an axe near Salfit, causing them both light injuries. Settlers chase Palestinian children from an olive grove near Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces shoot and kill a West Bank Palestinian during a high-speed chase outside the Old City. The Israeli police later say that the man was suspected of driving a stolen vehicle. Separately, a Palestinian demolishes 2 rooms of his home in Silwan to avoid paying Israeli demolition fees. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops fire tear gas at a group of Palestinian minors setting tires on fire and rolling them toward the border fence near al-Bureij refugee camp; 1 Palestinian is injured. Separately, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian attempting to cross the border fence armed with a knife and wire cutters. In 3 separate incidents off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Rafah and Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, HA, MNA, MNA, REU, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/26; AFP, EI, HA, MNA, MNA 1/27; PCHR 1/31)

After several delays over the past 2 weeks, vehicles bearing $9.4 million in Qatari funds enter Gaza. Half the money is distributed to families in urgent need today. The other half is set to be distributed on 1/27. (AFP, HA, TOI, YA 1/26)

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says that Hezbollah, Iran, and the Syrian government are considering ending their policy of not retaliating against Israel for its sorties in Syrian territory. “At any moment the Syrian leadership and the axis of resistance can take a decision to deal with the Israeli aggression in a different manner,” he says. Nasrallah also says that despite the Israeli campaign to uncover and destroy Hezbollah’s tunnels leading into northern Israel, the group is still prepared for an invasion. “The uncovering of the tunnels does not affect by 10 percent our plans to take over the Galilee,” he adds. “If we decide to do it—even if they’ve destroyed the tunnels—can’t we rebuild them?” (TOI, TOI 1/26)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to a Palestinian house, water well, and barn under construction in Yatta village near Hebron. IDF troops assault and lightly injure a Palestinian at a checkpoint north of Ramallah. They ultimately let him pass through when they fail to find weapons in his vehicle. IDF troops also arrest 23 Palestinians and issue 5 arrest summons during late night-raids near Hebron, Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, and Bethlehem; and patrol near Jenin, Hebron, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Muslim worshippers block an Israeli police officer wearing a yarmulke from entering the Dome of the Rock at Haram al-Sharif. The worshippers then barricade themselves inside the building, sparking a minor confrontation; 1 Islamic Waqf official lightly injured and 4 Waqf guards are arrested. Later in the day, Israeli forces temporarily block Muslim worshippers from entering the sanctuary. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinians during raids in Silwan. (AP, HA, JP, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, YA 1/14; PCHR 1/17)

A Palestinian minor succumbs to injuries sustained when IDF troops violently dispersed Palestinian protesters gathering along Gaza’s border near Jabaliya refugee camp on 1/11. This brings the death toll stemming from the Great March of Return to 198. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/14)

Outgoing IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot tells Israel’s Army Radio that he “can say with confidence that we found all Hezbollah tunnels infiltrating into Israel.” Eisenkot’s comments come one day after the IDF announced the end of Operation Northern Shield and 2 days after the discovery of a 6th Hezbollah tunnel in the context of that operation. (JP 1/14)