The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, wounding 2. Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, lightly injuring 1 Israeli private security guard. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts early-morning arrest raids, house searches in Nur Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm; patrols in Salfit (late evening) and in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya (1 early morning, 2 late night) and 1 nr. Ramallah (late night). Jewish settlers fr. Sha’are Tikva settlement nr. Qalqilya dump waste water onto the playgrounds and land surrounding a secondary school in nearby ‘Azzun ‘Atma village. Jewish settlers escorted by IDF soldiers enter Kifl Haris village nr. Salfit to pray at Joshua’s Tomb, vandalizing a Palestinian car en route. (PCHR 12/16; OCHA 12/17)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Lahiya fire on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. operating 700 m fr. the border (well beyond Israel’s self-declared 300-m deep no-go zone), wounding 1. Palestinians (possibly AOI mbrs.) fire 3 mortars and 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Jinsafut village nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon. (JP, MNA, YA 11/18; PCHR 11/25; OCHA 11/26)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF raids an olive press in Jit nr. Qalqilya, arresting the owner and confiscating a bulldozer. (JP 10/30; PCHR 11/4; OCHA 11/5)

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)

The Israeli human rights group Peace Now estimates that Jewish settlers have started work on 600 settlement housing units in at least 36 settlements since the freeze ended on 9/26. At least half of the construction is to lay foundations for new houses—a priority for settlers in anticipation of reimposition of the temporary settlement freeze, which allowed construction to continue on units that already had their foundations poured. (NYT, WP 10/22)

Egypt allows an aid convoy of 140 vans to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing; the humanitarian goods were provided by London-based pro-Palestinian activists. Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. IDF troops on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials inside the destroyed industrial zone, wounding 2. IDF troops also enter Gaza briefly to retrieve an unmanned Israeli drone that crashed nr. the northern border. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in villages nr. Jericho, Ramallah, Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. Palestinians report (PCHR 10/21) that in the previous week: (a) the IDF confiscated 130 d. of Palestinian agricultural land nr. Qalqilya for construction of a “security road” past Keddumim settlement, and (b) Jewish settlers seized and leveled 100 d. of Palestinian agricultural land located between the separation wall and the Green Line, accessible to the Palestinian owners only through a gate in the fence that the IDF opens only occasionally. In East Jerusalem, Israeli police raid and search a Palestinian clothing store. (AFP, JP, PCHR 10/21; NYT 10/22; PCHR 10/28; OCHA 10/29)

The PRCs claim responsibility for firing a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing damage but no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Dayr Istya in the afternoon; prevents Palestinians fr. accessing their land nr. Qalqilya to harvest olives; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists conducting a nonviolent march from Bayt Umar village to Karme Tzur settlement outside Hebron to protest land confiscations and settlement expansion; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation and 4 internationals and 3 Palestinians are arrested (the internationals are released the same day). (PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15)

Abbas, Netanyahu, Clinton, and Mitchell continue direct talks at Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem, meeting for 2 hrs. They allow a joint photo opportunity but do not address the press. (WP 9/15; NYT, WP, WT 9/16; PCHR 9/23; OCHA 9/24)

Just as the Jerusalem talks begin, Gaza’s PRCs fire 1 rocket and 9 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel (the highest 1-day total since 3/09), causing no damage or injuries. Israeli police claim 2 of the mortars contained white phosphorous and that the rocket, which landed in Ashkelon, appeared to be a manufactured Grad type, rather than a homemade Qassam; the IDF, however, calls the rocket a Qassam. (Ashkelon is in range of both Qassams and Grads.) The Israeli daily Yedi’ot Aharonot (9/16) cites an unidentified mbr. of an unnamed Gaza militant group as confirming that 2 mortars contained white phosphorous taken from unexploded IDF ordnance (UXO) from Operation Cast Lead, saying the Gaza factions are experimenting with modifying Israeli UXO for use against Israel. The IDF retaliates with air strikes on a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border (killing 1 Palestinian civilian, wounding 3), a factory n. of Khan Yunis (destroying it and damaging several surrounding homes, greenhouses, and businesses, but causing no reported injuries), and a vacant home southwest of Khan Yunis (destroying it). IDF troops also make a brief morning incursion 400 m. into s. Gaza e. of Khan Yunis to level land to clear lines of sight. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts separate synchronized late-night patrols in 2 villages e. of Qalqilya and 2 villages nr. Ramallah, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Jenin. (HA, JP, YA 9/15; CNN, JP, PCHR, WT, YA 9/16)

Overnight, the IDF carries out 7 air strikes on Gaza (3 on Rafah tunnels and 4 on Hamas targets: 2 in Gaza City, 1 each on Bayt Hanun and Dayr al-Balah) and fires 6 tank shells across the border at Bayt Hanun in retaliation for recent Palestinian rocket and mortar fire, injuring 2 Hamas mbrs. In response, unidentified Palestinians fire another Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in villages nr. Qalqilya, Salfit, and Tulkarm, checking Palestinian IDs but making no arrests. Palestinians (accompanied by Israeli and international activists in some locations) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in and Ni‘lin. IDF soldiers fire rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters; 10s suffer tear gas inhalation, 1 Palestinian is moderately injured. (JP, YA 9/10; AFP 9/12; PCHR 9/16; OCHA 9/17)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Sourif village nr. Hebron in 2 cars with Palestinian license plates, raiding a home and arresting 5 Palestinians; conducts evening and late-night patrols in villages nr. Hebron, Qalqilya, and Tulkarm, making no arrests; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in al‘Arub r.c. and nr. Hebron and Salfit. (JP 9/6; PCHR 9/8; OCHA 9/17)

In response to recent escalating rocket and mortar fire, IDF warplanes and helicopters carry out 7 early morning air strikes on 2 caravans nr. Khan Yunis (no injuries), a cheese factory in Gaza City (injuring 3 Palestinian children nearby), and a metal foundry in Nussayrat r.c. (no injuries) that Israel claims were weapons factories and arms depots, warning of broader retaliation if rocket attacks continue. The U.S. urges both sides to display restraint. Hrs. later, Hamas issues a statement saying it is working with Gaza factions to reimpose the cease-fire with Israel before it escalates out of control, but also condemns the Israeli air strikes for aggravating the situation and calls on the international community to press Israel to keep retaliation in check. (Salafist groups opposed to Hamas refuse to participate in the ceasefire.) In the West Bank, Palestinians stone a settler vehicle outside Hawara village nr. Nablus, causing it to crash (no word on injuries); the IDF sends troops into Hawara in pursuit of the stone throwers, arresting 1 Palestinian. The IDF also fires rubbercoated steel bullets, stun grenades, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, and international activists taking part in nonviolent weekly demonstrations against the separation wall and settlement expansion in Bil‘in (10s suffer tear gas inhalation; 1 Israeli is arrested), Dayr Nizam/al-Nabi Salih (3 Palestinians injured), al-Ma‘sara (where only Palestinians demonstrated; 4 injured), and Ni‘lin (10s suffer tear gas inhalation); conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya. (AFP, JAZ, NYT, YA 4/2; NYT, WP 4/3; YA 4/7; PCHR 4/8; OCHA 4/15)

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)