Settlement Timeline

October 2
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Central Command instructs soldiers to cease dining in settlers’ homes on the Sabbath. (Ma’ariv)

October 3
Palestinians throw rocks and burn tires on the road linking the French Hill and Ma’ale Adumim settlements, near Jerusalem. Israeli border police arrest two suspects. (Army Radio)

October 4
The imprisoned Marwan Barghouti calls for Palestinians to unite in peaceful resistance to Israeli settlements. Speaking through his lawyers, Barghouti says, “There is no Israeli peace partner.” (Army Radio, Ma’an News)

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry issues a formal letter of protest to the Israeli ambassador in Amman demanding that Israel stop construction activities in East Jerusalem and in the area of the al-Aqsa Mosque. (Army Radio)

October 6
The UN Office for the Coor−di−nation of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territories reports that of 100 West Bank closures scheduled to be removed by the IDF, 65 still remain.

October 7
New residential buildings are completed for an additional 104 apartments in the East Jerusalem settlement of Nof Tzion. (Army Radio)

Despite efforts by settler leaders to organize a large crowd for groundbreaking ceremonies at Nof Tzion for another phase of construction, only tens of local residents attend. (Ma’ariv)

October 11
Fateh and Israeli officials agree on a plan guaranteeing free passage for 400 Muslims who had stayed in the al-Aqsa Mosque to prevent settler attacks on the site. Israel guarantees that they will be allowed to leave without arrest. (Ma’an News)

October 12
Ma’ariv reports the release of a document drafted by Israel’s security agency (Shabak) documenting criminal activity by settlers against Israeli security forces in the West Bank. The report outlines ten violent incidents in the month of September 2009.

Ariel Gruner and Akiva HaCohen, from Yitzhar settlement and known by Israeli security forces to incite violence during the Palestinian olive harvest, receive injunctions to leave the West Bank for six months. (Army Radio, Arutz 7)

Ha’aretz reports that Israeli environment minister Gilad Ardan has turned to Interior Minister Eli Yishay to promote plans for a national park in the East Jerusalem area currently reserved for the construction of a Palestinian neighborhood. The settlement group Ateret Cohanim had approached Ardan with the proposal.

October 13
Shabak launches a campaign to confiscate illegal weapons owned by settlers in the area of Hebron. (Ma’an News)

In a speech in Jenin, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas states that the resumption of negotiations is dependent upon a complete halt to all settlement activity, including settlements in East Jerusalem. (al-Hayat al-Jadida)

October 16
Ze’Man Yerushalaim reports on the opening of a new bus line connecting East Jerusalem settlements with the Old City and West Jerusalem.

October 21
Ma’an News reports that Israeli settlers are responsible for burning 10 dunums of Palestinian land outside Nablus.

October 27
Amnesty International reports that daily water consumption per capita in Israel is four times higher than in the West Bank and Gaza. The Prime Minister’s Office calls the report biased and incorrect, asserting that Israel holds a legal right to aquifers because it was the first to discover and develop them. It blames Palestinian officials for their lack of investment in developing the wells that have been approved. (Jerusalem Post)

October 28
Dozens of settlers from Shvut Rachel throw stones at Palestinian farmers as they harvest olives on their land in Qaryout village, south of Nablus. Nine Palestinians are injured, and one is detained. (Ma’an News)

A large group of settlers enter Asira al-Qibiliya and damage the residence of Jamal Yousef. (Ma’an News)

Al-Ayyam reports the demolition of nine Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem cited for being built without permits.

October 30
Ze’Man Yerushalaim reports on the resignation of Jerusalem municipality official Meir Margalit over his opposition to the demolition of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem. His resignation is subsequently withdrawn.

November 1
The Marker reports on a ruling by the European Commission that Israeli goods produced in the occupied territories are not eligible for the same tax preferences available to those made in Israel.

November 5
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that he “will be ready to reduce the extent of building in [the West Bank] for a limited period of time, in order to set the peace process in motion with the Palestinians.” (Yediot Aharonot, pmo.gov.il)

November 6
Ze’Man Yerushalaim reports on clashes between settlers and Palestinian residents of Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood over orders to evacuate a Palestinian family.

Ze’Man Yerushalaim reports on plans by the Ministry of Housing and Construction, in conjunction with the Jerusalem municipality, to issue up to 1,800 tenders for housing in Jerusalem in the coming months. Of these, 300 will be in the East Jerusalem settlement of Pisgat Ze’ev and 100 in Har Homa.

November 8
Clashes erupt in Burin village when settlers enter and throw rocks. Israel forces respond in force, injuring several Palestinian residents of Burin. (Ma’an News)

November 9
Two newly built homes in the Migron outpost are set for demolition. (Arutz 7)

Israel issues 17 demolition orders to Palestinian residents of Silwan, in Jerusalem. The orders allow the residents 20 days to appeal the decision. (Palestinian Information Center)

November 10
Ma’ariv reports on Israeli authorities rescinding the order barring soldiers deployed in the West Bank from dining at settlers’ homes following an outcry by settler leaders.

The Knesset blocks a vote on the Labor Party–sponsored evacuation-compensation law to compensate settlers living east of the separation barrier who relocate to Israel. (Ha’aretz)

November 12
Ma’ariv reports the Jerusa−lem District Court indictment of Yaakov Teitel for the murders of two Palestinians and the attempted murder of four others. Teitel is 37 years old, a father of four, and a resident of the Shvut Rachel settlement. In the courtroom, Teitel states that it had been a privilege to serve his god and that he had no regrets for his actions.

November 13
Ze’Man Yerushalaim reports on plans by the Jerusalem municipality to construct a new Arab neighborhood with 217 housing units in an area near Sheikh Jarrah.

November 16
Home demolition orders are issued to nine Nablus residents for unlicensed construction. (al-Quds)

Yediot Aharonot reports that U.S. special envoy George Mitchell has demanded that the Israeli government stop construction in the East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo.

November 17
The civil administration and Israeli border police demolish two homes in the Negohot outpost, in the southern Hebron hills. (Army Radio)

Arutz 7 reports that Palestinian groups are urging Arab nations to boycott two French firms, Alstrom and Veolia, due to their involvement in the Jerusalem light rail project.

South of Hebron, five settlers harass a Palestinian family walking home and beat and rob two foreigners accompanying them. (Wafa)

In response to Israel’s approval of 900 new settlement housing units in East Jerusalem, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs states, “At a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions make it more difficult for our efforts to succeed. Neither party should engage in efforts or take actions that could unilaterally pre-empt, or appear to pre-empt negotiations. . . . The U.S. also objects to other Israeli practices in Jerusalem related to housing, including the continuing pattern of evictions and demolitions of Palestinian homes. . . . Our position is clear: the status of Jerusalem is a permanent status issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the parties.” (Ha’aretz)

The Jerusalem District Planning and Construction Committee rejects the building of 200 new housing units in the East Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Sur Baher. (Yediot Aharonot)

Yediot Aharonot reports the demolition of a house in the Issawiya neighborhood of Jerusalem for being built without a permit. There are standing demolition orders for 216 Palestinian dwellings in East Jerusalem.

November 18
U.S. president Barack Obama criticizes Israel’s announcement of tenders for 900 units in the East Jerusalem settlement of Gilo. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli officials demolish a two-family, Palestinian home in Issawiya, in Jerusalem. It is the second house demolition in the area in two days. (Ma’an News)

Controversy grows over a planned fundraiser in New York for the Hebron Fund, a Brooklyn-based settlement group. The invitation for the event reads, “Join us in support of Hebron and in protest of today’s building freeze in [the West Bank].” (Ma’an News)

Israel sends demolition notices to three Palestinian homes in Libban al-Gharbieh village. (al-Ayyam)

Israel demolishes two Palestinian dwellings in the East Jerusalem neighborhoods of Wadi Qaddum and Bet Hanina. (al-Ayyam)

November 22
Settlers from the Havat Gilad outpost attack Israeli border police on patrol, damaging one of their jeeps. (Yediot Aharonot)

The Alfei Menashe settlement denies the nearby Arb al-Ramdin village access to water for several hours. Eliezer Chasdai, head of the regional council, says the water was shut off as a punitive measure because residents had allowed their donkeys to roam free in the area. Chasdai’s daughter had crashed her car into one of the animals. The village has relied on water supplied by Alfei Menashe for 13 years. (Yediot Aharonot)

Ha’aretz reports on orders issued to Israeli soldiers at checkpoints permitting them to transfer settlers who are harassing them to police custody.

November 25
The settlers’ YESHA Council announces that construction will continue in the West Bank with or without the Israeli government. Settler leaders describe the construction moratorium as immoral. (Army Radio)

November 26
Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak authorizes construction of 28 educational and public structures in the West Bank but emphasizes that Israel intends to implement its decision to reduce settlement construction. (Army Radio)

November 27
Civil administration representatives begin distributing construction freeze orders to settlement leaders, rescinding the authority of settler council chairmen to approve construction within their jurisdictions. Members of the Settlers Council say they will “keep building as much as we can.” (Yediot Aharonot)

November 28
Israeli tourism minister Stas Misezhnikov announces that Israel will continue to invest in tourism projects and sites in the West Bank during the period of the settlement construction moratorium. Four tourism projects in the West Bank are already underway or beginning soon. Misezhnikov says that his political party, Yisrael Beiteinu, is able to support the new policy because it does not affect construction of public buildings like schools in the West Bank or any construction in Jerusalem. (Yediot Aharonot, Arutz 7)

Israeli forces close the Huwwara checkpoint in an effort to contain a large group of settlers attempting to access Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus. (Ma’an News)

Defense Minister Barak announces that 40 new building inspectors will be hired and trained within two weeks and that many more would be hired to help enforce the construction moratorium. (Makor Rishon-Hatzofe)

November 30
Fifteen Israeli settlers from Yitzhar attempt to set fire to a home in the Palestinian village of Burin, resulting in clashes between settlers and residents of the village. Israeli Civil Administration forces disperse the two groups and the incident ends with no injuries. (Ma’an News)

In an exception to the recently declared moratorium on construction in settlements, Prime Minister Netanyahu issues an order allowing the building of 25 new homes in the Qedar settlement, east of Jerusalem. (Ma’an News, Yediot Aharonot)

Ha’aretz reports on the discovery that ankle bracelets issued to parolees do not work in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and therefore are ineffective for use on settlers on parole.