Chronology: January 16 – April 15, 2019

Arab-Israeli Conflict

See also Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia

Jan. 20: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed responsibility for airstrikes that targeted Iranian military sites in Damascus, which included a training camp, munitions depots, and Damascus International Airport. The attack came after Israeli ministers accused Iranian forces of launching a rocket at the Israeli-claimed Golan Heights. The leader of the Lebanese Shi‘i movement Hizbullah, Shaykh Hasan Nasrallah, claimed that Iran, Syria, and Hizbullah could attack Tel Aviv at any moment as retaliation. [NYT, 1/20]

Jan. 21: Jordan’s Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission protested the presence of Ramon Airport, which opened on January 19 near the Israeli-Jordanian border, claiming that it infringed upon Jordanian airspace. Despite discontent from Jordanians, the Israel Airports Authority said that construction of Ramon Airport and the 26-yard-high wall built around it was necessary for defense against projectiles coming in from the Gaza Strip. [AJ, TOI, 1/21]

Feb. 7: White House senior advisor Jared Kushner announced a two-week-long trip to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar to present a political resolution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kushner’s plan comprised of investing in the public and private sectors to boost the economic prosperity of the Palestinian Territories. United States officials reported that Kushner’s main aim was to secure regional support for a peace proposal. [VOA, 2/7]

Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri accused Israel of violating Lebanon’s maritime borders by allowing a private company to execute oil explorations in a part of a disputed area of 330 square miles that Lebanon had licensed drilling to companies from France, Italy, and Russia in 2018. [Reuters, 2/7]

Feb. 10: As the Great March of Return protests in the Gaza Strip reached their 46th week, violence along the besieged enclave’s de facto border with Israel escalated. The protests, which had been ongoing on a weekly basis since March 2018, had killed 226 Palestinians and 1 Israeli soldier. The demonstrations had been intended to bring focus to Palestinian demands for recognition of the right to return for refugees who had been barred from their and their families’ homes since the 1947–49 Arab-Israeli war. [JP, 2/10]

Feb. 11: The Syrian army reported that Israeli drones had bombed villages in Qunaytira Governorate, on the border of the Israeli-claimed Golan Heights, leaving no casualties. The area was part of an area known as the Triangle of Death—in between the southern Damascus suburbs, Qunaytira, and Dar‘a Governorate—that was dominated by militias aligned with the Syrian government, including the Lebanese Shi‘i organization Hizbullah, which had fought several wars with Israel. [Reuters, 2/11]

Feb. 19: A conference with over 60 envoys was held in Warsaw to address peace and security in the Middle East. While the Arab-Israeli conflict was not addressed at the conference, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was notably well integrated with Arab leaders, as nearly all attendees agreed that Iran posed a threat to the region. Palestinian and Lebanese officials backed out of attending the conference, saying Israel’s inclusion represented an abandonment of the Palestinian cause. [AJ, 2/13]

Feb. 28: After investigating the Great March of Return protests in the Gaza Strip, which had begun in March 2018, the United Nations Human Rights Council determined that Israel may have been guilty of committing war crimes against Palestinians. Testimonies reported that Israeli soldiers had fired at medics and children during peaceful demonstrations, resulting in 189 Palestinian protesters’ deaths and more than 20,000 being injured. The Israeli government claimed the inquiry was biased and that the protests had been coordinated with the Islamic Resistance Movement in Palestine (Hamas) to carry out attacks on Israel. [WP, BBC, 2/28]

Mar. 12: King ‘Abdullah II of Jordan met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other American officials in ‘Amman as part of the run-up to the announcement of a new US initiative to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinian representatives did not attend these talks, as they boycotted cooperation with the...