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)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authorities approve zoning of land in East Jerusalem to accommodate construction of 130 new housing units in Gilo settlement. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians and international activists staging a nonviolent march to the Erez crossing to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone inside the Gaza border; no injuries are reported. In the West Bank, the IDF releases Palestinians arrested on 11/24 for organizing weekly demonstrations outside Karme Tzur, forcing them to sign pledges that they will stay away fr. the settlement; conducts morning patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 2 nr. Tulkarm. (WP 11/30; PCHR, WJW 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem demolish 9 Palestinian shops in Hizma village in the East Jerusalem suburbs. The IDF makes a brief incursion into n. Gaza to level land along the border fence to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a mosque, 1 Palestinian home, and 10 storehouses in Khirbat Yazra village nr. Tubas, displacing 15 Palestinians; demolishes another Palestinian home in Yatta village nr. Hebron, displacing 25 Palestinians; conducts rare daytime arrest raids, searches nr. Jenin, Tulkarm; patrols in Tulkarm and Kharbatha al-Misbah village nr. Ramallah in the afternoon, firing rubber-coated steel bullets and beating several stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. (PCHR 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

The Knesset passes (65-33, with 22 absent) a law that would require the government to hold a national referendum before ceding Israeli territory, potentially hindering the government’s ability to reach peace deals with Syria and the Palestinians; West Bank lands, which were never annexed by Israel, would not fall under the new requirement. (NYT 11/23)

The IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level lands along the border fence east of Bureij refugee camp (r.c.), firing on residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm in the morning without incident; conducts afternoon arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, in Jenin, and nr. Bethlehem and Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo settlement nr. Ramallah, escorted by IDF soldiers, expel Palestinian farmers fr. a plot of land adjacent to the settlement. (PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

The Arab League postpones its planned 11/9 meeting until after the 11/16–20 Eid al-Adha holiday to give ongoing U.S.-Israeli talks a final chance to reach an arrangement that would allow continuation of Israeli-Palestinian direct talks. (MNA 11/7; Foreign Policy 11/9)

Netanyahu arrives in the U.S. on a 5-day visit to attend the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) general assembly in New Orleans and consult with U.S. officials (excluding Obama, who left on 11/5 for a 10-day trip to South East Asia). On the sidelines of the JFNA assembly today, he meets with VP Joe Biden for talks that focus primarily on Iran (WP 11/9; WJW 11/11)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the industrial zone, wounding 1. IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level lands along the border fence e. of Gaza Valley village. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts a rare daytime house search nr. Jenin; patrols without incident 2 villages nr. Jenin during the day; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya (also detonating explosives in a store on the 1st floor of a Palestinian building, causing heavy damage), Ramallah. (OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

At his weekly cabinet session, Netanyahu confirms “intensive contacts” are underway with the U.S. on an incentives package to restart peace talks “in such a way that it cannot be halted in a few weeks or months.” On or around this date, Netanyahu sends his chief negotiator Molcho back to Washington with new proposals for an incentives package; no details are released (IGPO 10/24; WP 10/25; NYT 10/27)

Israeli municipal authorities in Jerusalem approve a modified development plan for the Western Wall area that will involve underground tunnels, car parks, bus and police stations, Talmud and tourism centers, and opening of a new gate in the ancient wall around Jerusalem to provide access for Jewish settlers fr. the Silwan area. Palestinian residents of Silwan protesting the new moves clash with IDF troops who enter the neighborhood to disperse them, firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades, seriously wounding an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy. Islamic Jihad fires 3–4 mortars fr. Gaza toward Israel, with only 1 landing inside Israel; no damage or injuries are reported on either side of the border. Gaza’s power plant receives a fuel shipment from Israel allowing the plant’s 2d turbine (shut down on 10/22) to resume operation; rolling blackouts drop back down to 4–6 hrs./day. The IDF makes a day-long incursion into s. Gaza to level lands along the border fence e. of al-Qarara to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin in the afternoon and nr. Qalqilya late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim heavily damage a Palestinian vehicle that breaks down on the road nr. the settlement. (JP 10/25; MNA 10/25; PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

An explosion inside a Hamas security compound in Rafah damages more than 30 houses, 4 schools, and 1 clinic nearby, injuring 26 Palestinian civilians (including 18 children, 15 of whom were inside their classrooms), mostly by flying glass; the reason for the explosion is unclear. The IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza e. of Khan Yunis to level land along the border to clear lines of sight, firing on surrounding areas to keep Palestinians away, seriously wounding a 65-yr.-old Palestinian harvesting olives 1,000 m away. In the West Bank, the IDF raids a coal plant nr. the separation wall w. of Jenin, confiscating 40 tons of wood and sealing the building, saying that local Jewish settlers claimed it was a nuisance; makes a daytime incursion into Barta‘a nr. Jenin, raiding several stores and interrogating several Palestinians, but making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Eli settlement nr. Nablus vandalize and set fire to part of a Palestinian school nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh nr. Nablus fire on and chase off Palestinians harvesting olives nearby. Jewish settlers fr. Keddumim nr. Qalqilya throw stones at Palestinian vehicles driving on the nearby Nablus–Qalqilya road, causing no injuries. (PCHR 10/21; OCHA 10/22; PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza toward Israel, but it lands inside the Strip, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, in al‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron (detaining 1 Palestinian teenager on charges of throwing stones, releasing him later in the day after his family pays a $400 fine), and nr. Jenin. OCHA reports that 13 Palestinians have been injured in tunnel collapses along the Gaza border since 9/15, not including those injured in Israeli air strikes on 9/15. (YA 9/21; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Israel increases industrial fuel imports to Gaza, allowing Gaza’s electricity plant to run on 2 turbines instead of 1 for the first time since 2/2010, cutting rolling power outages across the Strip from 8–12 hrs./day to 4–6 hrs./day. Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. n. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Twice during the morning, 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 1. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Jenin, 1 village nr. Ramallah, 1 village nr. Salfit late at night without conducting searches or making arrests; conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in 3 other villages nr. Ramallah. During the day in Ramallah, plainclothes PA security forces (PASF) and/ or general intelligence officers break up a meeting of 200 Palestinian opposition figures convened to draft a statement protesting Abbas’s 8/23 decision to resume direct negotiations with Israel; uniformed PASF officers waiting outside the venue question the participants as they leave. (AP, YA 8/25; PCHR 8/26; OCHA 8/27; HA 8/30; WT 9/1; PCHR 9/2; OCHA 9/3)

Under continued pressure fr. Obama and Quartet special envoy Tony Blair, Israel’s security cabinet agrees in principle to switch fr. a blanket ban on entry of goods to Gaza to a prohibited list of items considered “weapons and war-supporting materiel” and to allow “a significantly greater volume of goods” into the Strip. The easing would affect overland transportation only. The naval blockade and all restrictions on exports and the entry and exit of individuals remain. Separately, the U.S. and Israel announce that the Obama-Netanyahu meeting originally set for 6/1 will be held at the White House on 7/6. In addition, Mitchell, who has just returned fr. meetings with the Palestinian (6/18) and Israeli (6/19) peace teams, reports that the sides are ready to consider renewing proximity talks. (NYT, WP 6/21; WP 6/23; JPI 7/9)

The IDF makes a brief incursion into the no-go zone in n. Gaza to investigate a heavy explosion, searching the area and pulling back into Israel without incident. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinians staging a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall nr. Bethlehem, also violently beating 3 Palestinian cameramen for Palestinian and foreign news outlets; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in villages w. of Jenin, making no arrests. Israeli police in Jerusalem seal the Ilaf Association for Education Support, which provides student loans for some 160 college students, for allegedly hosting Hamas meetings and thereby supporting a “terrorist organization.” (PCHR 6/24; OCHA 6/25)

After 2 days of heated debate, Netanyahu’s security cabinet, under heavy international pressure to ease restrictions on Gaza, agrees to increase the amounts of goods already allowed for import and to add some new items to the permitted import list, including allowing import of all foodstuffs and increasing imports of building materials for construction overseen by credible third parties, such as the UN. The strict naval blockade would remain in place. (IFM 6/17; NYT, OCHA, WP 6/18)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on armed Palestinians operating nr. the border fence, wounding 1. In 2 separate incidents (in the fmr. n. Gaza settlement sites and the Erez industrial zone), IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction goods nr. the border, causing no injuries. In a 3d incident later in the day, IDF troops make an incursion into n. Gaza nr. Bayt Lahiya and stay there most of the day to prevent Palestinians fr. entering the area to look for construction materials. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night house searches in villages s. and w. of Jenin, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah. (PCHR 6/24; OCHA 6/25)

Obama receives PA PM Mahmud Abbas in Washington for talks on bilateral relations and how best to proceed with peace talks in light of the flotilla incident. Obama, who has been in regular contact with Netanyahu since the flotilla attack, for the first time publicly proposes that Israel switch fr. a blanket ban on imports to Gaza with a list of exempted items permitted entry and instead allow all imports minus a list of banned items. (WP 6/9; NYT, WP, WT 6/10; WJW 6/17)

The PA says it has given Mitchell its baseline positions for direct talks with Israel and is prepared to begin direct negotiations once Israel does the same. Israel, however, says it will not lay out its negotiating position until direct talks begin “because that would be asking us to negotiate against ourselves.” (NYT 6/10)

IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials in the industrial zone, causing no injuries. IDF troops make a brief incursion into the s. Gaza border area to level land to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrests raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron (including surrounding and searching the home of one of the organizers of the local separation wall protests, questioning him for 3 hrs. but not arresting him), Jenin; breaks up Palestinians and Israeli activists holding a nonviolent demonstration against the separation wall in al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem, arresting 1 Palestinian, 2 Israelis. (PCHR 6/10, 6/17; OCHA 6/18)

Based on Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s 5/20 meeting with Mitchell (see 5/19) and a meeting today between Israeli and PA security officials, Israel announces plans to relax some restrictions on West Bank movement and access over the next 2 wks. as a goodwill gesture to support proximity talks. The promised moves include: removing 60 roadblocks (around 10% of total) across the West Bank, various steps to improve Palestinian tourism and trade, and lifting some restrictions on Israeli Palestinians access to the West Bank. (IFM 5/23; JTA 5/24; OCHA, WJW 5/27)

In Gaza, around 20 armed Palestinians vandalize and set fire to an United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) beachside summer camp for refugee children under construction w. of Gaza City, binding the caretaker and leaving him with a letter threatening UNRWA senior staff; Hamas denounces the attack; no group takes responsibility, but previously Islamist extremists have condemned UNRWA for corrupting Gazan youths by introducing them to activities they deem at odds with Islam. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging construction materials fr. former settlement sites nr. Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids in and around Hebron and neighboring al-‘Arub refugee camp (r.c.), in Jenin and Qalqilya, nr. Jericho and Ramallah. (IFM 5/23; NYT 5/24; OCHA, PCHR 5/27; NYT 6/29)

Israel begins a 5-day nationwide civil defense exercise to test the preparedness of civilians, emergency services, local authorities in case of war. Netanyahu stresses that the drill does not mean Israel is expecting or planning a major security engagement. (NYT 5/24)

Biden wraps up his trip to Israel with a big speech to the Israeli public at Tel Aviv University, underscoring American solidarity with Israel. He reiterates U.S. disapproval of the Ramat Shlomo housing plan because it “undermined the trust required for productive negotiations,” but accepts what he calls “significant” assurances from Netanyahu that the construction will not break ground for years, expressing hope that negotiations would “resolve this and other outstanding issues” before construction could begin. He then heads to Jordan. Separately, Netanyahu issues a statement apologizing for the “unfortunate timing” of the Ramat Shlomo announcement, but notably not apologizing for the construction itself. At the same time, Israel’s Jerusalem municipality announces plans to build 1,000s of settlement housing units e. and s. of Jerusalem in areas Israel intends to keep under final status, including 3,000 units each in Gilo and Givat Matosim, 1,500 units each in Har Homa and Pisgat Ze’ev, 1,200 units in Ramot, 600 in Armona Netseev, 450 in Neve Ya’acov, and 144 in Olive Mount. The U.S. does not comment. Abbas warns Biden by phone that the PA cannot start proximity talks until Israel reverses the construction approval. (JTA 3/11; NYT, WP, WT 3/12)

In Ramallah, at least 1 PA security official and 1 Fatah Central Comm. member take part in a ceremony in Ramallah naming a public square after Dalal Mughrabi, a 19-yr.-old Fatah member who in 1978 led a squad from Lebanon that sailed to Israel where they staged attacks killing 1 American and 38 Israelis before being shot dead; Netanyahu denounces the official Fatah and PA participation as incitement undermining the peace process. Late in the evening, the IDF patrols in Ramallah, firing rubber-coated steel bullets at stonethrowing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no injuries; carries out latenight house searches in Jenin town and r.c., making no arrests. In Gaza, the littleknown Salafist group Ansar al-Sunna fires a Qassam rocket into Israel, causing no damage or injuries but marking the 1st incidence of rocket fire since 2/12. Later in the day, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 more Qassams toward Israel, but they land harmlessly inside Gaza. Late at night, the IDF makes an air strike on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border, causing no injuries. Hamas authorities in Gaza release British journalist Paul Martin, held for 25 days on suspicion of security offenses (see 3/1). (NYT, YA 3/12; OCHA, PCHR 3/18)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire on Palestinian residential areas 800 m inside the Strip, causing no injuries. Late at night, Israeli naval vessels intercept a Palestinian fishing boat off the Rafah coast, detaining 3 fishermen (they are released on 3/5 after questioning). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin. Gaza’s Hamas-run government bans male hairstylists fr. working in women’s beauty salons; analysts (e.g., WT 3/5) view it as evidence that Hamas is coming under increasing pressure from radical Islamist groups to prove its Muslim credentials. (WP, WT 3/5; OCHA, PCHR 3/11)

In the morning, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal from destroyed sites nr. the border fence (no injuries are reported). In the West Bank, an off-duty Palestinian policeman (not in uniform) stabs, kills an IDF soldier parked in a jeep at a junction s. of Nablus in Israeli-controlled area C and is detained by an Israeli security guard from a nearby Jewish settlement; PA Pres. Abbas denounces the attack, urging Palestinians to participate only in nonviolent protests against Israel. In response, the IDF raids, searches several Palestinian houses and the assailant’s home in al-Khiljan village southwest of Jenin, confiscating computers and cell phones, and arresting 6 Palestinians, including 4 of his brothers. The IDF also fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas to disperse Palestinians and international activists planting 500 olive trees on Palestinian land slated for Israeli confiscation in Bayt Umar village nr. Karme Tzur settlement; levels Palestinian land nr. Bayt Sahur for construction of an IDF observation post; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah (arresting 20 Palestinians, all between the ages of 15 and 18), and nr. Hebron. (NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP 2/11; OCHA, PCHR 2/18)

For a 2d day, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the morning, the IDF makes a brief incursion into Gaza to level land along the border fence e. of Jabaliya. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Jenin. (JP, YA 2/3; PCHR 2/4; OCHA, PCHR 2/11)

Late in the evening, the IDF makes an incursion into n. Gaza to level land along the border fence n. of Bayt Lahiya to clear lines of sight; during the operation a “heavy explosion” and gunfire are heard; no casualties are reported and the IDF does not comment on the incident, suggesting that troops may have accidentally triggered an explosive device buried by Palestinian militants. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house raids nr. Hebron and in al-‘Arub r.c., Jenin town and r.c. (OCHA, PCHR 1/6)

Overnight, the IDF carries out air strikes on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border in retaliation for the PFLP’s 12/31 Grad strikes, lightly injuring 4 Palestinians. Later in the day, after the Popular Resistance Committees (PRCs) fire at least 2 mortars toward the Kerem Shalom crossing (the IDF records 2, while the PRCs claim 5; only 1 lands inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries), the IDF carries out air strikes on an open area e. of Jabaliya in n. Gaza and on a farm in al-Qarara in s. Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Of note: Israel permanently closes the Nahal Oz crossing, meaning that with the exception of the grain belt operating at Qarni crossing, Kerem Shalom will be the sole transit point for goods coming in and out of Gaza; all fuel shipments will also henceforth go through Kerem Shalom. In the West Bank, the IDF fires rubber-coated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at stone-throwing Palestinians and nonviolent international (and, in the case of Bil‘in, Israeli) activists taking part in protests against the separation wall in Bil‘in (injuring 1 Palestinian) and Ni‘lin (injuring 2 Palestinians); prevents Palestinian and international activists fr. planting trees on Palestinian land declared a closed military zone by the IDF, confiscating the trees; patrols in al-‘Arub r.c. in the evening, stopping and questioning a group of Palestinian children, arresting 3 teenagers; conducts synchronized late-night house searches in 3 villages southwest of Jenin, making no arrests; later makes a raid on a 4th village in the same area, also making no arrests. Jewish settlers fr. Yakir nr. Salfit stone a Palestinian car driving on the road to Qalqilya, injuring 2 Palestinians. (YA 1/1; HA 1/2; OCHA, PCHR 1/6)