The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stole 1 bulldozer in Khirbet al-Farisiyya. Israeli forces demolished 1 Palestinian home in Jericho and uprooted trees on the same property. Israeli forces also razed 75 dunams (18.5 acres) of land, uprooting 1,000 olive trees in Hijja. 8 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Beit Fajjar, Abu Shukheidim, Tuqu‘, Tarqumiyah, and Abu Dis. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen west of al-Sudaniyya; no injuries were reported. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on Palestinians farming their land east of Gaza City; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/27; PCHR 7/28; UNOCHA 8/5)

Israel handed over the body of 1 Palestinian killed on 7/6 to his family in Jaba‘. (WAFA 7/27)

The Israeli supreme court reversed its own ruling from 2 years ago to allow Israeli settlers to stay at the Mitzpeh Kramim settlement outpost. The initial ruling had deemed that the expropriation of the land where the outpost sits was not made in “good faith.” An expanded panel of justices at the supreme court found that it was made in “good faith.” (HA 7/27; AP, MEE 7/28; HA 7/31)

Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid met with Jordanian king Abdullah II in Amman. (AJ, AP, HA 7/27)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers set up 4 caravans on Palestinian-owned property north of ‘Abwayn; the outpost was dismantled by Israeli forces the same day. Israeli forces raided the family house of an alleged Palestinian attacker near Nablus and took measurements in preparation for a punitive demolition of the property. Israeli forces also demolished 1 house under construction and delivered 1 demolition order for a carpentry shop in ‘Araba. 13 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Bethlehem, Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Biddu, and Qatanna; during a raid in al-Fawar refugee camp, Israeli forces assaulted 2 Palestinians, fracturing the nose of 1 of them; they also claimed that Israeli forces stole 5,800 NIS ($1,700). In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire on agricultural lands east of Rafah. In Israel, Israeli forces demolished the bedouin village al-‘Araqib for the 177th time since 2000. (HA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 8/27; PCHR 9/3)

The Israeli high court of justice ruled that 1 Israeli settler outpost with some 50 homes, Mitzpeh Kramim, is to be evacuated. The court found that the settler outpost was built in bad faith as the authorities knew it was being built on Palestinian-owned land. (AJ, HA, REU 8/27)

Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi said in a news conference with German foreign minister Heiko Maas that, “I think it’s very clear and it’s very tangible that Israel government policy moved from annexation to normalization.” (HA 8/27)

U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo met with Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said in Oman to advocate for the Gulf state to normalize ties with Israel. Oman was the 5th stop on Secretary Pompeo’s Middle East trip, having visited Israel, Sudan, Bahrain, and the UAE prior. (HA, REU 8/27)

Israeli forces punitively demolish the Ramallah-area home of the Palestinian who killed an Israeli settler and injured 2 others in an alleged stabbing attack in the nearby Adam settlement on 7/26. The demolition sparks minor clashes with Palestinian residents of Kobar village, where the home is located; no injuries are reported. Elsewhere in the West Bank, hundreds of Israeli settlers visit Joseph’s Tomb near Nablus overnight, sparking clashes between their IDF escort and Palestinian residents of the area. Amid the clashes, IDF troops open fire on Palestinians in a vehicle allegedly speeding towards their position; 5 Palestinians are injured (2 seriously). IDF raids near Ramallah spark additional clashes; 1 Palestinian is injured and a Palestinian journalist is arrested. IDF troops arrest 17 more Palestinians, assault and injure 1, and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Jenin, Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus; and patrol near Hebron and Tulkarm. (HA, JP, MNA, TOI 8/28; MNA, WAFA 8/29; PCHR 8/30)

The Jerusalem District Court rules that the Mitzpeh Kramim settlement outpost in the West Bank can be retroactively authorized, setting a precedent that could allow for the authorization of other illegal outposts that were established “in good faith” and with government support. Israel’s Civil Administration previously stated that it approved the construction of the outpost in 1999 based on erroneous mapping of the area. Israeli NGO Peace Now responds, “It is absurd to attribute ‘good faith’ to the settlers of an illegal outpost whose homes were built illegally and without permits on private Palestinians land, because of a ‘mistake’ made by the authorities in allocating the land.” (HA, YA 8/29)

With Egypt-mediated negotiations in Cairo ongoing, Hamas releases a statement affirming that there is a “national consensus” among the Palestinians in favor of a long-term cease-fire agreement with Israel and criticizing PA president Mahmoud Abbas for undermining the indirect talks toward a deal. Meanwhile, there are reports that both the talks on a long-term cease-fire with Israel and on the Palestinian reconciliation process have stalled. (JP, TOI 8/28)