|
Jan. 4: Israeli authorities hand military orders to take over 2,000 dunums of lands in Beit Iksa, Biddu and Beit Surik for military and security reasons, incl. 340 dunums for the construction of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv railway.
Jan. 5: The Israeli High Court rules that the course of the separation barrier in Sur Baher must be altered to avoid the destruction of over 134 dunums of agricultural land and of splitting the town in half and ensure it remains united on the west side of the barrier.
Jan. 6: Al-Izzariyya resident Zar’i Musa Za’atara receives a military order to demolish his two-story house, which is in the way for the separation barrier.
Jan. 9: Yerushalim reports that a recent tender for four industrial plots in the Mishor Adumim industrial park received no bids.
Jan. 12: Israeli forces begin replacing the 2-m-high separation barrier in Abu Dis with an 8-m-high concrete wall.
Jan. 13: Al-Ayyam reports that Israel has completed the construction of Ma’ale Hatzim settlement in Ras Al-Amud.
- The DM has issued military orders to confiscate 107 dunums of lands from Shu’fat RC and Anata’s As-Salam neighborhood to continue constructing the separation barrier.
Jan. 16: Ha’aretz quotes ageological survey commissioned by the WJM according to which the Old City and the Haram Ash-Sharif area would be the worst hit parts of Jerusalem in the case of a serious earthquake Other danger zones are Ath-Thori and other Arab villages on the city’s outskirts, as well as Baka’a and East Talpiot.
Jan. 18: The Israeli High Court issues an order to seal the two-storey house of Abdullah Adnan Sharabati in Wadi Al-Joz with cement.
Jan. 20: Israeli forces demolish the houses of Isma’il and Na’im Ar-Rishq in Beit Hanina, for being build without a permit.
- Israeli forces demolish the house of Mohammed As-Salaimeh in Wadi Qaddum, for being build without a permit.
Jan. 21: Israeli soldiers seal the home of Abdullah Adnan Sharabati, who drove a suicide bomber in Aug. 2003, in Wadi Al-Joz.
Jan. 24: Israeli forces demolish without prior notification the house of Ihab Hassan Abdullah ‘Ali in Beit Hanina.
Jan. 27: Israeli forces demolish four walls surrounding lands owned by the Ar-Ragabi and Abu Zahdiya families in Beit Hanina’s Al-Ashqariya neighborhood under the pretext of being unlicensed.
- Israeli forces hand over evacuation orders to several Palestinian families in the As-Salam area of Anata in preparation for demolition to make way for the separation barrier.
Jan. 28: In Shu’fat RC and Anata Israeli forces hand demolition orders for over 15 houses in preparation for the separation barrier.
Jan. 29: A suicide bomber, Ali Juara, 24, from Aida RC and member of the Palestinian police in Bethlehem, blows himself up on Bus No. 19 near PM Sharon's residence in Jerusalem, killing ten people and wounding over 40 others. Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claim responsibility. In his "will" Juara stated his attack was the avenge for Israel’s operation in Gaza a day earlier, while Fateh’s official claim of responsibility a little later said it was also to avenge the arrest Fateh member Marwan Jalad in Tulkarem a few days ago and "to prove to the humiliated rulers of the Arab and Muslim states who the true guardians of the walls of Al-Aqsa are." The PA condemns the injury of innocent people.
Feb. 3: Israeli archaeologists complain about alleged excavation work undertaken unsupervised by the Waqf on Al-Aqsa compound, which would endanger the remains of the Second Temple.
Feb. 5: Israeli forces demolish a two-storey house and four store wares in the Ras Khamis neighborhood of Shu’fat RC for not having building permits. Eight other houses are threatened to be demolished.
Feb. 7: Palestinian, Israeli and foreign demonstrators protest against Israel’s separation barrier cutting Abu Dis of from Jerusalem.
- The Elad settler group takes over 15 apartments in three buildings in Silwan.
Feb. 9: In Beit Hanina, Israeli forces demolish the houses of Ibrahim Mohammed Attiya Baragheth and Amal Suleiman Kawasbeh as well as a wall surrounding land owned by Mohammed Natsheh for being built without permit.
Feb. 10: Israeli forces demolish the house of Issa Yaqoub Katamesh in Silwan for not being able to pay the NIS 40,000 penalty.
- In Beit Hanina, Israeli forces demolish a house belonging to the Al-Faqeh family and two other buildings belonging to the Shubaki family for being built without permits.
Feb. 11: Israeli forces demolish a four-storey building in Beit Hanina belonging to Adnan Salameh Shubaki under the pretext of being unlicensed.
- In Issawiyya, Israeli forces demolish a house owned by Hussein ‘Ali Abu Rmeileh for being built without a license.
- The Israeli High Court issued an order to stop the construction of the separation barrier on 110 dunums of land in the Shu’fat and ‘Anata areas
Feb. 13: Israeli police impose tight restrictions on worshippers, forbidding men under 45 from attending Friday prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Feb. 14: Following heavy snow fall and storm, an embankment near the Western Wall collapses.
Feb. 15: After inspecting the site near the Western Wall where an embankment collapsed a day earlier, Israeli archaeologist Eilat Mazar calls for an investigation of the compound’s stability.
- Yerushalim reports that the seven winners of a land tender issued by the ILA for 401 apartment units in Har Homa pay a total of $62.3 million.
Feb. 16: The Knesset Finance Committee approves a transfer of NIS 96 million for settlements and Jewish building in East Jerusalem.
Feb. 17: Israeli bulldozers demolish without prior notification two houses owned by Hussein Abu Ramouz in Ras Al-Amud under the pretext of not having building permits.
Feb. 22: A Palestinian suicide bomber, Mohammed Za’ul, 23, from Hussan near Bethlehem, blows himself up on Bus No. 14, driving along King David Street near Liberty Bell Garden, killing seven people and injuring over 70 others. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claim responsibility and in a video message Za’ul states that the attack was revenge for Israel’s killing of 15 Palestinians in Gaza City a week ago.
Feb. 23: Israeli forces violently disperse Palestinian protestors at a demonstration against the separation barrier in Abu Dis.
Feb. 24: Israeli forces demolish the house of Ahmad Jamel Shqeirat in Sawahreh Ash-Sharqiya due to its location close to the separation barrier. Several other families are handed orders to demolish their houses under the same pretext.
Feb. 25: The Israeli bulldozers uproot 150 olive trees to construct a bypass road in Jabel Al-Mukabber.
- In Beit Hanina, Israeli forces demolish without prior notification the house of Mohammed Al-Kiswani for being built unlicensed.
Feb. 26: Israeli forces clashing with protestors at the construction site of the separation barrier near Biddu kill two Palestinians.
Feb. 27: Israeli border police storms Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after Palestinian youth throw stones at them; several Palestinians are injured in the ensuing clashes.
Feb. 29: Israel's Supreme Court orders a one-week suspension of work on part of the separation barrier around eight Palestinian villages northwest of Jerusalem, incl. Biddu, where protests against its construction continue.
March 2: Palestinians have recently held a demonstration outside the NII branch in East Jerusalem, protesting the delays in the investigation of people’s places of living, which has left thousands of East Jerusalemites without health insurance and allowances. Ha’aretz reports that NII officials admit that almost 2,800 files await inquiries with regard to individuals' residences and that currently five private investigation companies carry out the work on behalf of the NII.
- Israeli forces demolish the house of Daoud Bashir in Silwan and two other rooms owned by Abdul Qader Sbeih for the second time for being built without license.
March 6: Some 200 Palestinians protestors at Dahiet Al-Barid roadblock try to force their way into the city but are dispersed by soldiers firing tear gas.
March 7: The Israeli High Court delays the construction of the separation barrier between Givat Ze’ev and Har Adar settlements.
March 8: Preparations for repairing the Dome of the Rock have been completed, with repair work - funded by the UAE and the family of Pres. Sheikh Ziad Bin Sultan - expected to take several months.
- The Temple Mount Faithful petitions the High Court of Justice to order the Israel Antiques Authority to supervise construction works taking place on Haram Ash-Sharif and to prevent damage and theft of antiques.
March 9: Israeli forces demolish two houses belonging to Khader Salameh and Barakat Ar-Rashq in Beit Hanina for not having building permits.
March 11: Israel’s High Court of Justice extends by six days the injunction against construction of the separation barrier around Jerusalem between Mevasseret Zion and the Palestinian villages of Beit Surik and Biddu as petitioners seek an alternative toute of the barrier.
March 15: As part of the separation barrier, Israeli forces have begun installing cement blocks alongside the main street of Dahiet Al-Barid which will eventually isolate Ar-Ram from East Jerusalem.
March 16: Israeli forces demolish take over the house of Mohammed Ahmad Al-Khateb in Hizma and turn into military barracks.
- In At-Tur, Israeli forces demolish the house of Ahmad Abdul Sharif for not having a building permit.
- Ha'aretz reports that Palestinian Jerusalemites residing outside the "Jerusalem envelope" – some 60,000-90,000 according to the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies - are moving back into municipal Jerusalem out of fear to lose social and economic benefits if they remain outside of the barrier.
March 18: Israel's High Court has imposed a freeze on construction of a 25-km section of the separation barrier around Jerusalem.
March 19: George Khoury, a Christian Arab and the son of well-known attorney Elias Khoury of Beit Hanina, is being mistaken for a Jew and shot dead while jogging in the French Hill neighborhood. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claim responsibility and apologize for the incident.
- Yerushalim reports that Israel's regional planning committee has approved plans for a new Palestinian neighborhood of 190 dwellings and a park in the Wadi Al-Joz area.
- Yerushalim reports that the Hebrew University is once again attempting to sell a 90-dunum plot in Beit Hanina after previous efforts to sell the land at $100,000 per dunum failed in part because of large-scale illegal construction on the parcel.
March 20: Al-Quds reports that the Israeli Committee for Planning and Construction has approved the construction of the eastern and southern parts of the E1 Ring Road plan, extending from Atarot to the Skobus mountains and from Sur Baher to Jabal Al-Mukabber.
March 21: The Israeli cabinet decides to move government offices in East Jerusalem, incl. the Interior Min., to the Mamuniyah area near the National Police HQ, after petitions to the High Court protested overcrowded conditions.
March 22: Clashes with Israeli forces erupt in East Jerusalem following the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.
March 26: Beit Hanina residents present a plan to Israeli authorities for the construction of 250 residential units and associated infrastructure on a privately owned 100-dunum plot (“Askariyya”) near Rekhes Shufat settlement. 30 units currently under construction lack the required permits.
- Kol Ha'Zeman reports that land in Wadi Joz will be used to build a new govt. complex housing branches of the Min.s of Interior, Health, and Social Welfare.
- Yerushalim reports that, according to Atty. Mohammed Jabara, no building permits have been issued for Palestinian housing in East Jerusalem since Oct. 2002, when Israel began requiring that persons listed in the 1967 Jordanian land registry as owners of the property physically accompany those requesting permits or land ownership transfers.
- WJM police prevents men over the age of 45 from attending prayers at Haram Ash-Sharif and beefs up its presence in and around the Old City.
March 31: A group of about 15 ultra-Orthodox Jewish settlers moves into a new six-story building recently erected by an Arab contractor and bought through Ateret Cohanim by people close to "The Committee for the Renewal of the Yemenite Village in Shiloah", and an adjacent smaller house in Silwan, sparking clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian residents. There are now some 50 Jewish families in the City of David-Silwan area, as well as a yeshiva and a visitor's center.
April 2: Israeli police storms the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound to disperse stone-throwing Palestinians.
- The Israeli Housing Min. has issued tenders to construct 700 new housing units in Har Homa, 200 in Ma’ale Adumim, and 130 in Adam settlements, among others.
April 4: Based on an appeal by residents, an Israeli court issues an order to temporarily stop the construction of the separation barrier in the Ras Khamis and As-Salam areas of Anata.
April 5: Members of the Temple Mount Faithful hold a sheep slaughter ceremony for Passover on the Mt. of Olives, after police rejected their request to hold it on the Al-Aqsa compound.
April 6: An Israeli court issues a temporary order to stop the construction of the separation barrier at Sheikh Sa’ad neighborhood.
April 9: Palestinian men under the age of 45 are forced to pray outside the Old City after being denied to attend Friday prayers at Haram Ash-Sharif.
April 12: Speaking at Ma'ale Adumim, Sharon says "I had the privilege of initiating the establishment of the city of Ma'ale Adumim. Ma'ale Adumim will remain part of the state of Israel forever and ever. It will be included in the envelope fence around Jerusalem in order to avoid terror attacks on it and in its environs.
April 13: In the French Hill area, a Palestinian attacks and lightly wounds two Israeli police officers with a knife.
April 14: Yerushalim reports that 25 residents from Jabal Mukabber and As-Sawahreh lodge claims for $2 million in compensation for a plot of land 50 to 70 m wide and 1 km in length confiscated by the Israeli army for construction of the separation barrier. The army is offering only $215,000.
April 16: Al-Aqsa Mosque compound remains again closed for male worshipers over the age of 45 due to ‘security fears’.
April 18: The Swiss Embassy refuses to attend a street naming ceremony for one of its nationals because the street is located in Pisgat Ze'ev settlement.
April 21: Israeli forces demolish three houses belonging to Nader Ibrahim Alian, Hussein Zayada and Mahmoud Hamdan and a cement factory owned by Mohammed Nu’man in Anata. Twelve other houses are threatened with demolition to make way for the construction of the separation barrier.
April 23: For the fourth consecutive week Israeli forces only allow Muslim worshippers above the age of 45 to enter the Old City for Friday prayers.
April 24: Al-Quds reports of plans by a Jewish company to confiscate properties and buildings located in the area of the Dung Gate in the Old City.
April 25: Israeli forces have arrested three men believed to be behind the killing of George Khoury on French Hill on 19 March and the attempted killing of a Jew innthe same area a week ago - Loay Kurnaz, 19, of Ramallah, and cousins Amar and Sajid Abu Alous, 18, of Kufr Aqab.
April 26: The Israeli Interior Min. hands residents of Al-Issawiyya, At-Tur and Shu’fat orders to demolish their 24 houses for being built without permits.
April 28: Israeli border police raid Al-Quds University branch in Beit Hanina and arrest Pres. Sari Nusseibeh for employing Palestinians without proper entry permits. He is later released on bail.
April 29: Ha’aretz reports that Israel’s DM intends to build an amphitheater adjacent to the separation barrier in Abu Dis, overlooking the Al-Aqsa compuound and serving as an observation point for the army. Land belonging to Al-Quds University has already been confiscated.
April 30: Al-Quds reports that Ateret Cohanim has declared ownership of 16 apartment houses in the Old City belonging to Palestinians.
May 3: Overnight, four Jewish families move under police supervision and escorted by some 100 settlers as well as Ateret Cohanim members into two homes in Abu Dis, with settler spokesman Daniel Luria announcing "It is the beginning of a Jewish neighborhood."
- The Israeli DM issues confiscation orders for 51 dunums of land from the Ras Khamis area in Shu’fat RC to construct part of the ‘Jerusalem envelope’; once implemented, the neighbourhood will be separated into two parts.
- Israeli forces partially demolish the gas station of Jum’a Ar-Rishq in Shu’fat RC under the pretext of being unlicensed.
- Israeli forces over some 18 Bedouin families in ‘Anata to evacuate their tents and properties to make way for the separation barrier.
May 4: Israeli forces take over the Cliff Hotel in Abu Dis under the pretext of “Absentee property”.
May 5: Israeli bulldozers demolish two houses in Beit Hanina owned by Osama and Munther Ar-Razem for lacking building permits.
May 9: WJM Mayor Uri Lupolianski has established a committee to consider how municipal services (e.g., health, education, garbage collection) are to be provided to East Jerusalem residents who are cut off from the city by the separation barrier.
- Two of the three Palestinians accused to have killed David Mordechai, 57, in the French Hill area in March confess. The three - Louay Kurnaz, 19, of Ramallah, and cousins Amar and Sajid Abu Alous, 18, of Kufr Aqab already admitted the killing of George Khoury on 19 March and other assaults.
May 12: Israeli forces demolish the house of Walid Khalil Ar-Raghabi in Beit Hanina for lacking a building permit.
May 13: A Jerusalem court orders a halt to construction of the separation barrier between Shu’fat RC and Jerusalem city in response to an appeal by residents.
May 15: As part of the construction work for the separation barrier, Israeli forces started razing tens of dunums of land in Dahiet Al-Barid and Ar-Ram areas belonging to the Qawasmeh, At-Tamimi, Al-Hatawi, At-Tarifi, Al-Joulani, Qaljawi, ‘Azawneh, Jarbawi and Mughrabi families.
May 18: The Israeli Housing and Construction Min. has drawn up plans for a Jewish neighborhood - consisting of 30 apartments and a synagogue – in an area inside the Old City’s Herod's Gate known as Bab Hutta where a land plot was purchased some 25 years ago by a JNF subsidiary from the White Russian Church.
- New CBS data shows that Jerusalem's population at the end of 2003 had grown by 1.7% or 12,000 residents to 692,300 people, making it Israel's most populous city. In 2002, some 66% of the residents were Jewish, 31% Muslim, and 2% Christian; another 1% were immigrants who are not registered as Jewish with the Population Registry.
May 19: Members of the Temple Mount Faithful and other Jewish extremists stage a provocative march through Palestinian Jerusalem to celebrate ‘Jerusalem Day’, the anniversary of the capture of the Old City and East Jerusalem in the course of the 1967 War.
- Al-Quds reports that the Israeli Min. of Housing and Construction plans to construct a new neighborhood of 30 apartments and a synagogue near Herod’s Gate in the Old City on two dunums of land claimed by the Hemavota Company.
May 21: Yerushalim reports that during the first five months of 2004, the WJM demolished 41 structures built without permits, 36 of them in East Jerusalem. During 2003, there were 76 demolitions, 66 of them in Palestinian neighborhoods.
May 23: Army Radio reports that construction on the separation barrier in and around Jerusalem will be postponed for at least six months because of petitions submitted by Palestinians to the Israeli High Court of Justice.
May 24: Israeli forces begin constructing the separation barrier in Ar-Ram, Dahiet Al-Barid, Beit Hanina, Hizma and Anata after handing residents military orders with maps stating the confiscation of their land for the construction of the wall.
May 28: Kol Ha'Ir reports the recent publication of land tenders for 682 dwelling units in Har Homa.
June 2: Israeli forces demolish the three-storey house of Musa Kreshan in the Salam area of Shu’fat RC under the pretext of its location close to the separation barrier path and for being unlicensed.
- Israeli forces demolish three houses in Anata belonging to Mohammed Amaren and Arafat Hamdan to ease the way for the building of the separation barrier and the eastern bypass road.
- Israeli forces demolish two “under construction” houses in Sur Baher
June 7: Ha'aretz publishes a tender for the construction of six dwelling units in of Ma'ale Adumim.
- The Israeli central court in Tel Aviv issues a restraining order to stop the construction of the separation barrier for 45 days in Anata.
June 8: Work has begun on the separation barrier near Ar-Ram and Dahiet Al-Barid, which will affect some 80,000 Palestinians, incl. 10,000 Jerusalem ID card holders, and isolate the two neighborhoods.
June 9: Israeli forces raze a land plot used as car parking near Al-Quds University in Abu Dis.
- Israeli forces damage the main road leading from the Atarot industrial zone to Qalandia checkpoint in preparation for the construction of the separation barrier in the area.
June 10: The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court refuses to allow some 20 Jewish residents of Jerusalem to join the appeal of Jabal Mukabber residents against the DM’s order to confiscate their lands to build the separation barrier, which will put the Sheikh Sa'ad area on the West Bank side of the barrier while Jabal Mukabber remains on the Israeli side.
- Yediot Aharanot reports that a WJM survey suggests that there will be an Arab majority in Jerusalem by 2040. Because of the construction of the separation barrier, each week more than 300 Palestinians holding Jerusalem ID cards but living in the West Bank are returning to live in the city.
June 11: Ha’aretz reports about a private initiative for constructing a new settlement – ‘Givat Yael’ - on 2,000 dunums of land near Walaja village close to Bethlehem to eventually house 55,000 residents and create territorial contiguity between Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion bloc. The plan needs yet to be approved.
- During Palestinian protests near the construction site for the separation barrier in Ar-Ram, Supreme Judge of the Muslim Religious Court Taysir At-Tamimi leads the Friday noon prayer.
June 13: Palestinian protestors set fire and remove concrete blocks after praying in the place where the Israeli separation barrier will be built in Ar-Ram.
June 14: A group of Jewish settlers take over the house of Ishaq Musa Salim Al-Kurdi in the Musrara neighborhood under the pretext of being “Absentee property”.
June 15: A fourth Jewish family moves into Kiryat Ne'emana, located opposite Jerusalem's Damascus Gate.
June 15: Israeli forces demolish a house owned by Mazen Siam in Semiramis for being located close to the separation barrier path.
- Israeli forces demolish five houses and a sheep farm near Qalandia airport and Ar-Ram, belonging to members of the Al-Masri, Al-Mufalfal, Siam and Yacoub families for being built unlicensed and located close to the path of the separation barrier.
June 16: Israeli forces demolish the house of Ma’moun ‘Atta Suleiman Al-‘Abbasi in Silwan for being built unlicensed.
- Palestinians and Israeli peace activists participate in an anti-barrier demonstration in Ar-Ram, where the planned wall will separate tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them with Israeli residency, from their workplaces, schools and families in Jerusalem.
June 17: Israeli forces erect a military watch tower near the separation barrier at Qalandia checkpoint.
June 18: Kol Ha'ir reports that for the third time in 18 months, a tender for the construction of 48 dwelling units in Pisgat Ze'ev fails to solicit any bids. The lack of interest is blamed on the site's proximity to Hizma.
June 21: Israeli forces demolish the house of Taleb Mohammed Zaheika in Jabal Al-Mukabberto make way for the separation barrier.
- Israeli bulldozers raze an Islamic cemetery located between Jabal Al-Mukabberand Sur Baher.
- Israeli forces demolish a house in Walaja near Bethlehem.
June 25: Breaking a verbal agreement with villagers, the WJM destroys a new cemetery constructed in Jabal Mukabber after access to the traditional burial site was impeded by construction of the separation barrier.
June 26: Some 3,000 Palestinian, foreign and Israeli protesters demonstrate around the Ar-Ram road-block against the separation barrier. In the ensuing clashes with Israeli forces, dozens are injured, incl. MK Ahmed Tibi.
June 30: Israel's High Court of Justice rules that 30 km of a 40 km section of the separation barrier north of Jerusalem (running near the setllements of Givat Ze'ev, Har Adar and Ramot as well as Mevasseret Zion) must be rerouted to prevent Palestinians being cut off from their farms, schools and cities, saying the current route causes “severe injury” to Palestinian lives.
- Israeli forces demolish the two-storey house of ‘Ali Harbi Shakhasher in Anata for lacking building permits.
- Israeli bulldozers raze tens of dunums of agricultural land and uproot hundreds of trees belonging to the Salhout family in Sawahreh Ash-Sharqiyya to make way for the construction of the separation barrier.
July 1: The Israeli High Court of Justice issues an interim injunction ordering the DM to halt work on a section of the separation barrier that runs near Har Homa settlement and barring the state from expelling residents of Kufr Nu'aman - a tiny village of some 200 residents located about 2 km from Har Homa - from their homes on the grounds that they are residing in Israel illegally.
July 4: Israeli forces shoot and kill a Palestinian from Yatta driving 17 illegal workers on the Ein Karem-Bar Giora road in West Jerusalem after he failed to stop at the request of officers.
- Dozens of protesters, incl. PLC members and MK Azmi Bishara begin a hunger strike in a tent in Ar-Ram to protest against Israel's construction of the separation barrier and the hardship it is causing Palestinians.
July 6: Israeli bulldozers raze tens of fruitful trees in Sawahreh Ash-Sharqiyya to make way for the for the separation barrier.
July 7: Israeli bulldozers continue razing the lands near Sawahreh Ash-Sharqiyya, Al-Izzariyya, Abu Dis and Sheikh Sa’ed for constructing part of the separation barrier in the area.
July 14: Israeli forces demolish without prior notification seven barracks belonging to Fatima Ar-Radaideh in the At-Tur area under the pretext of being unlicensed.
July 21: Israeli forces demolish without prior notification 152 dunums of agricultural lands west of Anata and uproot 200 olive trees in the area.
July 22: The Temple Mount Faithful petitions the Israeli High Court, asking to be given clearance to enter Al-Aqsa compound for prayers later the week for Tisha B'Av.
July 23: In Ar-Ram, a demonstration against the separation barrier takes place, while at Qalandia checkpoint Palestinians demonstrate demanding access to holy sites in Jerusalem.
July 24: Speaking on Channel Two’s "Meet the Press," Israel's Public Security Min. Tzachi Hanegbi warns that Jewish extremists could attack Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to provoke an Islamic response that would stir up new violence and thus spoil the disengagement plan.
July 27: WJM police chief Maj.-Gen. Ilan Franco bans Jewish visitors from the Al-Aqsa compound on today’s Tisha B'Av (marking the destruction of the two temples) over fear of sparking violent clashes. Some 30 Jewish extremists trying nevertheless to enter are turned back. The Temple Mount Faithful then holds a symbolic gathering near the compound’s Mughrabi Gate.
- Ha’aretz reports that the ILA plans to market 690 construction lots in Jerusalem, incl. Har Homa (110 lots) and Har Homa A (40), Gilo (36), and Pisgat Ze'ev (48).
July 30: The WJM hands military orders to three Bedouin families from the Jahalin tribe near Anata to evacuate their homes under the pretext of being an obstacle to the separation barrier.
Aug. 2: Israel has approved the construction of 600 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim settlement.
Aug. 5: Dozens of residents of Issawiyya demonstrate against the closing of their access road on security grounds.
Aug. 7: Tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs attend a rally organized by the Islamic Movement at Al-Aqsa Mosque under the banner of ‘Al-Aqsa in Danger.’ Dep. head of the Islamic Movement Northern Faction, Sheikh Kamel Khatib warns that "the government of Israel will be responsible for any attack" on mosques in Jerusalem.
Aug. 8: Israeli forces continue razing lands near Dahiet Al-Barid for the separation barrier.
- Israeli forces build a road leading to Neve Ya’acov settlements on lands belong to the Qawasmeh, Al-Hinawi, Qabani, Abu Farha, Zahda, Salaima, Matur and Jaradat families.
Aug. 9: WJM bulldozers demolish three Palestinian homes in Beit Hanina, two houses with a gas station in Jabal Al-Mukabber and two other houses in Shu’fat RC for being built without a license.
- In Silwan, Israeli forces hand residents military orders to demolish 35 houses for being built without a license.
Aug. 10: Israeli forces continue razing lands along the main street between Dahiet Al-Barid and Qalandia checkpoint as part of the separation barrier plans in the area.
Aug. 11: Israeli forces demolish without prior notification the two-storey house of Amjad Mohammed Ar-Ra’oud in Beit Hanina for lacking a building permit.
Aug. 15: Israeli forces start razing lands and erecting tunnels in Beit Iksa as part of the construction work for the railway that will connect Jerusalem with Tel Aviv.
- Israeli border police shoots and kills a Palestinian man - Jamal Abu-Issa, 40, from Shu’fat, who had stabbed him outside the Old City's Damascus Gate.
Aug. 17: Israeli forces demolish the house of Na’im Ghayth in Beit Hanina for lacking a building permit and hand demolition orders to several other residents in the area.
Aug. 20: Israeli forces refuse entry to the Old City to Palestinian worshippers under the age of 45 years.
Aug. 23: Ha’aretz reports that construction of 100 new housing units in the Har Gilo settlement has begun.
- The Israeli High Court issues an order to cancel the temporary restraining order to stop constructing the separation barrier along the Ramallah-Jerusalem road
Aug. 24: Al-Ayyam reports that Israel is planning to construct 11 gates around Jerusalem.
Aug. 26: Israeli forces construct two iron gates at Qalandia checkpoint and divided it into four passages.
- Al-Ayyam reports that The Israeli central court in Jerusalem has issued an order to freeze the settlement project “Nof Zahav” (The Golden View) consisting of 400 housing units in Jabal Al-Mukabber- Sawahreh Ash-Sharqiyya after the Jewish owner of the project could not prove his ownership to 75% of the land as he claimed earlier.
Aug. 30: Israeli forces demolish the house of Adnan Isma’il Abu Kaf in Sur Baher neighborhood for being built illegally.
Sept. 2: Israeli forces erect new cement blocks for the separation barrier between Ar-Ram and Qalandia checkpoint.
Sept. 4: The PA begins voter registration drives in seven East Jerusalem districts: At-Tur, Ras Al-Amud, the Old City, Beit Hanina and Shu’fat.
Sept. 6: At the request of the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount, Israel’s High Court of Justice issues a temporary injunction prohibiting the Israel Antiquities Authority, the Public Security Min. and the PM from authorizing the Waqf to remove tons of soil from the Haram Ash-Sharif compound, on the assumption it contains archaeological artifacts.
Sept. 7: WJM police disturb procedures at the PA voter registration offices in East Jerusalem, apparently trying to prevent the voter registration drive in the city, by summoning helpers to the police and photographing the members of the voter registration committee and the rolls with the names of the residents who had signed up to vote.
Sept. 7: Israeli bulldozers continue razing lands in Ar-Ram in preparation for the separation barrier in the area.
Sept. 10: Israeli forces erect 5-m-high wall blocks for the separation barrier on the road between Dahiet Al-Barid and Qalandia checkpoint.
Sept. 13: Stone-throwing Palestinians clash with police after a demonstration against the construction of the separation barrier in Ar-Ram.
- WJM officials unveil the first new master plan for Jerusalem since 1959, calling for "massive intervention" to prevent overcrowding in the Old City, suggesting to fund alternative housing outside the Old City for interested residents from all but the Jewish Quarter. The plan, which also calls for the reconstruction of Anata and recommends limits in building height in certain areas, is yet to be approved.
- PM Qrei’a condemns Israel's closure of six voter registration centers in East Jerusalem, saying it "violates all signed agreements, international laws and the right of people to live a democratic life and elect their representatives," and "obstructs Palestinian, Arab and international efforts to implement the road map," which calls on the Palestinians to hold national elections. He also calls for an international force to protect the Palestinians and help them exercise their right to elect representatives.
Sept. 14: Israeli settlers from the Ateret Cohanim group take over the house of Zahariya Zgh’eer in Suq Al-Qattanin, Old City.
Sept. 21: Ha’aretz reports that a Jordanian delegation has presented plans for constructing a fifth minaret on Al-Aqsa Compound to Israeli police, while the right-wing Chai V'kayam movement sends letters to govt. agencies charging that the talks are illegal as police was not authorized to make decisions about construction on the site.
Sept. 22: Two Israeli border policemen are killed and 30 Israelis are wounded when a woman suicide bomber - Zainab Abu Salem, 18, from Askar RC – blows herself up at the French Hill junction hitchhiking post. Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades claim responsibility, saying the attack was in revenge for the recent assassination of its leaders in Nablus and Jenin. The Palestinian cabinet condemns the bombing.
Sept. 24: Ha’aretz reports that WJM Mayor Uri Lupolianski wants to rezone an area in Wadi Joz – originally planned by the Housing Min. for Arab residents – in order to settle Jews there and create territorial contiguity between the Mt. Scopus, French Hill and Ramat Eshkol settlements.
- Ha’aretz reports that according to new data compiled by WJM officials the Jewish population in Jerusalem is expected to shrink by up to 60% by 2020.
Sept. 26: WJM officials say the number of Muslim worshipers allowed onto the Haram Ash-Sharif during impending Ramadan may have to be limited because of an Israel Antiquities Authority warning that the Solomon's Stables area might collapse under the weight of the expected hundreds of thousands of worshipers. The Waqf and Jordanian experts rule out the possibility of a collapse, with Waqf Dir. Adnan Husseini saying it was an Israeli attempt to wrest control over the compound.
Oct. 1: Male Palestinians under the age of 40 are kept out of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli police for “security reasons.”
Oct. 10: A yeshiva student spits on the Armenian Archbishop carrying a cross in the Old City, sparking a fist fight that damaged the cleric's ancient medallion.
Oct. 12: The Israeli High Court of Justice rejects a petition by the Temple Mount Faithful demanding a ban on the govt. and WJM from authorizing the construction of another mosque on Al-Aqsa Compound.
Oct. 14: Israel lifts its threat to limit the number of Muslim worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque for Ramadan on the pretext of the risk of collapse, saying measures had been taken to build scaffolding and cordon off the dangerous areas.
- Jordanian experts evaluate areas of the Al-Aqsa Compound which need future repair.
Oct. 15: Tens of thousands of Muslims join the first Friday prayers of Ramadan at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Oct. 17: Israel's security chiefs warn of the growing risk of an attack by Jewish extremists on Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to halt PM Sharon's withdrawal plans.
Oct. 22: Dep. Chairman of the Committee to Renovate the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock Raef Nijem says that Jordan intends to build a fifth minaret on Al-Aqsa Compound, in its southeast corner, starting in early 2005.
Oct. 26: Al-Quds reports that Israeli forces have notified 17 families in Abu Dis living close to the Cliff Hotel to evacuate their houses in preparation for demolition.
Oct. 28: Amidst the confusion about Arafat’s health, Israeli officials stress that they will not allow him to b buried on Al-Aqsa Compound, as requested by Arafat in the past. Instead, a burial plot in Abu Dis with a view of the compound is being considered.
Oct. 31: With regard to Pres. Arafat’s wish – as expressed in the past - to be buried on Al-Aqsa Compound PM Sharon, declares: "As long as I am PM, I have no intention of allowing Yasser Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem."
[Back
to Table of Content]
|