Chronology

January 16, 2011 - April 15, 2011

Abbreviations

ABC, ABC News

AFP, Agence France Presse

Al-Ahram, Ahram.org

Al-Arabiya, Alarabiya.net

Al-Jazeera, Aljazeera.net

AA, Asharq Alawsat

AP, Associated Press

Bloomberg

BBC, www.bbc.co.uk

CBS, www.cbsnews.com

CSM, Christian Science Monitor

CNN, www.cnn.com

Dawn, www.dawn.com

EurasiaNet, www.eurasianet.org

Fars News Agency

The Guardian

GN, Gulf News

Haaretz

Hurriyet

IBT, International Business Times

JP, The Jerusalem Post

KT, Khaleej Times

Le Monde

MEO, Middle East Online

NPR, National Public Radio

NYT, The New York Times

RFE/RL, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Reuters

Times of Oman

VOA, Voice of America

WJ, The Wall Street Journal

WP, The Washington Post

The Washington Times

Ynet, Ynet News

Zaman

Arab-Israeli Conflict

See also Israel, Palestinian Affairs, Turkey

Jan. 19:

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) discharged a solider for "acting unprofessionally" during a January 7 raid that killed an unarmed 65-year-old Palestinian man. 'Amr Qawasme, who lived one floor above a suspected Hamas militant the IDF was trying to arrest, was sleeping when soldiers entered his apartment and opened fire. The IDF's investigation concluded that the first soldier to open fire did so properly after seeing a "suspicious movement that caused [him] to feel that his life was threatened," while the second soldier, who was discharged, acted improperly. The Israeli military quickly apologized for the incident. [NYT, 1/19, Al-Jazeera, 1/20]

Jan. 23:

An Israeli inquiry into the raid on the Turkish vessel Mavi Marmara on May 31, 2010 cleared the government and military of any wrongdoing. Two independent observers on the Turkel Commission, led by former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel, agreed with the 300-page report. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed the report and said that it had "no value or credibility." [NYT, Reuters, 1/23]

Feb. 18:

The US vetoed a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution condemning Israeli settlement building in occupied territories and calling them "illegal." Of the 15 members and 100 co-sponsors, the US was the sole dissenting vote. However, US Ambassador to the UN Susan E. Rice said that the veto was not an endorsement of further construction, but rather a vote to further the process on both sides, claiming that the UNSC was not the place to halt construction. US President Barack Obama called Palestinian President Mahmud 'Abbas to work out a compromise to prevent the vote, but failed. [NYT, 2/18]

Mar. 1:

Israeli settlers launched attacks on Palestinian villages and blocked mainline roads after Havat Gilad, an unauthorized hilltop settlement, was bulldozed by the Israeli government. In retaliation, Palestinian homes and cars were attacked for what settlers called the "price tag" for Israeli government measures against their settlements. [The Guardian, 3/1]

Mar. 11:

Five members of an Israeli family, including three children, were murdered in the Itamar settlement near Nablus in the northern West Bank. President 'Abbas appeared on Israeli public radio and phoned Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to strongly condemn the attack. Tens of thousands of mourners attended the funerals in Jerusalem on March 13. Widely considered to be a part of a future Palestinian state, Itamar suffered a similar attack in 2002 when a family of four and a security official were killed. [NYT, 3/11, The Guardian, 3/14]

Mar. 14:

Israel approved the construction of hundreds of new housing units in the West Bank in an apparent response to the murder of five Israeli settlers on March 11. The Israeli government stated that the buildings would be constructed in areas it expected to retain as part of any peace deal with the Palestinians. [Al-Jazeera, 3/13, LAT, 3/14]

Mar. 22:

IDF and Palestinian fighters exchanged fire in Gaza in the heaviest fighting there since 2009. Of the eight Palestinians killed, four were civilians and four were militants. Israel claimed that the four militants belonged to Islamic Jihad. Hamas claimed that it fired over 60 mortar shells into Israel on March 19. [NYT, Haaretz, 3/23]

Mar. 23:

The first bombing inside Jerusalem in nearly four years seriously wounded three and killed a 60-year...