The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, 4 Palestinians are killed and over 30 are injured when a piece of unexploded Israeli ordnance is accidentally detonated in Rafah (a 5th Palestinian will succumb to her injuries on 8/16). In the West Bank, a Palestinian driver rams 3 Israeli settlers hitchhiking between Nablus and Ramallah, injuring 2 seriously. IDF troops open fire on the driver, critically injuring him. IDF troops then raid the driver’s home in a village n. of Jerusalem, sparking clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 3 Palestinians are injured. IDF troops also conduct late-night raids and house searches in 1 village each nr. Bethlehem and Hebron, issuing arrest summons to 4 Palestinians; patrol during the day in 2 villages and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, and 1 village each nr. Jericho and Ramallah. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian tire repair store and another structure nr. Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest a Palestinian youth accused of stonethrowing and confiscate a Palestinian’s donkey in al-Tur, after Israeli settlers in the area reportedly complain that the donkey is a nuisance. (HA, JP, MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA, YA 8/6; MNA 8/7; PCHR 8/13)

Hamas and PFLP officials meet in Gaza and condemn the PA’s 7/31 appointment of 5 new ministers. (MNA 8/7) The Israeli govt. approves its budget for 2015–16, including a NIS 340 m. ($90 m.) special grant to develop infrastructure in Israel’s West Bank settlements. The grant was included in the budget in obligation of Likud’s coalition agreement with the Jewish Home Party. (HA, JP 8/6) 

Sarayat al-Shaykh Umar Hadid, a small armed group in Gaza, fires 2 rockets into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In a Twitter post, the group claims that the attack was revenge for Hamas’s killing of the leader of a small Islamist group on 6/2. Hours later, IAF jets launch air strikes on 3 or 4 vacant Hamas military sites nr. Gaza City and Khan Yunis. Earlier, IDF troops stationed on the border e. of Khan Yunis fire warning shots at a group of Palestinian farmers, moderately injuring 1. Off the coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on 2 Palestinian fishing boats, arrest 5 fishermen, and confiscate 1 boat. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest 2 leaders of the PFLP and confiscate several computers from a govt. office during raids in Tulkarm and a nearby village. Late at night, the IDF conducts house searches and raids in Hebron and 1 nearby village, Tulkarm, 2 villages nr. Nablus, and 1 nr. Ramallah, arresting 10 Palestinians; patrols during the day in Tulkarm, 1 village and al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, and 1 village each nr. Jericho and Qalqilya. Israeli forces bulldoze 30 dunams (around 7.5 acres) of land nr. Hebron and uproot 400 almond and olive trees. An Israeli settler rams a Palestinian with a car nr. Salfit, causing minor bruising. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police violently disperse hundreds of Palestinians protesting at the annual Israeli Lights Festival in the Old City; 4 Palestinians are arrested and there are no serious injuries. (MNA, NYT, TOI, WAFA 6/3; HA, MEE, MNA, PCHR, REU, WAFA, YA 6/4; JP 6/5; PCHR 6/11)

In Gaza City, Hamas security forces shoot and kill the leader of a small Islamist group during an arrest raid on his home. He was allegedly involved in recent explosions throughout Gaza. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis open fire on agricultural lands for the 2d day in a row. In the West Bank, Israeli forces deliver stop-work orders to 4 homes under construction nr. Bethlehem. IDF troops on a late-night raid nr. Ramallah issue 1 Palestinian an arrest summons, sparking minor clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths. The IDF also conducts late-night raids in and around Qalqilya and Hebron, 3 villages nr. Nablus, and 2 nr. Tulkarm, arresting 2 Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) leaders and 7 other Palestinians, issuing an arrest summons to another, and confiscating various personal effects; patrols in 1 village each nr. Ramallah and Jenin, and 2 nr. Jericho. An Israeli settler throws stones at a Palestinian-owned vehicle nr. Nablus, causing damage. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces demolish 3 Palestinian residences in Silwan overnight, claiming that they were built without licenses. (JP, MNA, WAFA 6/2; JP 6/3; PCHR 6/4)

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2, U.S. pres. Obama says that Israeli PM Netanyahu’s position on the 2-state solution puts Israel’s international credibility in jeopardy because it “has so many caveats, so many conditions that it is not realistic to think that those conditions would be met at any time in the near future.” (HA, REU 6/2; WAFA 6/3)

In the Gaza Strip, Palestinians fire a rocket into s. Israel in the Eshkol region. Israel holds Hamas responsible and the IDF launches a latenight air strike at a Hamas military training site nr. Khan Yunis, causing damage to the site and a nearby UNRWA school. It is the 1st Israeli bombing in Gaza since the 8/26 cease-fire ended OPE. In the West Bank, Palestinians gather in Turmus ‘Ayya, Silwad, and Ofer detention center to protest the death of a senior PA official on 12/10, sparking clashes with IDF troops in which 9 Palestinians are injured with rubbercoated metal bullets and 2 are detained. In Silwad, Israeli soldiers deliberately fire at electricity transformers, causing a power outage. Also, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements, and occupation nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, Nabi Salih, and Ni‘lin), Bethlehem, and Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum), shooting 1 in Bil‘in with a rubber-coated metal bullet and 1 in Ni‘lin. The IDF conducts an arrest raid nr. Qalqilya; patrols nr. Ramallah, Hebron, Jericho, Tulkarm, and Qalqilya. Meanwhile, dozens gather in Balata r.c. to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the PFLP. In East Jerusalem, nearly 60,000 Palestinians pray at Haram al-Sharif, then march through the streets of the Old City in protest of Israeli policies regarding the site. Later, Israeli forces conduct house searches and arrest raids in the Old City, al-Wad, Silwan, and al-Bustan. Clashes break out between Israeli police and stone-throwing Palestinians late at night in Wadi al-Juz, Anata, and Silwan. Police injure 3 Palestinians with rubber-coated metal bullets and arrest 5. (AP, HA, MNA, 12/19; AFP, HA, MNA, WAFA 12/20; PCHR 12/25)

U.S. Pres. Obama signs into law the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, which includes increased intelligence and military cooperation and new congressional oversight procedures. (TOI 12/20; IHY, JP, JTA 12/21)

The UNGApasses 2 nonbinding res. regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict and Palestinian affairs: the 1st calls on Israel to pay Lebanon $856.4 m. in damages related to an oil spill Israeli forces caused during the 2006 war; the 2d recognizes Palestinian sovereignty over the natural resources in the oPt. (AFP, WAFA 12/20)

A leaked report from the IAEA concludes that Iran is upholding commitments made to the P5+1 related to its disputed nuclear program. (JP, REU 12/18)

In the Gaza Strip, an Israeli air strike kills 2 Palestinians in Bayt Hanun, a mbr. of Islamic Jihad and the other a mbr. of the PFLP. Meanwhile, Israeli forces open fire on farmland nr. Dayr al-Balah, causing no injuries, and separately, open fire on lands nr. Khan Yunis, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops fire tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets at Palestinians in Bayt Furik nr. Nablus, wounding 1, as residents try to repel Jewish settlers. The IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Hebron at night. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces raid the Abu Dis campus of al-Quds University, firing tear gas and rubber-coated metal bullets after students clash with a group of soldiers checking IDs at the entrance. (JP, MNA 1/22; PCHR 1/23)

Israeli NGO Peace Now announces that Israel has approved 261 new housing units in 2 West Bank settlements, Nofei Prat nr. Jericho and Ariel, in the n. It is the 5th such move in the last 2 weeks. (AFP 1/22)

The opposing sides of Syria’s civil war meet in Montreux, Switzerland, as a long-awaited UN peace conference gets underway. The 1st day’s agenda is occupied by formal speeches; Syrian FM Muallem and opposition leader Jarba both issue strident denunciations of their opponents. U.S. Secy. of State Kerry calls the rough start to the talks “a tough and complicated process.” Meanwhile, a shell fired from inside Syria strikes a home in n. Lebanon, wounding 1. (AFP, AP, DS, REU 1/22)

PLO Executive Comm. mbr. Hanan Ashrawi urges the EU to go beyond verbal condemnation of Israeli violations and to take action—such as a full ban on the import of settlement products and reconsidering the EU-Israel Association Agreement—in light of Israel’s persistent human rights abuses. (WAFA 12/6)

Canadian FM John Baird says that PM Stephen Harper has relayed to Israeli PM Netanyahu Canada’s opposition to the recent settlement expansion plans. Netanyahu dismisses international anger and says that Israel will keep the area in question under any future peace deal. (AP 12/5; Globe and Mail 12/6)

Jordan’s King Abdallah II visits Ramallah for talks with Pres. Mahmud Abbas and other senior officials, in a high-profile show of support following the successful UN statehood bid (11/29). (AFP 12/6)

In the West Bank, Jewish settlers attack a Palestinian man during an olive harvest s. of Nablus, while IDF forces invade Barqa village nr. Nablus and ransack 36 homes. In c. Hebron, Israeli soldiers injure 20 Palestinians in clashes provoked when soldiers tried to arrest a Palestinian police officer, who resisted (it is unclear why he is wanted). The IDF patrols in Salfit and 1 village each nr. Jenin and Ramallah in the morning; 1 village each nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, and Salfit in the afternoon; 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 village each nr. Jenin, Ramallah, and Salfit at night. The IDF also conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Bethlehem at night. (MNA 12/6; PCHR 12/13)

Speaking after a visit to Damascus, Filippo Grandi, head of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), says that parties in Syria’s civil war must respect the neutrality of Palestinian refugees. He expresses particular concern over the role of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine–General Command (PFLP–GC), a pro-Asad faction that is strong in the Yarmuk r.c. nr. Damascus. (AP 12/6; AFP 12/7)

The IDF assassinates Hamas commander Ahmad Jabari and his bodyguard and separately kills 7 other Palestinians in a number of air strikes on military and civilian targets across the Gaza Strip, leaving around 90 wounded. The dead include 2 children and an elderly man. Code-named Operation Pillar of Cloud in Hebrew (a Torah reference) and renamed Operation Pillar of Defense for foreign audiences, the Israeli military attacks are described as the ‘‘beginning’’ of an effort to increase deterrence and remove Hamas’s rocketlaunching capabilities. The IQB warns that Israel has ‘‘opened the gates of hell’’ with Jabari’s assassination, and fires dozens of rockets and mortars into Israel. They are joined by the DFLP, Islamic Jihad, PFLP, and PRCs, all of whom claim responsibility for rocket and mortar fire. In total, over 90 projectiles hit Israel from the Gaza Strip, causing 4 injuries. The Iron Dome rocket-defense system intercepts 30 rockets. Overnight, the IDF undertakes air strikes on around 100 sites across the Gaza Strip. U.S. pres. Obama calls Israel PM Netanyahu to express his support for Israel’s military operation and the country’s right to selfdefense. Obama also calls Egyptian pres. Mohamed Morsi to stress the importance of de-escalation and to pledge to stay in close touch. Egypt strongly condemns Israel’s military assault, and UN secy.-gen. Ban Ki-moon calls for a cease-fire. The UNSC holds an emergency meeting but takes no action. (Guardian, REU 11/14; JP, MNA 11/15)

Unidentified assailants fire 4 rockets from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula into Israel, landing nr. an agricultural community and causing no injuries. (HA 11/14)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Jericho in the morning, in 1 village nr. Salfit in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Jericho and 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Balata r.c. and 1 village nr. Hebron at night. Palestinians across the West Bank demonstrate to mark the day before the 24th anniversary of the PLO’s declaration of independence, blocking roads nr. Bethlehem, Jericho, and Ramallah, and clashing with soldiers at checkpoints in Atara (nr. Ramallah) and Bethlehem. (AFP, PCHR 11/14)

Israeli DM Barak says that almost all the villages nr. the border with the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are now controlled by the Syrian opposition. (AP 11/14)

On a 2d day of violent protests in Jordan against price hikes and in general opposition to King Abdullah’s regime, unidentified gunmen attack 2 police stations, and ensuing clashes leave 1 protester dead—the 1st fatality in Jordanian demonstrations in 2012. (AP 11/15)

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)

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)

The IDF continues heavy air strikes (including 1 missile dropped fr. a war plane and 13 missiles fired fr. helicopters and drones) and artillery attacks (more than a dozen) hitting at least 19 targets across Gaza, killing another 11 Palestinians (5 civilians and 6 militants), wounding 20 (19 civilians and 1 militant), and damaging a commercial building and several homes. Israeli DM Barak stresses that the assaults are in response to the bus attack on 4/7 and not the start of a major offensive. Palestinians fire another 24 mortars and 6 rockets, causing damage in 2 incidents but no injuries. Various factions claim responsibility for firing, including the AMB, DFLP, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and the PRCs. Israel’s new Iron Dome system intercepts 3 of the rockets. In addition, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fired warning shots at Palestinian farmers nr. the border fence, forcing them to flee. Israeli naval vessels fired toward the Gaza City beach and at Palestinian fishermen off the coast w. of Nussayrat r.c., causing no injuries. With the past 24 hrs. marking the worst flare-up in crossborder violence since OCL, UN Secy.-Gen. Ban calls on both sides to observe a ceasefire immediately. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Jericho and 2 villages nr. Ramallah (firing rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries); conducts morning arrest raids, house searches nr. Jericho. 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 Nabi Salih/Dayr Nizam. IDF soldiers fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, causing no serious injuries; 5 Palestinians are arrested. (IsRN, JP, MNA 4/8; JP, MNA, NYT, WP 4/9; IFM 4/10; PCHR 4/14; OCHA 4/15)

IDF troops make a brief incursion into c. Gaza e. of Gaza Valley village to level land and clear lines of sight. The PFLP claims its mbrs. directed cross-border fire at an IDF jeep on the Israeli side of the Gaza border fence e. of Gaza City; the IDF says it has no reports of an attack. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 6 residential shelters and 21 animal pens in Khirbat Tana nr. Nablus, displacing 52 Palestinians, including 30 children (see 12/6); fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths nr. Nablus; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jericho in the afternoon and nr. Hebron and Tubas late at night. (IDFS, MNA, PCHR 2/10, 2/17; OCHA 2/18)

Jordan’s new government, led by PM Bakhit, is sworn in. The cabinet includes 1 former Muslim Brotherhood mbr., a leading female activist, and mbrs. of the leftist unionists. (WT 2/10)

Meeting in Sharm al-Shaykh, Israeli PM Netanyahu asks Egyptian pres. Mubarak to press the Palestinians to return to “direct, intensive, and serious negotiations,” but Mubarak replies that Israel must change its stance on settlement construction if it hopes to reach a final status accord with the Palestinians, blaming Israel for the latest impasse. Mubarak also cautions Israel against carrying out a major offensive against Gaza over escalating rocket and mortar fire in the past wk. (NYT, WP 1/7)

The PFLP fires 3 mortars fr. Gaza toward the IDF base at the fmr. Kissufim crossing into Gaza (closed in 8/2005); only 1 shell strikes inside Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF makes synchronized late-night air strikes on an IQB building in Gaza City and an open area e. of al-Shuka village in s. Gaza; no injuries are reported in either incident. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm, 5 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village nr. Jericho during the afternoon. (JP, MNA 1/6, JP, MNA, OCHA 1/7; PCHR 1/13; OCHA 1/14)

Israel and Hamas announce a deal (to be implemented 10/2) in which Israel would free 20 female Palestinian prisoners (4 fr. Hamas, 5 fr. Fatah, 3 fr. Islamic Jihad, 1 fr. the PFLP, and 7 not affiliated with any group) convicted of minor offenses in exchange for definitive proof that captured IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit is still alive. (NYT, WP 10/1)

In the West Bank, an IDF jeep hits and kills 1 Palestinian teenager on the grounds of a school nr. Jenin in disputed circumstances (the IDF says it was an accident, whereas Palestinian eye-witnesses say the jeep was chasing the youth); angry Palestinians throw stones, clash with IDF troops, who respond with tear gas, causing minor injuries. The IDF also conducts latenight raids, house searches in and around Qalqilya, and nr. Jenin, Hebron, and Jericho, arresting 12 Palestinians (including 1 teenager) and summoning 6 others for questioning. (OCHA 9/09; PCHR 10/1; OCHA 10/2; OCHA 10/8; PCHR 10/8)

The IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Sur al-Bahir southeast of Jerusalem; issues military orders confiscating 150 d. of Palestinian agricultural land nr. Jenin for “military purposes”; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Tulkarm, nr. Bethlehem and Nablus, and in Marda, Qalqilya. ESF mbrs. fire on the home of a local Fatah leader in Bayt Lahiya, killing a Fatah mbr. Separately, Hamas mbrs. kidnap a PA General Intelligence officer in Bayt Lahiya, shoot him in the legs, let him go. In Gaza City, 300 PFLP mbrs. stage a sit-in outside the Red Cross offices to mark the 1-yr. anniversary of PFLP leader Ahmad Saadat’s capture by the IDF in Jericho. (PCHR 3/15; OCHA 3/21; PCHR 3/22)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jericho and neighboring ‘Aqabat Jabir r.c., Qalqilya, Tamun and nr. Hebron. The Israeli navy fire 7 shells at Palestinian fishing boats nr. Rafah, forcing the boats back to shore, causing no injuries; later in the day arrests 6 Palestinian fishermen off the Rafah coast, confiscating 2 boats. Inside Israel, the Israel Lands Authority issues demolition orders for a Palestinian playground in the unrecognized village of Dahamesh nr. Ramla, stating it was built illegally on state land and “represents an incursion into farmland beyond the boundaries of the unrecognized settlement”; children in Dahamesh had no safe place to play before the playground was built with EU donor funds. In Gaza City, DFLP, PFLP, Islamic Jihad mbrs. hold a sit-in to protest ongoing Fatah-Hamas violence. Meanwhile, ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in Bayt Lahiya, wounding 1 ESF mbr. A Force 17 mbr. injured in clashes with Fatah in Gaza City on 1/9 dies. In the West Bank, suspected Fatah mbrs. vandalize, set fire to offices of the Jinata municipality (controlled by Hamas) nr. Bethlehem. (HA 1/10; PCHR 1/11; OCHA 1/17; PCHR 1/18)

Early in the morning, the British and U.S. monitors guarding 6 political prisoners in the PA’s Jericho jail pull out of the city, citing security concerns. Within 20 minutes, the IDF encircles and imposes a curfew on Jericho, sends 80 tanks and armored vehicles, backed by helicopters, into the city, launching Operation Bring the Goods Home to take custody of the 6 prisoners (including PFLP head Ahmad Saadat). IDF troops surround the jail, order the 280 prisoners and PA guards to surrender, begin demolishing the jail and attached PA barracks, clashing with some prisoners, guards, and local Palestinians. (Although the U.S., Britain deny coordinating with Israel, Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz says Israel knew of the monitors pending departure and had been plotting the attack for 1 wk.). After 12 hrs., the remaining prisoners, including the 6 targeted men, surrender. At least 1 PA prison guard and 1 Palestinian prisoner are killed, more than 50 guards and prisoners are wounded, 10s of local Palestinians are injured. In response to the raid, Palestinian gunmen across Gaza and the West Bank (reportedly PFLP and AMB mbrs.) raid hotels, news outlets, and foreign offices, kidnapping at least 9 foreigners, vandalizing foreign-owned offices. Most foreigners kidnapped are quickly released. PA police fire on PFLP mbrs. breaking into the French Cultural Center in Gaza, killing 1 PFLP mbr., wounding 9. Some 15,000 Palestinians demonstrate in Gaza City. As a result of the violence, the UN suspends operations in Gaza; the EU withdraws observers from the Rafah crossing, forcing it to close. Meanwhile, the IDF also closes the Qarni crossing; bars a pregnant Palestinian woman fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a Ramallah hospital, forcing her to give birth at the checkpoint; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem, nr. Hebron and Qalqilya, and in ‘Aida r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Qabatya; begins work on a new segment of the separation wall nr. Dahiyat al-Barid n. of Jerusalem. Israel releases jailed Change and Reform PC mbr. Omar ‘Abd al-Raziq on bail; he was detained 3 mos. ago on charges of belonging to and handling money for Hamas. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba hold Purim parades through Palestinian areas of Hebron under IDF escort, vandalizing Palestinian property and beating 2 Palestinian children (ages 11, 13). (AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ, MM, PCHR, REU, XIN 3/14; HA, IMEMC, JAZ, MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA 3/15; DS, MM, NYT, PCHR 3/16; MA, Middle East News Agency, MM, VOP 3/18 in WNC 3/19; AP 3/20; MM 3/21, 3/23; HA 4/26; NYT 4/27)

The IDF eases the closures on Bethlehem and Jericho, allowing goods in and out; continues operations in Nablus; continues curfews on Hebron, Jenin, Nablus; fatally shoots a Palestinian who allegedly attempts to stab a soldier in Bethlehem; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah (searching Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP] offices); demolishes 1 Palestinian home nr. Jenin. Israeli police arrest 4 bedouin, 1 Palestinian laborer fr. Hebron in a village in the Negev on charges of setting up a Hamas cell. In Ramallah, 100s of Palestinians protest against PA PM Mahmud Abbas’s government. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket into the Negev, causing nodamage or injuries. Late in the evening, Palestinians fire 13 mortars, 2 anti-tank rockets at Jewish settlements, IDF posts in Gaza, causing nodamage or injuries. (HA, MM 8/27; HA, PCHR 8/28)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Hebron (targeting Hamas, Islamic Jihad); fires on farmers working their fields nr. Khan Yunis, forcing them to leave; makes incursions in Nablus; sends troops into Ramallah to halt a marked al-Ayyam vehicle, arrests 4 Palestinian journalists; announces that it has arrested 3 PFLP mbrs. in recent days for plotting an attack on IDF forces in the West Bank. Hamas, Islamic Jihad say their cease-fire may have to be reassessed if the U.S. fails to urge Israel to halt construction of the separation wall. (AP 7/30; PCHR 8/7)

Dahlan, Mofaz discuss IDF redeployment fr. Jericho (where the IDF has no presence) and Qalqilya (encircled by the separation wall, with 1 IDF checkpoint providing entry, exit). Dahlan rejects the offer as hollow. (HA, IDF Radio, MA, MM, NYT, YA 7/31; VOI 7/31 in WNC 8/1)

A Palestinian suicide bomber fr. Balata r.c. detonates a device at the Kfar Saba railway station in Israel, killing 1 Israeli security guard, injuring 13 Israelis. A statement faxed to Reuters claims the AMB carried out the act with the help of the PFLP, but AMB’s chief spokesman denies this, saying the attack was staged by Nablus breakaway faction of the AMB (see 4/10). Israel says it will not stage a massive retaliation in response. The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Qarawat Bani Zayt, killing 2 Palestinians; fires on an elementary school in Qalqilya, injuring 3 students, 1 teacher; shells residential areas of Rafah; bulldozes nearly 300 dunams of land in Bayt Hanun, 34 dunams in Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem (targeting Hamas), al-Qarara, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Mitzpeh Yeriho seize a hilltop nr. Jericho as a new outpost, called Givat Haherut (Liberty Hill), to “prevent invasion” of the area by bedouin shepherds; Israeli police urge the settlers to evacuate the site but leave when they refuse. (HA, LAW, MM 4/24; AFP, ITAR-TASS 4/24 in WNC 4/25; NYT, WP, WT 4/25; al-Quds, VOI 4/25 in WNC 4/28; PR 4/30; LAW, PCHR, WJW 5/1; MEI 5/2)

The IDF bulldozes 63 shops, market stalls in Nazlat Issa, 1 of the only thriving Palestinian commercial centers, located very close to the West Bank border with Israel; maps of Israel’s planned security fence show the fence running e. of Nazlat Issa, which would cut off the village fr. the rest of the West Bank. The IDF also beats 2 Palestinian photographers for international agencies as they try to photograph an IDF jeep driving through Nablus with 2 Palestinian youths clinging to the hood, threaten to kill the journalists if they see the photo published; fires on residential areas of Bayt Lahia; conducts arrest raids (targeting Hamas, Islamic Jihad) in Hebron, Jenin r.c., Jericho, Nablus, Ramallah; demolishes a Palestinian home in Yatta, nr. Hebron. Islamic Jihad says that 2 of its low-ranking mbrs. have escaped fr. the IDF’s Ofer detention center in the West Bank. Israeli border police halt a suspicious van nr. Umm al-Fahm, just inside the Green Line; the 4 occupants of the car flee (2 into Israel, 2 into the West Bank); police find 300 kg. of explosives inside. Shin Bet arrests the wife of jailed PFLP leader Saadat at the Allenby border crossing, on her way to Jordan to fly to Brazil for a conference; gives no reason for her detention. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 3/4/02. (BBC, HA 1/21; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR, PM, PR, WT 1/22; PM 1/23)

Reversing an 8/18/02 decision, the Israeli High Court rules that the IDF’s "neighborhood procedure" (i.e., sending a Palestinian to warn a wanted individual to surrender to IDF troops waiting nearby) is legal, saying the IDF may not force Palestinians to act as human shields, but it may use them if they “volunteer.” (HA, WT 1/22)