The Palestine Chronology

The IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border e. of al-Qarara. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers working their land nr. the border fence, forcing them to flee but causing no 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 demolishes a Palestinian house under construction nr. Bethlehem; patrols in Tulkarm in the morning; patrols in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron (including in al-‘Arrub r.c.), Jenin, and Qalqilya (arresting 4 Palestinian children ages 15–17). In 2 separate incidents, Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron nr. Qalqilya chase off Palestinians harvesting olives nearby; the IDF intervenes both times, removing the settlers but barring the Palestinians fr. resuming the harvest. (PCHR 10/13; OCHA 10/14)

The IDF makes a day-long incursion into n. Gaza to level land and clear lines of sight along the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a Palestinian home and well northwest of Hebron before an Israeli court hears the appeal filed by the owner contesting the demolition orders; bulldozes another 12-d. area of Palestinian agriculture land northwest of Hebron, uprooting and confiscating at least 250 olive and almond trees; patrols in Tulkarm in the morning, in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Tulkarm in the afternoon, and 4 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Tulkarm late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Esh Kodesh nr. Nablus uproot at least 210 olive and fig trees fr. nearby Palestinian land. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad settlement nr. Qalqilya chase Palestinians harvesting a nearby olive grove; the IDF intervenes to remove the settlers. Israeli police arrest an 18-yr.- old rabbinical student tied to a radical Jewish settler group in connection with the 10/3 Tuba-Zangaria mosque arson. A Palestinian hospitalized since being wounded in an Israeli air strike on Khan Yunis on 5/13/03 dies of his injuries. (WP 10/7; PCHR 10/13; OCHA 10/14)

In an apparent assassination attempt, the IDF conducts a drone missile strike on a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanun in n. Gaza, where IQB mbrs. are meeting, seriously wounding 2 IQB mbrs. and lightly injuring a bystander; Israel claims the IQB mbrs. were tied to Hamas’s rocket program. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah; conducts synchronized late-night patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin; conducts other evening and late-night patrols in Jericho, 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Sham’a settlement nr. Hebron threaten several Palestinian shepherds and seize 150 of their sheep. Jewish settlers fr. Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah set fire to a nearby Palestinian olive grove, burning 50 trees. (PCHR 10/6; OCHA 10/7)

The IDF patrols in 8 villages during the day and evening (2 each nr. Jenin, Ramallah, Salfit, and Tulkarm); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in 5 villages (2 each nr. Jenin and Qalqilya, 1 nr. Tulkarm). Unidentified Jewish settlers burn 2 Palestinian cars in Bayt Furik village nr. Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad settlement burn 150 trees and agricultural land nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Ariel settlement nr. Salfit damage a nearby Palestinian olive grove. Jewish settlers attempt to place a mobile home on the evacuated Homesh settlement site nr. Jenin, but are removed by the IDF. (PCHR 9/22; OCHA 9/23)

villages nr. Salfit, 1 nr. Qalqilya (firing percussion grenades to intimidate residents), and 1 nr. Ramallah; detains 4 Palestinian children nr. Qalqilya for stone throwing; conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah (fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, causing no serious injuries) and 1 nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in, Ni‘lin, and al-Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, causing no serious injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Esh Kodesh settlement nr. Nablus uproot 45 olive trees on nearby Palestinian land. (PCHR 9/15; OCHA 9/16)

After Friday prayers, 1,000s of Egyptian protesters besiege the Israeli emb. in Cairo, tear down the wall recently built outside (see 9/3), scale the building to rip down the flag, gain access to the offices, and throw documents into the street. Egyptian security forces collect the ambassador, his family, and other staff who are away from the emb. and secure them at the airport for evacuation to Israel. The 6 employees inside the emb. lock themselves in an office and await rescue. Egyptian riot police arrive in 50 APCs and fire tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters, who respond with stones and Molotov cocktails. Heavy clashes continue overnight, with riot police unable to secure the embassy. (WP 9/10; NYT, WP 9/11)

The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 village each nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Jericho. Jewish settlers cut down 20 Palestinian olive trees nr. Kafr Qaddum village nr. Qalqilya. (PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/9)

At EU urging, the Quartet convenes a senior-level mtg. in Washington to discuss issuing a statement on how to jumpstart the peace process, but because of sharp disagreements over a draft prepared by the U.S. in consultation with Israel, the members fail to issue a statement. (AFP 7/11; AP 7/12; WJW 7/14; Foreign Policy [online] 7/22; WJW 8/5) 

Unidentified assailants attack Egypt’s natural gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan again (see 7/4). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a grocery store, sheep farm, and garage on land in al-Jib village nr. Jerusalem, strategically located between Givat Ze’ev and Givon settlements; declares a Palestinian olive grove in the Wadi Qana area nr. Salfit a closed military zone and uproots 600 trees; patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. and in Qalqilya. The World Zionist Organization’s settlement division (newly transferred to Netanyahu’s control; see 6/19) allocates 54,000 d. of agricultural land to 21 Jewish settlements in Jordan Valley, nearly doubling the total farmland under their control to 110,000 d.; it also increases water allocations to Jewish farmers in the Jordan Valley. (JP 6/28; WP 7/12; PCHR 7/14; OCHA 7/15)

The Knesset passes (47-38) into law a bill that would sanction individuals and organizations that call for a boycott of Israel or its settlements, denying them tax breaks and barring them from working for the government. The Knesset’s legal adviser warns, however, that the measure is “borderline illegal” since it strays into the right to free political expression. Human rights groups plan to challenge the law in the High Court within days. (HA, JTA, MNA 7/11; JTA, WJW 7/14; JPI, WP 7/22)

Saying the Fatah-Hamas split has “gone on too long and should not continue,” PA PM Salam Fayyad offers to form an interim national unity govt. with Hamas and not to interfere with Hamas’s rule in Gaza in the run-up to elections, if it agrees to take part in presidential and legislative elections in 9/2011. Elements within Fatah denounce the move. Hamas responds with skepticism. (AP, HA 2/21)

In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in and around Jenin and in villages nr. Qalqilya and Tulkarm; conducts evening and late-night patrols nr. Qalqilya and Salfit. Jewish settlers uproot 270 olive trees fr. 2 Palestinian plots nr. Nablus. In Ramallah, some 3,000 Palestinians organized by Fatah protest the 2/18 U.S. veto, waving banners and shouting slogans against the Obama administration. (MNA, WP 2/21; PCHR 2/24; OCHA 2/25)

To demonstrate some accountability in light of the Palestine Papers and to give Abbas the chance to strengthen his base in advance of elections, his cabinet resigns. Abbas immediately reappoints Fayyad as PM to form a new government. (NYT, WP 2/15)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authority approves 120 new housing units in Ramot settlement in East Jerusalem. Israeli authorities also bulldoze 1 d. of Palestinian fruit trees in Shaykh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Timed with the swearing-in ceremony of Israel’s new IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, unidentified Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel; coming after several days of relative calm on the Gaza border, Israel says it interprets the strike as a message fr. the Gaza factions that they will not “make life easy” for Gantz in his new position. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1. OCHA reports that Gaza hospitals have received 2 shipments of medical supplies fr. the PA Health Min. in Ramallah in recent days (see 1/18), reducing the number of supplies at zero stock fr. 183 to 150 (out of 480 essential items tracked). In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Tulkarm, 2 nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Jericho, firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and percussion grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them in 1 incident, causing no serious injuries; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jenin. Jewish settlers fr. Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah uproot 12 olive seedlings in neighboring Nabi Salih. (JP, YA 2/14; PCHR, WJW 2/17; OCHA 2/18)