The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly rammed an Israeli at a checkpoint near Fawwar refugee camp. Israeli forces were also filmed abusing and assaulting a gas station worker in the refugee camp. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians with baton rounds and arrested 4 others during a raid in Bayt Awa. Israeli forces also issued demolition notices for the family homes of 3 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces on 11/16 near Bayt Jala. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Nablus, Qalqilya, the Masafer Yatta area, Hebron, and Ramallah. In Gaza, Israeli forces bombed Khan Yunis, Rafah, Jabalia refugee camp, Nuseirat refugee camp, Maghazi, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Dayr al-Balah, killing at least 165 people, including Al-Quds journalist Jabr Abu Hadros and 6 members of his family in Nuseirat refugee camp and former Palestinian minister of awqaf and religious affairs and al-Aqsa Mosque preacher Sheikh Yousef Salameh in Maghazi. Israel also bombed near the Rafah crossing and hit the European Hospital, killing at least 5 people. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed and 13 were injured in combat. In Lebanon, Israel said it attacked several Hezbollah positions. In Syria, Israeli airstrikes killed 23 people, including 5 Syrians and 6 Iraqis, and wounded 18, near the Iraqi border. Israeli forces also bombed near Aleppo. (AJ, AJ, HA, NYT, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 12/30; AJ, HA, WAFA 12/31; AJ 1/2)

More than 21,672 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza, including at least 8,800 children and 6,300 women, and around 56,165 have been injured since 10/7. At least 7,000 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 312 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 79 children. More than 3,812 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals have been killed and 5,400 have been injured since 10/7. 168 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 955 injured in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.93 million Palestinians, nearly 85% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israeli blockade. As of 12/23, at least 65,000 housing units had been destroyed and 290,000 had been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting over 60% of all housing units. UNOCHA said more than 100,000 people have fled to Rafah in the past few days. UNICEF delivered 600,000 doses of vaccines to Gaza, saying that more than 16,800 infants have missed routine vaccines. UNRWA said 40% of Palestinians in Gaza were at risk of famine. 103 trucks carrying aid entered Gaza. (AJ, UNOCHA, UNOCHA 12/30)

The Gaza Ministry of Health held a press conference saying Palestinians captured by Israeli forces in Gaza were being tortured and held in poor condition. The ministry also said it had been able to reopen the medical facilities al-Arabi Hospital, Patient Friend’s Benevolent Society, Assahaba Medical Complex, al-Helou International Hospital, and several first aid centers. Lastly, it said that 5,300 people in critical condition needed to be evacuated to hospitals outside of Gaza to save their lives. 13 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are partially functioning, 9 of which are located in the south, the rest are out of service. (AJ, UNOCHA 12/30)

The armed wing of the PFLP, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, released a picture it said showed the body of 1 of the Israeli soldiers held captive in Gaza, saying he was killed by Israeli forces when they tried to rescue him. It was unclear if the soldier was taken captive on 10/7 or during the ongoing ground invasion. (AJ, HA, REU 12/30)

The PA foreign ministry said Israel was targeting UNRWA to expel the agency from Gaza. (AJ 12/30)

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference that the border zone between Egypt and Gaza, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, must be under Israeli control. Netanyahu also said Israel will attack Iran if Hezbollah expands its attacks on Israel. Ynet reported that Israel wants an underground wall along the Gaza border with Egypt. Netanyahu reportedly invited Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and war cabinet member Benny Gantz to participate in the press conference, which they declined. PLO secretary-general Hussein al-Sheikh said Netanyahu’s plans were “a blatant violation of agreements with Egypt and a termination of all agreements with the PLO,” calling on a unified Palestinian and Arab stance against it. (AJ, HA, REU, REU 12/30; AJ, AJ, WAFA, WAFA 12/31)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israeli leaders will discuss resettling Palestinians in Gaza after the war. (AJ 12/30)

Israeli forces hacked the broadcast of the radio channel Voice of Palestine, issuing threats to people in Gaza. (WAFA 12/30)

The Wall Street Journal said that by mid-December Israel had dropped 29,000 bombs on Gaza, destroying 70% of homes, making Israel’s attacks “comparable in scale to the most devastating warfare in the modern record.” (AJ, HA 12/30; AJ, WAFA 12/31)

The New York Times reported that the Israeli military was so ill-prepared for Operation Al-Aqsa Flood on 10/7 that soldiers used WhatsApp groups and social media posts to decide where to target. (AJ, NYT 12/30)

Today, Great March of Return demonstrations see tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza gathering along the border fence to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Nakba, to protest the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem today, and to call for the Palestinian refugees’ right to return to their homes. IDF troops violently disperse demonstrations near Khan Yunis, Rafah, Gaza City, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Jabaliya refugee camp; 58 Palestinians are killed, including 3 who allegedly attempted to plant an explosive along the border near Rafah, and more than 1,300 are injured. After unidentified assailants open fire on IDF patrols along the border near Jabaliya refugee camp, the IAF conducts air strikes on Hamas posts near Jabaliya refugee camp, al-Bureij refugee camp, and Gaza City, causing moderate damage. The killings today bring the death toll related to the Great March of Return to 102. Elsewhere in the oPt, thousands of Palestinians gather across the West Bank and Jerusalem to protest the official opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem today. They also release 70 black balloons in Ramallah, marking the 70th anniversary of the Nakba. IDF troops violently disperse the protests at Qalandia checkpoint, Bethlehem, and Hebron; at least 2 Palestinians are injured. Meanwhile, IDF troops arrest 19 Palestinians during latenight raids in and around Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron; and patrol near Jenin and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 7 Palestinians during late-night raids in Issawiyya and the Old City. (AJ, EI, HA, JP, MEE, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 5/14; PCHR 5/17)

Hours after Israeli troops open fire on peaceful Palestinian protesters along the border fence in Gaza, senior U.S. and Israeli officials gather for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. In a recorded video, U.S. president Trump celebrates the opening and says the U.S. “remains fully committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement” between Israel and the Palestinians. Outside the ceremony, Israeli police violently disperse approximately 200 protesters, including Joint List MKs Ahmad Tibi, Dov Khenin, Jamal Zahalka, Yousef Jabareen, and Masud Ganaim; 12 Palestinians are arrested. (AJ, BBC, JP, MEE, NYT, TOI 5/14; EI 5/15)

In the evening, the Palestinian leadership convenes in Ramallah to discuss the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and the violence in Gaza. PA president Abbas calls the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem a “settlement outpost” and reiterates that he has no plans to engage in any U.S.-mediated peace talks “in any way, shape, or form.” The assembled officials decide to file a war crimes complaint against Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague over settlement construction in the West Bank. According to PLO secretary-general Erakat, they also agree to a number of other unspecified responses. (TOI 5/14; AP, YA 5/15)

The South African government recalls its ambassador to Israel and Turkey recalls its ambassadors from Israel and the U.S. in protest of the killings in Gaza today. “The victims were taking part in peaceful protests against the provocative inauguration of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem,” a South African statement reads. Meanwhile, the U.S. blocks the UNSC from adopting a Kuwait-backed statement condemning the deadly violence in Gaza and calling for an “independent and transparent investigation” into Israel’s actions. (ANA, TOI, WAFA 5/14; HA, TOI 5/15)

The Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing in both directions for the 3d consecutive day. (AHR 5/14; OCHA 5/24)

On the 2d day of his trip to Israel, Republican presidential candidate Romney prays at the Western Wall and gives a public address to 300 select supporters in Jerusalem (calling Jerusalem the capital of Israel). He vows to support Israel’s right to defend itself and calls for Israel and the U.S. to use ‘‘any and all means’’ to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. He does not repeat the comment his foreign policy aide, Dan Senor, made en route to Israel that Romney would ‘‘respect’’ an Israeli decision to strike Iran unilaterally, nor does he mention the Palestinians or the peace process. Romney meets with his former business colleague PM Netanyahu, who makes kind remarks but is seen (e.g., WP 7/30) as being careful not to take sides in the election. He also meets with Israeli pres. Peres and PA PM Salam Fayyad; the Romney camp cancels at the last minute a planned meeting with Labor party officials. In an interview with CNN later in the day, Romney says that the U.S., in consultation with Israel, should move its embassy to Jerusalem. In response, White House spokesman Josh Earnest says: ‘‘The view of this administration is the capital should be determined in final status negotiations between the parties. That’s the position held by the previous administrations, both Democratic and Republican.’’ (NYT, WP, WT 7/30; WP 7/31; WJW 8/2)

Timed with Romney’s visit to Israel, the Obama admin. leaks a story to the Israeli daily Ha’Aretz that NSA Donilon briefed an Israeli official (some say PM Netanyahu, though Israel explicitly denies this) over dinner in Israel earlier in 7/2012 on ‘‘U.S. contingency plans for any attack on Iran,’’ emphasizing that the U.S. is making serious preparations for a military strike if such action is deemed necessary. A Netanyahu spokesman says Donilon did not share any operational plans. Donilon’s office says it does not comment on private meetings. (WT 7/30)

In Tunis en route to Israel, U.S. defense secy. Leon Panetta says Israel and the U.S. are united in support of strong sanctions against Iran. (NYT, WP 7/30)

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 2 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Jenin in the morning; patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and Ramallah in the evening. Jewish settlers block roads and stone Palestinian cars nr. the evacuated settlement of Homesh nr. Jenin. (PCHR 8/2; OCHA 8/3)

Gaza’s power plant begins operating on 4 turbines for the first time since 2006, after Israel (in a gesture to mark Ramadan) allowed the UN Development Program to import new transformers to replace those destroyed by an Israeli air strike in 2006. The improved capacity of the plant and additional Israeli fuel imports to mark Ramadan reduce rolling blackouts across Gaza to 8–10 hrs./day (down from around 12 hrs./day in recent months). The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the morning; conducts synchronized patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin at midday; patrols in alNabi Salih in the afternoon, firing rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them (causing no serious injuries); and conducts synchronized patrols in 2 villages nr. Jericho in the evening. (PCHR 8/2; OCHA 8/3)

PA Fin. Min. Nabil Kassis says the government is finding it harder each month to meet its routine budget expenses because donors, including the U.S. and Arab states, have failed to fulfill their 2012 pledges. The PA had hoped to close a $1.1 b. gap in its $4 b. budget, but is expected to fall short by $250,000, despite increasing taxes and making cuts to subsidies. (WT 7/27)

Republican candidate Mitt Romney begins a 6-day international tour of Britain, Israel, and Poland to point up his foreign policy skills. The theme of the trip is ‘‘the importance of locking arms with the nation’s allies.’’ Aides say that on the Middle East, Romney intends to highlight differences with Obama over plans for the peace process, support for Israel, Iran’s nuclear program, and the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. (WT 7/26; see QU in JPS 165 for details.)

The International Israel Allies Caucus Foundation (formed by Israeli Knesset mbrs. and mbrs. of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008) sponsors 2 panels on Capitol Hill to mark nearly 20 yrs. since the signing of the 9/2003 Oslo Accord and to discuss how to move the peace process forward. Speakers include former State Dept. adviser to the negotiations Aaron David Miller, Likud MK and avid settlement supporter Danny Danon (who supports annexation of the West Bank except for the Palestinian population, which would be left to fend for itself), right-wing settler leader and former MK Rabbi Benny Elon (who supports annexation of the West Bank and creation of a Palestinian state in Jordan), and Israeli negotiator to the Oslo talks Yossi Beilin (who says: ‘‘My interest is not necessarily a Palestinian state. All I want is a Jewish majority forever.’’), and Jerusalem Post dep. managing editor Caroline Glick (who says Oslo was destined to fail because Palestinian leaders ‘‘raised a generation of kids who value death’’). The only representative of the Palestinian viewpoint, American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) dir. Ghaith al-Omari, praises Oslo for establishing a sense of ‘‘mutual respect’’ necessary for moving talks forward and calls for a quick resumption of negotiations. Elon responds that there will be no progress until the Palestinians understand that the Jewish people ‘‘are back in Zion, back in Jerusalem.’’ (WJW 7/26)

U.S. secy. of state Clinton meets with Israeli leaders (including PM Netanyahu, Pres. Peres, DM Barak, FM Avigdor Lieberman) and Quartet special envoy Tony Blair in Jerusalem and with PA PM Salam Fayyad in Ramallah. Though the main purpose of her visit is to discuss Iran, Syria, and other regional changes brought by the Arab Spring, she tells the Israeli and Palestinian sides that they must resume peace talks soon and avoid all unilateral actions. She emphasizes that while the international community is ready to offer ample support for a return to negotiations, the hard work must be done by the parties themselves. (WP 7/17)

Israel allows 40 Palestinian prisoners held in its Ramon prison to receive visits from family members from Gaza, marking the 1st time Israel has allowed family visits for Gazan prisoners since Hamas seized control of the Strip in 6/2007. Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts evening arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; and conducts late-night patrols in al-Nabi Salih. (TOI 7/16; WP 7/17; PCHR 7/19; OCHA 7/20)

Christians United for Israel (CUFI) opens its 7th annual conference in Washington. At least 5,600 participants attend. Organizers note that CUFI now has 1.1 m. members, 754,000 Facebook fans, and 96 college chapters. The conference theme is ‘‘Defend America; Vote Israel.’’ CUFI founder James Hagee focuses on the importance of Christian Zionism and supporting Israel as part of ‘‘living out God’s mandate.’’ Other speakers include Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), fmr. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations head Malcolm Hoenlein, and Zionist Organization of America pres. Morton Klein. The speakers focus on Iran, U.S.-Israel security cooperation, and halting Palestinian incitement. (WJW 7/19)

Israel’s Jerusalem municipality approves construction of 2,500 new housing units in Gilo settlement. Also in East Jerusalem, the IDF demolishes 5 residential tents and 5 sheds in the Arab al-Jahalin bedouin community e. of Jerusalem. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 5 wells and water and electricity networks in Bayt Qad village nr. Jenin (marking the 1st Israeli demolition in Area B in 2012). The IDF also patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 each nr. Jericho and Salfit in the morning; in Qalqilya and 1 nearby village, and in 1 village each nr. Jericho and Ramallah in the afternoon; and in 1 village each nr. Jenin, Qalqilya, and Ramallah late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Eliezer settlement nr. Bethlehem steal fencing surrounding a plot of nearby Palestinian crop land, leaving leaflets taking credit for the action signed by the ‘‘Green Helmets.’’ In Gaza, 1 Palestinian is killed and 1 is injured in a smuggling tunnel collapse on the Rafah border. (PCHR 6/14; OCHA 6/15)

A Palestinian court convicts Muhammad Rashid, the former economic adviser to late PA pres. Yasir Arafat and political ally to Abbas adversary Muhammad Dahlan, of embezzling millions of dollars in public funds during Arafat’s rule. Rashid had been charged in 4/2012 by an independent Palestinian anticorruption commission created in 2010. While few if any Palestinians thought that Rashid (who has lived abroad for years and was convicted in absentia) was innocent, many saw the case against him as, in the words of Palestinian analyst Hani al-Masri (WP 6/21), ‘‘a reaction to a political dispute [with Abbas], not a continuous fight against corruption.’’ Other critics noted (WP 6/21) that the commission had been selective about the cases it chose to investigate, and that of the more than 80 cases it had investigated, few had led to charges against senior officials. (WP 6/21)

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat and PA intelligence chief Majid Faraj deliver the long-anticipated letter fr. Pres. Abbas to Israeli PM Netanyahu and his chief negotiator Yitzhak Molcho at a meeting in Jerusalem. Netanyahu pledges to respond in writing within 2 wks. While the letter is not released publicly, a draft version was leaked to the press by a Palestinian source on 4/15, with the disclaimer that that the text might change before it was given to Netanyahu. Of note: PA PM Fayyad had planned to deliver the letter, but pulled out at the last minute. While there is no official comment as to why, various Palestinian sources say (WP 4/18) that Fayyad either (1) disagreed with the content of the letter or (2) thought it would be inappropriate for him to hold a high-level meeting with Netanyahu on the same day as an annual rally in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Fayyad had opposed early drafts that threatened to dissolve the PA if there was no significant progress toward peace. The 4/15 draft includes an implied threat, stating: “The PA is no longer as was agreed and this situation cannot continue.” (Times of Israel 4/15; NYT, WP 4/18)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire into Gaza for unknown reasons, wounding a Palestinian man in Khuza’ village, 2,000 m. from the border (well outside the 300-m. no-go zone). In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a late-night curfew on Kafr Haris village nr. Salfit and escorts at least 3,000 Jewish settlers into the village to perform religious services at a local holy site; the group stays for 6 hrs., attacking and beating Palestinians who venture onto the street; the IDF arrests 1 Palestinian. The IDF conducts latenight patrols in Tulkarm, firing tear gas and stun grenades at stone-throwing youths who confront them and searching 1 home. Across the West Bank, Palestinians demonstrate in solidarity with the 4,000 Palestinians held in Israeli jails to mark Prisoners Day. IDF troops fire live ammunition, rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, and stun grenades at 1 group demonstrating outside Ofer prison nr. Ramallah, wounding 2. About 1,200 Palestinian prisoners declare a hunger strike to protest their conditions and detentions without trial. (According to B’Tselem, there are currently about 320 administrative detainees, down from about 800 in 2007.) About 10 Palestinians have already gone on hunger strike, including 2 who have been granted early release (including Khader Adnan, who is freed today and Hana Shalabi, freed on 4/1) and 2 (Islamic Jihad mbrs. Bilal Diab and Thaer Halahleh) who have now been hospitalized after refusing food for more than 40 days. (NYT, WT 4/18; PCHR 4/19; OCHA 4/20; WP 4/24; JPI 4/27)

Israeli and Palestinian officials issue opposing statements on the content of Israel’s principles on borders presented in the Jordanian-sponsored exploratory talks last quarter. Israeli officials say the principles “effectively means a withdrawal from 90% of the West Bank,” similar to proposals made by Israel at the 2008 Annapolis conference. Palestinian officials counter that Israel never presented maps or discussed percentages, stating “If they wanted to say 90% they should have said 90%.” (WT 2/24)

Jerusalem Post reports that Naftali Bennett, former head of PM Netanyahu’s office and a former head of the YESHA settlers council who has recently launched a new group called One State Israel, has started circulating his proposed solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict to Israel’s political and military elites, who reportedly give it “high praise.” His “Israel Stability Initiative,” which he describes as “a practical plan for managing the . . . conflict,” calls for: (1) Israel unilaterally extending sovereignty over West Bank area C (60% of the West Bank); (2) granting citizenship to the 50,000 (by his estimate; as of 8/2011, OCHA put the figure at 150,000) Palestinians in Area C; (3) full PA “autonomy” in and freedom of movement among West Bank areas A and B; (4) no right of return for Palestinian refugees and no access for Palestinian refugees to areas under PA control; (5) a “full Israeli security umbrella” covering all of the West Bank; (6) the permanent separation of Gaza from the West Bank; and (7) heavy Israeli investment in economic projects in the West Bank that reinforce separation, such as joint industrial zones and separate road networks. (JP 2/23; YA 2/24; Foreign Policy online 5/1; see also OCHA, “Displacement and Insecurity in Area C of the West Bank,” 8/2011)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 2 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In retaliation, Israeli warplanes and IDF troops on the s. Gaza border fire on open areas e. of Khan Yunis, causing no reported injuries. Late at night, after unidentified Palestinians fire another 2 Qassam rockets into Israel (causing no damage or injuries), Israeli warplanes make 3 air strikes on a group of armed Palestinians operating nr. Gaza City and on a Hamas training base in n. Gaza, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops nr. Hebron uproot 690 trees and bulldoze 22 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of agricultural land, a well and water tank, and 800 meters (m) of fence surrounding the fields, located in Surif village; and demolish a mosque, a school, and 19 shelters in Khirbat Janba bedouin community; conducts daytime patrols in Qalqilya, Tulkarm, 4 villages nr. Ramallah, and 1 nr. Jenin (accidentally damaging 1 home and a water network when an IDF vehicle gets stuck); conducts afternoon and evening patrols in Qalqilya and 1 nearby village, Tulkarm and 3 nearby villages, and 1 village nr. Salfit; conducts late night patrols nr. Qalqilya. In Jerusalem, Israeli police arrest 7 Palestinians for jeering a group of Jews touring the Temple Mount/alAqsa Mosque compound. (JP 2/23; JP, WT, YA 2/24; PCHR 3/1; OCHA 3/2)

PA pres. and Fatah head Abbas holds separate meetings in Cairo with Hamas leader Mishal and Hamas’s acting PM in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh (marking their 1st meeting since 2007). Afterward, Fatah officials stated (Jerusalem Post 2/26) that Abbas has agreed to Mishal’s request to suspend talks on implementation of the 5/2011 Fatah-Hamas unity deal until Hamas resolves its internal disputes. (REU 2/23; JP 2/26)

In Jerusalem UN Secy.-Gen. Ban urges Israeli PM Netanyahu to draft a package of goodwill gestures (including a settlement frees) to offer in exchange for the Palestinians’ agreeing to resume direct talks. He then meets with PA Pres. Abbas and PA officials in Ramallah. (NYT, WP 2/2; NYT 2/3; JPI 2/10)

In the evening, unidentified Palestinians fire 8 Qassam rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late at night, the IDF directs artillery (2 shells) and helicopter gunfire at open areas northeast of Bayt Hanun, causing no reported injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus stone a Palestinian vehicle driving nearby, breaking a window and hitting a passenger in the head, leaving injuries requiring hospitalization. (HA, JP, YA 2/1; PCHR 2/2; OCHA 2/10)

The New York Times reports that for the past 2 weeks, Palestinians (including the private sector, unions, elements of Fatah, and youth groups) have been holding demonstrations against PA PM Salam al-Fayyad in Ramallah and other cities to protest soaring prices and proposed PA austerity measures, including tax increases, cutbacks on services, and a plan to force retirement on 20,000 civil servants. (Electricity costs, for example, have nearly tripled in the past year.) Protesters demand salary increases and subsidies to compensate for inflation, but the PA faced a $350 m. budget shortfall for 2011. Even with Israeli transfers of VAT taxes restored, the foreign aid received by the PA is not enough to cover recurrent expenses. The demonstrations have been so heated that Fayyad has suspended imposition of the tax hike until mid2/2012 and dropped the early retirement proposal, pending talks to ease tensions. (NYT 2/1)

Palestinian and Israeli negotiators hold a 5th round of talks in Amman. Molcho verbally outlines Israel’s guiding principles on borders and security, offering nothing new and putting nothing in writing. Afterward, Abbas meets with King Abdallah and issues a statement saying the exploratory talks with Israel have ended without progress; the Palestinians will weigh their next steps in consultation with the Arab League at a meeting in Cairo on 2/4 (later moved to 2/12). He says: “If we demarcate the borders, we can return to negotiations, but the Israelis do not want demarcation of borders.” Israel sticks by its position that Israel technically has until 4/3 to produce position papers (since teams began meeting on 1/3) and that if the Palestinians refuse to continue talks until 4/3, it is they who are walking away fr. negotiations. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, already in the region, meets separately with PA Pres. Abbas and Israeli PM Netanyahu to urge them to keep the talks going, especially pressing Israel to make some kind of confidence-building gesture (she recommends transferring more authority to the PA). Late at night, after these meetings, the Israeli team gives the Palestinians a document (not released) that puts the guiding principles in writing (reportedly including Israeli control over Jerusalem, the Jordan Valley, and almost all settlements); no maps are included. UN Secy.-Gen. Ban Ki-Moon says he will make his own visit to the region in the next week to encourage the sides to continue talks. (WAFA 1/25; HA, NYT, WP, WT 1/26; REU, WP 1/27; NYT 1/28; Asia Times 1/31)

The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home adjacent to Carmiel settlement nr. Hebron. A Palestinian is killed when he is accidentally buried by a supply of construction gravel being transported through a smuggling tunnel. (PCHR 1/26; OCHA 2/3)

In light of Jewish settler violence against the IDF on 12/12, the Israeli cabinet approves several measures against right-wing Jewish extremists, including permitting their detention without trial (administrative detention) and trial in military courts, allowing soldiers in the West Bank to arrest them, and banning them fr. entering the West Bank; it does not label them “terrorists,” which would have allowed security forces even greater leeway to act against them. Hrs. later, Israeli police raid a Jerusalem apartment and arrest 6 Israelis for involvement in “recent events” targeting Palestinians and the IDF. In apparent “price-tag” attacks to protest the government moves: Jewish extremists set fire to the Nabi Ukasha mosque in West Jerusalem (Israeli authorities have barred Palestinians fr. using the mosque but have allowed Jewish settlers affiliated with the extremist Kach party to use the courtyard as a playground); Jewish settlers fr. Burkan settlement set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Salfit; and Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar set fire to 2 Palestinian cars in nearby Douma village nr. Nablus. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/15; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Under pressure fr. PA and Jordanian officials, Israel reopens the Mughrabi footbridge to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount (closed on 12/12/11), saying it will reinforce rather than rebuild it. Meanwhile, IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City fire on a Palestinian who strays too nr. the border fence while hunting birds, moderately wounding him. IDF troops in the West Bank conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in al-Fawar r.c. and Bayt Umar, both nr. Hebron. (NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/15; PCHR 12/22; OCHA 12/23)

Addressing 10,000s of Hamas supporters in Gaza City to mark Hamas’s 24th anniversary, Hamas acting PM Ismail Haniyeh says that “Today we say it clearly: Armed resistance and armed struggle are the strategic way to liberate the Palestinian land from the sea to the river,” but that if Israel were to turn over the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem, Hamas could take a “temporary” respite “without Israel being recognized and without any concession being made.” Of note: at the rally, the flags of the Arab states are displayed except for Syria’s. (NYT 12/15)

The New York Times runs a long special report on a 6-yr. U.S. investigation of Lebanese Canadian Bank and its suspected role providing financial support to “terrorists.” U.S. officials allege—but refuse to release their evidence—that the investigation revealed that the bank laundered hundreds of millions of dollars fr. Hizballah criminal enterprises and that Hizballah had significant ties to Latin American drug cartels. U.S. investigators say the transactions also revealed a pattern “in which entities tied to Hezbollah have been buying up militarily strategic pieces of property in largely Christian areas” of Lebanon. Hizballah calls the claims “politically motivated propaganda.” U.S. admin. sources say that when the connections first came to their attention in fall 2010, some argued that the Hizballah link should be left unstated, but the admin. changed course (1) after Hizballah forced out Saad Hariri as PM and secured appointment of an ally in his place and (2) when the UN tribunal accused Hizballah of involvement in Rafiq Hariri’s assassination. (NYT 12/14)

Retaliating for the 10/31 UNESCO vote, Netanyahu suspends the transfer of VAT taxes Israel collects on the PA’s behalf and orders accelerated construction of 2,000 settlement housing units in East Jerusalem’s Har Homa settlement and the nearby West Bank settlements Efrat and Ma’ale Adumim, calling it Israel’s “right and obligation” to build in Jerusalem. Meanwhile, Palestinian IP addresses and Palestinian phone networks in the West Bank and Gaza come under “multiple attacks” by computer hackers originating from many countries; the PA says the attacks appeared linked to the UNESCO vote and it believes they were “organized by a state” [i.e., Israel]. (HA, NYT, WP 11/2)

The IDF drops flyers over Khan Yunis warning residents to stay away fr. the 300-m. no-go zone. IDF troops manning the observation towers on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fire warning shots at Palestinians and international activists marching toward the border to protest Israel’s imposition of a no-go zone; no casualties are reported. In the evening, unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. nr. Nablus and nr. Jenin; conducts late-night patrols in Jenin. The Israeli Comm. against House Demolitions (ICHAD) submits a report to the UN special rapporteurs on Palestine that concludes that Israeli policies in East Jerusalem (e.g., restricting building permits, demolitions, revoking permanent residency status) are forcing Palestinians to flee in what may constitute a war crime. In the West Bank, the IDF rearrests senior Hamas official Hassan Yousef in Ramallah for having links to a “terrorist” organization; Yousef was 1st arrested in 2005, was released on 8/4/11 as part of a mass release to ease prison overcrowding. (JP 11/1; PCHR 11/3; OCHA 11/4)

In the West Bank, PA police fire on a group of Jewish settlers attempting to sneak into Nablus to pray at Joseph’s Tomb before dawn, killing 1 Jewish settler and wounding 4; the PASF says forces fired when the settlers removed a physical road barrier and then sped down a road to the tomb, refusing orders to halt; the IDF, which regularly escorts settlers to the tomb to pray, confirms that it did not authorize the settlers’ visit. Later in the day, 10s of masked Jewish settlers following the funeral procession for the dead man fr. a settlement outside Nablus to Jerusalem for burial attack Palestinian homes en route, vandalize cars, and injure 1 Palestinian boy. In addition, Jewish settlers in Shaykh Jarrah in East Jerusalem attack a woman and 6 children with pepper spray and vandalize 2 Palestinian vehicles. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts synchronized patrols in 4 villages e. of Qalqilya. At the same time, troops raid Jayyus village n. of Qalqilya fr. 3 directions, arresting 2 teenage boys (ages 15 and 16) for cutting an opening in a fence that the IDF set up to cut off access to village farmlands and raiding a coffee shop to warn patrons that more arrests will follow if the fence is damaged again; when confronted by stonethrowing youths, the troops fire tear gas and stun grenades to disperse them. (NYT, WP 4/25; PCHR 4/28; OCHA 4/29)

Israeli pres. Shimon Peres arrives in Washington for a 3-day visit. He meets today with Secy. of State Clinton; no details are released. (WJW 4/7)

Israel’s Jerusalem planning comm. gives preliminary approval for 942 new settlement housing units in Gilo and the Israeli DMin. announces that it has finished new zoning plans for several West Bank Jewish settlements, retroactively legalizing construction already underway. The State Dept. expresses “deep concern,” stating that the “Israeli settlements [are] illegitimate” and “Israel’s actions run counter to efforts to resume direct negotiations.” Israel charges Gazan engineer Abu Sisi (see 3/10) with developing rockets for Hamas and establishing a “military academy” in Gaza to train Hamas commanders. Hamas and Abu Sisi deny the charges. In Jenin r.c., unidentified assailants fatally shoot Israeli actor Juliano Mer-Khamis (half Jewish and half Palestinian) who runs a theater troop for Palestinian children in the camp (see Quarterly Update for details). Meanwhile, the IDF patrols in ‘Ayn al-Sultan r.c. nr. Jericho in the morning and in 4 villages nr. Jenin and Qalqilya in the afternoon; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Awarta (possibly in connection with the 3/11 Itamar murders). Jewish settlers fr. Taffuh settlement attempt to fence off a nearby plot of Palestinian land; the PA district liaison intervenes with the IDF, which removes the settlers but leaves the fencing marking off the land in place. (AFP, HA, MNA, YA 4/4; NYT, WP, WT 4/5; WP 4/6; NYT, PCHR 4/7; OCHA 4/15)

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)

In 4 separate instances, IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. Jewish settlement sites, wounding 5. In the West Bank, IDF troops and intelligence units raid the homes of 3 local Islamic Jihad leaders in Jenin to “discuss the current political situation” and to question them on their recent detention by PA security forces (PASF); also raid and search the Dura home of elected Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Shaykh Nayif Mahmud al-Rajub; conducts late-night house searches nr. Bethlehem. The IDF also demolishes a printing press in Issawiyya nr. Jerusalem, firing rubbercoated steel bullets and tear gas and beating stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, seriously injuring 1, lightly injuring 8. (PCHR 12/2; OCHA 12/3)

Israel’s Interior Min. says it will move forward with plans to build 1,300 new Jewish settlement housing units in East Jerusalem (978 in Har Homa/Jabal Abu Ghunaym, 320 in Ramot). At the same time, Israel issues construction tenders for 800 units in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, which Israel intends to keep under final status. Meanwhile, Israel’s Jerusalem municipal authorities issue a report stating that the municipality is currently building more than 13,500 housing units for Jews in various Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. The UN, U.S., and PA denounce the plans. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols without incident in Zayta village nr. Tulkarm in the morning; patrols in Bayt Liqya late at night, firing rubbercoated steel bullets, tear gas, stun grenades at stone-throwing Palestinian youths who confront them, causing no serious injuries. (HA, JAZ, MNA, YA 11/8; HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/9; OCHA, PCHR 11/11)

Pres. Obama dispatches U.S. Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on a 3-day regional tour of the Middle East, with stops in Syria (to warn Damascus against interfering in Lebanon), Turkey (to urge Turkey to repair its ties with Israel), Lebanon (to show support for Pres. Michel Suleiman), and Israel and Ramallah (to explore ways of reviving the peace talks). (XIN 11/8; AP 11/9; NYT 11/11)

U.S. special envoy Mitchell ends a 2-day visit to the region aimed at securing Israeli and Palestinian agreement to resume direct peace talks by 9/1 based on a letter of assurances fr. the Quartet. After separate talks with Abbas in Ramallah and Netanyahu in Jerusalem he is unusually upbeat and says he is optimistic that direct talks will resume soon, but gives no details. He leaves Dep. Asst. Secy. of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Hale in the region to continue discussions and finalize details of a Quartet statement. (State Dept. daily press briefing, WT 8/11; see also WP 8/10)

The IDF announces that for the month of Ramadan (8/10–9/10) it is extending operating hours at some checkpoints along the separation wall in the Bethlehem, Jenin, and Ramallah to facilitate travel to Jerusalem; removing earthen mounds along 3 routes in Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron to improve traffic flow; and issuing an additional 200 visitor permits for nationals of select Arab countries to enter the West Bank. Israel has also, however, limited Palestinian access to Jerusalem during Ramadan to men over 50 and women over 45 years of age. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Ramallah. As a goodwill gesture to mark the start of Ramadan, Hamas authorities in Gaza release 100 Fatah-affiliated prisoners, while the PA in the West Bank releases 8 Hamas-affiliated prisoners (MNA 8/11; PCHR 8/12, 8/19; OCHA 8/20)

Arab League FMs meet in Cairo to debate whether to endorse a Palestinian move to direct talks with Israel, as strongly urged by the U.S. despite unresolved Palestinian concerns. The FMs ultimately endorse the idea of direct talks but support Abbas and the PLO’s refusal to open direct talks immediately, stating that when and how direct talks resumed is “a matter for the Palestinian side to decide.” Arab League Secy.-Gen ‘Amr Musa reveals that Abbas today received a letter fr. Obama containing “some guarantees” regarding direct talks but that clarifications were necessary; neither the PA nor the U.S. confirmed the existence of a letter. (JAZ 7/29; NYT, WP 7/30)

In Jerusalem, Jewish settlers escorted by Israeli police evict an extended Palestinian family (49 individuals, including 22 children) fr. a building in the Old City’s Muslim quarter, claiming ownership of the building. UN special envoy Serry denounces the takeover as “provocative . . . at a critical time in the international community’s efforts to move the peace process forward.” The Palestinian tenants appeal their eviction, and the case is referred to an Israeli court. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches Hebron, nr. Bethlehem. (OCHA 7/30; NYT 7/31; PCHR 8/5; OCHA 8/13)

In the West Bank, IDF troops fire on 3 Palestinians nr. Barqan settlement in the n. before dawn, suspecting them of attempting to infiltrate the settlement to stage an attack; 1 Palestinian is killed, 2 flee and later turn themselves in to the PASF, which question and release them, barring them fr. discussing the incident; the PA denounces the killing. In the evening, the IDF patrols in Anata village n. of Jerusalem without incident. (NYT 7/23; PCHR 7/29; OCHA 7/30)

The IDF sends units into Ramallah to detain senior Hamas official Maher Audi, wanted in connection with the death of 10 Israelis; the PA does not immediately comment on the IDF’s raid into Palestiniancontrolled area A without coordination with the PA. The IDF also closes the Atara checkpoint to Birzeit village to prevent Birzeit University students from staging a march to Jerusalem to protest Israeli Judaization efforts there, firing live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets toward stone-throwing students, injuring 3 (2 with shrapnel from live ammunition); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. (WT 3/15; OCHA, PCHR 3/18)

Biden spends the day in the West Bank, meeting with Abbas and Fayyad. After receiving assurances that the U.S. will press Israel to reverse the 3/9 Ramat Shlomo decision, the PA indicates that it will move forward with plans for indirect talks with Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli officials stress that Israel will never cede Jerusalem and will build unimpeded within Jerusalem’s municipal borders. The Arab League reconvenes to discuss the situation and withdraws support for proximity talks, phoning Abbas to urge against negotiations. Abbas consequently informs the U.S. that the Palestinians cannot restart talks with Israel until the approval of the 1,600 housing units is rescinded. (IFM, JTA 3/10; NYT, WP, WT 3/11; NYT 3/29)

In the West Bank, the IDF sets up a checkpoint at the entrance to Rumana in the morning, checking Palestinian vehicles and arresting 1 Palestinian. Israel also authorizes the UN to send bomb disposal units into Gaza to identify and disarm unexploded IDF ordnance fr. OCL; the UN says the operation may take several months. (JTA 3/10; NYT, PCHR 3/11; OCHA, PCHR 3/18)

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border exchange fire with unidentified Palestinians n. of Bayt Hanun, leaving 1 Palestinian gunman and 1 Palestinian bystander wounded. (PCHR 9/3)

In the West Bank, the IDF dismantles part of the infrastructure at Ma’ale Ephraim checkpoint controlling access to the Jordan Valley, stating that it will only periodically be staffed (a decision reversed later in the mo.); conducts late-night raids, house searches in and around Jenin, in Qalqilya, and nr. Jericho and Bethlehem, arresting 6 Palestinians (including 2 teenagers). (OCHA 9/3; PCHR 9/10; OCHA Humanitarian Monitor 9/09; OCHA 10/2)

In Jerusalem, PA national economy M Basim Khoury and Israeli dep. PM Silvan Shalom discuss economic cooperation, marking the 1st senior-level meeting between Israel and the PA since Netanyahu took office in 3/09. (WP 9/3)

In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Qabatya village nr. Jenin at midday in a car with Palestinian license plates to raid a cafe and arrest a wanted ´ Palestinian; demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in Azariyya nr. Jerusalem, in the E1 area marked for expansion of Ma’ale Adumim settlement, displacing 42 Palestinians. Late in the evening, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night incursions into Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, and Zatara village nr. Bethlehem to raid and search the homes of 8 senior figures affiliated with Hamas (fmr. PA Dep. PM and Education M Nasser al-Din al-Sha‘ir in Nablus; Reform and Change Palestinian Council legislators Nizar ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Ramadan and ‘Assam Nu‘man Salhab in Hebron; Ayman Husayn Darghma in Ramallah; Khalid Tafish Thwayb in Zatara; Reform and Change office director for Ramallah and al-Bireh Mazin al-Rimawi in Ramallah; senior Hamas leader Adnan Ahed Asfur and al-Najah University prof. Issam Rashid al-Ashqar in Nablus), arresting them for their “ongoing efforts to restore the administrative branch of the Hamas terror organization in the [West Bank].” The moves come as an Israeli Justice Min. comm. debates limiting the privileges (e.g., visitation, phone calls, study groups) of Hamas prisoners in Israel. Some 40 Hamas-affiliated legislators have been arrested since Shalit’s capture in 6/06, most of whom remain in detention. Hamas views the moves as Israel’s attempts to pressure it to make concessions in the ongoing Cairo prisoner exchange talks. The IDF conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, and nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Tulkarm. Mbrs. of Kiryat Arba settlement’s private security service detain a Canadian journalist and a fieldworker for the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem as they pass nr. the settlement, holding them until the IDF arrives to question them; they are released 4 hrs. later. (OCHA 3/18; PCHR 3/19; NYT, WP, WT 3/20; OCHA 3/24, 3/25; PCHR 3/26; JPI 4/3)

For a 2d day, Palestinians fire 2 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israel closes Gaza border crossings for 48 hrs. in response. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron, Jenin town and r.c., Nablus. (OCHA 8/27; PCHR 8/28)

Timed with Rice’s arrival in Israel, the Israeli human rights group Peace Now issues a report showing that Israeli settlement construction in 2008 to date has nearly doubled compared to the same period in 2007, with significant construction taking place in East Jerusalem and the unauthorized settlement outposts that Israel pledged to the U.S. it would remove as part of its road map commitments to advance the peace process. In her meeting with Israeli FM Tzipi Livni, Rice urges Israel not to take such steps that undermine peace talks. Livni calls the 2008 construction “small activities” that should not be used by the Palestinians as an “excuse” not to negotiate. Rice then holds a 3-way mtg. in Jerusalem with the PA and Israeli negotiating teams, then heads to Ramallah to meet with Abbas. (NYT, WP, WT 8/27)

IDF troops on the Gaza border shell Hamas mbrs. preparing to fire a mortar into Israel, killing 2, wounding at least 2. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Bethlehem, where they are confronted by PA security officers who do not realize their identity, sparking an exchange of fire that kills 1 PA security officer. Egypt allows 2,000 Gazans to enter Egypt through the Rafah crossing for the Hajj in a deal arranged by Hamas and coordinated with Saudi Arabia, angering the PA, Israel, and the U.S. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Abu Dis outside Jerusalem, Qalqilya. (NYT, PCHR 12/6; NYT 12/11; OCHA 12/12; PCHR 12/13)

The IDF makes an air strike targeting armed Palestinians nr. Khan Yunis, causing no reported injuries; levels land inside the Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF bulldozes a Palestinian road and barn in al-Walaja nr. the separation wall outside Bethlehem; raids, searches a secondary school in Azun nr. Qalqilya when staff is present but classes are not in session; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and Nablus, in Abu Dis nr. Jerusalem, and nr. Bethlehem. During the day, the new PA policing unit in Nablus, deployed by Palestinian Authority (PA) PM Mahmud Abbas on 11/2 to enhance security in keeping with the road map, makes major arrest raids into ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c. (WT 11/19; OCHA 11/21; PCHR 11/22, 11/29)

Islamic Jihad and the PRCs in n. Gaza take joint responsibility for a predawn rocket strike on the IDF’s Zikim base nr. the Gaza border that hits a tent full of sleeping soldiers, critically wounding 1, seriously wounding 2, moderately wounding 7, marking the highest casualty toll in a rocket strike to date; another 60 soldiers are lightly injured or treated for shock. The IDF responds with air strikes, shelling on suspected rocketlaunching sites in n. Gaza, hitting a home in Bayt Hanun, wounding 4 Palestinian children and an adult. Palestinians retaliate by firing 7 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. The Israeli DMin. begins drafting an assessment for DM Ehud Barak of the impact of cutting water, electricity, fuel services to Gaza. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 21 agricultural structures in Anata nr. Jerusalem for being too close to the separation wall and a settler bypass road; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Nablus, nr. Jenin and Tulkarm; issues military orders shutting the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs to Muslims for 5 days during Ramadan so that Jewish settlers may celebrate concurrent Jewish holidays. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino, escorted by IDF troops, occupy the roof of al-Aqtab Mosque (seized by the IDF in 1994 after the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs shooting), begin construction on it to expand their outpost. In Jabaliya r.c., Hamas mbrs. occupy the home of the Fatah-affiliated PA prisoners’ affairs minister, who fled to Ramallah. (IFM, NYT, WP, WT 9/11; NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 9/12; PCHR 9/13; OCHA 10/19)

The IDF makes an air strike on a car in Gaza City suspected to be carrying wanted Palestinians, missing the target and hitting a nearby home, causing heavy damage but no injuries. Islamic Jihad fires 10 mortars at the IDF base at Kissufim crossing, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, nr. Hebron, and in Bethlehem, Qalqilya, nr. Hebron and Nablus; raids the offices of a children’s charity in Jenin, confiscating documents. For a 2d day in Jerusalem, Israeli police escort a group of Jewish settlers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound to mark the Tisha B’Av holiday. A Jewish settler fr. Kiryat Arba seriously injures a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a deliberate hit-and-run in Hebron. Jewish settlers severely beat a Palestinian teenager nr. Nablus. In Ramallah, PA presidential guardsmen halt a car carrying the son and daughter of jailed Fatah tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti (seen as a potential challenger to Abbas), harass them both, detain and beat the son at the PA headquarters. Pro-Fatah students at al-Najah University in Nablus attack, beat pro-Hamas students protesting Abbas’s ouster of the Haniyeh government, leading to police intervention and an exchange of fire that leaves 3 students wounded, 1 critically. In Gaza City, 10,000 Hamas supporters stage a nonviolent march to PC headquarters to protest PA attacks on Hamas activists and institutions in the West Bank. (OCHA, WP 7/25; PCHR 7/26)

As daily clashes continue at Nahr al-Barid r.c., FI kills 3 Lebanese soldiers—2 by a mortar, 1 by a booby-trapped device. The estimated death toll to date is 120 soldiers, 81 FI members, 41 civilians. (WT 7/25)

PA security forces continue targeting Hamas mbrs. in the West Bank for arrest, detaining and quickly releasing Change and Reform PC mbr. Ahmad al-Hajj Ali. In Gaza, the ESF arrests Army of Islam spokesman Abu Khattab al-Makdisi, 2 other Army of Islam mbrs. in effort to find kidnapped BBC correspondent Johnston; the Army of Islam captures several Hamasaffiliated students in retaliation. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, the IDF unleashes attack dogs on, then fatally shoots a 15-yr.-old Palestinian boy during an arrest raid in Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and Nablus, in Qabatya, and nr. Jenin, Qalqilya. A Jewish settler woman in Hebron beats a 14-yr.- old Palestinian boy who refuses to give her his puppy; the IDF arrests the boy. In Gaza, the IDF bulldozes Palestinian land in 2 areas along the n. Gaza border; shoots, wounds a Palestinian who strays nr. the border fence e. of Bayt Hanun. Israel announces that Israeli police and Shin Bet have arrested 11 senior Hamas mbrs. in Jerusalem for allegedly “recruit[ing] support for Hamas and giv[ing] the organization a foothold on the Temple Mount, in coordination with Shaykh Raed Salah’s Islamic Movement,” and have seized more than $95,000 in funds allegedly transferred fr. Hamas’s Damascus-based leadership; the 11 are all East Jerusalem residents, and 10 have Israeli ID cards. (IFM 7/2; HA, NYT, WP, WT 7/3; NYT, OCHA, WP 7/4; PCHR 7/5)