The Palestine Chronology

Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian minor approaching the border fence near Khan Yunis. They also open fire on Palestinian farmers and shepherds near Dayr al-Balah and al-Bureij refugee camp, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assault and lightly injure a number of Palestinian farmers working near Hebron. Israeli forces demolish a number of structures on Palestinian farmland near Bethlehem and seize a tractor from a farm near Tubas. IDF troops arrest 7 Palestinians during late-night raids near Tulkarm, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin; and patrol near Qalqilya, Hebron, and Ramallah. An unexploded piece of Israeli ordnance detonates in the northern Jordan Valley, killing 4 Palestinian-owned cows. In East Jerusalem, Israeli MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) leads a group of right-wing Jewish activists on a tour of Haram al-Sharif. Separately, Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinians during a raid in Hizma. (JP, MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 1/28; MNA, MNA, TOI 1/29; PCHR 1/31)

Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour says that the effort to submit the State of Palestine for full membership at the UN is on hold until “obstacles” are no longer in the way, alluding to the U.S. veto at the UN Security Council. Earlier this month, PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said he intended to file the paperwork for another full membership bid before the end of 1/2019. (AP, TOI 1/29)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that his government does not intend to renew the mandate of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH), an international civilian group that has been monitoring “efforts to maintain normal life” in Hebron since it was established as part of the Hebron Protocol in 1997. The TIPH’s mandate, which has been renewed every 6 months since then, is set to expire on 1/31. A PA spokesperson calls the move “unacceptable.” “We call on the countries sponsoring this agreement to take a clear stance from this grave Israeli position and to immediately act to pressure the Israeli government to continue implementation of the agreement as agreed and not to treat Israel as a state above the law.” (HA, JP, TOI, WAFA, WAFA 1/28; MNA, TOI 1/29; FMEP 2/1)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home and a makeshift Palestinian residence in Fasayil village near Jericho. IDF troops arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Tulkarm refugee camp; and patrol near Jenin and Hebron. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmland near al-Maghazi refugee camp and Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage. Meanwhile, Israeli forces conduct a limited incursion into Gaza to level land near Bayt Hanun. (MNA, WAFA 1/16; MNA 1/17; PCHR 1/17; PCHR 1/24)

After Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu again called on Iran to withdraw its forces from Syria on 1/15, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, says that Iran has no intention of doing so. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will keep its military advisors, revolutionary forces and its weapons in Syria,” he says. “You should be afraid of the day that our precision-guided missiles roar and fall on your head.” (HA JP, REU, YA 1/16)

Following the Israeli air strikes in Gaza City on 1/11, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket into southern Israel. It lands in an open area, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli forces retaliate late at night, with air strikes and artillery shelling of at least 4 Hamas sites in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and Bayt Lahiya; extensive damage is reported at multiple sites. In the West Bank, IDF troops conduct raids in Ramallah, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinians; 4 Palestinians are injured, including 1 paramedic. They arrest 6 Palestinians during further raids near Hebron and Bethlehem; and patrol in and around Tulkarm. Israeli settlers sic a dog on a Palestinian human rights worker observing a planting near Hebron; the worker is moderately injured. Settlers also throw stones at Palestinian homes in Burqa village near Nablus, causing minor damage. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Bayt Lahiya, causing no damage or injuries. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian shepherds working near Dayr al-Balah and Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/12; HA, MNA 1/13; PCHR 1/17)

In the context of the ongoing Operation Northern Shield, the IDF discovers a 6th tunnel alleged to be built by Hezbollah from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. An IDF spokesperson will announce the discovery on 1/13. (HA, JP 1/13)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket from Gaza into southern Israel overnight, and Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts it near Ashqelon. In response, the Israeli Air Force conducts air strikes on 2 Hamas sites near Bayt Lahiya, reportedly destroying 1 property and damaging another in the vicinity of both. Also along Gaza’s border, Israeli forces conduct limited incursions to level land near Dayr al-Balah and Bayt Lahiya and open fire on Palestinian farmland near Rafah, causing no damage. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and injure a Palestinian minor at a checkpoint near Nablus. An IDF spokesperson says she was acting suspiciously, ignoring the soldiers’ orders and warning shots, and that the incident is suspected to be an attempted “suicide by cop.” IDF troops also shoot and injure 3 Palestinians during clashes sparked by an arrest raid in al-Bireh; arrest 13 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids near Ramallah, Hebron, and Bethlehem; and patrol near Hebron throughout the day. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 3 Palestinians during raids in Issawiyya and the Old City. (HA, HA, JP, JP, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, YA 1/7; PCHR 1/10)

There are reports in the Israeli and Palestinian press that the 3d transfer of Qatari money into Gaza, which was planned to go forward this week, is being delayed indefinitely. Some reports indicate that the Israeli authorities ordered the delay in response to the rocket fire today. The Israeli authorities previously allowed 2 transfers of $15 million each, on 11/8/18 and 12/6/18. They previously agreed to allow 6 total monthly transfers of $15 million to help pay the salaries of civil servants working for the Hamas-run government and to support families in urgent need in Gaza. In the evening, UN special coordinator Nickolay Mladenov reportedly informs Hamas that the transfer is set to go forward within 48 hours, so long as the relative calm in Gaza holds. (JP, MEMO, TOI, TOI, YA 1/7; C10, JP, JT 1/8)

After PA security forces withdraw from the Rafah border crossing in the morning, Hamas security forces retake control of the Gaza side of the crossing. The Egyptian authorities then announce that the crossing “will be limited to only the arrival of individuals and the entry of goods” into Gaza. An Egyptian official in Cairo says he does not expect the crossing to be closed completely, despite widespread rumors and speculation to the contrary. “Egypt recognizes the importance of the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the Rafah crossing is an important access point for Palestinians,” he adds. The PA announced the withdrawal on 1/6 amid a week of escalating tensions between Hamas and Fatah. Later, Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad says that the withdrawal is only the first step in Fatah’s plan to return the PA to power in Gaza. “There will be other measures… to annihilate the authority of division and status quo,” he says. Separately, a Fatah spokesperson accuses Hamas of detaining more than 1,000 Fatah members in Gaza, including 500 who were allegedly arrested in the past 24 hours. He alleges that the arrests are meant to undermine Fatah’s planned 54th anniversary celebration in Gaza this month. (AFP, EI, TOI, TOI, WAFA 1/7; JP, REU, TOI 1/8)

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza announces the arrest of 45 Palestinians alleged to have collaborated with Israel. (JP, TOI 1/8)

Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian shepherds working the border fence near Dayr al-Balah, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops prevent a number of activists and PA officials from entering Khan al-Ahmar, a Jerusalem-area Bedouin village that is slated for evacuation and demolition. They also arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Hebron; and patrol near Hebron, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. Unidentified assailants open fire on an Israeli settler bus at the Beit El checkpoint late at night, lightly injuring the drive. (JP, MNA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 1/5; HA, WAFA, YA 1/6; PCHR 1/10)

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry in Gaza announces that 5 Palestinians have been arrested in connection with the break-in to the offices of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation on 1/4. A Hamas spokesperson says that all 5 men are former employees of the PA government in Gaza whose salaries the PA recently suspended. Meanwhile, PA president Mahmoud Abbas meets with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo to discuss the recent escalation of tensions between Hamas and Fatah, among other regional issues. (TOI 1/5; AFP, MEE, NAT, WAFA 1/6)

Hundreds of right-wing Jewish activists visit Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus overnight, sparking clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinian residents of the area; 1 Palestinian journalist and 1 paramedic are injured. Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops fire tear gas at Palestinian students leaving a high school in Tell village near Nablus, causing no serious injuries. They also patrol during the day near Nablus, Hebron, and Bethlehem. Israeli forces uproot or otherwise damage 50 olive trees in a Palestinian grove near Salfit. Israeli settlers throw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving near Ramallah, causing minor damage to 1 windshield. Along Gaza’s border, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian farmland near Rafah and shepherds near Dayr al-Balah, causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, MNA, WAFA, WAFA, YA 1/3; MNA 1/4; PCHR 1/10)

Israeli forces surround and prepare to dismantle 2 makeshift residential structures that Israeli settlers established at the site of the former illegal settlement outpost Amona on 12/14/18. When approximately 300 settler-activists barricade themselves inside the structures and throw stones at the demolition crews, IDF troops use riot dispersal tactics to take control of the area and proceed with the evacuation and dismantlement (4 settlers and 23 Israeli troops are injured and 7 settlers are arrested in the ensuing clashes). Hours later, the Israeli press reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming that he ordered the indefinite postponement of the evacuation this morning, but that his order was not carried out. Netanyahu later calls on IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot to hold a disciplinary hearing for the officer reportedly responsible for failing to relay his order quickly enough, Colonel Avi Bluth. (JP, HA, HA, JP, TOI, YA, YA 1/3)

Hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu departs Brasilia, where he attended Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro’s inauguration yesterday, Bolsonaro confirms that he intends to uphold his campaign promise to move the Brazilian embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. “The decision is taken,” Bolsonaro says. “It’s only a matter of when it will be implemented.” (JP, REU 1/3; TOI 1/4)