The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers with military escort raided Qaryut, leading to a confrontation with Palestinians; 2 were injured by baton rounds. Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian man during a raid in Hebron; Israeli forces claimed that the man had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the forces before they shot him in the head. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinians commemorating Land Day in Bil‘in, injuring 1 with live ammunition and others with tear gas. Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and injured 2 Palestinians using live ammunition during a raid in Bani Zeid. Israeli forces also violently dispersed Palestinian protesters in Kafr Qaddum, injuring 9, including 3 minors, using baton rounds; others suffered tear-gas related injuries. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in al-Yamun, Bayt Rima, Beita, Salfit, Bethlehem, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, 1 Palestinian woman was arrested at the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, 1 19-month-old Palestinian girl died after waiting 5 months for a permit to go to Israel to get surgery for a hole in her heart. Israeli forces opened fire at Palestinian farmers east of Dayr al-Balah; no injuries were reported. (AJ, GDN, HA, MEE, REU, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/1; PCHR 4/7; UNOCHA 4/10)

The UAE and Israel concluded negotiations on entering a free trade agreement, which will make 95% of trade products between the 2 countries custom free. The free trade agreement negotiations were part of the 2 countries’ normalization deal. (AJ, ALM, HA 4/1)

At the UN human rights council, 38 countries voted in favor of a resolution confirming the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Golan Heights. Ukraine, Lithuania, Brazil, Cameroon, and Honduras abstained and the U.S., the UK, the Marshall Islands, and Malawi voted against. 41 countries voted for a resolution confirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. Lithuania, Cameroon, and Honduras abstained, while the U.S., the UK, and the Marshall Islands voted against. (PCHR, WAFA 4/1; JP 4/3; AA 4/4)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers stole some 100 Palestinian-owned hay bales in Burin. Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians while traveling in the same car near al-Bireh. 12 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Kafr Na‘im, al-Bireh, Askar refugee camp, and Sa‘ir; 2 Palestinian children were injured by rubber-coated bullets during a confrontation with soldiers in Askar refugee camp. In East Jerusalem, 10 Palestinians were arrested during raids in Jabal al-Mukabir and al-Tur. In Gaza, 1 Palestinian injured in Israeli air strikes in al-Bureij on 5/17 succumbed to his injuries, raising the comprehensive death toll since 5/10 from 259 to 260, including 67 children and 3 pregnant women. In Israel, 1 Palestinian guard at a construction site was severally beaten by 10 Jewish-Israelis in Binyamina. 1 firebomb was thrown at a house occupied by Jewish-Israelis in Lydda; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/27; HA, WAFA 5/28; PCHR 6/3)

Israel approved 560 new settlement units in the Mtsad settlement near Kisan. (WAFA 5/27; MEMO 5/28)

According to Middle East Eye, the PA has been arresting at least 14 critics of the government in the West Bank since 5/1, with the largest arrest campaign on 5/22. (MEE 5/27; AJ 5/28)

At a meeting in the Knesset, it was revealed that 1,892 Israelis had been arrested in protests and in confrontations and clashes between Palestinian-Israelis and Jewish-Israelis, and that only 183 of them are Jewish-Israelis. Israeli police dubbed its arrest campaign “Operation Law and Order.” Palestinian-Israeli lawmakers called the operation racist, saying it only targets Palestinian-Israelis. (AJ, HA 5/28; MEMO 5/29; AJ 6/1)

1 Palestinian-Israeli imam Shaykh Kamal Khatib, the deputy leader of the northern faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel, was charged with incitement to terrorism and identification of a terrorist organization. Shaykh Khatib was arrested on 5/16. Khatib’s lawyer called the charges a political persecution. (HA, MEE 5/27)

An Egyptian official said that Egypt had invited Israeli, Hamas, and PA officials to Egypt for separate talks about reinforcing the ceasefire and accelerating the rebuilding of Gaza. A Hamas official said that Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh would visit Cairo next week and that Hamas is ready to talk about a prisoner swap. The Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi is expected to meet the Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry as part of the talks. (ALM, AP, HA, HA 5/27)

Israel summoned the French ambassador to Israel after the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on 5/23 said, about Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory, that the “risk of apartheid is strong if we continue to follow a logic of one state, or of status quo.” (HA, MEMO 5/26; ALM, HA, HA 5/27)

A public opinion poll released by the Arab American Institute said that 51% of Americans are for restricting U.S. military aid to Israel. 62% of Democrats supported restricting U.S. military aid to Israel. The poll was conducted on 5/20, the day the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was announced. (MEE 5/27)

The UN Human Rights Council passed a resolution to investigate the latest escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas and Israeli attacks on Palestinians in East Jerusalem. 9 countries voted against the resolution, including Austria, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Czech Republic, Germany, Malawi, the Marshall Islands, U.K., and Uruguay. 14 countries abstained. Israel said it would not cooperate with the investigation. Hamas said its actions during the 11 days of violence were “legitimate resistance.” The U.S. said it opposed the investigation. The UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet stated that Israeli attacks on Gaza may be war crimes and that rockets fired from Gaza were a violation of international law. Separately, the UN appealed countries to raise $95 million in aid to Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. (AJ, AJ, ALM, AP, AP, HA, HA, HA, MEE, PCHR, REU, REU, REU, REU, REU, VOA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 5/27; ALM, MEMO, MEMO 5/28)

Japan announced $10 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. (WAFA 5/27)

More than 600 prominent international musicians signed a calling Israel a “settler-colonial project committed to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population” and calling for a boycott of Israel. (HA 5/28; MEMO 5/29; WAFA 5/30)

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers assaulted 2 elderly Palestinians south of Jenin, leading to the hospitalization of both Palestinians. Israeli settlers also threw stones at Palestinians driving near Burqa, causing damage. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers vandalized dozens of olive trees in Jalud and 25 olive trees in ‘Ayn Bus. Israeli forces demolished the Palestinian village Khirbet Humsa in the Jordan Valley, including 18 residential tents, displacing 74 people, including 41 minors. Agricultural structures and water tanks were also demolished, and 3 vehicles were seized. The village is located in what Israel deems a firing zone. Israeli forces also seized 9 tractors, 5 water tanks, 2 vehicles, and solar panels near Tubas. 12 Palestinians were arrested during raids in and around Ramallah, Tulkarm, Ya‘bad, Jenin, and Hebron. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces razed a plot of land in Bayt Hanina and demolished 1 horse shed in Jabal Mukabir. In Gaza, Israeli forces made incursions to level farmland east of al-Bureij. Off the coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces opened fire on Palestinian fishermen within 3 nautical miles west of Bayt Lahiya; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/3; AJ, PCHR, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, +972 11/4; BBC, B’Tselem, CNN, EI, GDN, PCHR, REU 11/5; HA, WAFA 11/6; WAFA, WAFA 11/7)

The foreign minister of Malawi Eisenhower Mkaka and Israeli foreign minister Gabi Ashkenazi released a joint statement saying Malawi would open an embassy to Israel in Jerusalem by the end of 2021. (HA, MEMO, REU 11/3)