The Palestine Chronology

Ramadan begins; the IDF restricts access to Jerusalem for Friday prayers. The IDF shells Jabaliya r.c. fr. the surrounding hills to the east; carries out an air strike on the camp, killing 1 Hamas mbr., 2 AMB mbrs; fatally shoots a 65-yr.-old Palestinian woman eating dinner in her Jabaliya home. In the evening, the IDF withdraws troops to the periphery of most n. Gaza population centers, formally ending Operation Days of Penitence. The UN estimates that during the 17-day operation, the IDF killed 114 Palestinians, demolished as many as 95 Palestinian homes, leveled more than 1,000 d.; Palestinian Center for Human Rights puts the figures at 112 Palestinians killed, 87 houses demolished, 839 d. leveled. The IDF says that soldiers killed a number of AMB, Hamas, Islamic Jihad military cmdrs. and destroyed a number of factories and workshops where Qassams could be made, that Palestinians fired 14 Qassam rockets fr. the area during the 17-day period. Palestinians fire 2 Qassams at Sederot today, causing no damage. Late in the evening, the IDF bulldozes another 3 Palestinian homes, 2 stores in Bayt Hanun. The IDF also shells residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Nablus; arrests 2 Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians harvesting olives outside Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo nr. Ramallah attack Palestinians harvesting olives in neighboring al-Mughayyir; IDF soldiers observe but do not intervene. (BBC 10/15; IDF Radio, VOI, VOP 10/15 in WNC 10/19; NYT, WP, WT 10/16; HA, NYT 10/17; B’Tselem press release 10/18; PR 10/20; PCHR 10/21; MEI 10/22)

The IDF fires missiles at the car of PRC leader Muhammad Abu Nusayra as he drives in Khan Yunis in an attempt to assassinate him; he is seriously wounded, his bodyguard Ali al-Sha‘ir is killed, several bystanders are injured. A Palestinian teacher is killed by stray IDF machine gun fire outside a Khan Yunis school. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians near the border fence in central Gaza; fatally shoots 2 Palestinians who “approach” an IDF convoy in Balata r.c.; fires on stonethrowing Palestinians in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c., on residential areas of Rafah (wounding a 9-yr.-old Palestinian inside her home); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin town and r.c., al-Khadir and in and around Hebron, Nablus; raids, searches an ambulance building. Armed Palestinians ambush a carload of CNN reporters in Gaza City, kidnap Jerusalem-based producer Riyad Ali, leaving others unharmed. A Jewish settler fatally shoots a Palestinian driving nr. Itamar, is arrested by Israeli police but is quickly sent home to serve 1 week’s house arrest. (PRCS 9/27; AFP, PSCT, VOI, VOP 9/27 in WNC 9/29; JAZ, MM, NYT, PM, WP, WT 9/28; VOI 9/28 in WNC 9/30; PR 9/29; PCHR, WJW 9/30; JPI 10/8)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Nablus and in and around Hebron, Jenin; bulldozes 7 d. in Wadi al-Silqa. A Palestinian woman attempts, fails to stab an IDF soldier at a checkpoint outside Nablus, is arrested. Palestinians in Issawiyya demonstrate against the IDF confiscation of 1,000 d. for construction of the separation wall around Jerusalem, the expansion of Ma’ale Adumim. (VOI 9/18 in WNC 9/21; HA 9/19; VOP 9/19 in WNC 9/21; PCHR 9/23)

The IDF blocks all roads leading to Tulkarm with sand berms; severely beats a Palestinian at a checkpoint into al-Fawwar r.c. nr. Hebron, 2 Palestinians at checkpoints nr. Bethlehem. In Jerusalem, some 70,000 right-wing Israelis (many of them settler teenagers bussed in from the territories) demonstrate against Sharon’s disengagement plan. Israel charges 6 Egyptian students it captured on 8/25 with plotting to kidnap, kill IDF soldiers in Beersheba. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during an IDF raid on Rafah on 11/18/03. (VOI 9/12 in WNC 9/14; MM, NYT, WT 9/13; PR 9/15; PCHR 9/16)

The IDF tightens roadblocks btwn. Jerusalem, Ramallah; imposes a curfew on Silwad nr. Ramallah; shoots, wounds a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays into a closed military zone nr. Morag; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, and in Aida r.c., Balata r.c., Bayt Rima and Dayr Ghassana nr. Ramallah, Madama nr. Nablus, Salfit; begins work on new segments of the separation wall running s. of Hebron and btwn. East Jerusalem and the Qalandia checkpoint s. of Ramallah, bulldozing 500 d.; reportedly bulldozes large areas in Wadi al-Malih in the n. Jordan Valley. Palestinians in Nablus report that the IDF is digging a trench 3 m deep and 4 m wide to encircle Salim, Azmut, Dayr Hatab, Bayt Dajan, and Bayt Furik villages (combined population 30,000); 3 km have been completed. Armed Palestinians calling themselves the Fatah Fighters kidnap the PA’s security dir. for the Rafah checkpoint Saad al-Sayfan, accusing him of corruption. 15 armed Palestinians occupy the Khan Yunis governate building for 2 hrs., demand that the PA compensate local Palestinians who have lost their homes to IDF bulldozing. Palestinians fire 5 mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. A PA court in Gaza opens a trial against 7 alleged collaborators, including Muhammad and Rami Abu Qaynas, accused of providing Israel with information used to assassinate Hamas leader ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Rantisi on 4/17/04. ( JAZ 9/5; MENA 9/5 in WNC 9/7; VOI 9/6 in WNC 9/8; PR 9/8; PCHR 9/9; PR 9/15)

The IDF launches a predawn air strike on the home of wanted Hamas mbr. Ahmad Jabari in Gaza City, assassinating 2 Hamas mbrs. and 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. (all relatives of Jabari), killing 2 bystanders, wounding 7; Jabari is moderately wounded. The IDF lifts the curfew on all of Nablus, except the Old City and al-‘Ayn r.c.; seals al-Fara’ r.c. nr. Nablus, patrolling streets, firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops; fires missiles at 2 workshops in Gaza City (alleged to be weapons factories), destroying both but causing no injuries; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, 4 shops in Rafah; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; raids, confiscates equipment and files fr. a charitable association nr. Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya; begins bulldozing a 350 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) nr. Qalqilya for construction of the separation wall. Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets at Gaza’s Neve Dekalim settlement, lightly injuring 2 Jewish settlers; detonate a roadside bomb by an IDF tank in Gaza, causing some damage but no injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Pdu’el raze olive trees, place barbed wire around a plot of Palestinian land outside Salfit. Some 60 internationals, 20 Palestinians who began a Freedom March along the separation wall route to protest the wall’s construction in Zababda nr. Jenin on 7/30 arrive at their destination, Jerusalem, a day ahead of schedule. (NYT, PCHR, WP 8/18; PCHR 8/19, 8/25)

A medium-sized bomb left by the AMB Jenin faction in a bag nr. the Qalandia checkpoint n. of Jerusalem explodes, killing 2 Palestinians and injuring 6 Israeli border police officers (2 seriously, 1 moderately), 10 Palestinians (including a 6-yr.-old in a coma). The IDF continues a major raid on Khan Yunis, demolishing 13 Palestinian homes, firing missiles at a residential neighborhood “to deter gunmen,” wounding 12 Palestinians; fires on stone-throwing youths in Balata r.c., killing 1 Palestinian; fires on residential areas of Rafah, seriously injuring a 5-yr.-old girl; conducts raids in and around Hebron; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem. Israel bars entry at Ben-Gurion Airport to British journalist Eva Jasciewicz, who appeals her deportation, is jailed pending a court ruling. (HA, XIN 8/11; JP, VOI, YA 8/11 in WNC 8/13; MM, NYT, PCHR, PR, WP, WT 8/12)

The IDF send troops into Nablus and neighboring Bayt Furik, firing on stonethrowing youths, shells residential areas, wounding 5; fires on Palestinians waiting to cross a checkpoint e. of Jerusalem, wounding 1; shells residential areas of Rafah; fires on residential areas of Balata r.c., Brazil r.c., Dayr Ghassana nr. Ramallah, Tulkarm; fires on a PSF observation post in Rafah, injuring 1 PSF officer; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bethlehem, 1 in Dahaysha r.c.; raids, checks identification of everyone in a PSF office nr. Hebron. (VOI 8/8 in WNC 8/10; PCHR 8/12)

PA Planning M Nabil Qassis resigns to accept a position as pres. of Birzeit University. Arafat does not immediately name a replacement. (PSCT 8/7 in WNC 8/10; NYT, WP, XIN 8/8; PR 8/11)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 AMB mbrs., 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. who approach Gaza’s Aley Sinai settlement; raids a bedouin encampment northwest of Jerusalem, ordering them to leave the area within 10 days to make way for separation wall construction; bulldozes 80 dunams of land nr. al-Walaja for construction of the separation wall; fires on residential areas of ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c., Bayt Lahia, Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, nr. Jenin, and in Hebron, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm camp. In Gaza City, a Palestinian police officer tosses 2 grenades into a jail cell holding alleged collaborators, wounding 7, who are taken to al-Shifa hospital; 1 Palestinian dies of his injuries; 2 others are later killed by masked Hamas gunmen who storm the hospital’s intensive care unit. Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets at Sederot, causing some damage. An ailing Palestinian woman dies after being barred by Israel fr. leaving Gaza to receive medical treatment in Egypt, despite intervention by the PA Health Min. The Israeli DMin. approves plans to build 600 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim settlement. (MM, REU 8/2; VOI 8/2 in WNC 8/4; MA 8/2 in WNC 8/4; MM, NYT, WP 8/3; VOP 8/3 in WNC 8/5; PR 8/4; AP, IDF Radio, MA, PCHR 8/5; NYT 8/6; al-Quds 8/6 in WNC 8/10; WP 8/26)

The IDF fires on a funeral procession for ARB head Abu Sitta in Khan Yunis, killing a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 7; fatally shoots 4 Palestinians laying a roadside bomb nr. a Israeli border fence e. of al-Bureij r.c; sends troops into Nablus, sparking stone-throwing, then firing on demonstrators, wounding 1 stone-thrower, 1 bystander; fires missiles at a 3-story building in Gaza City owned by the family of a female suicide bomber, demolishing the structure, injuring 2 Palestinians; raids a wedding party in Bayt Jala, arrests 2 guests; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayta, the central Gaza Strip. Palestinians fire 4 Qassam rockets at Sederot, bringing the total number of rockets fired at the town in the past 3 days to 14; none caused damage or injuries. Palestinian, Israeli, international peace activists begin a 3-wk. Freedom March to protest the separation wall; the march begins in Zababda nr. Jenin and plans to end in Jerusalem on 8/19. (VOI, VOP 7/30 in WNC 8/3; NYT, WT 7/31; WT 8/1; PR 8/4; PCHR 8/5)

The IDF raids Saida village nr. Tulkarm, killing local Hamas cmdr. Basil Abu Sha‘b, local AMB cmdr. Sahir Ajaj in what may be assassinations; fatally shoots a stonethrowing Palestinian in Balata r.c.; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, Rafah. Suspected Fatah gunmen fr. Nablus fire on a jeep outside ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. thought mistakenly to be driven by rival Fatah mbrs., injuring 2 Palestinians. Armed PFLP mbrs. exchange fire with armed PA intelligence and Force 17 officers guarding a Palestinian collaborator (responsible for the deaths of 2 PFLP cmdrs. in and IDF raid on 7/6) being held in the Nablus governate office; no injuries are reported. (PR 7/21; PCHR, PM 7/22; HA 7/23)

In light of the 7/16 kidnappings, Arafat declares a state of emergency in Gaza; issues a decree for a “temporary restructuring” of the security forces into 3 branches: public security, with his distant cousin Musa Arafat as its new head; police, with Arafat loyalist Saeb Ajiz as its new head; general intelligence, with Amin al-Hindi, a loyalist increasingly critical of Arafat, maintaining leadership of the dept. Soon after, 1,000s of armed, masked Palestinians gather outside the PC headquarters in Gaza to protest the appointment of Musa Arafat, whom they say is corrupt, as cronyism. Qurai‘ resigns, citing the lack of true reform; Arafat rejects his resignation. (NYT, WP, XIN 7/17; MENA, PSCT, VOI, VOP 7/17, AYM, HA, MA, XIN, YA 7/18, JP 7/19 in WNC 7/21; AYM 7/18, JP 7/20 in WNC 7/22; al-Quds 7/18; DUS 7/19 in WNC 7/23; NYT, WP, WT 7/18; MM 7/19; HA, MM 7/20; PR 7/21; WP 7/22; MEI 7/23; AYM 8/6 in WNC 8/10)

The IDF fires on stone-throwing youths in Bayt Hanun (killing an 18-yr.-old Palestinian), Rafah (killing a 2d Palestinian, wounding a woman in her home), Ramallah; rockets 2 metal foundries (allegedly Hamas weapons factories) in Gaza City, wounding 6 Palestinians, cutting electricity to parts of the city; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Nablus; fires on residential areas of Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron. In Jerusalem, Israeli police fatally shoot a Palestinian who attempts to flee on foot after allegedly trying to run down an officer with his van. (VOI, VOP 7/4, VOI 7/5 in WNC 7/9; NYT, WP, XIN 7/5; PR 7/7; PCHR 7/8)

Prominent Jewish residents of Ashkelon ask Mayor Roni Mahatzri to ban Israeli Arabs, bedouin fr. staying overnight in the city, attending the city’s entertainment venues, complaining that “bedouin and Israeli Arabs from the north of the country employed in the city’s construction sites hang out with local [Jewish] girls” in the evenings. (HA 7/4; PR 7/7)

The IDF fires missiles at 2 car repair shops (suspected weapons factories) in Gaza’s Shatti r.c., destroying them, causing no injuries; begins bulldozing work on al-Quds University campus in Abu Dis for construction of the separation wall around Jerusalem, breaking agreements not to build on university land; demolishes a Palestinian home in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Dahaysha r.c., Jenin, al-Khadir; fires on Palestinian, Israeli, international demonstrators staging a nonviolent protest against the separation wall nr. Qalqilya, wounding 2 Palestinians (1 with live ammunition); fires on residential areas nr. Khan Yunis, Ramallah. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket into Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. In response, the IDF shells a Gaza City building housing a Hamas office, causing a fire, wounding 2 Palestinians. Israel says that all 187 Israeli businesses will be withdrawn fr. the Erez Industrial Zone for their own protection, leaving some 5,000 Palestinians unemployed. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba, escorted by IDF soldiers, throw stones at Palestinians in Hebron. (Globes, Qol Yisra’el Radio 6/8; VOI, VOP 6/8 in WNC 6/10; HA, MM, NYT, WP 6/9; VOI, YA 6/9 in WNC 6/11; PCHR 6/10)

The IDF blocks all branch roads leading to the main Jerusalem–Ramallah road; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Qalandia r.c., fatally shooting a wheelchair-bound Palestinian; fatally shoots a Palestinian in a cemetery nr. Gaza’s Neve Dekalim, suspecting he might attack; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis (seriously wounding a Palestinian woman inside her home), Rafah r.c.; raids Balata r.c., firing on houses, stonethrowing youths who confront troops, injuring 4; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall around Jerusalem nr. Salfit; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Dayr Ghassana nr. Ramallah, Nablus, Tamun nr. Jenin. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF patrol in central Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers in Hebron raze a 1.5 dunam Palestinian garden nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad nr. Qalqilya fire on a herd of Palestinian sheep, killing several; the IDF arrests 2 Palestinians who confront the settlers in protest. An Israeli court sentences Fatah’s Barghouti to 5 life terms plus 40 yrs. for conspiracy and membership in a “terror” organization (see 5/20). (XIN 6/6; MENA, VOI, VOP 6/6 in WNC 6/8; NYT, WP, WT 6/7; MA, VOI, VOP 6/7 in WNC 6/9; HA 6/8; PR 6/9; PCHR 6/10; MEI 6/11)

Sharon’s cabinet endorses (14-7) his revised Gaza disengagement plan to withdraw fr. all settlements in Gaza, 4 in the West Bank in 4 stages, each requiring cabinet approval. (HA 6/6; al-Quds 6/6, ITAR-TASS 6/7 in WNC 6/10; NYT, WP, WT 6/7; VOI 6/7 in WNC 6/9; PR 6/9; MM 6/10; Forward 6/11)

As Israeli-Palestinian tensions continue to run high in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) fatally shoots 3 Palestinians who enter a closed military zone nr. Gaza’s border with Israel; fires missiles at 3 sites in Gaza City (the local Fatah headquarters, Hamas’s al-Risala newspaper, an electrical transformer), cutting electricity to part of the city, wounding at least 3 Palestinian children. Gaza crossings into Israel remain closed for the 8th consecutive week. Rejecting a 5/15 petition by a Palestinian human rights group, the Israeli High Court says the IDF may widen the Philadelphi Route buffer zone along the Gaza border with Egypt, potentially demolishing 100s of Palestinian homes, ruling that the army has a “real, imminent need” to do so. The IDF announces over loudspeakers in Rafah’s Bloc O section, where much bulldozing has occurred, that Palestinians have 24 hrs. to evacuate their homes; fires on residential areas to encourage Palestinians to leave. The International Comm. of the Red Cross begins setting up a tent camp in Rafah able to provide emergency housing for 1,500 Palestinians left homeless by IDF bulldozing operations in the past wk. and those fleeing in fear of further demolitions. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha refugee camp (r.c.) nr. Bethlehem, begins bulldozing 45 dunams (4 dunams = 1 acre) of Palestinian land nr. Jerusalem for a new segment of the separation wall. (AFP, NYT, WP, WT 5/16; AFP, MM, NYT 5/17; VOP 5/17 in WNC 5/19; PCHR 5/20)

Palestinian gunmen (1 Islamic Jihad mbr., 1 PRC mbr.) ambush a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Gush Katif, killing a Jewish settler woman, her 4 children, wounding 2 IDF soldiers in a car escorting them; the soldiers return fire, killing the 2 gunmen. The IDF retaliates by assassinating the senior Nablus AMB military cmdrs. Nadir Abu Layl and Hashim Abu Hamdan, firing a missile at their car as they drive through Nablus, also killing 2 AMB mbrs. traveling with them, injuring 3 bystanders. The IDF then rockets a building in Gaza City that houses a Hamas radio station (possibly attempting to assassinate a senior Hamas mbr. who reportedly was being interviewed at the time), the offices of al-Ayyam and al-Quds newspapers, a Fatah radio station; no one is injured. The IDF also raids Wadi al-Silqa nr. the site of the ambush, orders all Palestinian residents to leave their homes, searches homes, arrests 1 Palestinian, bulldozes 15 Palestinian homes. The IDF also bulldozes 4 Palestinian homes and 6 dunams of land nr. Morag settlement, 2 Palestinian homes in Rafah; fires on a funeral procession in Khan Yunis, wounding 2 Palestinians; fires on residential areas of Tubas, sparking protests, then opening fire on stone-throwing youths; conducts arrest raids in and around Jenin. Late in the evening, 4 Jewish settler families, escorted by IDF soldiers and 100s of mbrs. of the radical Ateret Cohanim settler group, expel 2 Palestinians families fr. their homes in Abu Dis, occupy the buildings, surround them with a fence, claming they stand on part of an 80-dunam plot they purchased in 1927. (VOP 5/2 in WNC 5/4; BBC, HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 5/3; YA 5/3 in WNC 5/5; MM 5/4; PR 5/5; PCHR 5/6; PR 5/12; MEI 5/14)

Likud mbrs. reject Sharon’s unilateral disengagement plan, with nearly 60% opposed. Sharon says he will draft a revised plan in consultation with his party, but meanwhile will move forward with planning a withdrawal. (XIN 5/2 in WNC 5/4; NYT, WP, WT 5/3; AYM 5/3 in WNC 5/5; MM, NYT, WP 5/4; al-Quds 5/4 in WNC 5/6; AYM, DUS 5/4 in WNC 5/7; JTA 5/5; JPI, MEI 5/14)

The IDF assassinates Hamas leader Rantisi, firing 2 missiles at his car as he drives through Gaza City, also killing his bodyguards Akram Nassar and Ahmad Ghurra, wounding 4 bystanders. 10,000s of Palestinians throughout the West Bank, Gaza take to the streets to protest. Hamas vows retaliation, says it has appointed Rantisi’s replacement but will not identify him for security reasons. (Senior spokesman Mahmud Zahar, senior political leader Ismail Haniyeh are considered the likely successors.) The IDF strike comes hrs. after a Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a device inside the Erez Industrial Zone in Gaza, killing an Israeli border policeman, injuring 3; the AMB, Hamas claim joint responsibility. IDF undercover units raid Hebron and capture, beat, arrest an Arab Bank employee. The IDF also seals all West Bank and Gaza crossings except the Rafah checkpoint; tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement throughout the territories; fatally shoots a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays too close to a Jewish settlement nr. Gaza City; denies passage to a Palestinian who suffers a heart attack at a Nablus checkpoint, allowing him to die; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, cutting some electricity, seriously injuring a 9-yr.-old girl inside her home and 6 others elsewhere; fires on, shells residential areas of Dayr al-Balah, Tulkarm (seriously injuring a 5-yr.-old girl); fires on residential areas nr. Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dayr al-Balah, Jenin; bulldozes 6 dunams of land in Bayt Hanun. (HA, MA, REU 4/17; AFP, MENA, MNR, PSCT, VOP 4/17, AFP, ATL, HA, IRNA, JP, LBC, MENA, MNR, al-Quds, VOP, YA 4/18 in WNC 4/20; NYT, WP, WT 4/18; CSM, MM 4/19; ITAR-TASS 4/19 in WNC 4/21; DUS, al-Ra’i 4/19, JT 4/20 in WNC 4/22; AYM 4/19, al-Quds, SA 4/21 in WNC 4/23; MM, PR 4/21; PCHR 4/22; WP 4/25; MEI 4/30)

The IDF cuts down 180 olive trees in a Palestinian grove nr. Biddu northwest of Jerusalem to make way for the separation wall, sparking clashes in which 35 Palestinians, 2 IDF soldiers are injured; the IDF later replants some of the stumps on a new plot, but Palestinians have little hope they will survive through the dry season. The IDF also imposes a curfew on Nablus and surrounding villages, conducts arrest raids, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians; conducts arrest raids in Dahaysha r.c., al-Duha nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jayyus, Ramallah, Tulkarm; occupies a Palestinian home in Dayr al-Balah as an observation post; demolishes a well and 3 greenhouses, bulldozes 4 dunams of land nr Rafah. Armed Jewish settlers seize 2 Palestinian homes in Silwan; the IDF erects 2 observation posts nearby to protect them, prevent clashes like those of 3/31. (PM 4/7; VOP 4/7 in WNC 4/9; PCHR, PM, WT 4/8; PCHR 4/15)

Hamas detonates a roadside bomb nr. Mughraqa, disabling an IDF tank, injuring 4 soldiers. In response, the IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in Mughraqa. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis (killing a 7-yr.-old Palestinian girl playing outside her home), Rafah (wounding an 8-yr.-old boy); demolishes a Palestinian home in Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids nr. Hebron, Netzarim settlement. A Palestinian youth attempts to stab an Israeli border policeman in Jerusalem; is shot, wounded, arrested. AMB gunmen fatally shoot George Khoury, son of a prominent Israeli Arab attorney, nr. East Jerusalem’s French Hill settlement, mistaking him for a Jewish settler; AMB issues an apology to the family, calling Khoury a martyr. Another Palestinian dies of injuries received during the IDF missile attack on Rafah on 3/17. (MM 3/19; VOP 3/19 in WNC 3/23; NYT, WP, WT 3/20; NYT, WP, WT 3/21; PR 3/24; HA, PCHR 3/25)

Israel seals the West Bank, Gaza through 3/7 for the Purim holidays. The IDF makes a major raid on Rafah in search for smugglers’ tunnels, fatally shooting a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy nr. his school, wounding 9, firing on an ambulance, demolishing 1 Palestinian home, severely damaging 21 homes plus water and electrical works, bulldozing 23 dunams of land; no tunnels are found. In an apparent assassination, the IDF also shells the home of the Palestinian Resistance Comms. (PRC) Rafah head Awni Kulab, killing him, seriously injuring his wife and son; conducts arrest raids nr. Hebron, in Qalqilya; bulldozes 600 dunams of Palestinian land btwn. the separation wall and the Green Line outside Qalqilya. Jewish settlers conduct patrols with IDF soldiers in Hebron, photograph Palestinian homes, raid and vandalize 1. (AFP, MM, REU 3/4; VOP 3/4, al-Quds, VOP 3/5 in WNC 3/12; NYT, WT 3/5; PM 3/9; PR 3/10; PCHR 3/11)

The IDF opens fire on Palestinians attempting to block bulldozers fr. clearing land nr. Bayt Surik for construction of the separation wall, wounding at least 1; demolishes a Palestinian home in Sawahara al-Sharqiyya nr. Jerusalem for construction of the wall; begins construction of a new 42 km wall segment btwn. Elkana settlement nr. Qalqilya and Ofer detention center s. of Ramallah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Artas nr. Bethlehem, in Rafah, in camps and villages around Hebron and Jenin; raids, seals a Tulkarm charitable organization allegedly linked to Hamas, confiscating equipment, furniture. PA security officials confirm that Hizballah helped fund the 1/29 and 2/22 suicide bombings. (AFP, MM 2/24; VOP 2/24 in WNC 2/26; AP, NYT 2/25; HA, LAW, PCHR 2/26)

An AMB suicide bomber fr. Husan detonates a device on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 8 Israelis, wounding 50. Israel says that the attack is proof that Israel needs to build the separation wall. The IDF immediately sends troops into Husan, seals nearby Bethlehem. The IDF also bars an ambulance fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a Hebron hospital, allowing an ailing Palestinian woman to die; fires in residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem; issues orders expropriating 27 dunams of Palestinian land until 12/05 for construction of a security fence around Gaza’s Netzarim settlement. A Hamas mbr. dies in Khan Yunis when a missile he is trying to fire prematurely explodes. Palestinians report that the IDF has recently begun barring Palestinians under age 35 fr. crossing checkpoints around Nablus. On the eve of the International Court of Justice hearings on the wall, Israel begins dismantling a 5-mi. stretch of the barrier running east of the n. West Bank village of Baqa‘ al-Sharqiyya; the wall running west of the village will remain; Israel also reportedly plans not to build a 12.5 mi. stretch of wall cutting Jenin off fr. the Jordan Valley, not to dig deep trenches around Ben-Gurion Airport, to remove 2,953 feet of wall in the Qalqilya area. Palestinians across the territories begin holding demonstrations against the wall to coincide with the hearings. Jewish settlers throw rocks, bottles at Palestinian cars in East Jerusalem. (AFP, NYT, WP, WT 2/22; VOP, XIN 2/22 in WNC 2/24; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/23; AFP, MENA 2/23 in WNC 2/25; al-Quds 2/23 in WNC 2/26; AP 2/25; PCHR 2/26; MM 3/12)

In an apparent assassination, IDF undercover units raid Qarawat Bani Zaid nr. Ramallah, chase and mortally wound wanted Hamas mbr. Samir Arar, barring ambulances fr. reaching him for 2 hrs., allowing him to bleed to death. The IDF also shells a group of Palestinian boys playing too close to the Rafah-Egypt border fence, killing a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding an 11-yr.-old; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., Bethlehem; imposes curfews on 5 villages nr. Bethlehem. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during the 2/1 IDF raid on Jericho. (PM 2/12; VOP 2/13 in WNC 2/18; PR 2/18; PCHR 2/19)

Powell says that the U.S. is taking Sharon’s plan for unilateral disengagement seriously, will send senior officials to Israel next wk. to discuss it further. (NYT 2/13; al-Quds, VOP 2/14 in WNC 2/18)

Despite Israel’s pledge (1/29) not to seal the occupied territories in the wake of the Jerusalem bombing, Israeli-Arabs seeking to enter Gaza with pre-arranged permits to celebrate Id al-Adha with relatives report that the IDF is blocking all entry to the Strip. The IDF assassinates senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Yasir Abu Aysh, firing missiles at his family’s home in Rafah, also killing Islamic Jihad mbr. Hussein Abu Aysh (Yasir’s brother), AMB Rafah leader Majdi Khatib, Hamas mbr. Baha’ Judah, wounding 3; Yasir Abu Aysh, who reportedly has been in hiding since he lost both legs and an arm in a mysterious explosion in 2002, had come out of seclusion to visit his family for Id al-Adha. The IDF also raids ‘Aida r.c. in search of Bethlehem Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades head Muhammad Abu Odeh, who fires on IDF soldiers, wounding 4, before being shot dead; the IDF then blows up his familyhome. In Ramallah, 2–3 armed AMB mbrs. reportedly storm the offices of al-Dar newspaper and al-Quds TV, destroying equipment, computers, archives. (HA, NYT, WP, WT 2/3; JP 2/8 in WNC 2/10; Independent 2/9; PCHR 2/12)

Sharon says that he has given orders to plan for the “relocation” of 17 of 20 Jewish settlements in Gaza and 3 Jewish settlements in the West Bank over the next 2 yrs., with “the assumption that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza.” (BBC, HA, MM 2/2; AP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/3; VOP 2/3 in WNC 2/5; NYT 2/4; WJW 2/5; JT, al-Ra’i 2/8 in WNC 2/10; AYM 2/8 in WNC 2/19; PR 2/11; CSM 2/12; JPI 2/13; AYM 2/17 in WNC 2/20; MEI 2/20) (see 11/23)

The IDF raids Tulkarm r.c., rounding up all inhabitants of 1 section of the camp for questioning, detaining 230 Palestinian men, allowing women and children to go after 10 hrs.; sends APCs into Rafah, shelling residential areas, wounding 3, demolishing 1 Palestinian home and 2 stores, severely damaging 5 homes; demolishes another Palestinian home nr. Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Anabta nr. Tulkarm, Asira nr. Nablus, Jaba’ nr. Jenin, Kubar nr. Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tarqumiyya and Yatta nr. Hebron. Israel completes a section of separation wall cutting off Abu Dis fr. Jerusalem. Palestinians report that the IDF has bulldozed 24 dunams of agricultural land outside Hebron since 1/9, for construction of the wall. (ISM press release 1/12; WT 1/13; PCHR 1/15; WP 2/10)

Sharon makes a statement to the Knesset reiterating his intention to disengage unilaterally fr. the occupied territories if the Palestinians do not make concessions soon. The Knesset endorses Sharon’s statement byavote of 51-39. (AFP 1/12; MM 1/13; PR 1/14)

The IDF blows upa2d smugglers’ tunnel to Egypt in Rafah (see 12/9), demolishing a Palestinian home; fires on residential areas of Birzeit, Brazil r.c. Israeli police say that in recent days, they have arrested 9 East Jerusalem Palestinians on suspicion of putting together a Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount security patrol financed by the PA. Jewish settlers unilaterally evacuate 1 unauthorized settlement outpost in the central West Bank; the IDF says it has received orders to dismantle another 5. An Israeli military court exonerates for lack of evidence PA General Intelligence officer Musa Shahin, who was placed in administrative detention in 7/02 for allegedly firing on 2 IDF posts. (HA 12/10; al-Quds 12/10 in WNC 12/16; PCHR 12/11)

Islamic Jihad says that it could agree to the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders “on a temporary basis.” (VOP 12/10 in WNC 12/12)

A 2-day donors’ Ad Hoc Liaison Comm. mtg. opens in Rome. (AP, MM 12/10; AFP, VOP 12/10 in WNC 12/12; MM, NYT 12/11; VOP 12/11 in WNC 12/13; Jerusalem Times 12/18)

An al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) gunman opens fire on an IDF checkpoint outside Jerusalem, killing 2 IDF soldiers; the gunman escapes toward al-Khadir village; the IDF seals al-Khadir, conducts house-to-house searches, arresting 3 Palestinians. The IDF raids Rafah, sparking an exchange of gunfire that leaves 1 Palestinian dead and 11 wounded, demolishing 7 Palestinian homes, damaging 2 others; fires on Palestinians at Qarni and Surda crossings for no apparent reason, wounding 3; shoots, wounds a 16-yr.-old Palestinian who breaks curfew in Asira nr. Nablus; fires on stone-throwing youths in Burqa nr. Nablus, wounding 3; fires on Palestinian farms nr. Netzarim settlement, killing 1 horse, wounding another; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus. The IDF also arrests a Palestinian farmer harvesting his olive grove nr. Salfit, threatens to bulldoze the grove and family home if the family returns to the site; 50 mbrs. of Rabbis for Human Rights, B’Tselem intervene, harvest the olives for the family, vow to stay on the site, block bulldozing until the issue is resolved. In Gaza, Palestinians fire an antitank missile at a Jewish settler convoy, causing no damage or injuries. (BBC, HA, ISM press release, MM 11/18; NYT, WP 11/19; VOP 11/19 in WNC 11/21; PCHR 11/20)

The IDF expels West Bank administrative detainee Idris to Gaza (see 10/14); arrests PA High Court Justice Shaykh Taysir al-Tamimi, 4 other Palestinians as they leave al-Aqsa Mosque after prayers, charges them with being in Jerusalem without permits; fires on residential areas, demolishes 23 Palestinian homes, 5 commercial properties in Rafah; fires on residential areas of Rafah, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Nablus, Nur al-Shams r.c., villages around Ramallah. A Palestinian attempts to stab an Israeli police officer in Jerusalem but is arrested without harming him. A 15-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received on 11/9. (BBC, HA, PRCS 11/10; MM, PCHR 11/11; PCHR 11/13)

The IDF reinforces its troop presence in n. Jerusalem, surrounding villages; sends tanks, troops into Maghazi r.c. in search of wanted Palestinians, shells residential areas (wounding 5, destroying 1 Palestinian home), exchanges fire with Hamas mbrs. attempting to block the incursion, killing Hamas mbr. Mu‘amin Mughari; opens fire on a group of Palestinians nr. the Qarni crossing, killing a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy; raids Jenin, capturing local Islamic Jihad cmdr. Amjad Obeid, sparking rioting and an exchange of gunfire in which 1 Palestinian is killed; raids, fires on residential areas of Balata r.c. (killing 1 Palestinian), Rafah; fatally shoots 2 Palestinian teenagers apparently attempting tosneak across the Israeli border at Bayt Hanun to find work; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Jenin, 1 in Rafah, a greenhouse nr. Rafah. The PSF arrests 2 AMB mbrs. for plotting attacks inside Israel. Palestinians fire a mortar at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. (AP, MM, NYT 11/7; al-Quds 11/7 in WNC 11/11; WP 11/8; PCHR 11/13)

The IDF lifts restrictions on West Bank Palestinian vehicular traffic; continues operations in Rafah, demolishing several more Palestinian homes, crushing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy to death, wounding 3 other boys. Later, IDF troops pull out of al-Brazil r.c. (where 15 Palestinian homes have been demolished since 10/15), Rafah, to “regroup and refresh” before resuming operations.AMB gunmen ambush an IDF patrol outside the West Bank settlement of Ofra, killing 3 IDF soldiers, wounding 1; the IDF places curfews on Ramallah and surrounding villages tosearch for the gunmen. The IDF also fires on Palestinians violating curfew in Jenin, seriously wounding 2. Hamas mbrs. fire 8 Qassam rockets at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 10/20; al-Quds 10/21 in WNC 10/23; PR 10/22; PCHR 10/23; MEI 10/24; MM 10/27; AYM 10/28 in WNC 10/30)