Key Events
Introduction
Notable milestones of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, such as May 2004's "Operation Rainbow" in Gaza and the August 2004 hunger strike by Palestinian prisoners. See Key Historical Events for information on larger historical events such as the Nakba and Sabra & Shatila Massacres.
Annapolis conference (27 November 2007)
On Tuesday 27 November 2007, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators invited by US President George W. Bush will converge along with more than 40 countries and organizations at the US naval academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Bush, suddenly interested in resolving the Israel-Palestine issue in the eleventh hour of his presidency, hopes to negotiate a two-state solution. Despite the US government's fanfare, the Annapolis summit was met with skepticism and dodged by uncertainty even before the invitations went out.
Israel declares Gaza "enemy entity" (19 September 2007)
On Wednesday, 19 September 2007, Israel's security cabinet unanimously declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity." The declaration, ostensibly in reaction to the firing of rockets from Gaza, was immediately backed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and followed by a series of collective punishment measures that have crippled Gaza's already suffering economy. Israel has denied the importing of basic needs including medicine, severely limited exports, cut fuel supplies to the impoverished strip, and halted the movement of people to and from Gaza -- including those in need of urgent medical care.
Israel closes Rafah crossing (9 June -)
Rafah crossing, the only point of passage from the beleaguered Gaza Strip to the outside world, has been closed by Israel since 9 June 2007 following Hamas' takeover of the Strip. At the crisis' most dire point, as many as 6,000 Palestinians were stranded at the Egyptian border waiting for the closure to be lifted so they may return to their homes and families in Gaza.
Lebanon forces besiege Palestinian refugee camp (20 May 2007)
The three months of fighting in the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon between the Lebanese army and the non-Palestinian militant group Fatah al-Islam concluded in early September. However, Palestinian residents of the camp are reporting that after the fighting their homes were systematically looted and burned. Much of the destroyed camp still remains off-limits to anyone except the Lebanese army.
Israel attacks Gaza (16 May 2007)
On 16 May 2007, Israel renewed air strikes on the beleaguered Gaza Strip, firing on a Hamas Executive Support Forces base in southern Gaza, killing three. In the following days, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Israel "intensified air attacks targeting civilian facilities and paramilitary sites ... IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces] claim that these attacks come in response to [the] launching [of] home-made rockets at Israeli towns."
Israel Attacks Nablus: "Operation Hot Winter" (25 February 2007)
On 25 February 2007, Israel launched a wide-scale military attack on Nablus and neighboring refugee camps and villages. This is the largest raid on Nablus in three years. During this operation, Israeli armed forces opened fire on civilians, arrested at least 150, transformed a number of homes and two schools into military posts, attacked TV and radio stations and obstructed the movement of medical personnel. Israeli forces placed Nablus' Old City and its surroundings under curfew. From the raided local television and radio stations they announced the names of Palestinians they were specifically seeking.
Civil War in Palestine? (11 December 2006)
Following the failure to form a Palestinian national unity government to satisfy the international community's conditions to lift an economic blockade, factional violence has broken out in the Palestinian territories. On Sunday, 17 December, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for new elections, viewed by Hamas as a bid to undermine the government which it leads following last February's legislative elections and after which international sanctions were imposed.
Massacre in Beit Hanoun (8 November 2006)
At dawn 8 November 2006, the successive firing of ten to twelve Israeli shells at a Beit Hanoun residential street resulted in what Palestinians on the scene described as the Gazan "tsunami." Eighteen Palestinian civilians -- mostly women and children -- were killed. The Israeli military stated it regretted the killings and attributed the shelling to human error, provoking much anger in the rest of the Gaza Strip, which had just buried 55 of its residents after a week-long offensive in Beit Hanoun and extrajudicial executions elsewhere in Gaza.
Israel attacks Gaza: "Operation Autumn Clouds" (1 November 2006-)
On 1 November 2006, according to the website of the Israeli Defense Forces, Israeli "infantry, engineering and armored forces began operating in the Beit Hanun area in the northern Gaza Strip against terror infrastructure in general and rocket launching infrastructure in particular." In the first two days, 15 Palestinians were killed, including at least 4 civilians, and wounded at least 50, including 15 children and 3 women.
Israel attacks Lebanon (12 July 2006-)
Following the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hizballah on 12 July, Israel brings its campaign of collective punishment and excessive use of force to Lebanon, with "Operation Just Reward". Dawn air strikes on south Lebanon on 13 July 2006 claimed the lives of at least 44 civilians, including over 15 children, and wounded over 100. Israel bombed bridges linking the north and south of the country and all three runways of Beirut's commercial airport. The Israeli army's Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, promised that "nothing is safe in [Lebanon], as simple as that."
Israel invades Gaza: "Operation Summer Rain" (27 June 2006)
According to Israeli PM Ehud Olmert the aim of the invasion — codenamed "Operation Summer Rain" — was "not to mete out punishment but rather to apply pressure so that the abducted soldier will be freed. We want to create a new equation — freeing the abducted soldier in return for lessening the pressure on the Palestinians." Then the systematic destruction of Gaza's civilian infrastructure began ...
Banning of internationals and foreign passport-holding Palestinians (25 June 2006 onwards)
In another Israeli move designed to further isolate Palestinians from the rest of the world community, it is being reported that the Israeli army will be declaring the West Bank closed to foreign nationals under the guise of "security." The rightist Israeli daily Maariv reported on this day, "According to the plan, the IDF will declare the Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] closed to foreign nationals. Denying entry to ... activists has been defined as prevention of political subversion and involvement of members of the movement in acts of terrorism, and limitation of friction with Jewish settlers."
Massacres in Gaza (June 2006)
The Gaza Beach attack took place at approximately 4:40pm on Friday, 9 June 2006. An Israeli naval boat stationed off the coast of Beit Lahya fired seven successive artillery shells at civilians on the beach in the Waha area, north of Beit Lahya. The shells landed on the beach, which had been crowded with men, women and children at the time. Seven civilians from the same family (father, mother and five children) were killed.
Cutting Aid to Palestine (30 March 2006)
In December 2005, following a visit to Israel, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana threatened to curb aid to the Palestinian Authority if Hamas would win the January parliamentary elections. Following the Palestinian parliamentary elections, donor countries such as Canada, the United States, the EU and Japan have cut their assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
Gaza food crisis (19 March 2006)
Karni crossing (al Muntar) has been closed since 22 February. It was previously shut between 15 January and 4 February. The extended closures of the Karni commercial crossing between Israel and Gaza have had a devastating effect on food availability in the Gaza Strip. Stocks of wheat flour are already critically low and some fear there will soon be no basic commodities in Gaza.
Israeli attack on Jericho prison (14 March 2006)
On March 14, Israeli soldiers using helicopters, tanks and bulldozers burst into a Palestinian jail in Jericho to seize Palestinian prisoners, including Ahmed Sa'adat, leader of the PFLP. Britain and US removed its monitoring mission from the prison before Israeli troops went in. In response, Palestinian militants attacked offices and buildings linked to the US and EU. At least 10 foreigners were shortly kidnapped.
Palestinian Parliamentary Elections (25 January 2006)
On 25 January, Palestinians will go to the polls to elect 132 members of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Council members will choose a cabinet to serve with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He was chosen in an election held in January 2005. This section includes analyses, opinions, the laws, and other relevant links and updates.
Post-'disengagement' sonic booms over Gaza (24 September 2005)
During the early hours of 24 September 2005, Gazans awoke to the deafening sonic booms created by Israeli jetfighters soaring above the Strip. This form of collective punishment and intimidation of the Gaza population has continued, causing one Gaza resident to question, "Suppose the Israeli settlers were not evacuated. Would Israeli warplanes rip through the Gazan airspace so repeatedly and at the most sensitive times, when every man, women and child happens to be sleeping deeply?" Such Israeli measures violate Article 33 of the Geneva Convention which states, "No protected person may be punished for an offence he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited ... Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited."
Coverage of the Gaza "Disengagement" process (August 2005)
The Israeli pullout from the Gaza settlements will officially begin during the period of 15-17 August 2005. The evacuation will include the removal of Israeli settlers and their goods from 17 illegal settlements, as well as the redeployment of Israeli military forces from the Gaza Strip. The disengagement will also include the dismantling of four illegal settlements in the West Bank. It is announced that the redeployment should be completed by 22 September. The redeployment of military forces and their infrastructure in the Gaza Strip could take until at least mid-October, and potentially longer. This EI special section tracks the progress of disengagement.
One year on: The illegality of the Wall (9 July 2005)
One year ago on 9 July 2004, at the request of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued an Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's construction of a wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Court made clear that the construction of the Wall and the settlements were illegal. The Advisory Opinion of the Court represents the most authoritative statement to date of the content and applicability of international law concerning Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory. On 10 July 2005, the Israeli cabinet approved the construction of the Wall in Jerusalem and vowed the completion of the Wall by September 2005.
Israeli-Palestinian Cease-fire (8 February 2005)
In the first Israeli-Palestinian summit in four years, Israeli Prime Minister Gen. Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas verbally agreed on 8 February 2005 to end four years of fighting. Since the Intifada began in September 2000, about 3,600 Palestinians and 1,050 Israelis have been killed in fighting. Israeli and Palestinian leaders announced a cease-fire deal at Sharm El-Sheikh to end more than four years of bloodshed which has claimed over 4,000 lives. This EI special section tracked the progress of the cease-fire from 8 February to 29 March, at which point it was more than obvious that the cease-fire was in name only.
Palestinian Presidential Elections (9 January 2005)
On 9 January 2005 Palestinians living in the occupied territories voted to elect a president of the Palestinian Authority in the second general elections in nearly eight years. Mahmoud Abbas (Fatah) won the elections and was formally sworn in as president on 15 January. This section includes analyses, opinions, the laws, and other relevant links.
Israeli raid on northern Gaza (28 September-15 October 2004)
Israel's military assault "Days of Penitence", was launched in northern parts of the Gaza Strip on 28 September, resulting in one of Gaza's bloodiest days since the start of the Intifada on 30 September with 28 Palestinians killed and over 130 wounded. Israeli officials have described this military operation as "open ended". The assault is directed at Jabaliya refugee camp, home to more than 100,000 Palestinian refugees. Israel intends to creat a 9-km "buffer zone" around the refugee camp, continuing its scorched earth policy in the Gaza Strip ahead of its "disengagement."
Palestinian Prisoners' Hunger Strike (15 - 31 August 2004)
On 15 August 2004, Palestinian political prisoners began an open-ended hunger strike supported by all political factions inside and outside the prisons. The strike promises to be one of the most significant act of resistance from inside the prisons in decades. Up to 8000 political prisoners are expected to join the strike in the coming days and a series of solidarity actions are planned across occupied Palestine. Zionist leaders have promised harsh repression and have publicly stated that the prisoners can "starve to death." The hunger strike was suspended at the morning of 31 August 2004.
Israel's "Operation Rainbow" in Rafah, Gaza (13 May 2004-)
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| | A Palestinian woman sits amid the rubble of her destroyed home in the Brazil neighborhood of Rafah, Gaza, May 2004. (Johannes Abeling) |
Located in the southern part of the occupied Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt, Rafah has been frequently the scene of violence and oppression. Rafah refugee camp was established in 1949 to provide shelter to 41,000 refugees. It was the largest and most densely populated refugee camps in the Gaza Strip. The camp is divided into 17 blocks. Over the past three-and-a-half years, Israeli occupying forces demolished some 1,800 homes in the Rafah Refugee Camp. On 13 May 2004, Israeli occupying forces initiated a large offensive on Rafah town and refugee camp, during which they committed a series of serious violations of human rights. By 20 May, 45 Palestinians, 38 of them civilians, including nine children, had been killed, and 134 civilians, including around 50 children, had been injured. Most of the civilian injuries have been described by medical sources as "serious". Israeli troops also destroyed dozens of Palestinian houses, rendering hundreds of Palestinians homeless. They also largely destroyed civilian infrastructure and facilities in the town and refugee camp.
"Operation Defensive Shield" (March/April 2002)
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| | A burned commercial building in Ramallah. (Walid Battrawi) |
At the end of March 2002, Israel launched the largest offensive in the West Bank since it first occupied the area in 1967. Dubbed "Operation Defensive Shield," the invasion of Palestinian towns saw incredible levels of violence directed at Palestinian civilians, the destruction of Palestinian government buildings and records, the burning of shopping malls, and widespread damage of historical sites and the infrastructure of the towns. Although the most infamous part of "Operation Defensive Shield" was Israel's conduct into Jenin refugee camp, which human rights groups described as "war crimes," all Palestinian towns experienced comparable levels of violence.
9/11 (11 September 2001)
While no Palestinians were involved in the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, footage of a tiny, unrepresentative group of celebrating Palestinians was broadcast around the world repeatedly. Israel spent the months following the tragedy working to link Palestinians with the attacks in the consciousness of the American people. As Israeli government spin doctors emphasised that Israel was fighting the same "War on Terror" as America, Sharon's army pounded Palestinian towns with heavy weapons and in March/April 2002 launched the biggest invasion of the West Bank since 1967. This section of Historical Events offers some of the post 9/11 writing of EI Founders and others.
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