The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers from Bat Ayin attacked, with clubs and stones, Israeli activists guarding Palestinians harvesting olives in Surif; according to 1 of the activists, the Israeli forces that arrived at the scene did not intervene until the settlers fled. Israeli forces violently dispersed Palestinian protesters, shooting and injuring 2 Palestinians using rubber-coated bullets in Kafr Qaddum; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Biddu, injuring 1 with a rubber-coated bullet. (HA, WAFA 11/12; PCHR 11/18)

U.S. House representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to denounce Israel’s decision to designate 6 Palestinian rights organizations as terrorist, calling the Israeli decision misguided. (HA 11/13)

The state of New York put Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company Unilever on a 90-day notice in advance of divesting from the companies due to Ben & Jerry’s decision not to sell its ice cream in West Bank settlements, ending its franchise agreement in Israel. (HA 11/12)

A UK government watchdog charged with assessing that UK companies meet OECD guidelines on human rights charged the company JBC with failing to address human rights violations in Israel’s use of its tractors to demolish Palestinian homes. (GDN, MEE 11/12)

In the West Bank, 4 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Nablus and Bayt Duqqu. During the raid in Bayt Duqqu, clashes erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinians; no injuries were reported. During the raid in Nablus, Israeli forces seized a vehicle and 2 computers. During a different late-night raid in Bayt Umar, Israeli forces seized 1 vehicle, 500 Jordanian Dinars ($700) and 3,500 NIS ($1,000). Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles traveling near the Homesh settlement, causing damage to 25 vehicles and injuries to Palestinians from shattered glass. Israeli settlers also attacked 2 Israeli police officers disguised as Palestinian technicians at the Bat Ayin settlement. The 2 settlers were arrested by the Israeli police officers. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinian agricultural lands east of Khan Yunis; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 12/31; HA 1/1; PCHR 1/2)

In Baghdad, Iraqi protesters attacked the U.S. embassy after funerals were held for the 25 members of Kata’ib Hezbollah who were killed in U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on 12/29. Protesters managed to enter the embassy compound and ignited several fires. It was reported that the U.S. ambassador and staff were evacuated from the embassy before the protesters entered the compound. U.S. forces remained inside the embassy throughout the attack. According to an Associated Press reporter, a loudspeaker urged the protesters to leave, saying “the message was delivered.” U.S. president Donald Trump said in a tweet that Iran orchestrated the attack on the U.S. embassy in Iraq and that he holds Iran “fully responsible.” As the events were unfolding, U.S. secretary of defense Mark Esper said that the U.S. was deploying some 750 additional troops to the Middle East. (AJ, AJ, AP, CNN, Guardian, HA, HA, REU, WP 12/31; HA 1/1)

In the West Bank, IDF troops assault and detain a mentally disabled Palestinian teenager at a checkpoint nr. Jenin and another Palestinian elsewhere nr. Jenin. Israeli police arrest 2 Israeli settlers in the Bat Ayin settlement nr. Jerusalem, sparking clashes between the settlers and the IDF. Israeli forces begin leveling 70 dunams of land outside a Palestinian village nr. Bethlehem; level land nr. Nablus and demolish 300 olive tree seedlings. The IDF conducts house searches and raids in and around Hebron, and nr. Ramallah, arresting 4 Palestinians; patrols in and around Hebron, 1 village nr. Qalqilya, and 3 nr. Ramallah. Israeli settlers steal 9 sheep and kill 2 others in a Palestinian’s agricultural plot nr. Ramallah. The PASF detains over 40 Hamas affiliates in various villages and cities, primarily Hebron, Tulkarm, and Ramallah. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 2 Palestinian women as they are exiting Haram al-Sharif and 2 youths as they are playing in Silwan. They also conduct house searches and raids in al-Tur and Beddo village, arresting 8 Palestinians. Palestinians throw rocks at settlers’ cars in Abu Tor. (WAFA 3/8; HA, JP, MNA, TOI, YA 3/9; PCHR 3/12)

The IDF conducts daytime patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah; conducts latenight arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Umar. Jewish settlers fr. Karmei Tzur nr. Bethlehem attack a Palestinian farmer working his land nearby, beating him and damaging his bulldozer and car; the IDF intervenes, ordering the Palestinian to leave. Jewish settlers fr. Bat Ayin nr. Hebron uproot 14 trees on a nearby plot of Palestinian land. (PCHR 5/17; OCHA 5/18)

A day after announcing the arrest of a suspect in the 5/1 shooting that resulted in the death of Jenin governor Moussa, masked PASF officers ambush, blindfold, shackle, and detain fmr. Jenin al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) leader Zakariya Zubeidi, accusing him of involvement in the shooting. (WP 5/14)

IDF troops on the s. Gaza border e. of Khan Yunis fire warning shots at Palestinian farmers who stray too near the border fence, forcing them to flee. Late at night, IDF troops on the c. Gaza border e. of al-Maghazi r.c. fatally shoot a lone armed Palestinian digging nr. the border fence. In addition, 4 Palestinians scavenging for scrap metal nr. Rafah are injured when the accidentally trigger unexploded IDF ordnance. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 1 village nr. Ramallah in the morning; in Tulkarm and 2 nearby villages, 2 villages nr. Qalqilya, 2 villages nr. Ramallah, and an open area nr. Jenin (firing in the air, causing no damage or injuries) in the evening; and in 4 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 nr. Hebron late at night. Jewish settlers wielding iron bars attack 4 Palestinians traveling nr. Ramallah, moderately injuring them. Masked Jewish settlers fr. Bat Ayin settlement nr. Hebron attack and beat a Palestinian farmer and his family working their land nearby. OCHA, (PCHR 4/5)

In the morning, the IDF makes 2 brief incursions into Gaza to level land along the border fence in s. Gaza to clear lines of sight. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, wounding 1. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 8 tents (home to 40 Bedouin) and 2 wells nr. Suissa settlement outside Hebron; sends some 40 undercover troops into Salim nr. Nablus, where they raid an apartment building and arrest a wanted Palestinian; patrols in and around Tulkarm, in Qalqilya, and in villages nr. Jenin in the morning, summoning 4 Palestinians to appear for questioning; conducts late-night patrols in al-Bireh, Qalqilya, and 2 village nr. Ramallah and Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Bat Ayin nr. Hebron uproot at least 250 olive trees in nearby Jab’a village. (WT 2/23; PCHR 2/24; OCHA 2/25)

After a televised speech in which Libya’s Col. Qaddafi vows to hunt down and kill protesters “house by house,” 1,000s of his supporters take to the streets of Tripoli brandishing machetes and join trucks heading to outlying areas to conduct neighborhood searches. With most residents bunkered in their homes and media outlets cut off, the extent of the violence in the Tripoli area is unclear. Rights groups estimate that 519 Libyans have been killed, 3,980 have been wounded, and at least 1,500 have gone missing since violence erupted a wk. ago. Hereafter, fighting quickly devolves into bitter civil war. (NYT, WP, WT 2/23; NYT, WP, WT 2/2; NYT, WP, WT 2/25; NYT, WP, WT 2/26–3/1)

In Bahrain, more than 100,000 protesters (a fifth of the population, mostly Shi‘a) turn out for the largest prodemocracy rally to date in Pearl Square calling for the govt. and the monarchy to step down. (NYT, WP, WT 2/23)

As the campaign period for the 1/25 Palestinian elections opens, Israeli police in East Jerusalem arrest Independent Palestine candidate Mustafa Barghouthi as he campaigns, releases him after 4 hrs.; detain 7 Fatah candidates campaigning in the city; disperse a Third Way rally led by Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Hanan Ashrawi (Jerusalem); in 2 separate incidents, bars Central Election Commission (CEC) staff mbrs. fr. crossing a Tulkarm checkpoint to attend an election-related mtg. in nearby Dayr al-Ghusun and the Jordan Valley; blocks the transportation of election campaigning material fr. the West Bank to Gaza; sends troops into Jenin town and r.c. Meanwhile, the IDF opens the new Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border; fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Mustafa Muhammad during an arrest raid nr. Hebron; raids a Palestinian school in Anata n. of Jerusalem, firing rubber bullets, injuring 1 teacher, 1 student and then fires on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 8; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jalazun r.c., Jenin town and r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya; dismantles 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Bat Ayin, Efrat, Pdu’el. In response to the 1/2 assassination, Islamic Jihad fires at least 12 rockets at the Negev, the ARB fires a rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries; the IDF responds with artillery fire on 8 roads leading to the n. Gaza no-go zone, causing no injuries. The AMB, ARB claim joint responsibility for detonating an explosive device nr. an IDF bulldozer operating on Jenin r.c., seriously injuring 1 IDF soldier. PA police arrest Gaza AMB leader Ala’ al-Hams for plotting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28. Jewish settlers fr. Avraham Avino break into, rob, vandalize several Palestinian shops in Hebron. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IMEMC, JAZ 1/3; IMEMC, PMC, WP, WT, YA 1/4; HA, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 1/5; HA 1/6; PLO Negotiation Affairs Dept. press release 1/23)