The Palestine Chronology

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. On 3 occasions during the day, Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, confiscating 1 boat (arresting 1 fisherman and briefly detaining 2) and forcing the others to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin; conducts morning arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. The independent Palestinian Center for Human Rights accuses the Hamas authorities in Gaza of harassing Fatah mbrs., saying Hamas police have summoned about 50 former mbrs. of the Fatah security forces in since 12/26, questioning them at length, detaining some, and searching some homes. (JP, PCHR 12/29; NYT 12/30; OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

Anonymous Israeli officials say that 2 wks. ago, Abbas, under heavy Quartet pressure (especially fr. the U.S.), submitted a proposal for restarting talks that dropped demands that Israel halt settlement construction but demanded that Israel release in exchange 100 Palestinian prisoners jailed since before the Oslo process began. Israel rejected this on the grounds that (1) it would replace 1 precondition with another, and (2) it was vague about whether the talks that would result would be preparatory talks or direct negotiations between Abbas and Netanyahu. There is no official Palestinian, U.S., or Quartet comment on this. Another Israeli official says that Israel is concerned that if talks do not resume by 1/26/12, Abbas would resume Palestinian statehood efforts at the UN, including seeking membership in various UN organizations. (HA 12/28, 1/1)

Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire 4 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, Israeli warplanes carry out 3 air strikes on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border and 1 air strike on a Hamas training site s. of Gaza City; damage but no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Azariyya nr. East Jerusalem, in Hebron, and nr. Tulkarm. Israeli municipal officials in Jerusalem approve construction of another 130 housing units in Gilo settlement, s. of Jerusalem. (PCHR 12/29; YA 12/30; OCHA, PCHR 1/5)

As of this date, Congress has freed up only $40 m. of the $192 m. in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians that was frozen in light of the UN bid (see QU in JPS 162). USAID and the White House are pressuring Congress to release the rest of the money, calling it “in the interest of the Palestinians, Israel and the United States” to ensure continued development “vital to the establishing and strengthening the foundations necessary for a future Palestinian state.” (WP 12/29)

In the morning, IDF troops on the c. Gaza border fire toward the village of al-Mussaddar, seriously wounding a 12-yr.-old boy on a donkey cart. In the evening, an Israeli drone fires a missile at 2 mbrs. of a Salafist group riding a motorcycle in Jabaliya, assassinating 1 Salafist (Abdullah al-Talbani) and wounding a 2d Salafist and 3 civilian bystanders (including a child). In response, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket toward Israel, but it lands inside the Strip, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, an Israeli warplane carries out a 2d air strike on a car in Gaza City carrying 4 unidentified Palestinian resistance mbrs., wounding them. The right-wing Israeli Eldad Foundation announces plans to build a new tourism center at a disputed archaeological site just outside the Old City in East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood. (JP, NYT 12/28; PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket and 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF patrols in and around Jenin in the morning; conducts morning and late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. (YA 12/24; PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza in the morning to level lands and clear lines of sight along the border e. of Jabaliya r.c., firing on nearby residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors. In Dura and Ithna villages nr. Hebron, the IDF destroys 1 Palestinian home, part of 2 other homes, 9 agricultural pools and irrigation networks, 4 water tanks, and 5 wells, also confiscating 15 water pumps and other agricultural equipment. The IDF also patrols in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Jenin in the evening; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem and neighboring Dahaysha r.c. Washington Jewish Week reports that in the previous wk., Israel’s Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court rejected 2 lawsuits demanding the eviction of Palestinian families fr. their Silwan homes; the suits were brought by Eldad, an organization seeking to Judaize Jerusalem in part by settling Jews in the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, nr. the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. (WJW 12/22; PCHR 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

At the close of 2 days of talks in Cairo, Fatah’s Abbas and Hamas’s Mishal agree that they will both sit on the comm. that will prepare for the next elections of the PLO’s parliament-in-exile, the Palestinian National Council (PNC), marking a major step toward Hamas joining the PLO. They also agree to form an interim unity government by the end of 1/2012 and to bring elected Hamas-affiliated legislators back into the PA’s parliament, the Palestinian Council (PC), in 2/2012. (NYT, AP, WP, WT 12/23; HA 12/28)

Reports indicate that Hamas is scaling back its presence in Syria because of violence there, but overall feels buoyed by the Arab Spring. Senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahar states that Hamas feels strengthened and validated by the popular support shown for Islamist parties in countries affected by the Arab Spring, suggesting that the new Tunisian model of power-sharing among Islamist and secular nationalist parties could be a model for the Palestinians. (WP 12/22)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials nr. the border, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes 2 storehouses and 2 wells nr. Salfit; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., and nr. Hebron. (PCHR 12/22, 12/29; OCHA 1/5)

Israel denounces the 12/20 statement by Britain, France, Germany, and Portugal at the UNSC, accusing the 4 EU states of interfering in its internal affairs. Israeli FM spokesman Yigal Palmor adds: “We felt that the European statement broke all the diplomatic rules. You aren’t meant to issue such a harsh statement by surprise, without prior consultation.” (NYT 12/22)

Israeli troops on the n. Gaza border twice fire at suspicious movement in open areas e. of Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. 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 patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin in the morning and in Tulkarm town and r.c. in the evening, in both cases firing at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no reported injuries. OCHA reports that in the previous wk., the IDF demolished 10 tents and 5 animal pens in the Bedouin village of Fasayil al-Wusta and 2 animal pens in the neighboring Bedouin village of Fasayil al-Fauqa, both in the Jordan Valley. (PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Fatah and Hamas announce that, in keeping with their 5/2011 reconciliation deal, they have agreed on formation of a new Central Elections Commission to prepare for presidential and parliamentary elections. They fail to reach an agreement on formation of a caretaker government to take the Palestinians to elections, postponing further discussion until late 1/2012. (JPI 12/30)

After a UNSC briefing on the Middle East, 14 UNSC mbrs. criticize the U.S. (without naming it directly) for blocking any criticism of Israel’s recent approvals for new settlement construction in East Jerusalem and the West Bank and of the increasing settler violence, as well as for threatening to veto any UNSC res. supporting Palestinian statehood. British UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, speaking on behalf of the European UNSC mbrs. (Britain, France, Germany, and Portugal), calls recent Israeli settlement and settler actions “devastating” to the 2-state solution, saying “Israel’s security and the realization of the Palestinians’ right to statehood are not opposing goals. On the contrary, they are mutually reinforcing objectives. But they will not be achieved while settlement building and settler violence continues.” Grant also calls on Israel and the Palestinians to send their comprehensive proposals on territory and security to the Quartet as soon as possible. (The Palestinians have already submitted theirs to the Quartet, so this is seen as an added rebuke to Israel, which has not done so.) (HA 12/21, NYT 12/22)

The last U.S. combat troops pull out of Iraq 2 wks. ahead of Obama’s 12/31/11 target date; 1,000s of U.S. diplomats and contractors remain in the country, as well as 150 U.S. soldiers tasked to train Iraqi security forces. (National Public Radio, REU 12/18; NYT 12/19)

Israel frees 550 Palestinian prisoners in the 2d stage of the swap that freed IDF Cpl. Gilad Shalit in 10/2011; 41 are released to Gaza, more than 500 to the West Bank, a few to East Jerusalem and Jordan. Under the terms of the deal, Israel picked which prisoners to free and picked mostly Fatahaffiliated West Bankers as a gesture to Abbas; none are mbrs. of Hamas or Islamic Jihad or were involved in killing or wounding anyone; Palestinians complain that “many of those being released were due to get out within months anyway. . . . If Israel had wanted to make a real good-will gesture, the list would have been totally different.” (NYT, WP 12/19)

Stone-throwing Palestinian youths clash with IDF at the Beitunia checkpoint where some of the Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel are released, leaving 10s of Palestinians and 1 IDF soldier injured. Elsewhere in the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jenin in the morning and in 3 villages nr. Jenin, Qalqilya, and Salfit in the evening (firing tear gas at stone-throwing youths in Jenin); makes a brief incursion into Qalqilya where they set up 2 checkpoints, detain 2 PA security forces officers for several hours, and summon 1 Palestinian for questioning. Jewish settlers block a Palestinian road nr. Moshe Zouhar settlement outpost nr. Qalqilya. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza City shore, detaining 1 boat and questioning 4 Palestinians (3 are released, 1 is sent to Israel for an unrelated medical issue). Gaza’s Interior Min. drops requirements for Gazans to register in advance of leaving Gaza through the Rafah crossing. The Israeli Housing Min. published tenders for construction of 1,028 Jewish settlement units in East Jerusalem (500 in Har Homa, 348 in Beitar Ilit, and 180 in Givat Ze’ev). The Gaza Central Drug Store receives an urgent shipment of medicine and supplies fr. the West Bank, enough to replenish its stores for several weeks (see 12/6/12). (HA 12/18; NYT, WP 12/19; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz announces that in light of the dramatically increasing number of covert foreign operations Israel has undertaken in the past year, the Israeli DMin. has formed a new operational branch called the Depth Corps specifically to handle special operations “deep in enemy territory.” The new branch (separate fr. the existing Northern, Southern, and Central Commands) will be headed by former special operations commander Maj. Gen. Shai Avital and will pull and coordinate resources fr. the military’s various elite commando units on an ad hoc basis, depending on the mission. While Israel does not confirm or deny covert operations abroad, media reports over the past year have indicated that Israel has carried out operations in Sudan (targeting arms traffic to Hizballah and Hamas), Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. According to HA, since most recent covert ops have targeted Iran, IDF insiders often refer to the Depth Corps as “Iran Command.” (AFP, IHY 12/16; HA 12/18; JPI 2/10)

In light of Jewish settler violence against the IDF on 12/12, the Israeli cabinet approves several measures against right-wing Jewish extremists, including permitting their detention without trial (administrative detention) and trial in military courts, allowing soldiers in the West Bank to arrest them, and banning them fr. entering the West Bank; it does not label them “terrorists,” which would have allowed security forces even greater leeway to act against them. Hrs. later, Israeli police raid a Jerusalem apartment and arrest 6 Israelis for involvement in “recent events” targeting Palestinians and the IDF. In apparent “price-tag” attacks to protest the government moves: Jewish extremists set fire to the Nabi Ukasha mosque in West Jerusalem (Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians fr. using the mosque but have allowed Jewish settlers affiliated with the extremist Kach party to use the courtyard as a playground); Jewish settlers fr. Burkan settlement set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Salfit; and Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Douma village nr. Nablus. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/15; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Under pressure fr. PA and Jordanian officials, Israel reopens the Mughrabi footbridge to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount (closed on 12/12/11), saying it will reinforce rather than rebuild it. Meanwhile, IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City fire on a Palestinian who strays too nr. the border fence while hunting birds, moderately wounding him. IDF troops in the West Bank conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawar r.c. and Bayt Umar, both nr. Hebron. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/15; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Addressing 10,000s of Hamas supporters in Gaza City to mark Hamas’s 24th anniversary, Hamas acting PM Ismail Haniyeh says that “Today we say it clearly: Armed resistance and armed struggle are the strategic way to liberate the Palestinian land from the sea to the river,” but that if Israel were to turn over the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, Hamas could take a “temporary” respite “without Israel being recognized and without any concession being made.” Of note: at the rally, the flags of the Arab states are displayed except for Syria’s. (NYT 12/15)

The New York Times runs a long special report on a 6-yr. U.S. investigation of Lebanese Canadian Bank and its suspected role providing financial support to “terrorists.” U.S. officials allege—but refuse to release their evidence—that the investigation revealed that the bank laundered hundreds of millions of dollars fr. Hizballah criminal enterprises and that Hizballah had significant ties to Latin American drug cartels. U.S. investigators say the transactions also revealed a pattern “in which entities tied to Hezbollah have been buying up militarily strategic pieces of property in largely Christian areas” of Lebanon. Hizballah calls the claims “politically motivated propaganda.” U.S. admin. sources say that when the connections first came to their attention in fall 2010, some argued that the Hizballah link should be left unstated, but the admin. changed course (1) after Hizballah forced out Saad Hariri as PM and secured appointment of an ally in his place and (2) when the UN tribunal accused Hizballah of involvement in Rafiq Hariri’s assassination. (NYT 12/14)

Quartet officials open 2 days of meetings in Israel and Ramallah aimed at reviving peace talks. Palestinian advocacy groups note “a growing disconnect between the Quartet talks and the situation on the ground.” (NYT 12/14)

Jewish settlers take over several abandoned churches in a closed military zone nr. the Jordanian border to protest Jordan’s efforts to intervene with the Israeli government over its 12/12 closure of a footbridge used by nonMuslims to reach the Haram al-Sharif/ Temple Mount; IDF troops remove them and arrest 17. Other settlers block a main West Bank road and stone passing Palestinian vehicles. Later, about 50 Jewish settlers with inside information of IDF plans to remove the Mitzpe Yitzhar settlement outpost nr. Nablus that evening attempt to prevent the evacuation by breaking into an IDF base in the West Bank, setting fires, vandalizing vehicles, clashing with troops, and stoning a senior officer; troops detain 2. PM Netanyahu vows to “act aggressively against those harming Israeli soldiers and their commanders”; DM Ehud Barak condemns both incidents as “home-grown terror.” Late at night, Jewish settler youths enter Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb, but they do so without the usual coordination with and escort of the IDF and deface a mosque. Meanwhile, IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence e. of Bureij r.c., firing on surrounding areas to keep Palestinians away, wounding a farmer working his field nearby. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian and international activists staging a nonviolent protest march to the border nr. Bayt Hanun to protests Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone, causing no injuries; also fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the demolished Erez industrial zone, wounding a 14-yr.-old boy. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a latenight raid on the home of Change and Reform PC mbr. Ayman Daraghmeh, arresting him (making him the 24th Hamas-affiliated PC mbr. now in detention); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Salfit. (NYT, WP, WT 12/14; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16; JPI 12/23)

The PA Tourism Min. launches a campaign in Bethlehem coinciding with Christmas called “Palestine Celebrating Hope.” Tourism M Kholoud Daibes says the intention is to convey to the estimated 50,000 foreigners visiting Bethlehem for Christmas “that we have hope of having our own independent state, and we need international support for that.” The initiative includes special tours of the separation wall around Bethlehem and free postcards of the Church of the Nativity, which tourists can mail at the Manger Square post office with Palestinian stamps. (WT 12/14)

IDF spokesman Maj. Guy Inbar acknowledges that Israel plans to relocate some 2,000 Bedouin fr. 20 encampments in the hills e. of Jerusalem (in area C) to clear the way for the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement into the E1 zone to link it with Jerusalem. Officially, the government says the relocation plans are part of its broader initiative to “provide the bedouin across the West Bank with sites where they can build legally with access to water, electricity, and government services.” Construction in the E1 zone and settlers’ preparations for expansion of Ma’ale Adumim into the area have been planned since 2009, but this marks the 1st admission that the government has started logistical planning to remove the Bedouin population fr. the area. Meanwhile, Israeli DM Ehud Barak approves establishment of a new 40-unit settlement neighborhood and farm nr. Efrat settlement to expand the Gush Etzion settlement block s. of Bethlehem; the new settlement, to be called Givat Hadagan, was approved for development in the 1990s, with plans to build 500 housing units. Israel closes the old wooden Mughrabi footbridge (deemed unsafe) used by non-Muslims to reach the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount; the PA and Waqf officials protest, saying Israel plans to build a larger permanent structure to assert its control over the site, which is holy to both Muslims and Jews. Also in East Jerusalem, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya twice in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus vandalize nearby Palestinian homes and cars twice during the day, including throwing a Molotov cocktail at a home. Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron nr. Qalqilya stone passing Palestinian vehicles, injuring 3 Palestinians. (HA 12/12; NYT, WP 12/13; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16; HA 12/18)

Israel’s new amb. to Egypt, Ya’akov Amitai, arrives in Cairo. Israel withdrew its former ambassador for safety reasons on 9/9/11, when Egyptian protesters ransacked the Israeli embassy (see QU in JPS 162). (WP 12/13)

With the completion of a section of the separation wall bordering Shu’fat r.c. in East Jerusalem, the IDF closes its Shu’fat checkpoint into Jerusalem and redirects traffic to a new modern checkpoint (begun in 2009 to serve as a future international crossing into Jerusalem). The move leaves more than 50,000 Palestinians living in Shu’fat r.c. and several surrounding Jerusalem suburbs (Ras Shihada, Ras Khamis, al-Salam, and part of ‘Anata) who hold Jerusalem IDs completely isolated fr. Jerusalem. In the West Bank, the IDF clashes with mourners taking part in the funeral for Palestinian activist Mustafa Tamimi (see 12/10), causing no serious injuries; conducts daytime patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit, 2 nr. Qalqilya, and 1 nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Bethlehem, and in Tulkarm; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Qalqilya. (PCHR 12/12, 12/15; OCHA 12/16; JPI 12/23)

The Israeli cabinet unanimously approves $160 m. for the next stage of construction of the security fence along the border with Egypt, expansion of detention centers, and increased policing of companies that hire illegal workers. Since 1/2006, nearly 50,000 illegal workers, mostly fr. Eritrea and Sudan, have entered Israel via the Sinai, raising concerns among Israelis that the mounting influx of illegal African workers could undermine Israel’s Jewish character. (NYT, WP 12/12)

Overnight, Palestinians fire 11 rockets (including 1 manufactured Grad) fr. Gaza into Israel, retaliating for the 12/8 assassination, causing no damage or injuries. In the morning, Israel carries out more air strikes on 2 alleged Hamas training sites in Gaza City, killing a Palestinian bystander and his 12-yr.-old son and damaging a home, injuring 11 civilians (including 3 children, 2 women); Israel says it regrets the civilian casualties but blames Hamas for operating in densely populated areas. In retaliation, Palestinians fire another 6 rockets (including 1 Grad) fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night the IDF makes an air strike on a Hamas training camp in Rafah, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm (firing tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinian youths, causing no serious injuries) and 1 village nr. Salfit in the afternoon; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Salfit; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c. nr. Bethlehem. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Ni’lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, seriously injuring 1 Palestinian and lightly injuring 4 others in Nabi Salih. The incident, in which a man throwing a stone at an armored personnel carrier is hit in the head with a tear gas canister at close range, is caught on camera. (JP 12/9; JP, NYT 12/10; IDFS, WP 12/11; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16)

Unidentified assailants detonate a roadside bomb nr. a UNIFIL patrol nr. Tyre in s. Lebanon, wounding 5 French UNIFIL soldiers in the 3d such attack in 2011. No group claims responsibility. (NYT 12/10; WP 12/12)

The IDF carries out an air strike on a car in a crowded section of Gaza City, assassinating senior al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Issam al-Batash and his nephew Subhi al-Batash, a mbr. of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades (IQB), wounding 4–6 bystanders; Israel claims the 2 men planned to infiltrate Israel and that Issam al-Batash was involved in plotting an AMB–Islamic Jihad suicide bombing in Elat on 1/29/07. Overnight, in the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids targeting the PFLP in Hebron, arresting 3; the IDF spokesman states that 9 other PFLP mbrs. are arrested in raids in Bethlehem, Jenin, and Qalqilya, but there is no corroboration. During the day, the IDF confiscates 150 d. of Palestinian agricultural land nr. the Gush Etzion settlement bloc nr. Bethlehem. Late at night, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 1 each nr. Jenin and Salfit. (AP, HA, IDFS, MNA 12/8; JP, NYT, WP 12/9; PCHR 12/15; OCHA 12/16)

Overnight, Jewish settlers set fire to the entrance of a mosque, a car, and a construction vehicle in Burqin village nr. Salfit, moderately damaging the mosque and destroying the 2 vehicles. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction material in the demolished Erez industrial zone, forcing them to flee. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids and house searches nr. Hebron, Tulkarm. (PCHR 12/8, 12/15; OCHA 12/16)

Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and New Gingrich address the conservative Republican Jewish Coalition, criticizing U.S. Pres. Barack Obama for his weak and confused foreign policy and mistreatment of Israel. Neither endorses a 2-state solution, even though the Republican Party platform officially supports this. Romney pledges that his 1st trip as pres. would be to Israel. Gingrich promises that he would move the U.S. emb. fr. Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Republican candidates Michele Bachmann, John Huntsman, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum also address the forum and promise new approaches to the Middle East but do not go into detail. (NYT, WP 12/8)

Israel releases Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Ahmad ‘Attoun, discharging him at the Qalandia crossing and ordering him to Ramallah. Israel revoked ‘Attoun’s Jerusalem residency status in 9/2009 on the grounds that he was affiliated with a “terrorist organization” (i.e., Hamas) and warned him in 5/2010 to leave the city or face deportation to the West Bank (QU in JPS 157). He was arrested in East Jerusalem on 9/26/11, when he went to address a protest rally in Shaykh Jarrah, and was charged with “being illegally present in the city.” (MNA 12/6; PCHR 12/8)

Israeli municipal forces in East Jerusalem demolish a Palestinian home. IDF troops make a brief incursion into al-Shuja’iyya neighborhood in Gaza City, leveling land to clear lines of sight and exchanging gunfire with Palestinians, causing no injuries. Late in the evening the IDF carries out 2 air strikes at armed Palestinians preparing to fire rockets fr. Gaza City into Israel, the 1st killing 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. and wounding 2 in al-Shuja’iyya, and the 2d seriously wounding an unidentified armed Palestinian in al-Zaytun neighborhood. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin during the day; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and nearby Balata r.c., detaining around 12 PFLP mbrs. (including 1 senior mbr.) and 1 senior Hamas mbr. The IDF reports that 3 IDF soldiers have been arrested on suspicion of participating in “pricetag” attacks in the West Bank. Health officials in Gaza report that Gaza’s Central Drug Store is lacking 120 essential medicines and 140 essential medical supplies, including medicine for the anesthesia, cancer, hemophilia, and kidney dialysis (450 patients); the shortage is the result of poor coordination between the Min. of Health branches in Gaza and the West Bank (where no shortages are reported). (MNA 12/6; DUS, JP, Taiwan News, WT 12/7; PCHR, WP 12/8; OCHA 12/9; NYT 12/10; JPI 12/16; OCHA 12/23)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians hunting birds nr. the no-go zone, forcing them to leave the area. 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 patrols in 4 villages nr. Ramallah during the day; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil’in, Kafr Qaddum, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin; demonstrations in Bil’in also call for national reconciliation. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 3 Palestinians and 1 Israeli in Bil’in are hit and moderately injured by tear gas canisters; 2 Palestinian journalists (for Associated Press and Palestine TV) and 3 international activists are arrested in Nabi Salih. (PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

Speaking at the Brookings Institute’s Saban Center in Washington, U.S. Defense Secy. Leon Panetta states that the “firm principles” on which U.S. Middle East policy is based are: (1) the U.S.’s “unshakable” commitment to Israel, (2) maintenance of regional stability, and (3) preventing Iran fr. obtaining nuclear weapons (by military means if necessary). However, he also says Israel bears significant blame for a peace process that “has been effectively put on hold” and must do more to revive peace talks and improve relations with Egypt, Jordan, and Turkey. (NYT, WP 12/3)

Israel releases the hold on transferring VAT taxes to the PA “following the cessation of unilateral steps by the [PA],” but warns that it could be reimposed if unilateral steps resume. Anonymous Palestinian officials confirm (see WP 12/1) that they have no immediate plans to pursue membership in other UN bodies, though Abbas separately states that he remains committed to the Palestinian bid for full member-state status in the UN. (NYT, WP, WT 12/1)

Meanwhile, the IDF makes 2 predawn incursions into c. Gaza to patrol in al-Bureij r.c. and al-Maghazi r.c. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jericho and 1 nearby village, as well as in 4 villages nr. Ramallah during the day. Late at night, the IDF stages synchronized late-night arrest raids in and around Jenin, arresting 10 Palestinian men ages 37–70, including PFLP Central Comm. mbr. Nasser ‘Aziz; conducts other late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in Tubas, and nr. Nablus and Ramallah (including rearresting a Palestinian freed in the Shalit prisoner exchange). (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/1; PCHR 12/8; OCHA 12/9)

Late at night, unidentified Palestinians fire a homemade Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF carries out an air strike on a training camp w. of Nussayrat refugee camp (r.c.) in central Gaza and 3 air strikes on a greenhouse in Khan Yunis in s. Gaza; no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a room and water tank of a home nr. Qalqilya for construction of the separation wall; conducts late-night patrols in Tulkarm. Jewish settlers block a road nr. Qalqilya and stone passing Palestinian vehicles. (HA 11/27; PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

Hamas leader Mishal and PA pres. and Fatah head Abbas meet for 2 hrs. in Cairo to hold the 1st detailed talks since 8/2011 on implementing their 5/2011 national unity deal (see QU in JPS 161). They approve a 2-page document (leaked to AFP on 11/24, which publishes excerpts, but not released publicly) reiterating their commitment to the main elements of the 5/2011 accord, agreeing to observe a truce in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (including halting political arrests), vowing to increase “popular resistance” to oppose Israel’s settlement expansion and construction of the separation wall, and pledging that the factions would agree on the “style” of popular resistance and form “a framework to direct it.” In an interview with AFP later in the day, Mishal clarifies that Hamas believes in both armed and popular resistance, stating “armed struggle is our right. How we use it, and when we use it, is something different.” Mishal and Abbas fail, however, to resolve key issues regarding composition of an interim unity government and elections. Though both call the meeting positive, sources say (e.g., WP 11/25) that the meeting “raised new questions about whether the rivals are serious about working together or just going through the motions.” (AFP 11/24; NHR, NYT, WP, WT 11/25; WP 12/22)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers working their fields nr. the no-go zone, forcing them to flee. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF troops operating in the Hebron area demolish a mosque, 2 Palestinian homes, a rabbit farm, and a generator and block up a cave used as an agricultural storeroom in Yatta village; demolish 1 Palestinian home, 3 wells, and 3 agricultural storehouses in Ithna village; bulldoze a residential tent and an animal pen in Khirbat Susia. The IDF also patrols in 5 villages nr. Jenin (1 village is entered twice; 3 villages are entered simultaneously) and 3 villages nr. Qalqilya (2 villages are entered simultaneously). (PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians hunting for birds in the fmr. Nisanit settlement area nr. the Erez crossing, forcing them to flee. For the 3d straight day, Israeli naval vessels fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the s. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. Late at night, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border make a brief incursion into areas n. of Bayt Lahiya, searching the area and opening fire, but causing no reported damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF escorts Jewish settlers into Nablus late at night to pray at Joseph’s Tomb, raiding several Palestinian homes. (PCHR 11/24; PCHR 12/1; OCHA 12/2)

The PA warns that unless Israel releases VAT taxes (suspended on 11/1/11 in violation of the 1994 Oslo Accord), it will be unable to pay civil servants salaries on 12/1 (affecting around one-third of Palestinians) and PA services would likely be disrupted. PA PM Salam alFayyad states: “With each passing day, the [PA] becomes weaker, and it is fast approaching the day when it becomes completely incapacitated.” The UN, U.S., and Quartet have each contacted Israeli PM Netanyahu in recent days to urge him to restore the transfers, with Quartet special envoy Tony Blair stating today: “Only those who oppose peace and Israeli-Palestinian cooperation benefit from the withholding of PA funds.” A Netanyahu aide says that if the PA pledges not to pursue membership in any more UN organizations and backs off planned reconciliation talks with Hamas, Israel would probably restore the transfers, saying, “The idea is to influence Palestinian decision making.” (NYT 11/24; WP 11/28)

Smugglers attempting to sneak into Israel fr. Egypt clash with Egyptian border police inside Egyptian territory (killing 2 border police) and then cross into Israel where they exchange fire with IDF soldiers (causing no reported injuries) before fleeing back into Egypt and escaping. (WP 12/3)

Overnight, the IDF conducts arrest raids targeting the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) in Jenin, Nablus, and Ramallah, arresting about 17. In the morning, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jenin (firing flash grenades to intimidate residents) and Jericho. Late in the evening, an IDF drone fires a missile at a training camp in s. Gaza, causing no reported injuries; the IDF makes a brief incursion into Rafah, sporadically firing on residential areas, causing no injuries; and Israeli naval vessels fire on a Palestinian fishing boat off the s. Gaza coast, forcing it to return to shore. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that since 11/16, the IDF has bulldozed 130 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of Palestinian agricultural land, uprooted 500 trees, and forced Palestinians to dismantle 9 greenhouses and 7,000 m of irrigation networks to allow the rerouting of the separation wall nr. Qalqilya. OCHA also reports that since 11/16, the IDF has bulldozed 18 d. in the Jericho area and 400 d. in the Salfit area that Israel has claimed as state land. (MNA, XIN 11/22; PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

U.S. Dep. Secy. of State Burns meets with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss ways of reviving peace talks with the Palestinians. U.S. officials say that they are trying to find ways around Palestinian demands for a settlement freeze in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, but give no details. (NYT 11/22; JPI 12/2)

The IDF makes a late-night incursion into s. Gaza, patrolling in and firing on residential areas of Rafah, causing no injuries and making no arrests. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF raids and searches the home of a PA police officer nr. Jenin, arresting him; patrols in 7 villages nr. Ramallah, in 1 instance firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them. (PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

PA Tourism and Antiquities M Hamdan Taha says that now that Palestine has full membership in UNESCO (see QU in JPS 162), it is planning to seek world heritage status for the old cities of Hebron and Jericho. An application for Bethlehem is already in the works and is expected to have a better chance now that Palestine has membership. The PA also plans to seek recovery of artifacts looted by Israel, increase funds for preservation and excavations, and use its status to force Israel to stop calling West Bank sites “Israeli antiquities.” (WP 11/22)

King Abdallah of Jordan makes an official visit to Ramallah (his 1st in 10 yrs.) to hold talks with PA pres. Abbas on their independent efforts to reconcile with Hamas and personally to inform Abbas that Jordan has invited Damascus-based Hamas leader Khalid Mishal (barred fr. visiting Jordan since 1999) for an official visit to Amman. The king stresses that any improvement in ties with Hamas is not intended as a move against the PA or as a gesture to Jordan’s Islamist opposition. The U.S. reportedly has expressed displeasure to Jordan over the Mishal visit and hinted that U.S. aid could be cut if Jordan reconciles with Hamas. (NYT, WP 11/22; JPI 12/2)

U.S. Dep. Secy. of State William Burns meets with PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas to urge him to revive peace talks with Israel and delay formation of a unity government with Hamas. (CNN 11/21)

The IDF conducts morning patrols in Qalqilya, Salfit, 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village each nr. Jericho and Tulkarm; fires tear gas, stun grenades to disperse a funeral procession nr. Hebron, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and in Salfit; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho, 2 villages each nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm, and 1 nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers in Hebron attack the home of a Palestinian released in the prisoner swap deal that freed captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 10/2011, hang posters urging that he be killed, vandalize a grocery store owned by a relative; the Palestinian, Hani Jaber, had been sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing a settler in 1993. The incidents spark several clashes between the settlers and local Palestinians in which settlers attack and vandalize several more Palestinian homes; the IDF intervenes, separating the sides. (WP 11/21; PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

In Gaza, a Palestinian is fatally electrocuted in a smuggling tunnel under the Rafah border. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning and late-night patrols in Jericho; conducts daytime patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jenin, Salfit, and Tulkarm. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations in Bil’in, Nabi Salih, and Ni’lin nr. Ramallah and in Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya. While intended mainly to protests Israel’s separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion, protesters also chant slogans calling for national reconciliation, Palestinians rights, and the release of Palestinian prisoners. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 3 Palestinians (including a journalists) in Nabi Salih. (PCHR 11/24; OCHA 11/25)

During a regular security briefing to the Knesset, IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz says that Israel may need to strike Gaza if rocket fire continues, stating that Israel would initiate an operation before it would allow itself to be “dragged into” one. Later in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging an empty kindergarten but causing no injuries. Late at night, the IDF carries out 2 air strikes (warplane and drone) targeting a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border and a group of armed Palestinians nr. Jabaliya, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 4 Palestinian homes n. of Jericho; patrols in al-Bireh and 3 villages nr. Ramallah during the day; conducts late-night house searches nr. Nablus, confiscating computers but making no arrests. Taking inspiration from the U.S. civil rights movement of the 1960s, 6 Palestinian peace activists, dubbed the Freedom Riders, board an Israeli commuter bus linking the West Bank Jewish settlements with Jerusalem and are arrested at an IDF checkpoint outside the city. The Israeli Housing Min. launches a major advertising campaign selling 277 subsidized apartments in Ariel settlement nr. Salfit, 743 in Ramot and 130 in Har Homa settlement in Jerusalem, and 164 in Mod’in nr. Ramallah, as well as leasing 213 plots of land zoned for construction in Efrat settlement nr. Bethlehem, 207 in Mod’in, 168 in Har Homa, and 18 in Pisgat Ze’ev in Jerusalem. (JP, WP 11/16; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

Over the objections of Israeli DMin. officials, the Israeli cabinet affirms the government’s decision to withhold $100 m. in VAT taxes owed the PA. The DMin. has warned that withholding the PA’s money could undermine the PA’s stability and West Bank security. Meanwhile, overnight, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In retaliation, the IDF carries out 4 late-night air strikes on the main Palestinian naval police post in Bayt Lahiya, killing 1 Hamas-affiliated naval police officer, wounding 7 officers and 5 civilians in houses nearby (including the French consul, his wife, and a pregnant woman, who miscarries). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm 3 times during the day; conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages e. of Qalqilya in the morning; conducts late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. (YA 11/14; WP 11/15; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries; in response the IDF carries out an air strike on a Hamas training post in Khan Yunis, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF confiscates 4 d. of Palestinian agriculture land nr. Hebron for expansion of a settlers-only bypass road; raids a house in Hebron, firing stun grenades and live ammunition, wounding and arresting 1 Palestinian; searches several abandoned houses and photographs an old mosque in Kafr Qaddum nr. Qalqilya; conducts 3 synchronized morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, 2 villages nr. Tulkarm, and 3 nr. Jenin; conducts other morning patrols in 1 village nr. Salfit and late-night patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 2 nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Salfit. Jewish settlers in Hebron set fire to 3 Palestinian vehicles. (PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

Obama Middle East adviser Ross announces at a lunch with Jewish leaders that he will resign effective 12/2011 to return to work at the pro-Israel Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Sources say his decision reflects “the diminishing chances for a breakthrough in either Iran or the Arab-Israeli peace process” before the 2012 presidential elections. (NYT, WP 11/10)

In retaliation for Israeli air strikes on 11/8, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli naval vessels detain a Palestinian fishing boat off the c. Gaza coast, confiscating the boat, detaining 1 man who is a mbr. of the Palestinian naval police, questioning and releasing 2 others. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts afternoon patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho and 2 nr. Ramallah (firing rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas at stone-throwing youths in 1 case, causing no serious injuries); patrols in Tulkarm late at night; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (XIN 11/9; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)

In retaliation for the Israeli air strikes on 11/5, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, injuring a Thai laborer. On the 1st day of ‘Id alAdha, Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus uproot 25 olive trees on nearby Palestinian land, spray painting on the branches “Happy‘Id” and “revenge.” (HA, YA 11/6; PCHR 11/17; OCHA 11/18)