The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, low-level clashes between Palestinian protesters and the IDF continue in Hebron for a 2d day, with no serious injuries reported. The IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm. The UN reports that in the previous wk., the IDF demolished 1 Palestinian home nr. Hebron; 1 Palestinian died of electrocution in a smuggling tunnel nr. the Rafah border. (PCHR 2/24; OCHA 2/25; NYT 2/26; PCHR 3/4)

As the quarter opens, Israel’s siege of Gaza continues, with Israel barring all exports, all but limited humanitarian imports, and most cross-border transit by individuals (with very limited exceptions for extreme medical cases, VIPs, and international NGO workers). The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) enforces a 300-meter-deep no-go zone along the full length of the Gaza border and limits the Palestinian fishing zone off Gaza to 500–1,000 m off the immediate Bayt Lahiya and Rafah coasts, and 3 nautical miles elsewhere. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, nr. Tubas. (PCHR 2/18)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, the IDF carries out 6 air strikes on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border and abandoned buildings at the destroyed Dahaniyya airport site, causing no reported injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the s. Gaza coast, then deploy small Zodiac boats to chase some fishermen, destroying or confiscating their nets. A smuggling tunnel collapses on the Rafah border killing 1 Palestinian civilian, injuring 3. The UN reports that since 1/27, another 2 Palestinians have been killed in tunnel incidents (1 in a collapse, 1 by electrocution). In the West Bank, the IDF enters Khirbat Jabara village s. of Tulkarm in the morning, sealing the village, checking IDs, and stopping 10s of vehicles; troops withdraw in the evening, without making any arrests; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Bil‘in (targeting individuals involved in demonstrations against the separation wall) and Nablus. The UN reports that since 1/27, the IDF has removed 24 obstacles to Palestinian travel in Hebron district (21 earthen mounds, 2 road blocks, 1 locked gate), noticeably improving Palestinian movement along Route 60 (550 manned and unmanned barriers are still in place across the West Bank). (HA, NYT, WP, YA 2/3; OCHA, PCHR 2/4)

PA PM Fayyad gives a major address at Israel’s annual Herzliya policy conference. Fayyad’s 30-min. speech aims to explain the Palestinian historical narrative and stresses the need for a “political horizon” for Palestinian statehood. Israeli DM Barak addresses the same panel, focusing his comments on regional security threats. Both stress the importance of a 2-state solution, with Barak stating that Israel risks becoming “an apartheid state par excellence” if it does not accept Palestinian statehood. (WP 2/3; Ma’ariv 2/5)