The Palestine Chronology

During the day, the IDF carries out 3 air strikes on an Islamic Jihad training camp in s. Gaza, killing 5 Islamic Jihad mbrs. allegedly responsible for the rocket fire on 10/26 (including field cmdr. Ahmad Shaykh Khalil) and wounding 3. Over the course of the day, Islamic Jihad responds with a volley of at least 24 rockets and mortars on s. Israel; at least 1 Grad strikes Ashqelon, killing 1 Israeli and wounding 2. Late at night, the IDF carries out another 9 air strikes on 8 Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza City, Bayt Hanun in n. Gaza, Dayr al-Balah in c. Gaza, and Khan Yunis and Rafah in s. Gaza, killing another 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. and wounding at least 1 Islamic Jihad mbr. and 2 bystanders. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Tulkarm, 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon; conducts late-night patrols in Jericho, 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 2 nr. Tulkarm. (YA 10/29; NYT, WP 10/30; PCHR 11/3; OCHA 11/4; JPI 11/11)

Cross-border violence in Gaza enters its 3d day. Israel conducts 3 drone air strikes and 7 artillery strikes on Gaza, injuring 6 Palestinians (3 militants and 3 bystanders, including a woman and child). The PRCs, Islamic Jihad, and Hamas fire as many as 64 rockets (including at least 7 Grads) and 18 mortars, killing 1 Israeli and wounding 6 in Beersheba, lightly injuring 3 Israelis in Ofakim when a rocket hits a house, and injuring 3 Palestinian laborers in Ashdod (2 seriously). Israeli naval vessels fire 3 times on Palestinian fishing boats off the Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. IDF soldiers on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire warning shots at Palestinian fishermen on the beach nr. the no-go zone, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF carries out a major late-night raid on Hebron, sending 100 military vehicles into the area fr. 3 directions and rounding up some 120 Palestinians, mostly Hamas members and supporters, marking the largest West Bank arrest operation since 2003; those arrested include Hamas-affiliated Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Muhammad Abu Jheisha and leading figures of several Hamas-affiliated charities. Jewish settlers fr. Migron outpost nr. Ramallah beat a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy tending sheep nearby. (JP, YA 8/20; JAZ, JP, NYT, WP 8/21; MNA 8/22; IFM, PCHR 8/25; OCHA 8/26)

In Cairo, crowds outside the Israeli emb. grow steadily into the 1,000s overnight and throughout the day. Israel issues a formal expression of regret for the deaths of the Egyptian soldiers, but Egyptian leaders say it is inadequate. Egypt briefly threatens to recall its amb. fr. Israel, but backs down following international intervention to calm tensions. Israel shelves discussions of a major military strike on Gaza given the crisis with Egypt. (WP 8/20; NYT, WP 8/21; NYT 8/27; WP 8/28)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF makes an air strike e. of Gaza City, wounding an Islamic Jihad mbr. preparing to fire a rocket into Israel. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in al-Bireh and 3 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah during the day and in 1 village nr. Ramallah late in the evening; conducts late-night raids into 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, summoning 5 Palestinians for questioning. Palestinians (sometimes accompanied by Israeli and international activists) hold weekly nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall, land confiscations, and settlement expansion in Bil‘in (for the 1st time since protests there were suspended on 6/24), Kafr Qaddum, Ni‘lin, and Nabi Salih. IDF soldiers beat and fire rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at the protesters, lightly injuring 1 Palestinian; 2 Israeli activists and 1 Palestinian are arrested. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to nearby Palestinian olive groves, damaging 3,000 trees. In East Jerusalem, up to 4,500 left-wing Israeli activists and Palestinians march in a show of support for Palestinian statehood organized by the group Shaykh Jarrah Solidarity; an estimated 80% of participants are Israeli Jews and the rest mostly Palestinians fr. Shaykh Jarrah. (JP 7/15; WP 7/16; PCHR 7/20; OCHA 7/22)

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)

Palestinians fire at least 7 mortars, 6 homemade Qassam rockets, and 2 manufactured Grad rockets fr. Gaza into Israel during the day, causing no injuries. Israel retaliates with several air strikes and tank fire on Hamas buildings and a launching site, lightly injuring 3 Palestinians. The largest strike (4 missiles) targets the fmr. PA General Intelligence building outside of Jabaliya in the evening, heavily damaging the building and collaterally damaging 30 homes, 4 businesses, and 2 schools. Sources say that Hamas seems to have stepped back fr. rocket and mortar fire since its large barrage on 3/19, with most fire now coming fr. Islamic Jihad and other groups. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 3 wells nr. Bethlehem (all more than 100 yrs. old); bulldozes a Palestinian road nr. Salfit for the 2d time in 3 mos. (Jewish settlers seek to annex the waterrich area to the Yakir and Revava settlements; Palestinian residents paved the road to claim ownership and repaved it after the IDF bulldozed the 1st time); patrols in 4 village nr. Qalqilya, 4 nr. Ramallah, and 2 each nr. Jenin (where troops fire tear gas at stone-throwing youths who confront them, causing no injuries) and Jericho, as well as searching 2 open areas nr. Tulkarm. (HA, IsRN, JP, JTA 3/24; NYT, WP, WT 3/25; PCHR 3/31; OCHA 4/1)

By this date, allied air strikes on Libya have reportedly “all but destroyed” the Libyan air force and air defenses and the focus has shifted to targeting Qaddafi’s ground forces. At this stage, NATO takes the lead fr. the U.S. in enforcing the no-fly zone. The intervention is not enough to give Libyan rebels the upper hand, however; fierce fighting continues nationwide through the end of the quarter. (NYT 3/24, 3/25)

In Yemen, Pres. Saleh, responding to growing pressure (see 3/18), reins in the military and states that he would step down if he could arrange “an honorable transfer of power” that would keep the govt. in “safe hands.” Over next 2 wks., Saleh and the opposition hold talks but cannot reach an agreement. Meanwhile, protests continue (mostly nonviolent, ranging in size fr. the 1,000s to around 100,000). (NYT, WP, WT 3/25; NYT, WP 3/26–27; WP 3/28, 3/29; NYT 3/29; NYT, WP 3/31–4/1;NYT 4/3)

Overnight, Israel makes an air strike on Gaza, killing 1 Palestinian preparing to fire a rocket into Israel. Between dawn and mid-morning, Islamic Jihad fires 3 manufactured Grad rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing light damage and slightly injuring 1 Israeli. Later, unidentified Palestinians fire 7 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, some of which allegedly contain white phosphorous, causing no damage or injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF carries out several air strikes on training sites, rocket launching sites, and smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border, causing no reported injuries. In the afternoon, suspected Palestinian assailants leave a bomb nr. Jerusalem’s central bus station and convention center that detonates, killing 1 British woman, injuring 38 Israelis; the PA immediately condemns the incident; no group claims responsibility. In the West Bank, the IDF blocks a funeral procession fr. using a main road in Bayt Umar village nr. Hebron, sparking a clash in which 2 Palestinian mourners are wounded by live ammunition and 4 are arrested. Hours later, the IDF sends undercover units into Bayt Umar to raid and search a gas station, beating the owners and confiscating a computer. Several hours after that, the IDF returns to block the main entrance of the village with cement blocks and sand barriers. The IDF also patrols in Jericho (photographing the Intercontinental Hotel) and 3 villages nr. Ramallah; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Tulkarm. (AFP, HA, IFM, IsRN, JTA, MNA, REU, YA 3/23; IsRN, JP, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/24; NYT, WT 3/25; PCHR 3/31; JPI, OCHA 4/1)

In Syria, security forces make a predawn assault on the main mosque in Dara‘a, where antigovernment protesters have taken refuge, killing 15. Clashes last throughout the day and spread to 4 nearby villages. Over the succeeding days, clashes spread to towns and villages across the nation, becoming nr. daily events but remaining relatively small (in the 1,000s) and uncoordinated. Hot spots include Baniyas, Hama, Homs, Idlib, Latakia (which was reported to be “near anarchy”), and the Kurdish zone. (Only a few protests are reported in Damascus.) Govt. forces routinely dispersed the rallies, violently killing around 100 nationwide by 4/4. Meanwhile, Syrian activists mobilize through online social networking sites to call for mass protests every Friday until the regime falls. (NYT, SANA 3/23; NYT, WP, WT 3/24; NYT, WP 3/26–28; NYT, WP, WT 3/29; NYT, WP 3/30; NYT, WP 3/31, 4/1; NYT 4/2, 4/3; NYT, WP 4/4; WT 4/5; NYT, WP 4/6; NYT 4/7; NYT, WP 4/8; WP 4/9; NYT, WP 4/9, 4/10)

Israel makes 2 air strikes on Gaza targeting the launch site of 4 mortars fired into Israel minutes earlier (causing no damage or injuries), hitting a nearby residential area, killing 4 Palestinian civilians (including 3 children) and wounding 11 (4 critically); Netanyahu expresses regret for accidentally harming civilians but accuses Palestinian militants of using civilians as human shields to carry out rocket and mortar attacks (even while there was no rocket fire at the time of the strikes). In the evening, Palestinians fire a manufactured Grad rocket and several mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Later, the IDF carries out a 3d air strike, killing 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. preparing to launch a rocket into Israel. The IDF also makes a brief incursion into Gaza northeast of Gaza City to level lands and clear lines of sight. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on Awarta, imposing a curfew and arresting 9 Palestinians, possibly in connection to the 3/11 Itamar murders; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and Salfit. (IRM 3/22; NYT, REU, WP, WT 3/23; NYT, PCHR 3/24; OCHA 4/1)

The Knesset passes (37-25, with 58 abstaining or not voting) the “Nakba Law,” which allows state funding to be reduced to communities or groups that commemorate the Nakba, deny Israel is a Jewish state, question whether Israel is a democracy, or harm Israeli national symbols. It also passes (35-20, with 65 abstaining or not voting) the “Admissions Committee Law” allowing Negev and Galilee Jewish communities with fewer than 400 families to reject potential residents (i.e., Palestinians) who are “socially unacceptable.” (IsRN 3/23; JTA 3/24)

The IDF detains 2 Lebanese shepherds who accidentally crossed the Blue Line into Israeli territory and turns them over to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). (DS 3/23)

Palestinians fire 1 homemade Qassam rocket and 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. A mysterious explosion s. of Gaza City kills 1 Islamic Jihad mbr., wounds 2. Islamic Jihad accuses Israel of staging an air strike, but the IDF denies an attack. A smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border collapses, injuring 3 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF levels 5 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of agricultural land nr. Salfit; sets up a checkpoint at the entrance to Araqa village nr. Jenin, searching vehicles and summoning 4 Palestinians for questioning; patrols in 4 villages nr. Tulkarm and 1 nr. Ramallah. (AFP, IsRN 2/27; WP 2/28; PCHR 3/3; OCHA 3/4)

A govt.-appointed Israeli panel charged in 2008 with investigating the 7/22/02 assassination of Hamas military leader Salih Shihada in a massive air strike on a residential area of Gaza City that killed 19 bystanders and wounded some 140 (mostly women and children) concludes that the operation was flawed by putting too much emphasis on killing Shihada and not enough on the “risk of harm to uninvolved civilians,” but “did not stem from disregard or indifference to human lives.” (NYT 2/28)

Palestinians fire a mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF retaliates with at least 5 air strikes on Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets in Khan Yunis and Rafah, wounding 4 Palestinian civilians (including a baby); in 1 instance, Israeli intelligence units phone the targeted site to warn residents to evacuate, calling a 2d time before the strike to make sure the house is clear (no one is injured in that strike). IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1 Palestinian. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in Qalqilya and 4 surrounding villages; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nabi Salih. (JP 2/26; AFP, IsRN 2/27; WP 2/28; PCHR 3/3; OCHA 3/4)

With daily antigovernment protests continuing, the head of Bahrain’s banned al-Haq party, seen as the hard-line leader of Bahrain’s oppressed Shi‘i majority, returns fr. exile and is greeted by throngs of supporters, in what is seen as an escalation against the regime. (WP 2/28)

Fayyad reiterates his 2/20 national unity offer, saying the PA would forgo further U.S. aid for the sake of national unity if the U.S. went through with threats to suspend aid to the PA if Hamas joined the govt. Abbas and senior Hamas officials agree to discuss the idea. (JPI 3/11)

At Abbas’s request, Israel agrees to allow some 300 Palestinians fleeing Libya to enter the West Bank. In Gaza, Islamic Jihad and Hamas mbrs. detonate an explosive device by the border fence as an IDF patrol passes on the Israeli side, then fire 3 mortars at the troops, causing no injuries. IDF soldiers retaliate with tank and gunfire, killing 1 armed Palestinian and wounding 6 armed Palestinians and at least 3 bystanders (including 2 children). Late at night, the IDF makes 5 air strikes on buildings in central and southern Gaza, causing no injuries; in the 1 instance in which a building is occupied, Israeli intelligence units phone to warn the occupants to leave. An 11-yr.-old Palestinian girl is killed and 4 family mbrs. are wounded when explosives accidentally detonate in their Gaza home. The IDF makes a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level land along the border fence to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinian scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 2 Palestinian. Late in the evening, 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 patrols in ‘Aqabat Jabir refugee camp (r.c.) in the morning, photographing historic sites; conducts latenight patrols in Birzeit and 1 village nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches, and patrols in and around Jenin r.c. (DPA, HA, IsRN, JP, NYT, REU, WAFA 2/23; PCHR, WP 2/24; PCHR 3/3; OCHA 3/4)

The PA sets 7/9/2011 as the start date for municipal elections in the West Bank. (WT 2/9)

In the morning, unidentified Palestinians fire 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing light damage but no injuries. In the afternoon, Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 2 more mortars into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF retaliates with an air strike, destroying an abandoned plastics factory in Gaza City (an alleged weapons manufacturing facility), also damaging a nearby PA Health Min. warehouse used for storing medicine, a textile factory, and a school and lightly injuring 11 Palestinian civilians (including 4 children). An hr. later, the IDF makes 2 air strikes on an Islamic Jihad training site in Khan Yunis (injuring 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs.) and a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border (no injuries). Also during the day, the IDF makes a brief incursion into s. Gaza e. of Shuka village to level lands and clear lines of sight, firing on nearby residential areas to keep Palestinians indoors, causing no injuries. UNRWA reports that it has resumed 3 stalled construction projects in Gaza after Israel allowed in 2 large shipments of construction aggregates (see 2/1). In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in 1 village nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Tubas, in Nablus, and nr. Hebron. (YA 2/9; PCHR 2/10; OCHA 2/11)

Egyptian demonstrators hold the largest rally in Tahrir Square to date and surround the parliament building, rejecting government proposals for an extended transition and demanding Mubarak’s immediate removal and dissolution of parliament. Huge demonstrations are also held in Alexandria, Suez, and other cities. Egyptian labor unions begin a nationwide general strike to observe a “Week of Steadfastness” with demonstrators. Since 2/4, Mubarak has released some activists arrested since 1/25, allowed government contact with the Muslim Brotherhood for the first time, agreed in principle to lift emergency regulations and allow a free press, formed a legal panel (all Mubarak loyalists) to explore constitutional changes demanded by protesters, announced 15% raises for civil servants and pensioners, and vowed to open corruption investigations of senior government and NDP party officials. Some opposition figures note (e.g., WP 2/7) that some of these steps were significant and might have been enough to appease protesters 2 wks. ago, but that the mood has shifted significantly since then and these steps are now seen as far too little. Another round of massive demonstrations in Tahrir Square is called for Friday 2/10. In the interim, labor strikes and demonstrations grow and spread nationwide. (NYT, WP, WT 2/8; NYT, WP, WT 2/9; NYT, WP, WT 2/10; see also NYT, WP 2/6; NYT, WP, WT 2/7)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Fearing Israel could stage a major retaliation for the recent spike in rocket and mortar fired, Hamas once again (see 12/30) appeals to Gaza factions to observe a cease-fire. Late in the evening, the IDF carries out 4 air strikes on s. Gaza, assassinating senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Muhammad Najjar as he rides a motorcycle and striking an IQB site s. of Gaza City, as well as hitting an Islamic Jihad training site nr. Khan Yunis and a PA naval police building in Nussayrat r.c., causing damage but no injuries. Meanwhile, Israeli naval vessels detain 4 Palestinian fishermen sailing off the Gaza coast, releasing 3 and arresting 1. (Guardian, NYT, WP 1/12; PCHR 1/13; OCHA 1/14)

Islamic Jihad mbrs. fire 6 mortars fr. Gaza at the IDF base at the fmr. Nahal Oz crossing (closed in 1/2010), injuring 3 Thai workers (1 seriously) at a kibbutz nearby. Late in the evening, unidentified Palestinians fire 1 mortar, 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel in 3 barrages; 1 rocket lands nr. a truck, causing light damage and lightly injuring the driver. In the West Bank, IDF troops fatally shoot a Palestinian who runs toward a checkpoint nr. Nablus (the same one where another Palestinian was fatally shot on 1/2) and ignores orders to halt; the IDF says he was carrying a bag that contained a pipe bomb and other explosives, but Palestinian witnesses say he was not carrying anything. The IDF also patrols in villages nr. Jenin and Salfit in the morning; conducts late-night arrest raids, searches in and around Qalqilya; conducts late-night patrols in 3 villages nr. Salfit, summoning 2 Palestinians for questioning. Jewish settlers fr. Gilad settlement nr. Qalqilya vandalize nearby Palestinian agricultural land and damage a well. Israeli authorities conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in Silwan neighborhood in East Jerusalem. (HA, JP, MNA 1/8; WP, UPI 1/9; NYT 1/11; PCHR 1/13; OCHA 1/14)